Fact? Fiction? Truth? Lies?

 When it comes to chasing your goals, there are countless methods, techniques, diets, machines, and workout recommendations, that it seems impossible to know which will work. 

 

Here, we look at how to decide on the effectiveness of these recommendations. 



Firstly, when considering your options, always remember if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. And even if there is 'proof', there are likely some unmentioned side effects. Perhaps, someone has said that they have lost 2 stone in a week from a cheap miracle drink or diet. Chances are this is not true. And if it is, it is probably an extremely unhealthy way to lose weight.

 

Secondly, consider where these options are coming from, and look into any research mentioned. Who is giving this advice and why? Perhaps, its a friend who has heard from a friend who heard from a friend. Perhaps its an advert on social media. Maybe its an article in a magazine. Wherever possible, go directly to the source. Often magazines and adverts do not tell the whole truth. They may say 'this product helps increase muscle mass', and the research into it found 'this products helps increase muscle mass in malnourished, sedentary mice'. Hopefully, you won't be malnourished, and you certainly aren't a mouse, so how relevant is this to you? 

 

Finally, consider the alternatives. Sure, a 'diet pill' could help you lose pounds (both from the waistline and the pocket). But a daily walk can help you lose pounds (from only your waist) and also improve your cardiovascular health, mental health, enjoyment, movement efficiency, and the list goes on. 

 

For most people, exercise and a balanced diet is plenty to help you achieve your goals. Some people may need to supplement or choose alternatives, especially if on a restricted diet. Most people can also do some sort of physical activity. Sure, you may not be able to run a marathon, but gardening or walking the dog can still help you reach your goals. 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Best Split... For You!

Image
  Wherever you look, and whoever you ask, they will all say that there is one workout split that beats all the rest.    Fortunately, this is not true!    The best workout split will depend entirely on you! What is a split?   A split is just a way of deciding what muscles/aspects of fitness you will train on a specific day. You'll likely have heard of leg day - which is just one day in a split when you work legs. And there are all manner of splits out there: Push, Pull, Legs. Chest and Tri's, Back and Bi's.  Chest day, Back day,  Leg day, Arm day, Core day.    And while each split has its own advantages, these are only really realised by more elite athletes (or anyone who goes to the gym about 10 times per week). Who, realistically, has time for that?   For most people, myself included, I recommend full body sessions. Full body sessions are perfect for if you are short on time, or have unstable schedules, and they are still extremely...
Read more

Exercise or Physical Activity?

Image
  What really is the difference between Physical Activity and Exercise?   And how can we use Exercise and Physical Activity to improve our health and help us reach our goals? First of all - Definitions!  Physical Activity  - Any movement created by the contraction of skeletal muscles. (This could be gardening, car cleaning or walking to work).   Exercise  - Planned activity with the intent of improving an element of our health and fitness or performance. (This could be going for a run, going to the gym, or attending an exercise class).   So, what does this mean?   in effect, any movement we make can be classed as Physical Activity, whether that is walking the dog or walking to the fridge. Walking to specifically improve our cardiovascular health is exercise.      So, how do we use exercise and Physical Activity to improve our health? Physical Activity can be done anywhere and at any time. Higher levels of Physical Activity have...
Read more

Cardio Training - For Any Goals?

Image
  You'll have probably heard something along the lines of 'cardio kills gains'.   But is this really true?    Mostly, no it is not true. Some people will tell you it is. Some people will tell you it's not. I will tell you it depends.    Lets look at the physiology. As we all know, to make 'gains', you must resistance train and have enough calories.  Cardio can burn a lot of calories, which is why it can be so effective for losing weight. And, why it can be tougher to build muscle alongside heavy cardio.  Muscle building from weight training generally results in increased Type 2 muscle fibres. Type 2 muscle fibres are larger than Type 1 muscle fibres, which are developed with cardio training. So, logically, to build more muscle you want to focus more on the Type 2 fibres.     However, cardio improves our heart, lungs, blood vessels and blood. This improves our bodies ability to deliver oxygen, nutrients, hormones and everything else ...
Read more