One of the most difficult things about cleansing your body (aside from being a bore at a potluck) is maintaining healthy energy levels. Most people are used to unhealthy, sugary, and caffeinated sources as pick-me-ups, or they rely on meat and salty snacks to power them through the day. All of those things can create toxic build-up. Now that those things are out of your diet, though, you may find it difficult to bring yourself to exercise.
Before we continue, congratulations on your decision to participate in our Full-Body Cleanse (or any cleanse of ours as a matter of fact). You are well on your way to a healthier, toxin-free lifestyle. When it comes to exercising, it is an additional way to detoxify the body. Exercising boosts the body’s systems by allowing blood to properly circulate and bring nutrients to all the organs and muscles, while carrying away and filtering out poisonous waste products from every cell, tissue and organ. That said, you don’t want to overexert yourself on the cleanse. At the end of the day, your body is detoxing and you can use light exercises to help with that process.
Jogging/Cycling:
When it comes to doing aerobic exercises such as jogging or cycling (riding an exercise bike is great too), it’s important to eat solid raw foods. Making fruit or vegetable smoothies, especially green smoothies, are great sources of potassium, but you need raw solids to make up for the burned calories. Raw almonds, avocados, freshly made almond milk, whole fruits like bananas, vegetables, or nut butters (excluding peanut butter as it is hard on the digestive system) should be consumed before and after workouts, and sometimes even during.
Swimming:
If jogging or cycling isn’t your cup of tea, swimming laps will dramatically increase your heart rate. To avoid feeling winded after a lap, it’s best to consume a smoothie with superfoods like kale and raw almonds, spirulina, and goji berries before plunging into the water. Make sure you don’t burn yourself out while swimming. Take it slow because you are using your whole body and engaging a lot of muscle groups.
Yoga:
Yoga is an ideal exercise to do during your cleanse. This calming exercise can increase your metabolism and stretch your muscles, all the while contributing to your general well-being. Because there are many different types and levels of yoga, it’s beneficial to take an introductory class to get help from an instructor. You can also look on our website or check in your cleanse booklet for different yoga routines. The Sun Salutation, Bow Pose, Child’s Pose, Bridge Pose, Seated Sage Twist, Head to Knee Forward Bend, or the Plow Pose are great poses that can help detox different parts of the body.
Walking:
A simple walk can be beneficial in promoting proper circulation. Believe it or not, a simple 30-40 minute walk can burn calories. Making a juice with dark leafy greens, organic unsweetened coconut water, jalapenos, or system purifiers like cilantro and chlorophyll can provide you the energy you need for your walks.
Breathing Exercises:
Tai Chi is one of the best breathing exercises that involves slow, fine, and short breaths. A huge part of Tai Chi is having a firm grip on your mind and body. There are many beginner classes and exercises that you can do to get going. You can also practice yoga breathing, which takes a controlled approach to breathing just like Tai Chi. Yoga breathing involves longer breaths, pausing between each inhale and exhale. Sit up straight and have your back against the wall when doing this exercise.
Rebounding:
Rebounding is actually a great exercise for your lymphatic system. What is rebounding, though? You essentially bounce on a mini trampoline to create an increased G-force resistance. It stimulates a ton of one-way valves in your lymphatic system, which helps to promote better circulation. This is a great, low-impact aerobic exercise that helps strengthen your bones, connective tissue, and muscles without causing oxidative stress.
When you are exercising on the cleanse, it is extra important that you consume the right amount of water every day because it helps remove toxins. Eight 8oz cups of distilled or alkaline water per day is a good rule of thumb, or you can drink half your body weight in ounces of water. If you weigh 150lbs, then you should drink 75oz of water every day. If you want something to give you a boost before you cardio workouts, you can try an all-natural pre-workout energizer.
Exercising truly helps detoxify the body, in addition to your cleanse regimen. Just remember to eat solid raw foods to give yourself the proper nutrients and energy you need to fuel your workouts. You don’t have to do extreme exercises, but every little bit helps cleanse the body.