4 Juicing Mistakes You Might Be Making (and How to Fix Them!)

Read this before you put anything in that blender

Sipping your nutrients has been crazy popular for a while now. And it's no surprise—the It drink can provide you with loads of health benefits by upping your intake of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. The problem is, there's a lot of confusion about how to juice. Some people start with the go-big-or-go-home mentality with juice for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Others add so many juices to their diet that it totally negates the health benefits. No matter what your juicing dilemma, we’re here to help. Here are four juicing fails you'll want to avoid:

Going All Or Nothing
Some people get so caught up in a new diet trend that they think going to the extreme will provide better, faster results. In reality, that often sets you up for failure. For most us (myself included) it's extremely difficult to sustain an all-juice diet for any extended length of time (just check out these 15 signs you're on a juice cleanse!). It's a ticking time bomb that will likely explode and result in you downing a bag of Doritos and bingeing at a burger joint. Not a good plan. The key is to incorporate juices into your diet without totally replacing your meals. For most people, a breakfast juice is a great place to start. Try a green juice with a handful of almonds instead of your usual breakfast of yogurt or cereal (Here's a great starter recipe: 1/2 a head of romaine lettuce, 1/2 a cucumber, 6 spinach leaves, and 1/2 a green apple.). Do this a couple times a week, allow it to become a part of your healthy eating routine, and you'll be sure to stay on the juicing wagon (otherwise, we make no promises).

MORE: Would You Do a Juice Cleanse to Boost Your Libido?

Adding Without Subtracting
Another common flub is adding juices into your diet without subtracting other foods. Look, we know juicing is great for you, it provides all kinds of insane antioxidants, but it's important to keep in mind that they still have calories. Some are better than others—for instance, green juices tend to have fewer calories and sugar than fruit juices—but if you're adding these to your diet every day, well, let's just say it adds up. Instead, add a juice to your diet while subtracting another food. But remember, the trick is to incorporate them, not use them to replace meals altogether. In place of another side dish, try a green apple, spinach, and celery juice with your salmon and broccoli at dinner. This way you'll get all the amazing benefits of the juice without overloading on calories. 

Picking the Wrong Produce
The best part of juicing is that each drink you make is hand crafted from the fresh produce you put into it. Unfortunately, this leaves a fair amount of room for error. As a new juicer, it's totally understandable if you're not digging the straight up green juice (it's an acquired taste, I know).  But this doesn't mean that you should load it up with so many fruits or fruit juices that it tastes like a strawberry milkshake from a fast food restaurant. I promise, adding a couple of pieces of apple or pineapple can go a long way in making it palatable. If you find yourself adding entire fruit baskets to your morning drink, it's probably time for a new plan. You might end with so much sugar and calories that it negates the health benefits. My tip? Make sure your juices follow the 80:20 ratio...80% greens, 20% fruit. Essentially, the fruit is there to cut the bitter taste, not to dominate your drink. And sometimes, you have to let those greens speak for themselves.

MORE: How an ALL-Fruit-Juice Cleanse Affects Your Body

Juicing (and Storing) in Bulk
You know it's important to store your produce properly before juicing, but it's also crucial to drink any juice you make at home as soon as possible. Once all of the raw nutrients are exposed to oxygen, they have a tendency to break down. At a maximum, juices should be stored for just a few hours before drinking. After that they lose a huge amount of their nutrients and may cause you to become ill if pathogens grow due to oxidation. So, if you want to reap the most benefits, drink up right after you juice up. If you're buying your juices, make sure to follow their expiration dates. Many juice companies now use a technology called High Pressure Pascalization, which allows nutrient-dense juice to live longer than it has in the past (up to 6 days) and also stops the growth of microflora. Still, they won't stay healthy forever in the back of your fridge.

So if you're looking to start your juice game, try to avoid these rookie mistakes. You'll end up thanking me years from now when you're a juicing fiend.

MORE: 5 Delicious Spinach Smoothies

Trainer Confessions: 5 Goals You SHOULD Be Making (But Probably Aren’t)

We’re not saying that wanting to look amazing post-breakup is bad motivation, but there are a few other ambitions you should add to the list

One thing we fitness pros are always babbling on about is the importance of having goals. In fact, the first thing I ask prospective clients is what they want to achieve, so I can help ‘em get there. And while there’s no such thing as a bad goal, having more specific intentions can be even more powerful—especially when you can measure that progress along the way. Consider adding these five goals to your list: 

—Amy Roberts, NASM-CPT

Goal #1: Lower your body fat percentage
Clients often tell me they just want to lose 5 or 10 pounds to “lean out.” (Sound familiar?) But you’ve probably heard the old “muscle weighs more than fat” line. While that’s not technically true (a pound is a pound), it is true that a pound of muscle is denser and takes up less space than a pound of fat. So if your goal is to shed pounds, you really should be aiming to lose body fat and gain (or retain) muscle. Essentially, you’re hoping to shift your body composition and lower your body fat percentage. You can measure this in a number of ways: You can ask a trainer at your gym to test it using skinfold calipers, you can try a body-comp scale or monitor that uses bioimpedance (where you stand on or hold metal pads and a current determines your body composition), or you can go to a special lab for a more accurate (though pricier) air- or water-displacement test. Keep in mind that the first two options aren’t 100-percent accurate, but as long as the measurements are done under the same general conditions, you’ll be able to get a pretty good look at your progress.

Goal #2: Get stronger
I get that you don’t want to look like Joe Manganiello, but you shouldn’t be afraid to make strength one of your goals. In fact, unless you put some crazy concerted effort into it, the typical woman will never “bulk up.” (Newsflash: You CAN be strong and skinny!) What I like about strength as a goal is that it’s much more quantifiable than “toning up,” which is what women often say when they’re describing the desire to build muscle. Strength can be measured by the number of pushups you can do, the amount of weight you lift on the cable machine, or the increase in reps you can handle. It’s also noticeable in daily life: The ease with which you lug your groceries or lift your suitcase into the overhead bin. And if you want to check your progress in the mirror, find out how long it takes to see muscle definition.

Goal #3: Master a skill
Write down this goal if you’re one of those people who just doesn’t get particularly amped about running/lifting/sweating just for the sake of it. Hey, I hear ya. Sometimes you need a specific skill to hone in on. My gateway drug into fitness was a weekly adult gymnastics class that hooked me in. But if tumbling isn’t your thing (no way, really!?), just pick another sport or skill that you want to learn to excel in—like Pilates, lifting weights, or boxing. Already found your fitness muse but need an extra boost? Make specific achievement goals, such as targeting a number of chin-ups (can’t do a single one? Try our chin-up challenge to learn how in six weeks!) or conquering a forearm stand in yoga.

Goal #4: Make fitness a part of your routine
I meet people daily who want to shape up for a specific event—a wedding, a school reunion, bikini season... While I would never begrudge anyone wanting to look and feel her best for any reason, I try to encourage a more long-term approach. Sure, you’re motivated to work hard for the grand occasion, but do really you want to put in all that effort only to let it fall by the wayside later? Consider how you can keep those gym dates, favorite classes or regular runs in your schedule for the long haul. A lot of things can motivate you: finding a workout buddy, blocking off your calendar with hard-and-fast “fitness appointments,” and prioritizing personal training or those pricey-but-awesome indoor cycling classes in your budget. What’s important is that you find your mojo and hold onto it. But if you really need an end goal, just make a point to try something for a month or two (like our newest 6 weeks to bootcamp fit plan). By the time you’re finished, chances are you’ll be hooked.

Goal #5: Train for an event
There’s one exception where shaping up with a deadline can actually come in handy, and that’s training for a fitness event. Some of us are just more deadline-driven than others, and by giving yourself a specific point at which you’ll have to prove your stuff (beyond looking fit in the photos), you’ll be that much more motivated to keep up with your training. So sign up for a triathlon, a 5k, or an endurance event like an obstacle course. Then, train like hell. Who knows? After the rush of completing your first one, you may decide to make it a habit.

Rumor Has It That <i>The Biggest Loser</i> Will Be Making Some Changes

Looks like viewers aren’t the only ones responding to Rachel Frederickson’s dramatic weight loss

More news on The Biggest Loser front: Producers are considering “small but significant tweaks” to the series’ production process, particularly what happens after filming at the weight-loss ranch concludes but before the live finale is taped, according to E! News. Sources say these changes might include more support and check-ins for contestants once they leave the ranch and are on their own.

MORE: Biggest Loser Winner Rachel Frederickson Says Her Weight Loss Was Natural 

In case you’ve been living under a rock, the most recent winner, 5-foot-4 Rachel Frederickson, shed 155 pounds—and she dropped nearly a third of that amount after the show stopped filming. So it seems likely that her situation—and viewers’ response to it—may have inspired these potential changes.

poll by twiigs.com

MORE: Does the Jumpstart to Skinny Diet Work?