7 Expert Tips for Juicing And Exercising
By Isabel Smith, MS, RD, CDN
One of my absolute favorite things in the whole world is exercising. I love sharing challenging yet accessible workouts with you as you’ve seen in the 20-Minute Do Anywhere Workout and 14-Minute No Excuses Workout I’ve previously shared. While these are short, they are high intensity, so I frequently get the question about whether Rebooting with high intensity training is appropriate or even safe. So today I want to answer that question once and for all, but before we start talking about exercising while on a juice-only Reboot plan, I want to start by defining what I mean by intensive training and exercise.
What is intense exercise?
Intensive exercise and training doesn’t mean going to the gym for 30-45 minutes and doing the elliptical or another moderately paced workout. Although this is great for you, it’s not what I’m referring to. Intensive training is something like running, swimming, or biking that requires 60+ minutes daily of strenuous training and therefore means that our bodies will have heightened requirements.
How to Reboot with intense exercise?
While it is likely okay to partake in an all-juice plan as long as someone has enough energy and stamina (that has been moderated for a particular athlete’s needs), for most, I would recommending seeking counsel with a Reboot Nutritionist in a Guided Reboot program or seek a local nutritionist who has experience with juicing for athletes. Someone training for an intense, long distance race in many cases may need to incorporate eating into their juicing plan or up their juice intake beyond what the plan recommends to provide adequate calories and nutrients during an intense period.
If you are planning to Reboot and do high intensity or intense exercise, I have highlighted 7 tips that you might find helpful as a starting point.
- Work with a Reboot Nutritionist or your own qualified nutritionist in your area to help you. Our main priority is your health and safety and we would work with you to achieve your goals.
- If doing an all-juice plan, consider starting with at least 6 juices daily and increase as needed (some will need 9-10 juices).
- If doing sustained cardio and/or resistance training, consider adding at least 15-17 grams of a plant-based protein like the Reboot with Joe Protein Powder.
- Begin with 64 oz fluids (mostly water) for hydration and increase as needed. I recommend weighing yourself pre- and post-workout and rehydrate 16-20 oz water for every 1 lb lost through sweat (in addition to electrolyte-rich beverages like coconut water and even juice).
- Try adding juice to your pre-workout routine. I recommend 8-16 oz of a mostly-beet juice because research has shown that beets have a certain nutrient that can help to promote oxygen uptake by muscles, and beets are also a source of electrolytes (potassium and some sodium). This may be necessary in conjunction with having quick-digesting carbs during the workout (i.e. a banana or even a few dates or figs) for extra energy. This may be the best way to start, before even trying an all-juice or even mostly-juice program.
- Consider adding extra electrolytes like sea salt or coconut water to your juices, especially into those around your exercise bout. Juices are a source of electrolytes, but mostly potassium and not quite as much sodium as a serious athlete will need due to intensive training.
- Listen to your body. It’s so important to always listen to your body and not overlook things that your body might be telling you. If it feels wrong, you’re not doing something right, so if you start an all-juice Reboot and it just doesn’t feel right to you, stop! There is no shame in that. Listening to your body is perhaps the most important thing you can ever do for your body. So listen up! On the flip side, if people think you are crazy for juicing only while you workout but you feel amazing and your workouts have never been better, then continue!
What does a nutritionist who does high intensity training do?
As an athlete, I use juicing to my advantage. It’s best for me to drink juice in addition to eating healthfully, because I find that my body works better that way. That is however not to say that it’s not possible to do mostly or even all juice through an intensive training program (after all one of my best runs ever was during an all-juice fast). It just may be more difficult. I challenge you to try out different routines – add juice pre-workout (8-16 oz) or even diluted juice during (I recommend some iteration of beet/carrot or similar juice) the workout; you can even try doing a few all-juice days and see how your training (and body) responds.
For more information about exercise, check out these blog posts:
13 Fitness Hacks for Better Health