My 7-Day Juice Fast (and What You Can Get From It)

       I've heard a lot of hype on juice fasts the past year or so, and I'm sure you have too. Most people who partake in one do so in order to lose weight. I saw one blogger who had the ambitious goal of losing 50 pounds in three months, something which, to the best of my knowledge, he did not succeed in. However, I've also heard that they are great for detoxifying and healing. After a little preliminary research , I think this may have some credibility. Since I'm slightly deranged and enjoy challenging myself, I've decided to try going 7 days without one of my greatest delights in the world: food.

Juice-gasm.

       So, that's seven days of juiced fruits and vegetables only. It'll be me, my juicer, and produce. Lots of produce. Let's go.

              The Experience
         Day 1: Nothing too noticeable as of yet. As expected, my body hasn't quite picked up on my endeavor. I've learned that spinach has the ability to, as well as make you extremely healthy, make everything else in a juice taste disgusting. Also, if I don't intensely scrub my juicer afterwards, the flavor will leech into all subsequent juices. I'm taking an iron supplement because I've heard of people getting rather anemic over the course of a fast.
         Day 2: Wow, all I can say is... damn. I'm down 4 pounds, and I was notnotnot (not) trying to lose weight at all. I expected to lose maybe a pound or two in water, but this was something. I find myself taking advantage of the facilities quite often. I haven't actually been hungry that much, which surprises and somewhat scares me, but thoughts of food and tastes bombard me often, seemingly out of no where.
         Day 3: My appetite has started to come back- with a vengeance. My energy levels seem to be returning, after being a bit dizzy for a couple of days. I woke up this morning at 7:30 completely refreshed and rested. I was hoping for this, since the theory is that digestion requires less energy now. Thoughts of food (today I was particularly craving chocolate and sweets) are omnipresent. Juicing (and the inevitable cleanup) have been taking a good amount of time, but that's alright because it's much more convenient to "eat" now.
          P.S. The headaches that I sometimes get after lunch have gone away since day 1.
        Day 4: Today I went to a graduation party, and the food there was so tempting. I keep daydreaming about my favorite foods, and sometimes I'll even mix and match foods in my mind, combining all sorts of flavors (eggplant parmesean + mexican queso dip, for instance). I realize how large a role food plays in my life, yet at the same time, I see how overhyped it has been. I've started to feel more well, and energy levels have been good again. I'm interested in seeing where these cravings go.
        Day 5: I had a headache towards the latter part of the day (around 6). I did a little research and I think it was a salt deficiency, so I drank some saltwater (yum!) The smell of food has just started to really hit me, but the thoughts and cravings are actually not as strong. I think I've gotten (at least a little) better at making not-so-disgusting juices. As I recall, my day went pretty splendidly, but this headache has put a damper on both that memory and my focus. Honestly, I feel just rather confused once in a while, and I'm sure my thoughts and words aren't the most coherent. A note to myself: this challenge seems to have made it easier to make progress in the other ares of my life (i.e. I finally got around to hollowing out a book again, after weeks of idling).
        Day 6: I've decided the first few days are definitely the most challenging and most beneficial, but any time beyond them simply leads to more muscle atrophy. Also, the ratio of muscle to fat lost over this period of time displeases me. While I can still get through my day to day life, I gotta say that this fast has turned into a pessimistic, pointless hassle. Or at least that's what it feels like, sorry for my attitude. Let's see what happens tomorrow.
        Day 7: Today I noticed even more tiredness, more irritation, and less desire to want to interact with people. I feel as though I don't want to put in the effort to interact with people. I'll be glad to finally have plentiful amounts of energy once again. I found myself unchangeably calm, and that provided an interesting angle on life. I'm glad I got to notice the benefits on a different path of life. Libido has been down recently, and so has athleticism. On the bright side, my mixes taste better now, and I have been more attentive to forging good habits that I hope stay with me past this experiment. Above all, I have become so appreciative of food!
        Day 8: Just kidding. No thank you.
        The Results
        My energy levels have gone back to normal within a few days, and the 11 pounds I have lost (I weighed 133 lbs, man!) have almost all come back. My metabolism has climbed back up, and I feel quite optimistic again. I promise you, I appreciate food. Every delicious bite I have reminds me of how lucky I am, and I don't think I'm going to forget that lesson any time soon. On the other hand, I didn't feel very "detoxed" during or after this. I'm not too sure what detoxification feels like, but I don't think this was it. And while I wouldn't recommend this to anyone looking to lose weight or cleanse themselves, my science is only as good as the next guy's. It's important to do your own research when it comes to these things and find out what works for you; that was the reason I did it.
     

How to HIIT Your Goals

         Why You Should HIIT It

You must be angry!

                 If you're like most people (and me), you don't have entire days to burn at the gym. But we want results, don't we? We're a very goal-oriented society, and that's not always a bad thing. One could argue, that's why we do research and perform science: in order to make our lives easier and more efficient. Let's get one thing straight first: High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is not for everyone. If you are physically or mentally out of shape or unwilling, you should NOT be doing this. Okay, there's my only warning.
                 Now, that being said, HIIT can and will help you lose more weight in less time than regular cardio, and it can help you burn calories in your sleep! It will shred fat from your body and give you the more muscular, sculpted build of a sprinter, rather than the slight figure of an endurance runner. Many uninformed will argue that long distance conditioning will help you lower body fat percentage and build muscle, but studies show that both of these claims are mistaken. Think about this: if you wanted to build bigger arm muscles, would you rather curl a 1 lb weight for an hour, or a 30 lb weight for 12 reps? Your 100m, 200m, 400m times will drop, and your drive will (hopefully) do the opposite. You might even notice an Olympic medal around your neck one day. ;)

      What to Do Before You HIIT It
                 

It'll make you big and green.

             Preparation is a warm up in itself, and if done enough that it becomes a routine, will get you in the mindset to give it your all. To get the most of your activity, pack in a pre-workout snack 90-120 minutes before you hit the gym. This should be around 20% carbs (needing carbs for energy before running is a myth), and as much of the rest as possible protein and fat. This could be a protein bar, steak jerky, baked/roasted salmon, greek yogurt, etc. Try not to get stuffed before you hit the gym, though (I made that mistake once and lost my lunch).
             Caffeine has been proven to increase pain tolerance, (don't take my word for it) and a routine like this can get pretty painful. A cup of coffee 45 minutes before your workout should be just what you need to last longer and go harder. (That's what you came here to do, right?) That being said, grab your running shorts and get shirtless (optional). Find a partner, track, or treadmill and get going.
     
   How to HIIT It
           
         So you did your research, and now you're at the gym/field. What's next?

         Here are a few suggestions:

HIIT Your Potential On the Treadmill

             1. As one should always do, no matter what, warm up, warm up, warm up. This will save you from injury down the road, and you'll thank me later. ;) Walk a minute at 3mph, a minute at 4mp, and 2 minutes at 6mph to loosen up and prime yourself.

             2. If you're feeling adventurous/suicidal, give yourself a little gradient to work against.

             3. When you're all warmed up, increase the speed to 10mph, and run for thirty seconds. 

             4. Survived? Nice, then take 30 seconds and rest. You've earned it. 

             5. Repeat steps 3 and 4, increasing your running speed by .5mph every time.

             6. Go until you simply cannot complete the set any more. Write down your max speed, and shoot to beat it next time.

             7. Give yourself 5 minutes of much needed rest, and go for your desired number of sets. (Beginners: one, advanced: three-four)

HIIT the Elliptical

            1. Hey, you know what you should do first? Warm up. Take 30 seconds on level 1, 60 on level 3, 90 on level 5, and two minutes on level 8. Now let's go.

            2. Go 30 seconds on level 10. 

            3. Go 30 seconds on level 14.

            4. Go 30 seconds on level 11.

            5. Go 30 seconds on level 15.

            6. Increase in the same pattern every 30 seconds.

            7. When you hit ("HIIT", haha) a heart rate around 170, keep the pace and go for another 15 minutes, and ideally your heart rate should be 175-182 bpm.

            8. Give yourself 5 minutes of much needed rest, and go for your desired number of sets. (Beginners: one, advanced: three-four)

HIIT the Track

            1. Dive right into it! Just kidding, take two warm-up laps, buddy.

            2. Run 100m- that's one straightaway- at (what feels like) 80% intensity. You should have an idea of what kind of performance you can do by now, and anything short of an honest performance would be cheating yourself.

            3. Take a light jog around the curve, but don't stop.

            4. Run the next straightaway at 85% intensity. Aim to always do better than last time.

            5. Repeat step 3.

            6. Run the straightaway, this time at 90% intensity. Check to be sure you're really giving it that much.

            7. Alternate rest and sprinting for 15-20 minutes, or until you absolutely can't give it the required amount.

            8. Shoot to perform even better next time, and rehydrate well.

HIIT the Pedals, HIIT the Podium

            1. Warm up, warm up, warm up. One minute at 70rpm, two at 80rpm. Get it done.

            2. Set the stationary bike at a low resistance.

            3. After the warm up, get your rpm up to 100. Go for 30 seconds, and then...

            4. Increase your resistance. Go for thirty more seconds. Keep your rpm above 100!

            5. Repeat step 5 until you can't keep your rpm above 100. Then, keep the rpm above 90 and keep  going.

            6. Continue increasing every 30 seconds until your rpm drops below 90, and then stop.

            7. Give yourself 5 minutes of much needed rest, and go for your desired number of sets. (Beginners: one, advanced: three-four)

           

Safety is first priority! Heart attacks will not make you healthier. A key tip: 90% intensity actually takes you farther than going all out and burning out too quickly.

Questions, comments, concerns, complaints? Email me.