Though it might still feel like winter, before you know it, the weather will be getting warmer and you’ll actually have to show off your body in your clothes- think bikinis, jean shorts, tank tops, etc. While you should always try to love your body exactly as it is, there is nothing wrong with wanting to look good in your suit. A lot of you will probably turn to juice cleansing before spring break or formal- but is it safe?
Juice cleansing is all the rage right now. Celebrities always seem to be detoxing with cold-pressed juice, and a ton of girls at Vandy get special shipments of such juice from California and New York. Nashville now has trendy juice bars, such as Juice Nashville and The Urban Juicer, and their promise of health (and skinniness) is alluring, especially with spring break right around the corner. But is this juice craze actually good for your body?
The Daily Beast recently reported that juice cleanses might be just hype. Cleanses are supposed to give your digestive system a break while still providing you with all of the nutrients from fresh fruits and veggies, as cold-pressed juices don’t have any hard-to-digest, fiber-packed pulp. But your body is already pretty high-tech, and in reality, it doesn’t need a reset. It can “cleanse” and detox all on its own. The really scary side effect of juicing, however, is that it might mess up your metabolism permanently. Starving yourself for more than a day or two puts your body into survival mode, meaning that it starts working harder to hold onto fat. So while you might lose some bloat after the first day, you could end up with a messed-up metabolism and even muscle loss by the third or fourth day. And guess what? The second you start eating again after your cleanse, that weight will come right back, as you probably just lost water weight!
This is not to say that juicing is a terrible idea. A lot of people have trouble digesting, especially if you eat a lot of meat, so giving your system a break could be just what you need. But instead of investing a ton of money into a 5-day cleanse, try to stick to 1-2 days of juicing, and do NOT try to work out super hard. Your body won’t be able to recover like it normally does, which could make your workout pretty dangerous. Yoga, pilates, or even a nice walk outside are all great options for working out during your cleanse.
If you’re trying to lose weight before bikini season, focus on the tried-and-true method of eating healthy and working out. But if you want to feel purified, buy a day’s worth of juices from Juice Nashville and get your glow on!