A Fix Versus a Challenge by Corey Doggett

A Fix Versus a Challenge.

by Corey Doggett

Overweight? Never fear! With our 30-day cleanse you’ll lose belly fat and get toned head to toe! Sound familiar? Whether you want to “flush” something from your system or lose as much weight as physically possible, there’s a fix for it. Drink this juice and avoid food for 30 days. Voila. No need to adopt a healthy lifestyle involving moderation, portion control, and a weekly workout regimen, right? Well hopefully your parents taught you that there are no shortcuts in life, because it holds true to being fit and healthy.

I tell all my clients the same thing: if you can’t see yourself doing it two years from now, don’t bother. A desire for extreme, overnight results is only going to lead to relapse. Sure you lost weight with the 30-day whole food fix… but it felt like torture and you were so excited to finish that you celebrated with a cheat meal… and then another… and then another. If someone drinks 2-3 sodas per day and wants to cut back/quit, I don’t instruct them to go cold turkey. Instead I encourage them to have one per day for a week or two. Then scale it back from there and so on. Small, gradual changes will lead to big changes (without feeling like torture and leaving you with cravings that cause destructive relapses).

A challenge is something you throw in to shake up your foundation and push yourself above the current regimen. It’s an intentional wrench tossed into your own wheel. Challenge yourself with a 30-day push-up or squat challenge. Take the Paleo challenge and see how much bread and dairy you can cut back on. Your lifestyle should already be healthy: eating nutritious (majority of the time) and exercising regularly. Adopting the occasional challenge is a fun way to see what you can accomplish within a set timeframe.

My advice is this: avoid the notion of “fixing” or “cleansing” every time you feel guilty for maintaining little-to-no exercise and unhealthy eating habits. There’s a reason we refer to being fit and healthy as a lifestyle. Enjoy the foods you love with proper moderation and portion control. Adopt a weekly exercise regimen that fits your schedule and kicks your butt. Once your fit lifestyle becomes routine, take the occasional challenge to push beyond the routine. You shouldn’t be looking to fix or cleanse yourself; the body already does that naturally. If you eat nutritious 85% of the time and exercise regularly, I guarantee you won’t feel like your body needs a cleanse.