“Be prepared” may be a good motto for boy scouts, but preparation isn’t always a good thing, especially when it comes to pretoxing.

Pretoxing is a practice that supposedly prepares your body to handle a period of overindulging, with the hope of minimizing the damage this break in routine has on your body. With Canada Day and summer holidays fast approaching, pretoxing may seem like a tempting option for those hoping to avoid jeopardizing their progress while still enjoying all of the treats that these occasions have to offer. However, if you are looking to stay on track, there are many reasons why pretoxing isn’t necessary and shouldn’t be on your calendar.

The concept of pretoxing
Pretoxing involves eating super clean leading up to a celebratory event. That usually means that for about a week before you should:

  • Cut out sugar and processed foods
  • Eat more vegetables and whole-grain foods
  • Avoid drinking alcohol
  • Watch your calorie intake
  • Exercise regularly
  • Get quality sleep

Does that sound familiar? It should, because that’s ultimately our healthy-living goal year-round, isn’t it?

If you’re regularly eating well, getting enough sleep most of the time, limiting your alcohol consumption and exercising regularly, there’s no need to do anything over and above when you know you’re going to overindulge. Things will usually balance out within a week after you return to your regular routine.

Taking it too far
Pretoxing isn’t backed up by science, and there’s the potential for it to be taken to the extreme.

Some people might be influenced to cut their daily caloric intake more than the healthy recommended amount, skip meals or even trigger binge exercising tendencies. If you’re functioning on too few calories, that creates a metabolic slowdown and can take a toll on the body.

It can also increase cravings and prompt a rebound effect, making a person feel ravenous so they eat more than they would have if they’d just been balanced beforehand. That, in turn, can lead to a need for more recovery.

Unfortunately, there is no instant pick-me-up to give you a boost if you come out of a weekend feeling sleep deprived and ill, including detoxing. Detoxing theoretically helps recovery by cleansing toxins from the body through a period of low-calorie intake, a boost in supplements and often a juice diet.

The fact is, we have a liver and kidneys that cleanse our body and toxins don’t build up from a weekend of excessive food and alcohol. If someone goes off track for a weekend, it’s better to focus on clean eating afterwards and not do anything so extreme that they can’t maintain it.

The wrong attitude
If someone feels a need to pretox, that raises questions about their overall attitude and behaviours regarding healthy fitness practices and routines. Are they feeling pressured to live this perfect lifestyle, and pretoxing simply lessens the guilt they feel so straying from an otherwise strict diet? Will they think that if they’ve ‘suffered’ through a week of pretoxing they will have earned the right to eat and drink as much as they want? Neither of these thoughts create a healthy mindset.

Time for introspection
It’s better to look at the big picture. If you have the odd weekend when you overdo it, that's life. Nobody’s perfect. Let go of the guilt and enjoy yourself.

But if you find yourself partying hard on a regular basis, perhaps your life isn’t really balanced and you should work on making small changes to help you get closer to a healthy lifestyle.

A wiser approach
There are some steps you can take to minimize the effect of overindulging that don’t involve pretoxing:

  • Ensure you do some type of movement or exercise while on holidays
  • Find healthier recipes to make during that span
  • Alternate an alcoholic beverage with a glass of water

It’s not about making big changes or taking away from the fun of barbecues and beer. It’s about recognizing the little things we can do so we don’t lose all the pleasure of a party and the repercussions on our health aren’t so damaging.