As
you can imagine, during a detox it is not a good idea
to put your body under too much strain or stress through exercise. However,
this does not mean that all exercise is forbidden during a detox
(you don't get out of it that easily!).
The detox process aims to
give your body an opportunity to cleanse itself,
flushing
any
toxins from your system and therefore there are several types
of exercise that can help with this process and that are recommended
while detoxing. These types of exercise typically focus upon
aerobic exercise in that the exercise aims to increase your heart-rate
into your 'fat burning zone' (intensity of around 6-7 out of 10)
and encourage deep, diaphragmatic breath that helps flush your
lymphatic system.
While anaerobic (resistance) training is very
highly recommended when not detoxing, this type of exercise (along
with high intensity aerobic training (HIT) can be quite stressful
on the body during a detox and can therefore inhibit the body's
ability to repair itself effectively. Walking/Running
As mentioned, the intensity level of
exercise during a cleanse/detox should remain
within the 'fat burning
zone'. By this it is understood that your heart-rate should
not exceed a certain level. This is particularly for those
who chose running as their form of exercise as it is very easy
to exceed your maximum heart rate.
The 'fat-burning zone' is different for everybody. To
calculate this zone, we recommend the Stu
Mittleman method. Stu
is an ultramarathon champion
and set the world record for running the 1,000 mile run (he completed
it in 11 days) and also holds
the US record for the Six Day Run: 578 miles (96 miles/3.7 marathons
per day!). Stu also ran across America in 55 days, at a
rate of 52 miles per day in 2000. We can consider him to
be somewhat of an authority on aerobic training
and running!
Calculating your Heart Rate Zones
The method for calculating your heart-rate zones
according to Stu is to subtract your age from 180. This
defines your uppermost limit before you start burning sugar instead
of fat. Have you ever finished a run and felt dizzy and
queasy? This is because you were burning sugar instead
of fat! When exercising at this level, the exercise actually
becomes anaerobic instead of aerobic and serves more to increase
muscle strength/capacity. Indeed, while training above this zone
has many benefits and uses as part of
a wider
training
regime
- it
is
far too intense
while detoxing.
The fat burning zones are broken down into three
stages, at the lowest level of intensity is the warm-up zone,
followed by the mostly aerobic pace (MAP) and then the most efficient
pace (MEP). MAP is the zone where the most fat burning
takes place and it is within this zone that you should concentrate
your efforts whilst detoxing in order to give yourself a work-out
and to help flush your lymphatic system. Using myself as an example:
180 - my age (25) = 155
MEP Upper Limit = 155
- 10 = 145
MEP Lower Limit = 145
MAP Upper Limit = 145
- 10 = 135
MAP Lower Limit = 135
-10 = 125
Warm-up Zone = 125-135 Unless you run frequently, it will probably
be fairly difficult to keep within the warm-up and MAP zones
whilst running and therefore you may need to intersperse your
running with walking, perhaps for 200 meters every kilometer
in order to keep your heart-rate down.
Knowing your Heart Rate
Obviously, the best way to know your heart-rate
is to wear a heart-rate monitor. However, if you do not
own one of these, you can still roughly estimate which zone you
are in using the following guidelines:
Signs of being in MAP or MEP:
- you can still talk normally without being short of breath
- your vision is clear and you have heightened senses of smell and sight
- you are in a steady, comfortable rhythm
- you would rate your level of intensity somewhere between 4 and 7 (at the very
most)
Signs of being out of the fat-burning/aerobic
zone:
- you are short of breath, especially when talking
- you may feel dizzy or nausea
- you do not feel comfortable
- you are looking forward to finishing!
- you would rate your level of intensity as above 7 Rebounding
As quoted by NASA, exercise
on a rebounder is “the
most efficient and effective exercise yet devised by man”.
It is an excellent, non-impact, aerobic exercise gained by bouncing
on a mini-trampoline.
The benefits of exercising on a rebounder /
mini trampoline are astonishing and have been promoted significantly
within the
last decade.
It is a unique exercise in which a weightless state is achieved
at the top of each jump and then land with twice the force of
gravity on each bounce. This shift in gravity benefits every
muscle and cell of the body and provides huge benefits to the
lymph system.
On studying the benefits of rebounding, NASA found that a 150-pound
individual spending one-hour on a rebounder will burn more calories
than the same person jogging for an hour!
Rebounding is great for a cleanse/detox as it:
- strengthens the glandular system
- helps to increase circulation
and oxygen flow.
- conditions and strengthens the heart which
allows the resting heart to beat less often.
- It provides an extremely effective 'no impact'
exercise
- it increases metabolism which assists the body in burning
more calories.
- increases the performance of both the heart and
the circulatory system
- stimulates the flow of lymph fluid
through the lymphatic system
- enhances digestion, relaxation,
sleep patterns, nerve impulses and muscle fiber
Swimming/Cycling
Swimming and cycling are both great when cleansing/detoxing
as they are both renowned for being extremely efficient, low-impact,
aerobic forms of exercise. Swimming is particularly good
for a detox as it very relaxing and therapeutic as well as being
a great muscle conditioner.
Both forms of exercise are also detox-friendly
as they allow a fairly high level of control over your heart-rate
and therefore allow you to ensure that you do not exercise with
too great an intensity. They both also encourage deep diaphragmatic
breathing which is especially important when cleansing/detoxing.
Can't find the time to exercise? This
great resource from the BBC might be able to help!
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