Are You Detoxing the Right Way?

Thanksgiving has passed and our time to indulge in our favorite pies, moms homemade stuffing, and of course the endless amounts of spiked apple cider and wine has come to an end.  With our bellies feeling extra full, it’s now time, unfortunately, to get back on track and start fresh.

Many find that removing unhealthy substances in the body through the form of detoxing will give them the boost they need be in their best shape before Christmas cookie time comes around. Detox plans guarantee to beat inflammation, increase fat-burning and of course eliminate toxins from the body.  With limited research behind detoxing, many of the plans can turn out to be dangerous.

The oh-so famous juice cleanse is just one example of a harmful way to detox your body.  Consuming only juice and water for a prolonged period of time can deprive the body of protein and the healthy fats it needs to function properly.

People become desperate to lose weight fast, which can lead to them believing almost any detox they see on the internet.  Teatox’s have been hyped up ever since products such as Fit Tea and Flat Tummy Tea have been promoted by celebrities.

 

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Although teatox’s are said to be a natural way to cleanse the body of toxins, many of them contain an ingredient known as senna, which is commonly found in laxatives.  Though senna isn’t dangerous to the body, many say teatox’s should be avoided.

Believing that your body needs “help” detoxing is everyone’s first mistake.  Our body has cleansing organs like the liver, kidneys, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract which are constantly detoxifying toxins and removing pollutants within the body.

As long as you are treating your body well by fueling it with a healthy, more plant-based diet, exercising regularly and giving yourself enough sleep, you’re already helping your body naturally detox.

 

Pump Your Way to Fit

A new fitness trend has found its way into the healthy lifestyle community.  CrossFit is a blend of strength and cardio training.  Such athletes work on their cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, agility, balance, coordination, and accuracy.  Lifting, running, biking, climbing and much more are all incorporated into CrossFit in one way or another.

Crossfit craze going strong https://t.co/sceBw3FPLa

— Carly Perez (@carlyperezwvu) November 11, 2016

At first glance CrossFit looks intimidating and scary, but many become motivated by the strength and determination a sport such as this one creates.  Diana Deshields, West Virginia University senior and CrossFit Ridgeline member, said “The first month of it wasn’t the best because I was at a beginning level compared to others. Throughout this time though everyone continued to motivate me and would tell me that I will get there one day.”  The CrossFit community is known to be like one big family that works together as a team.

There is an overwhelming amount of success stories people have shared that involve CrossFit.  One in particular that caught my eye was a story on a 17-year old guy who used CrossFit to turn his life around after being diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis, a form of Inflammatory Bowel Disease. He used the diagnosis as motivation to join the CrossFit community and push his body to the fullest.

Another success story comes from Diana Deshields who was encouraged by her sisters to get back into fitness.  After being out of athletics for a couple years she became unhappy with her body, and decided it was time to make a change.  With her sisters help, she was introduced to CrossFit and has been doing it ever since.  “I love doing Crossfit and I get really happy with the progress I’m seeing with my body”, said Deshields.

West Virginia University offers a workout similar to CrossFit called BODYPUMP. The hour long class is the most successful group fitness program in history.  BODYPUMP is proven to be “the world’s fastest way to get in shape” by research which has confirmed fat-burning effects as well as an increase in endurance, strength and ‘wellness’ benefits.  Participants are asked to arrive at least ten minutes before class begins.  Class times vary from month to month, but schedules are posted both online and on the bottom floor of the Student Rec Center.

 

 

You Are Not Your Relationship

Eating a variety of good foods and exercising regularly are both important in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, although many seem to forget that healthy relationships also play a huge roll in this as well.  According to a University of Buffalo study, for young people being introduced to adulthood, high-quality relationships are linked to better physical and mental health.

Throughout almost every college students career they experience both love and heartbreak, whether it be from a best friend or a significant other.  I think the problem with today’s relationships is that people are constantly looking for the thrill in life.  They look for someone they can party and then come home with, not someone who can hold a conversation without the help of alcohol or drugs.  People search for the person who can make them feel alive in that moment, but when the electricity fades… They’re left with nothing but a person they don’t know much about.

Bad relationships change good people.

— Hassandeen (@itz_hdeen) November 4, 2016

A Wall Street Journal study said that couples must have time apart to stay together.  The majority of couples that I am exposed to make it seem so dreadful to spend just a single day apart.  Not being able to spend a day without one another is a sign of distrust.  You’re in love, you want to hangout with them, but space away from your partner is healthy.  It allows you to have time to yourself, and lets you miss one another.

Psychology says, sometimes creating a little distance will help people recognize how much you actually mean to them.

— Psychology (@PsychoIogicall) November 3, 2016

Your friends enter new relationships promising they won’t be that girl or boy who leaves you on the back burner; but for some reason, that’s normally what happens.  I get it, new relationships are exciting, but sometimes we have a tendency to allow them to consume everything we do.  Take time to hangout with your friends without your boyfriend or girlfriend; granted they are the ones who pick you up when you and your partner have a hiccup.  The Huffington Post made a wonderful article about “How to Keep Your Friends and Your Significant Other.”

West Virginia University recently had a wellness workshop, conducted by Ashley Kasardo, about how to navigate new relationships, breaking up in the world of technology, and how to cope.  Workshops on healthy relationships are put on by The Harrison County Healthy Relationship building program and sponsored by WVU Extension Service Families and Health.  Other workshops available are “Fire Love Languages”, “Stress Less with Mindfulness”, and “How Not to Marry a Jerk”.

Wellwvu also has a page on all types of relationships, whether it be on diversity, friendships, or life with a significant other.