Why Most Detoxes Fail (and How to Get Real, Lasting Results)

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Why Most “Detoxes” Fail (And How to Do It Right)

A Practical Guide to Understanding Detox Pitfalls and Building a Nourishing, Sustainable Approach for Lasting Results

Have you ever started a detox or a cleanse full of hope, excitement, and determination—only to give up halfway through, feeling worse than when you started? 

Headaches. Fatigue. Irritability. Intense cravings.

Believe me, this happens a lot.  It’s frustrating, disheartening, and all too common.

But here’s the truth: it’s not your fault.

Most detox plans are designed to fail. They focus on the wrong things, ignore how your body actually works, and set you up for struggle from day one.

Today I’m going to show you how to do it RIGHT so it is achievable, powerful and, believe it or not, enjoyable.  Real detox isn’t about restriction, starvation, or punishing yourself. It’s about nourishing your body, balancing your systems, and creating habits you can sustain for life.

In this post, I’ll break down 5 common detox mistakes and share some of the biggest lessons from my Alkaline Reset Cleanse – a proven, whole-body approach to health, energy, and vitality.

Let’s dive in.

🚫 Mistake #1: Detoxes Focus on Restriction, Not Nourishment (plus…what’s in a name…?)

Most detoxes revolve around one thing: taking away.  It’s kinda inbuilt into the name: detox.  The implication is ridding the body.  Starving it out.  Restricting and forcing the body to eliminate.  This is why I don’t call it a detox, but rather a Cleanse.  We’ll come back to that in a minute.  

But regardless of the name, these detox plans focus on things like:

  • Less food.
  • Fewer calories.
  • Juice-only.
  • Forcing the body to eliminate.
  • Tricking the liver through restriction.
  • Effectively starving out the bad stuff…

The problem? Your body doesn’t thrive on deprivation.

When you restrict too much, your body goes into survival mode: cravings spike, energy plummets, and willpower runs out.

I explain more about willpower in this guide here and I highly recommend giving it a read (it’s only a few minutes reading time, but will open your eyes I promise).  Willpower is NOT a strategy.  You can’t expect your willpower to be able to see you through, on it’s own.  

For a start, willpower is fuelled by glucose, so when your blood sugar is low (i.e. from calorie restriction) your willpower deserts you (pun intended).

And bigger picture, when you are asking your body to repair and rebuild it needs tools, and the tools are nutrients.  When we are asking our body to do a ton of hard work we need to nourish it with more nutrients than ever so it can get things done.

A restrictive, low-calorie, nutrient-poor detox is NOT going to get the job done.  

👉 The Better Way: Focus on Abundance, Not Restriction

My Alkaline Reset Cleanse (ARC) is built on abundance.  When you do the ARC you are never hungry.  If you’re hungry you’re not doing it right.  As the students who have been with me in my ARC Coaching Program in the past will attest to – you are eating lots.  Lots and lots of lovely nourishing, nutrient-dense foods.  

And the energy that comes from this can be quite amazing. 

The way you should be approaching your cleanse is to include:

  • Generous servings of vibrant, nutrient-rich foods.
  • Delicious, soul-nourishing, satisfying meals
  • Hydration that energizes every cell in your body.
  • Colorful, bright, enjoyable recipes
  • Foods and nutrients that can help your body to restore, repair and rebuild

Key Takeaway: “Health isn’t about what you remove — it’s about what you add.”

When you nourish your body fully, everything starts to shift. Plus, it’s heaps more enjoyable.

🚀 Mistake #2: They Overlook Hydration – The Most Overlooked Detox Tool

💧 The Problem:

When people think of detoxing, they often think about what they eat — but very few plans emphasize what they drink.

Here’s the truth: Hydration isn’t just important during a Cleanse — it’s foundational.

Every single detox pathway in your body depends on water. Your kidneys, liver, lymphatic system, and even your digestion require proper hydration to function effectively.

Yet, most detox & cleanse plans mention hydration as an afterthought — “Oh, and drink lots of water!” — without offering specific guidance on how much water, when to drink it, or what kind of water supports detoxification best.

As is a mantra in the ARC Coaching Program – you cannot be vibrant and dehydrated at the same time!

🚨 Why It Fails:

When hydration is ignored during a detox:

  • Toxins Can’t Be Flushed Out Properly: Water acts as a transport system, helping your body eliminate toxins. Without it, toxins linger in your bloodstream, causing fatigue, headaches, and even skin breakouts.
  • Digestion Slows Down: Water is crucial for breaking down food and ensuring waste moves smoothly through your digestive tract.
  • Detox Symptoms Are Amplified: Many common “detox symptoms” — headaches, fatigue, irritability, and brain fog — aren’t detox symptoms at all. They’re dehydration symptoms in disguise.
  • Your Energy Crashes: Every cell in your body relies on water for energy production. Without it, your vitality takes a nosedive.

In short: Dehydration sabotages your detox results before they’ve even begun.

👉 The Better Way: Hydration as a Core Pillar of Detoxification

In the Alkaline Reset Cleanse (ARC), hydration isn’t an afterthought — it’s a non-negotiable foundation.

Here are some simple ways to improve your hydration during a cleanse:

1️⃣ Start Your Day with Hydration: Begin each morning with a glass of warm water and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. It supports digestion, is gently alkaline-forming, kickstarts hydration, and gently wakes up your system.

2️⃣ Eat Hydrating Foods: Incorporate foods naturally high in water content into your meals. Think cucumber, celery, leafy greens, and more

3️⃣ Sip Consistently Throughout the Day: Instead of chugging water all at once, aim to sip steadily throughout the day. Keep a reusable water bottle nearby as a reminder.

4️⃣ Timely Reminders: A big hurdle to hydration for many people is that they simply forget.  Set regular reminders on your phone to remind you to have a glass of water, so you reach 80-90oz as an absolute minimum.

5️⃣ Funk it Up!: Hydration does not just mean water.  Check out my guide here to making hydration delicious!

*”Think of water as the ‘delivery truck’ for toxins. Without enough water, those trucks get stuck in traffic, and toxins linger in your body. Stay hydrated, and keep the detox traffic flowing smoothly.”*

✅ Key Takeaway:

“Water isn’t just something you sip during a detox — it’s the foundation of detoxification. Without proper hydration, your body simply can’t cleanse effectively.”

Proper hydration alone can make or break your results. But hydration isn’t enough if your body isn’t prepared for the reset in the first place.

That’s where the 7-Day “Before” Phase of the Alkaline Reset Cleanse (ARC) comes in…

🚫 Mistake #3: They Skip the Preparation Phase (Going from 0 to 100 Overnight)

One of the biggest mistakes detox plans make is expecting people to jump from a Standard American Diet (SAD) or as I usually call it, the Standard Modern Diet (as it’s not just the US with a dodgy mainstream diet), straight into an intense detox overnight.

You cannot just click your fingers and start a Cleanse.  Well…you can, but it will be fraught with difficulties and your results will be nowhere near as good.

When you do this, what happens?

  • Withdrawal symptoms (headaches, fatigue, irritability) hit hard.
  • Detox side effects become unbearable
  • You haven’t had the chance to build positive logistical health habits (I’ll explain below).
  • It requires you to go from zero to perfect in one step, making it so hard to stick to
  • Your body isn’t prepared and so your results are nowhere near as good
  • And it is just so much less enjoyable.

This isn’t just unpleasant—it limits your results.

👉 The Better Way: Ease In with a Preparation Phase

In the Alkaline Reset Cleanse, we start with a 7-Day ‘Before the Cleanse’ Phase.

  • It’s a gentle on-ramp into alkaline habits, getting you used to things like juicing, making smoothies, starting the day right, breathing exercises etc
  • It reduces detox symptoms massively, to the point where 90% or more people who do the Cleanse don’t’ get any
  • It allows you to taper off sugar, caffeine, alcohol etc making it much more gentle on your body, and psychologically too. 
  • It primes your digestive, endocrine, detoxification, pH balancing and immune systems for optimal results.
  • Many people hit their initial goals with just this Before week and then go to a whole other level during the Cleanse

Key Takeaway: “You wouldn’t run a marathon without training first — Cleansing your body is no different.”

When you prepare your body, the reset becomes smooth, effective, and sustainable.

🚀 Mistake #4: They Focus on One Organ, Not the Whole Body

🩺 The Problem:

When most people think of detoxing, they immediately think of one organ: the liver.

It’s true — your liver is one of your body’s most important detox organs. But here’s the catch: your liver doesn’t work alone.

Your body isn’t a collection of isolated systems working independently — it’s an interconnected ecosystem where everything impacts everything else.

When a detox plan focuses only on the liver, it ignores the fact that your detoxification system, immune system, endocrine system, digestive system, and pH balance all play vital roles in detoxification.  

These five are what I call the Five Master Systems, and if even one of these systems is out of balance, the whole process suffers.

🚨 Why It Fails:

A liver-only approach to detoxification is like trying to fix a leaky roof by patching one hole while ignoring all the others.

Here’s why focusing on just one organ doesn’t work:

  • The Immune System: Chronic inflammation can slow down detoxification pathways. If your immune system is overactive or suppressed, your body can’t detox efficiently.
  • The Endocrine System: Hormones like cortisol, insulin, and thyroid hormones play crucial roles in energy, metabolism, and toxin processing. An imbalanced endocrine system can disrupt your body’s ability to detox.
  • The Digestive System: Your liver processes toxins, but it’s your digestive system that eliminates them. If digestion isn’t working properly, toxins can get reabsorbed into your bloodstream.
  • The Detoxification System (Liver, Kidneys, Lymphatic System): These organs are the body’s “waste management system.” If they’re overwhelmed or unsupported, toxins build up.
  • The pH Balancing System: Your body’s pH balance creates the environment in which all your cells operate. If your pH is out of balance, detoxification processes slow down.

When just one of these systems is neglected, it creates a bottleneck that impacts all the others.

This is why many people on liver-focused detoxes still feel sluggish, bloated, and frustrated — because the rest of their systems are crying out for support.

🧠 The Bigger Picture: The Five Master Systems

Your body has Five Master Systems that must work together for effective detoxification, energy production, and vibrant health.  This is the whole foundation of the Alkaline Reset Cleanse:

1️⃣ Immune System: Keeps inflammation under control and prevents toxin overload.
2️⃣ Endocrine System: Regulates hormones like cortisol, insulin, and thyroid hormones, which all play critical roles in metabolism and detoxification.
3️⃣ Detoxification System: Includes the liver, kidneys, and lymphatic system — your body’s waste management team.
4️⃣ Digestive System: Absorbs nutrients, eliminates toxins, and prevents them from being reabsorbed.
5️⃣ pH Balancing System: Maintains the internal environment where detoxification processes can thrive.

These systems are like dominoes — when one falls, it creates a chain reaction that impacts the rest.

A true detox doesn’t isolate one domino — it supports every system, ensuring they work in harmony.

Key Takeaway: “You can’t detox one organ and expect whole-body results — every system works together.”

Supporting your whole body through detox is powerful — but it can feel overwhelming without the right guidance and support.

And that’s where Mistake #5: Lack of Support & Guidance comes in…

Here’s the polished version of Mistake #5 with a seamless transition into a direct CTA driving clicks to the sales page.

🚨 Mistake #5: Trying to Go It Alone Without Support or a Plan

Why It Fails:
Most detox attempts fall short because they rely on sheer willpower and vague instructions. You might be handed a set of rules, maybe a few recipes, but then you’re left to figure it all out on your own. No guidance, no accountability, and no clarity on how to adjust if things don’t go perfectly.

When you go it alone:

  • It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by cravings, detox symptoms, and uncertainty.
  • You second-guess your choices and lose confidence.
  • Without a clear plan, the results are inconsistent at best.

The Better Way:
Support and structure aren’t optional — they’re essential. When you have daily guidance, clear action steps, and a space to ask questions, the entire experience shifts from stressful to empowering.

That’s exactly what we’ve built into the upcoming, absolutely free Alkaline Cleanse Workshop, starting January 26th, where I will walk you through the process of doing your alkaline cleanse, with support, live coaching calls and more along the way.

Your Next Step: Join the Alkaline Cleanse Workshop!

This free 4-part workshop series will show you exactly what you need to do to get started on your Alkaline Cleanse.  Over the four on-demand lessons you’ll learn each step of the cleanse, bringing clarity, simplicity and confidence.

When you sign up for free, you’ll:

✅ Get immediate access to the Pre-Cleanse Guide PDF to start preparing right away.
✅ Get access to the four videos, available on-demand, plus our live workshop with live Q&A session
✅ Have a clear, step-by-step plan to follow for incredible results.
✅ Build habits that set the stage for long-term health and vitality.

We kick off on January 26th — don’t miss this opportunity to start your journey with confidence!

👉 Click here to sign up now and get instant access to your Pre-Cleanse Guide PDF!

You’re not alone — let’s do this together. I can’t wait to see you inside the workshop! 🚀

Ross Bridgeford

PS: Once you join, you’ll get everything you need to feel confident, comfortable, and supported every step of the way — plus expert coaching to guide you through. Don’t wait — sign up now and start preparing today!


register for the cleanse workshop 2025 now

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