Cycling and Triathlon nutrition is similar to building a house; A sound foundation are critical in both. Whether you fell off the wagon during the holidays or not, January lends itself perfectly to cleaning our systems to provide a solid and healthy starting point for our upcoming training. Here are some ways to cleanse your body with a detoxification diet.
The Why:
All the extra sugar we ate over the past month alters the delicate chemical balance in our small and large intestines. Additionally, the balance between beneficial bacteria versus harmful bacteria can be thrown off, stressing our immune system and opening the door to illness.
A detoxification diet can reset our immune system and take off the extra weight we may have put on. Here are a few diets that my wife and I have used over the years to get back on track.
First, a word of caution: These are elimination diets and typically pull all caffeine, sugar, alcohol, dairy and gluten, out of your diet. This can cause headaches, lethargy, and crabby moods. You should plan on making time for extra sleep and drinking lots of water. You may also want to stock your cabinet with plenty of vitamin C.
The How:
I’ve done several different types of fasts and cleanses, some good and some not so good. (By good, I mean executable and effective). The following four cleanses have come highly recommended by athletically minded health care providers and each tackle the cleaning process a different way.
- Ultra Simple Diet – We used this as a seven day diet, though the book supports longer periods. This was fairly easy to follow with proper preparation. We did spend quite a bit of money buying supplements and organic vegetables. I was pleased with the results and it seemed like many other people across the country did well too.
- Master Lemonade Cleanse – This was my second annual cleanse and I stepped up the duration to 10 days. If you want simplicity and can handle eating (drinking) the same thing day after day, this is a winner. Be sure you give yourself plenty of time near a bathroom in the morning to process your warm water, olive oil, and sea salt – this could be disastrous.
- Mediclear plus – Mediclear is typically a 3-4 week cleanse. This was the easiest cleanse to work with. I felt pleasantly satiated and was craving free, for the most part. This cleanse allowed me to work out and tailor my caloric intake to my needs.
- Colonix – Yet another highly structured, easy to follow program. Colonix is a 4 week cleanse that flat out works. Be sure to stock your bathroom with reading material because you will be well acquainted with that space.
Note: The first 3-4 days will be rough, especially for all my fellow caffeine and sugar junkies. After that, you should have smooth sailing.
Do you have questions about training, nutrition, or weight loss? I can help. Please e-mail me at iBikeBlog. Thank you!
