One question that people ask a lot is whether or not you can exercise while doing a liquid cleanse. Since I became more health conscious back in 2001 I’ve done many cleanses. I would have to say the average is 1-2 per year. Some people like to do more than this and to be honest I probably should do a cleanse every three to six months. Anyway, one thing I have learned is that when you do a liquid cleanse your body is “cleansing”, toxins are getting moved out into your blood and much of the time you feel tired or sluggish. By the way, this is good.
Now regarding exercise I would keep it toned down a bit. Dial back your exercise routine a few notches and take it easy. This is just my opinion and what I would recommend based on all the cleanses that I’ve done. I’m an avid jogger and I found that I was not able to jog the same distances and times is when I was not on the cleanse. I would get tired faster. My body would feel worn down. Naturally this was because I was going through a cleanse and this is exactly what’s supposed to be happening. Your drinking lots of liquids, you’re not eating your regular diet, your routine has changed for a period of days, whether it’s three days, seven days, 10 days, 20 days, etc. What I did was jog for as long as I could then I would dial back my exercise a bit and just walk at a fast pace. As long as I was getting my heart rate up and breaking a sweat I knew I was getting a good enough workout in.
You’ve probably heard the phrase “to each, his own”. This is really true here. Everyone will be different. Some people will not want to exercise while on the cleanse and will want to give their body some time to heal during this process. This is good. There’s nothing wrong with that. Other people (and I put myself in this category) get into a habit of exercise. It becomes part of you, your lifestyle, something you do every day. It’s almost impossible not to do it. So for us, just take it easy and work out a little bit slower. This way we can say we got the workout in (and not feel guilty) and we also didn’t put too much strain on ourselves as we are going through this cleansing process.
I would also recommend one other thing. One thing I have learned as I do these liquid cleanses is that usually I feel good in the morning, then in the afternoon I feel alittle bit more worn down and tired. If you need to work out, my recommendation would be to do it in the morning. Drink your first set of liquids for the cleanse then get your exercise in. Then when you get through with your exercise you can drink more of your juices and liquids that you’re taking on the cleanse. I’m not getting specific here with regards to the types of liquids or juices because everyone is different about what they take. I’ll talk more about this in upcoming articles.
The other thing I would recommend would be to schedule your cleanses. Similar to changing the oil in your car (which many people do every 3000 miles) you need to take a break, and, for lack of a better term or phrase, change the oil in your body. As I stated earlier in the article my recommendation would be to do a cleanse every three to six months. This would be optimal. So look at the calendar and find the time that is optimal for doing this. Your body will thank you!
So in closing, my opinion is that exercise is okay while you’re doing a cleanse but, dial back the exercise and do it a little bit slower. Focus more on doing really well on the cleanse and not so much on getting high intensity workouts in during this time. Once you’re done with the cleanse you can work your way back into your regular routine. By the way, I’m not sure you’ll be able to do it the very next day (after your cleanse) you may need to take a few days and get back into the swing of things. Cleansing is definitely a great process and my opinion is that everyone needs to do it.
DISCLAIMER: This information has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. This information is not intended as a substitute for the advice or medical care of a qualified health care professional and you should seek the advice of your health care professional before undertaking any dietary or lifestyle changes. The material provided is for educational purposes only.