Last month, I grabbed coffee with a friend whom I hadn’t seen in months. We shared stories of surviving a new job (her), a move and home renovations (me), and, of course, the holidays.
“I am done with having a glass of wine (or two) every night,” she declared as she sipped a green drink from a local juice company. That’s when she told me she was on a three-day juice “detox.” Essentially, she was drinking nothing but premixed juices for three miserable days straight.
Why? She thought her health behaviors had gotten so far out of control that she needed to swing the pendulum back in the other direction. She planned to use the juices to jump-start a healthy diet so she could make permanent changes.
But when I checked in with her a few days ago, that plan hadn’t quite worked out. She was back to her normal eating habits and thinking about committing to a three-day juice fast once a month.
I told her simply that it wouldn’t work. Monthly juice fasts are only an expensive and temporary break from a lifestyle of choices that don’t work. Solving those (versus punishing yourself for a month of less-than-stellar choices) is the only permanent solution.
Here’s Why:
— Our bodies don’t need to detoxify because the body detoxifies itself. Daily, in fact. The human body has an amazing ability to get rid of harmful or unnecessary substances. It does this by sweating, urinating, defecating, vomiting and yes, giving you diarrhea. No juices, fasts or supplements necessary.
— Many people treat exercise and dieting as a way of compensating for overindulging. This view creates an unhealthy cycle that looks at both exercise and food restriction as negative. Let’s be honest, that’s just not healthy. Fueling our bodies appropriately with foods that provide us with energy and exercising are two of the biggest tools we have to feel great and live well. By focusing on the positive, we add to our life, rather than feel deprived.
— We need to find ways to be compassionate with ourselves over the choices we make. If we are stressed out, exhausted and overwhelmed, the easy choice is to rely on caffeine, alcohol, chocolate or the couch (not the gym). The compassionate choice is determining what we really need — whether it’s better work delegation, more sleep or social support — and giving it to ourselves.
Convinced yet? Take a better approach by following these three tips:
1. Resolve to change what’s not working.
In the case of my friend, she felt overwhelmed by the idea of changing her job, so she let her diet lapse. Too often, we “let ourselves of the hook,” rather than taking the time to think about what we really need. Identify the behaviors that aren’t working, and make a plan to slowly change those.
2. Maintain healthy behaviors consistently.
How do you do that when life picks up? Identify your non-negotiables. These are behaviors you maintain no matter what life sends your way, but you just dial them back when times are busy. Instead of meditating for 30 minutes, I might listen to a meditation recording as I fall asleep. Or perhaps instead of going to the gym for an hour workout, I might rely on Johnson & Johnson’s Official 7-Minute Workout App to squeeze in a few rounds of exercise in the morning. Maintaining healthy behaviors year-round allows you to avoid the wild pendulum swings that leave you exhausted and ready to quit altogether.
3. Find the joy.
There’s something to be said about enjoying your life. The new job. The new house. The erratic schedule around kids and snow and sickness. Yes, these factors bring uncertainty and change to our lives. But they also bring growth and challenge and excitement and adventure. Find what’s good and celebrate it, rather than hunkering down to manage a rigid grip on routine or giving up when that’s not possible.
At the end of our phone call, my friend reluctantly agreed that her juice fast “fix” wasn’t much of a fix after all. While she said she felt more energetic (likely because of what she wasn’t eating), she didn’t necessarily enjoy all of the juices. “Besides,” she said as we were hanging up, “my social life went right into the toilet.” Pun intended.
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The Difference Between a Detox and Permanent Change originally appeared on usnews.com
