Cleanses & Detoxes are BULLSHIT

hi, i'm here to start a fight with literally anyone and everyone trying to sell you some FitTea or some sort of 3 day Power Cleanse or telling your drink cayenne lemon water to detox your liver or whatever bullshit someone is peddling you these days.

CLEANSES ARE TERRIBLE. THEY ARE TERRIBLE FOR YOU AND YOU SHOULD NOT DO THEM

look, I understand, they are tempting as heck. they tell you that you'll lose weight fast or you'll have more energy immediately or your skin will magically look flawless. with just a few days of "cleansing" your body... like these are big promises to solve big problems - and they are totally empty.

So here's the facts:

1. your body cleanses and detoxes itself.
   1. all your body's systems are essentially made to use the things that come into the body and expel the stuff it needs to get rid of.
   2. your liver filters the toxins from getting into your bloodstream (i.e., alcohol).
   3. your kidneys filter your blood to get rid of toxins through urine.
   4. your colon produces chemicals (good & bad) and gets them out through bowel movements.
   5. lungs are able to filter and eliminate chemicals that can enter your body via breathing. (clearly we have a good system going here)
   6. And if something with your body is not functioning properly - go to a doctor. don't do a juice cleanse and call it good.
2. idk what magic you think cayenne or lemon juice has, but I can assure you it isn't going to magically make your body function better.
   1. though consistently eating nutrient rich foods on a regular basis (fruits, veggies, etc) your body will function more efficiently but just drinking juice for a week isn't going to magically streamline your body's functions.
3. the original cleanse ("The Master Cleanse"  by Stanley Burroughs in the 1940s- the 12 glasses of lemon, cayenne, and maple syrup + a laxative) was NEVER confirmed through any research. though it boasts giving you more energy and general happiness... doing the master cleanse is no better than starving yourself. basically every cleanse claims the same things, and also have never been substantiated through science.
   1. like, yeah, you'll lose weight doing that. because you're not eating ANY FOOD (and possibly taking LAXATIVES). but as soon as you eat again you'll gain most of that right back.  it's not worth it.
4. They are legitimately scams.
   1. guess what costs lots of money? FitTeas, juice cleanes, soup cleanses, and the works. they are just expensive poops. that's it. fancy laxatives in fancy packages with fancy flavors.
   2. you can actually harm your body by doing cleanses. do you think that eating cayenne and juice  for a week is good for your body? it's not. you aren't intaking much, if any, of your daily nutrient and calorie needs. your body needs food to function.
   3. you can get the supposed benefits of the cleanses through adding natural fiber and diuretics into your diet on a regular basis. think apples, beans, avocado, lentils, asparagus, figs, carrots, tomatoes, oats, blueberries, WATER).

so PLEASE for the love of everything good in this world, stop doing detoxes and cleanses. stop giving people your money for no reason.

I know it sounds so nice and convenient and easy to "kickstart" your weight loss or to even lose 5 lbs in 5 days or get clear skin instantly or something... but these are not good for you at all. not in the short term, not in the long term.

eat foods that make your body feel good and move how you like to move and enjoy life and don't buy an expensive tea that makes you poop a lot. #lifetips

fitness & body image

if you've followed me for any length of time you'll probably know that i was definitely not always a healthy and/or fit person. I grew up pretty active playing soccer and teaching swim lessons and the like, but not eating very well. I wasn't really overweight, but i definitely was not the smallest person in school. After college, I lost all direction, got pretty sad, ate like shit, stopped exercising, and gained weight. 

it took almost a year after i graduated from college to actually recognize that i wanted to make a change instead of just wallowing in self-pity. 

I lost about 50 lbs over about 9 months doing outrageous amounts of cardio and eating no where near enough food. Though I did lose the weight and got to a "healthy" range of bodyweight but i did it in a really unhealthy way and as soon as i started eating normally again... i gained weight back (shocker). 

over the last couple of years, through trial and error i have kind of figured out how i feel best eating and training. i have also gotten SO MUCH stronger since i started eating more to fuel my training properly. over the past 4 months i've competed in 2 kettlebell competitions and raced a half marathon... and hit PRs in all of those. 

but i've also gained weight. and it SUCKS. it is very easy to talk about body positivity and that you should love your body at any size but it is so hard to do in reality. 

Like, objectively I know that I am not overweight and that many people would find me VERY annoying to hear me complain about my body. and i know that I am probably the most healthy than I ever have been in my entire life... but i can't help but just constantly be worried about those extra 10 lbs that I have on my body. and how it's more than i was, and how it looks. (not even how it feels, cause i honestly, i feel strong and healthy). 

And I know those lbs are made up of more than just fat; I know part of that gain is probably some muscle because I am far stronger than I was a year ago. And I know part of it is fat. I also know that my weight gain is coming from the food i'm eating, the strength i've gained, the sleep i'm getting, the stress i'm feeling, and SO MANY other things. And I would like to say that I'm at peace with that, but I AM NOT. 

As a person, gaining weight sucks. As a personal trainer, it sucks. I feel like I am supposed to be fitter and look better. and i don't. i feel like i look pretty average. and some days i feel like i look way less than average. 

The great thing about fitness is how you can get to feel so strong and healthy. You can genuinely make a positive impact on your life through fitness.

The not great thing is the media that surrounds fitness. There are so many unrealistic expectations put on our bodies. So many photoshopped instagram models that  make you feel like you should look a certain way. Or that this specific way of eating is gonna make you feel amazing. or this specific exercise is gonna sculpt your body. and most of it is convoluted bullshit. and i know that. 

AND YET

i still continue to feel like i am not enough, that i should be doing more or eating less to look a certain way.  

and i would like to end this post with a heroic triumph and saying that i now don't care what people think of me. but that's not true. i do not have the answers. at all. 

but here's what i do have to say, it's okay. you don't have to feel good everyday. you can feel bad sometimes. there's this crazy expectation to always feel good or to always love yourself or to always be motivated. but that just doesn't seem realistic

some days or weeks or however long are gonna be hard. i don't know if you'll be better for it or stronger or whatever. but we'll get through it, at any rate.

i know this isn't like any of my normal posts here, but I think that it's important to share this part of the experience. it would be exceptionally easy to just show the happy, easy, motivated times. but that's not how it works typically, even as someone who works in the fitness industry. and even as (maybe especially as?)  a trainer, there's a lot of pressure to look a very specific way that only a few people can actually attain and maintain in a healthy manner. and it is SUPER hard to let that image/number/physique you have in mind go. for everyone. you're not alone in that. we're not alone in that. and it takes practice and work to be at peace with your body. 

here are a few people i follow that help me to work on that better: 

@dothehotpants @bodyposipanda @newmoonrd @sundaesforthesoul @kenziebrenna @jessihaggertyrd to name a few :) 

i think this post was probably fairly repetitive and erratic but it's out in the world now so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

onto another day! 

Kettlebell Training to Prevent Shoulder & Back Injury

By Kettlebell Kings

Kettlebell Training to Prevent Shoulder and Back Injury

Working out with kettlebells, whether it’s for sport or fitness can help increase strength and endurance, as well as decrease your chances of serious injury. Many kettlebell workout routines are full-body focused, and your entire body is being forced to move and stabilize muscle groups throughout the exercise. This strengthens the body and prevents future damage. The shoulders and back are especially vulnerable to injury when performing high-impact, weight-heavy workouts. Several kettlebell exercises can be done regularly during warm up to prevent back and shoulder injuries by building up and increasing the mobility of these areas.

Kettlebell Exercises to Prevent Shoulder Injury

When it comes to the shoulder, your rotator cuff is mostly to blame for muscle weakness and imbalance during exercise. The rotator cuff consists of four muscles tied together with the vital job of holding the ball and socket joint in place, allowing for mobility of your arm. Many exercises fire up the shoulder muscle and help increase stability and range of motion without irritating the rotator cuff.

The Kettlebell Swing – This exercise isn’t an apparent shoulder-specific movement since it is a full-body movement. However, it is an essential exercise for stabilization of your shoulder muscles. To execute, stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, back arched somewhat and bend at the hips, forcing the kettlebell back and behind your legs. As you swing upward, thrust your hips forward and squeeze your glutes to propel the kettlebell up and away from your body. As you swing the kettlebell upward and as it falls downward, the rotator cuff muscles must contract to hold your shoulder in place, building strength and preventing future injury. Warm up with this exercise using a lighter weight, performing three sets of 10 to 12 repetitions to activate the shoulder muscles before a strenuous workout.

The Halo – Unlike the full-body motion of the kettlebell swing, this exercise focuses primarily on the muscles within your shoulders and is less cardio intensive. To perform this move, hold the kettlebell by the outer edges of the handle, pointing it toward the ceiling as you rotate the kettlebell in a circular motion around your head. This not only works the rotator cuff but the pectorals of the chest, deltoids of the shoulders and triceps located in the back of the arm. It is also an excellent way to warm-up the core muscles that are integral to any exercise routine. Warming up with three sets of 10-15 halo movements before a workout can keep your entire shoulder complex safe from injury.

Kettlebell Exercises to Prevent Back Injury

According to Physical Therapy Web, an estimated 80% of Americans will experience some type of back pain during their lifetime. This number could be substantially decreased if the general population would adopt a regular training program that includes kettlebell movements focusing on strengthening the back and spine. If the muscles surrounding your back are weak, it will compensate for the inadequate muscle strength, potentially causing injury such as a muscle pull or worse, a herniated disc. For example, if your glutes aren’t activated during a goblet squat, you will be more likely to use your lower back to lift the weight, increasing the potential for permanent damage. To ensure your glutes are firing it is also important to stretch your hip flexor muscles. Many exercises focus on these areas, improving their strength and allowing for less strain on the lower back.

The Kettlebell Snatch – This exercise is an excellent example of a movement that strengthens your glute muscles and opens up your hip flexors to protect your lower back. Unlike other exercises, it is a complex, full-body movement that should be mastered before executed. As you would in a kettlebell swing, stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, back slightly arched and knees bent. Unlike the swing, you will only place one hand in an overhand grip position on the kettlebell. Using your hips and glutes, swing the kettlebell upward, keeping your elbow pointing outward as you pull the kettlebell slightly closer to your body and let the momentum drive it upwards. Unwind your hand and let the kettlebell fall downward, hinging at the hips and bending the knees as it approaches the bottom of the movement. Again, this is an advanced movement that works the shoulders, as well as the mid and upper back. After you have conquered the kettlebell swing, feel free to tackle this exercise using correct posture. By strengthening the muscles surrounding the back, you will be preventing injury and enhancing full-body strength. Warm up with this activity by doing three sets of 10-12 reps with low weight on each arm.

The Renegade Row – This not only builds strength in the upper back and shoulder complex, but it also requires stability of the core. This exercise will require two kettlebells of equal weight. Gripping the handles of the kettlebells, get in a pushup position, pushing off of the kettlebells to straighten both arms. Stabilizing your core, drive into the ground with your left foot and pull the kettlebell toward you with your right hand, lower the kettlebell and repeat on the other side. Maintaining core strength throughout this entire exercise will require squeezing and therefore strengthening of your upper back muscles. Using light weight, warm up with this exercise doing three sets of 10-12 repetitions on each arm.

It is important to note that you should never perform a kettlebell exercise if you feel pain or discomfort, especially when you are recovering from an injury. These exercises are only intended for advice concerning prevention, and a licensed physical therapist is always the best option for rehabilitation of particular muscle groups within the shoulder and back.

For more information regarding kettlebell workouts for injury prevention, as well as routines that you can perform in the gym or at home, check out our website at http://www.kettlebellkings.com/or call 855-7KETTLE for more information. We sell the most reasonably priced, high-quality products and come highly recommended by kettlebell sport athletes and regular gym goers and owners. We care about getting you the right product to increase your strength, stamina, and cardiovascular health to prevent unwanted muscular and joint injuries. We publish more helpful information about how to train with kettlebells on our blog as well!