How many of you have seen a coworker toting around either a bottle of light yellowish liquid or a murky green concoction? If you dared to ask them, there is a pretty good chance they were on a “cleanse” or “detox” of some sort.

While these have been around for some time, they tend to come in waves of popularity. I first remember seeing a coworker do the “Master Cleanse” of orange juice, cayenne pepper and maple syrup around 14 years ago and laughing at the absurdity back then. She might have lost a trivial amount of weight, but she surely didn’t keep it off or look any better as a result. Nevertheless, these rise in popularity as people frequently chase the quick fix to their obesity rather than hard work and a reasonable diet. This is even more true when a celebrity happens to be seen doing the same regimen, since TMZ would have us believe actors know better than the average Joe.

In the short run, yes… people lose weight on one of these cleanses. Beware the placebo effect though, because they’re just starving themselves! Quite often the weight they lose is muscle, instead of fat, and that is why we advise you ditch your scale. There is little science to back the claims that many of these detox kits make, not to mention the reliance upon a bunch of magic pills should already set off your spidey sense.

Moral of the story? Losing bodyfat is hard work, accomplished via a reasonable diet and regular exercise. There are no real shortcuts, and any gimmicks that promise you otherwise should be looked at with heavy suspicion.

Read more:

Colon Cleanse Scam at Mark’s Daily Apple

Are Detoxes and Cleanses Safe and Effective? also at MDA

WOD 03.26.12

Deadlift 1×5 or Wendler

Then, 3 rounds for time:

• 12 Pistols
• 24 Double Unders
• 5 Ring Dips
• 12 Pullups