Releasing "Toxins" And Other Wellness, Fitness, and Diet Myths We Shouldn't Buy Into

What are toxins?

Toxins, as the scientific community knows them, tend to be things like snake venom, varieties of poison and other plant or animal derived agents that can cause harm to the human body even in low levels. Examples, aside from the rare snake bite, include things like lead, BPA, and mercury. Stuff we could potentially come into contact with while living our lives out in the real world.

But your favorite fitness or wellness influencer might try to convince you that "toxins" come from the food we eat or the things we drink or what kind of sunscreen we're putting on our skin. And while it may be true that sometimes we consume and use products that are rather heavy-handed with the chemical compounds, not all chemicals are bad. And for the ones that are, our bodies are usually pretty good at taking care of that stuff on its own.

Myth #1: We can  purify our systems by drinking water.

Yes and no. Drinking water and staying hydrated is absolutely good for you, but if you're dropping almost everything else from your daily diet to perform a "cleanse" you're actually denying yourself the nutrients needed to keep your body healthy. The way water works to help detoxify the body is by ensuring the kidneys are hydrated enough to function optimally - so yes, drink water. 

But don't consume ONLY water.

Myth #2: Sweat releases toxins.

There really is no tangible evidence of releasing toxins through sweat, as opposed to the body's natural elimination methods (i.e. urination and defecation). So while that Hot Pilates session and Zumba class will definitely get your heart rate climbing and your perspiration going, any "toxins" that are in your system are not likely to be flushed out in sweat droplets. 

The body's primary systems for toxin flushing are through the liver, kidneys and digestive system. Everything we eat and drink is filtered through these organs and most everything we put on our skin is carried through the blood to those organs.Bodies are amazing that way.

Myth #3: Your body needs outside help with detoxing.

As stated above, the body has some fantastic organs that really do all the work for us in keeping our bodies free from toxins, and it rarely needs outside intervention. That juice cleanse might make us think we feel better for it initially but we could be doing some serious damage to those organs that work so hard at detoxing. The gut also needs a certain amount and kind of bacteria to maintain a healthy microbiome and detoxifying teas, smoothies, juices, and so on have the potential to really mess with our stomach. 

Myth #4: Weight loss pills, teas, and protein powders are effective and safe.

The only response to this assumption is to say that it's patently false. There has been a bulk of scientific research published that debunks the efficacy of many products marketed for weight loss and since a lot of them don't have to be regulated by the FDA, could even be dangerous to ingest! 

Many of these products claim to boost your metabolism or melt away belly fat - claims that are impossible. Spot reducing fat is not a thing and it's actually really difficult to change your metabolic rate without doing serious harm to your health....

That said, there are some teas that have the ability to reduce your appetite, like green tea or oolong tea. Green tea is especially useful for vascular health due to a high number of flavinoids and may lower blood pressure.  

Myth #5: Exercise is the only way to lost weight.

FrumpyFit on Youtube has addressed this one multiple times in her videos, but the truth is this: You lose weight when in a calorie deficit and gain weight in a calorie surplus. As long as you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight. Is exercise an important part of keeping your body healthy? Yes, absolutely - but putting yourself through a grueling workout that you don't enjoy isn't the only way to lose weight or get fit. In fact, it's probably not even the optimal one. 

There are quite a few diet, fitness, and wellness myths floating around out there - looking at you TikTok - but a little bit of critical thinking and a quick Google search is sometimes all we need to discern fact from fiction. It's especially important to consider where that information is coming from; I'd trust a registered dietitian over a wellness influencer any day.

In fact, don't even take me at MY word. Check out the sources I've linked, dig even deeper than that, and go forth on your wellness journey fully armed with accurate information. We've only got one body, so why not treat it right?

(Updated August 2020)