Posts Tagged ‘diet’

Andy Murray- The Lessons of a Champion

Wednesday, July 10th, 2013

This week a 26 year old from Dunblane, Scotland, put his name in the history books and changed the perceptions of a nation by winning a tennis match.

Put like that it vastly underplays the enormity of what he achieved. For 77 years the UK watched as the tournament hosted on its own shores was won by an ‘outsider’. In the entire open era no British player had even made the final prior to Andy in 2012 but for many years the weight of expectation was there, most notably on the shoulders of Tim Henman.


Not only had it been 77 years since a British player had taken the title (of the Men’s Singles), you have to go back to the 1800s to find the last Scottish winner. And a little over 10 years ago, when Henman was consistently making the Semi finals, the very idea that a Scot would achieve anything near that level, never mind actually win the thing, was simply unthinkable.

Ok, so we get it, it was a big deal, but what does this have to do with a fitness site?

More than you might think.

First up, although it is not a sport I personally partake in beyond the odd knock about on occasion, I would consider it one of if not the most complete of tests in the sporting world. First up it is an individual pursuit, so if you have a bad day you can’t rely on your team to cover for you. You have to be 100% focused at all times and playing at your best. And with the exception of the year end finals, it is a knock out sport. So again, no matter how good you are, one bad day at the office and you are out. It requires high levels of general fitness, speed, agility, quick reflexes (most serves have a reaction time for the returner of less than a second to get to the ball and angle a return correctly), power and stamina.

I can’t think of any other individual sports that require the same level of quality in all of these areas and with the possible exception of ice hockey I can’t think of many team sports either.

To perform at this level requires an extremely high level of ability in all these areas.

In the world of fitness there is always the argument of genetics and a similar argument is often thrown in the tennis arena, that of talent. You are either born with it or you are not. That may well be true and you could say that someone like Roger Federer has a natural talent for the game and doesn’t need to hit the gym to the same level as many of his rivals. But then there are those such as David Nalbandian who is probably one of the most talented players ever to play the game, but how many grand slam titles does he have? In fact, how many of you have even heard of him? The reason for his downfall? He quite clearly doesn’t work on his fitness to the same level as his peers. Comparatively speaking, he is over weight and lacks the speed shown by those at the top of the game. And if he had taken the time to work on these easily fixable elements, there is a high chance that his achievements would have eclipsed those of Federer through his career.

But let’s look at Andy.

Back in 2005 at the age of 18 during his third round match at Queens (which in itself was a shock at the time) and in a game he probably should have won, he collapsed with cramp in the 2nd set and went over on his ankle twice. He has since admitted that, at the time, his idea of a post match meal would be a pizza, his diet was appalling and his fitness regime not much better.

Most people, at that time, were tipping him to make it into the top 50 but not much else due to his lack of physical presence and stamina.

The following winter he moved his off season training to Miami and in the space of a few months returned to the Australian open with a completely new physique. He had seriously bulked up and was sporting a six pack.

Now he was being told he was too big and it would slow him down. During his 5 set win over Stan Wawrinka at Wimbledon that year, he turned the match around from 2 sets down by retrieving a ball that was almost in the crowd and hitting a cross court winner. Hardly slow. He finished the match by flexing his biceps at the press. He was doing things his way he had a goal and he was staying true to it.

He was further criticised for having an entourage rather than a single coach. He had a team of specialists that he had built around him, but no real head figure. But there was a reason for that. He was the man in charge. His goals, his vision and the team was there to assist in the areas he decided he needed help with rather than having one person tell him what to do.

It became a running joke that half the people there to support him where his team. But now, a few years later, most of the top players are doing exactly the same thing.

So where am I going with this?

Well from start to finish he has been told he was doing it wrong. He was too skinny, he was too bulky, didn’t have the right weapons to threaten the top 3 players, he didn’t have the mental toughness (after all he did lose his first 4 grand slam finals). But there were no bigger critics out there of Andy Murray than Andy Murray himself. The difference was that he knew what he needed. He knew himself well and he knew what to do or when to ask for help to improve any weak points.

He didn’t listen to criticisms, he didn’t get down on himself (well not for long anyway) he simply had a goal and no matter how many times he got knocked down he picked himself back up and used the experience as a tool to improve for the future.

It took him 14 years from starting tennis seriously to finally winning the Wimbledon trophy he desperately sought.

After his first loss in a grand slam he didn’t decide to completely change everything, give up and chase something new. After his first Grand Slam final defeat, he didn’t start looking for some mystical route that wasn’t on the radar or try to copy the guy that beat him that day (Roger Federer) in the hope of unlocking the key. He stayed true to his path and chipped away at the imperfections in his own game. When the main one seemed to be the mental aspect, he sought out Ivan Lendl to be his coach as he knew Lendl was one of the few people he would listen to and be able to learn from.

All of this applies to any fitness goal. You have a vision, you have something in your mind that you are targeting, if it is not clear what that goal is, your direction is never going to be clear. But the goal has to be a personal one. Not something you are doing for the adulation or approval of others. It has to mean something to you personally.

Too often people start down one road and if it doesn’t go perfectly to plan very quickly, they are suddenly looking for another route or start listening to the criticism of others. You either believe in the route you are taking or you don’t, but if you do, if you truly know where you are going and you have a plan to get there, then no one and nothing should cause you to question that. You are in control. Your route will never be linear and it will never be exactly as you planned. You may need to make adjustments along the way, but they should be in keeping with your own ideals.

In its simplest form I’m talking to the people who think they can buy their way to the physique they want and at the lowest possible price. Those who will try weight watchers, then slimmers world, then curves, then atkins, then buy one of those slendertone belts, then go running while the weather is good, then back to weight watchers, then the local Bootcamp, then the online diet guru and so on. Always asking for “the best exercise to…(insert vague goal here)”, the people who “just” want to tone up, as if sticking the word just in front of it makes it suddenly an easy process.

In the end, some people are born with certain genetic gifts and if those people apply that fullest potential they will reach levels of world class, regardless of the goal in question, be it a sport, bodybuilding, modelling, acting, writing, photography etc. For most of us giving the same application may not mean world class, but it will be better than most and more than most people would generally wish for.

But the one big thing to note, returning to our Wimbledon champion, is that at no point was Andy Murray training or eating to look good.

All of his training and nutrition choices are geared towards improving his ability to play tennis. Yet he has taken himself from that skinny 18 year old who collapsed in the middle of a game 8 years ago and built a physique that most people were shocked by. Whether it is to your taste or not, he has broad shoulders, a distinct upper body V shape, defined biceps and a very defined six pack. Most guys would settle for that. Most guys hit the gym looking for that. Yet most guys trying to achieve it don’t get there, where Murray, who had no interest in the physique aspect, has achieved it by default.

This goes back to the thing I keep saying time and again. What you look like on the outside is an expression of how you treat yourself generally. Andy wanted to fuel himself to play better tennis matches, he wanted to build power for not only his shots, but to allow him to react quickly and sprint for drop shots etc. So he hit the gym and worked on the muscles that would allow those things to improve. And by improving his physical abilities and nurturing his body correctly he achieved what he aimed for.

Along the way, he gave up every Christmas for around 7 years to go and train in Miami, away from his family. He doesn’t drink alcohol as a rule. He sacrifices what most people seem to consider a necessity (nights out in the pub, parties etc) because the goals he set himself mean more than these things.

So the lessons are simple.

– Set yourself clear goals. Goals that mean something to you deep down and give you emotional motivation to achieve them.

– Don’t alter your path for other people. Stay focused on the path you have set yourself and believe in what you are doing.

– Ignore negativity from others. If you truly believe in your path then nothing should cause you to waver for a second.

– Ensure your goals are more than superficial. Health, Strength, Speed, Power are all attributes that are worthy of your attention, vanity is not. Vanity is a goal that suggests that other people’s views of you will determine how you feel about yourself. Absolutely look to make the most of yourself, but entirely, not just on the outside.

– Don’t rush things. It is rare for things to go perfectly from the off. But life goes on and so does your journey. So long as you keep moving forwards you will always reach your target in the end.

– Make adjustments not changes. Tweak things as necessary and as needed, but don’t keep starting again every few weeks.

– Enjoy the process. Murray and his team use forfeits during training to make it more fun. It is not a chore, it is a means to an end and one he enjoys doing. Be sure you are doing something that is not only suitable for the goals you set yourself, but a process you enjoy. That doesn’t mean it has to be easy, it should be a challenge, but not one that makes your stomach curdle at the very thought of it each day.

– And lastly, if your goal truly is an emotional one and important to you, then it should be easy to pass on the distractions that go against the process. The alcohol, the parties, the late nights and so on. If not and you find yourself giving in to things that you ultimately find yourself regretting, then you are not emotionally invested in this goal and there is no point complaining that you are not achieving it, or not getting there fast enough. At that point it is time to re-evaluate the goal itself and what it means to you. Don’t try to improve your will power or look to work twice as hard at the gym to make up for it. Work out why that blip seemed more important to you at the time. Weight up what it meant to you compared to what you ‘say’ you want to achieve and re-assess what you truly want.

Most of us will never re-write history to the level of Andy Murray, but there are lessons to be learned from him and if you take them on board you can conquer your own personal Grand Slam challenges and it will mean just as much to you as winning Wimbledon did to Andy.

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What a load of Metabolics

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012

It feels like there is a new workout technique, diet, piece of ‘revolutionary’ equipment or quick fix being released or promoted every day.

And with each new idea or theory comes a new catchy name or sound-bite.

OK things need names and if it truly is new and revolutionary, it stands to reason you want the name to be memorable. That’s just marketing. Problem is, marketing is coming at the expense of content.

There’s little new or revolutionary. It might be new, but useless (I refer you to the shake weight, ‘shape up’ shoes, slendertone etc) or it’s just a well marketed version of the same old garbage – See my post on Zumba, Body Pump and Vibroplates.

Back in the day exercises might get associated with the person that invented or popularized them, as in the Arnold Press, the Zeicher Squat. Nowadays it seems the label is the important part.

How many Thor or Captain America workouts have we had this year? In the past few years 300 & Spartan workouts were all the rage along with the more recent Spartacus workouts. Thing is, they mostly end up just being big circuits with no real difference to any other circuit training or drill based workouts. Why? Because then they can be performed for groups which can bring in more money than training an individual.

Does anyone honestly think Spartacus trained, not only with little dumbbells and in a circuit format but, to the dance music that invariably comes with these classes? Did anyone really believe that the 300 workouts were the one key secret to getting the cast to their 6 pack physique ready for that film? And do we honestly think Chris Evans or Chris Hemsworth had one secret workout that no one else has ever tried that was key to their physiques in Captain America & Thor?

Are people really that gullible?

Unfortunately the answer has to be, in part anyway, a resounding yes. Otherwise, why would these things keep popping up, getting quoted and being used?

It’s only a matter of time before we get the Tom Hardy ‘Warrior’ workout (or perhaps they will wait to ‘Bane Train’).

Then there are ‘descriptive’ titles. Now, forgive me for being Mr Picky, but surely a descriptive title should tell you what the workout, technique or theory does that others don’t? The one I have heard a lot over the past couple of years is ‘Metabolic Training’ – What the heck does that mean? Is it suggesting that if you use this training you will raise your metabolism? Is there any form of training that does’t raise your metabolism? Getting out of a chair or going for a walk will raise your metabolism! If we are talking raising it and keeping it raised beyond the scope of the workout, then any anaerobic training, HIIT or heavy resistance training will do that (a lot more than these faddy workouts ever will). What it is really referring to is EPOC (Excess Post exercise Oxygen Consumption) and the creation of an Oxygen Debt. But, there is no one ‘magic’ workout that makes that happen above all others.

Another is ‘Endurance Training’! Could you be a bit more specific? Mostly this is used to describe high reps. But sitting in a freezer to prep for a trip to the Arctic would be endurance training, or hill walking could be endurance training. In fact almost anything that will last (or endure) could be considered endurance training. Endurance for what?

Then there is ‘slim-a-size’, ‘yummy bummy’, ‘slimfast diets’… and on and on…

In the end it is just sticking fancy labels on things to hide the fact that there truly is no substance to it. It just sounds good.

Training is not done just for the sake of it, it is done to achieve something. So there should be some thought behind why you are doing things.

Just realize, there is very little that is actually new and things that work are the things that last, not fads or gimmicks. If it has been done for decades there is likely a reason. If it is shiny and new, it is likely either a re-hash of something old or is untested garbage with a well marketed visual image.

Even the tried and tested stuff can get irritating when people walk around the gym talking about their latest 5/3/1 routine, 5×5, German Volume Training or Russian Strength Sets as if they are something new that they just invented.

All the workouts I have mentioned are reasonably good workouts with solid benefits, but to treat them like they are the latest ‘miracle’ and the fast track to a ripped physique, huge growth or a shredded six pack, that’s just bull crap and cause me switch off.

So here’s a shiny new technique for you. It’s called Metacolonic Training. It is where you take your metabolic training, your Superhero Workouts,  faddy diets, gimmicks and your quick fix solutions and you shove them up your…

And relax!

That’s my view anyway – perhaps you like these gimmicks, or you have actually seen some staggering results from them.

Or are you as frustrated as I am with hearing this nonsense day in and day out?

I’m sure, regardless, you will have heard of at least a few of them.

So what do you think? Is there anything here of validity or is it simply more layers to convince people that there are ‘easy’ fixes available and that hard work, effort and dedication can simply be bypassed?

Comment below and let me know.

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You’ve worked hard all week, you deserve a night off.

Friday, October 28th, 2011

When you spend enough time with people who have similar goals, you start to see patterns emerging. One that I have become more and more aware of is the idea of the ‘night off’.

Most people work hard all week and when the weekend comes, they naturally feel deserving of a break from being strict, healthy or sensible. And if that is what keeps you going through the week, then you should be free to make that choice.

However, I am reminded of something Anthony Robbins once said, that ‘people spend their entire week wishing it away in order to get to a 2 day period, during which they do things to their body that stops them from remembering it’.

And I’m sure, if that doesn’t apply to you, you know of people who it does.

Chances are (being on this site) you have a goal, be it fat loss, muscle building or toning, and you want to achieve. And hopefully, if you have read my other posts, you have an emotional attachment to that goal.

But often even the most driven people continue with the idea that, if they push hard all week and eat healthy, they earn the right to splurge. Maybe it’s just one night per week or a couple per month.

However, what I would like people to understand is that one night per week isn’t simply the sum total of that night.

A few drinks and junk food on a Friday usually leads to poor sleep, dehydration (which puts a strain on the activity of your liver – compromising its ability to mobilize stored fats)  and a long lie.

Activity levels on Saturday are then, like it or not, at a lower level. Your system is still working hard to reset (so digestion and fat burning remain compromised).

Then there is the craving for fried food or more savory junk food. That, in turn, leaves you feeling poor for most of the day with the idea of eating something nutritious or healthy being the furthest thing from your mind.

You may try hitting the gym, but your level is not at its usual standard. You might laugh it off gaining lots of sympathy from those who have been there before, but that isn’t getting the work done and is simply a sub-standard session.

You probably haven’t consumed enough water to fully re-hydrate.

Later you may prepare a higher quality meal, but either over eat (mistaking thirst for hunger) or not eat enough, as you still feel a touch fragile.

At night you may consider a ‘hair of the dog’ remedy to carry you through, when actually an early night would be preferable.

Come Sunday, you may feel better, but given your sub-optimal Saturday, chances are you are still not firing on all levels.

That whole process could go on to affect a further 2 or 3 days. I’ve seen people destroy and entire week from with one night.

If that is what you choose to do, great. Just do it in the knowledge that one night is not just the sum of its intake. Its effects on your progress can be exponentially higher. Only by accepting that can you truly determine if the benefits outweigh any losses to your progress..

So next time you reach for that ‘one’ glass of wine, that ‘one’ beer, that ‘one’ pizza slice. Just remember it is not just the calories you are consuming that count, it is the total effect on your system over the subsequent hours and days.

A malteser may only be ’11 calories of naughyness’, but the hormonal effects are so much more and that should be considered before you justify its consumption.

Make informed choices not those justified through emotional logic or advertising.

If you truly want to change or progress, then make your choice and don’t compromise.

But what do you think?

Too strict?

Do you find you can overcome the ‘hangover’ effects and get straight back on track?

Or is this something that has been holding you back and you have just been kidding yourself?

Comment below and let me know.

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Posted in H.I.I.T. | 7 Comments »

The Jodie Marsh Effect

Thursday, October 20th, 2011

If you are the type to keep up to date with the gossip magazines, tabloids or daytime TV in the UK, then you have likely seen the latest photos of Jodie Marsh from her competition in the NPA.

If you haven’t been so blessed or simply stay away from such publications then you can see the photos Here.

So did you have an opinion?

Personally I knew nothing about it until I heard the cat calling and back biting comments across the social networking sites and throughout the gym.

Jodie Marsh has never been top of my radar in the celebrity world. I have generally considered her a wannabe who has made a career from looking a little bit like Jordan (Katie Price) and being a general loudmouth who gets her photo snapped at every opportunity either from falling out of a club or out of her dress.

However, this latest endeavour has given me at least some level of respect for her.

It’s all very well to have an opinion of her fame and whether she is deserving of it,  but there is no denying that to compete to the level she has takes discipline. The results may not be to your particular taste, but if you are sporting a spare tire or a quality set of love handles, are you really in a position to judge?

The fact is, she has gone from late night binging, clubbing and partying and found discipline and dedication to a focused pursuit. And so long as she is happy with the result then that is all that truly matters.

Since the photos were published I have heard so many comments (mainly from Women as it happens) on how awful she looks, how her make-up is a joke, how her fake tan is ridiculous, that she looks freakish, blah blah blah.

Yet these same comments have almost exclusively come from people who are out of shape. Even those who have commented whilst working out are in fairly poor shape, train with no intensity, focus or drive, use sloppy technique and quite frankly are just embarrassing themselves by being so critical of someone who has achieved more than they have.

As for the make-up and fake tan, that is just part of being judged under stage lighting. Personally I like that the tan covers up the body art that she has become so attracted to lately (though that’s just personal preference)

Arguments that she used steroids or, due to her fame, has no other distractions and was able to hire people to do the thinking for her, true or not, don’t mean it was easy. She still put the hours in, did the training, whilst controlling her diet and lifestyle. That’s no easy task regardless of your circumstances.

Thing is, if she was just another bodybuilder, people may have an opinion if they saw her, but there wouldn’t be nearly the same level of gossip. Perhaps she brought that on herself through her quest for self promotion, but that doesn’t alter the fact that this is an improved road for her and one that should be applauded rather than damned.

Still that is just my opinion and I’m sure there are others.

So what are your views on Jodie’s new look? Do you appreciate her efforts? Do you think she warrants the negativity she has received? Do you consider her inspirational or ‘freakish’? Or do you have another point of view entirely?

Comment below and let me know.

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Exercises and Nutrition you Simply Don’t Like.

Monday, August 8th, 2011

Last time we looked at the problem of having [intlink id=”901″ type=”post”]too much work[/intlink] and how it really is a choice and an excuse not to achieve the results you are looking for.

And although that is an extremely common excuse these days, the self sabotaging doesn’t end there. So the excuse I want to explore with today’s article is the “I just don’t like it” excuse.

If you read my previous article [intlink id=”402″ type=”post”]How Hate Can Be Turned on its Head[/intlink] you’ll already know that working with an exercise you don’t like is often one of the most beneficial things you can do. If all you ever do is workouts you enjoy or you ‘like’ then you are almost certainly hindering your progress.

Generally people don’t like doing workouts because they are not very good at them or they feel uncomfortable while doing them. The reason for this is you will be using muscles that are lagging or your range of motion is not good enough. Therefore, by not improving these areas, you are drastically limiting your potential and likely making yourself more prone to injuries through muscular imbalances.

Training can be enjoyable at times and the sense of satisfaction at the end of a tough session is hard to beat, but if workouts were easy or comfortable, everyone would do them. But if they were comfortable then they wouldn’t be challenging for your body and so you are not giving your system any reason to respond and develop.

Similarly, when it comes to diet, if something is good for you and is really going to make a difference, then just suck it up and get it down.

I don’t know how many times I’ve heard “I don’t like vegetables” or when you hear the veg intake it consists of only carrots or the occasional salad.

Occasionally I will recommend some kind of peri-workout nutrition in the form of a shake, or some kind of supplement if their lifestyle is making nutritional intake a problem. To then refuse to drink it due to not liking the taste is a poor excuse indeed.

Remember what you are training for. Remember how important that result is to you. Is it really such an issue to eat or drink the odd thing that doesn’t 100% agree with your pallet?

If you are not nutritionally fuelled, your workouts will suffer; your energy levels will suffer; your recovery will suffer. In short, your results will suffer.

I’m not saying all your meals have to be boring or bland. There’s no need to be forcing down chicken and broccoli for every meal. There is a world of variety available without eating garbage and if you have a bit of time, you can really make some exceptionally tasty options (I’ll be adding a few recipes in future articles). But if you are already using the ‘time is short’ excuse, don’t add another one if you have to use some kind of supplement. You can try out different flavours as you go, but if it is your only option, just get it down you. Saying you don’t like something and then chomping on a bar of chocolate, heading to McDonalds or starving yourself.

It may only feel like a ‘just this once’ moment, but these small moments can have huge effects on your results.

So always return to the emotional reason for making the change in the first place. Remember what you want to achieve and why. Think of how you will feel and what it will mean to you to achieve your new physique, to feel healthier, stronger or more vibrant. Remember those changes are for a lifetime and the thing you ‘don’t like’ will only last a few moments. Now ask yourself, which is of greater value to you? Feeling good about yourself or avoiding that one thing?

And just like your exercise choices, you may well find that, by trying foods you didn’t previously like, you may develop a taste for them long term. Then you get the results as well as a healthier pallet to go with it, so further improvements will come much easier in the future.

“I don’t like it” is a child’s response – be better than that! Be the best you can possibly be. So, until next time, when we will be covering another highly common excuse, go prep some greens to go with your next meal.

[intlink id=”979″ type=”post”]Part 4 – The Too Tired Excuse[/intlink]

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Playing the long game

Wednesday, January 5th, 2011

It is interesting in looking at some of the search terms used when someone wants to know how to lose the pounds. One of the ones that comes up quite frequently is ‘lose weight fast’, which got me to thinking how astonishing it is that a three word search can be so wrong!

There are only three words yet every one of them is wrong.

Many of you will now be thinking, how can I know if it’s wrong or not? How can I know what the person was thinking? And the fact is, I can’t for sure, but that still doesn’t make the phrasing of that term any more right. In the end it probably is correct in that it will help find the site being looked for, but in respect of what they are looking to achieve it is wrong in every other way.

Let’s break it down:

Working from the end, we have the word ‘Fast’. This is a big deal for most people. They want results and they want them yesterday. No one wants to put in a long period of effort. They just want a magic solution that will get an instant result with little change on their part.

The problem is there is no such thing as magic and you cannot defy physics. Your body is composed the way it is and can only be changed at its pre-determined, optimal rate.

You may have heard the guideline of targeting 2 pounds of fat loss per week and there is a reason that is such a commonly quoted guide. For most people, that is the optimal rate. If you lose more than that you are likely sacrificing muscle tissue and in return you are jeopardizing  your long term success.

In very basic terms, the more muscle tissue you have (lean muscle mass) the higher your metabolism. That is a very crude way of looking at it, but the principle still stands. The higher your metabolism, the more you can eat and still lose weight. The more you can eat, the higher your metabolism (thermic effect), plus the more you can eat the more fuel there is for you, allowing you to train harder, giving you a higher calorie burn, which allows you to eat more and add more lean muscle mass. It’s an ever increasing cycle that ensures as you ‘lose the pounds’, fat is the thing that gets burned and leaves you looking toned or ‘ripped’.

If, however, you go the other route and ‘lose weight fast’ then you will drop muscle tissue, lowering your metabolic rate (again over simplification to avoid the technicalities) meaning you have to eat less to be in a calorie deficit, which lowers the thermic effect (further reduction in metabolism) and gives you less energy for exercise and daily activities, lowering your calorie expenditure. So you then have to eat even less to continue losing weight. And the cycle continues.

The problem with the latter route is, it is in no way infinite.

Eventually you would run out of calories to eat.

So in other words, a more measured approach would be optimal for burning fat, improved body composition and keeping the fat of long term.

Not only that, but there is the issue of skin. Your skin is amazingly elastic, but it can only cope with change at a fairly slow rate. If you put on weight too quickly, your skin can’t keep up and you tear the skin (stretch marks) so similarly, if you lose the pounds too quickly, your skin won’t keep up and you end up with loose skin, which is far from attractive and a long way from looking toned or ripped.

Just remind yourself how long it took you to put those pounds on in the first place and realize that it will take a good percentage of that time to take it off if you want it to stay off and to ensure it is fat you are losing, leaving you looking trim and toned, rather than ‘skinny fat’.

Looking at the second word in the phrase ‘Weight’ – Is it really weight you want to lose?

Let’s imagine we have a female who is a size 20 dress size. Regardless of the weight, if it was possible to instantly change her shape to a more toned (zero flab) shape, suddenly slimming her down to a size 8 dress, yet the weight on the scale stayed exactly the same, do you think she would be complaining that she still weighed too much?

From the feedback I’ve had from some women, the answer might still be yes. But that is more because there is something ingrained in a lot of girls as they grow up that the scale is king. The fact is, scales tell you very little due to the fact they weigh everything – Bone, water, muscle, fat etc. And it doesn’t account for how in proportion these things are.

And because muscle weighs more than fat, then a loss of muscle tone would look better on your weighed result than a loss of fat. Similarly, improving your muscle tone and losing fat could end up with you weighing the same or even more, but looking so much better.

Have you ever heard the phrase “Use it or lose it”?

As you get older your body will adapt to whatever stress and strains you give it. If that is simply the odd walk, run or sports activity, but you spend a large amount of your time sitting at a desk or in front of the TV, then your body will do what it can to make life easier for itself and as muscle tissue is quite a heavy thing to carry around, it’ll drop the muscle as fast as possible. So what can often happen is you stay the same weight as you get older, but you look worse and worse as time goes on.

Why? Because the composition making up that weight is changing. You may have dropped a few pounds of muscle but added a bunch of fat and water to make up the weight.

So if someone in their 40s turns round and says smugly “I weigh the same as I did when I was 20” so what? Do they look the same? And if not, who cares?

So for most people, when it comes to losing weight, what they actually want to do is lose fat. Weight has little to do with it.

Just one last way to think of it – If you could lose 10 pounds in 5mins would you want to?

If you answered yes, then go get a saw and chop your arm off, that’s at least 10 pounds right there. Is that really what you meant when you thought about losing 10 pounds?

So finally, let’s look at the first word in our phrase – “Lose”.

Whilst this might be the true intention (to lose weight, lose fat, lose the pounds, lose water retention etc.) it is a poor choice of words and puts the focus in entirely the wrong place. It puts your mind in a place where it is focusing on the problem. You are now thinking of, in this case, the fat and what you think about most is ultimately what you’ll go towards. A better way of looking at it is to think of what you want. You want to [intlink id=”487″ type=”post”]tone up[/intlink], you want to get ripped, you want to get lean, you want a flat stomach etc etc.

If you can focus on what you want to achieve rather than what you don’t want, the chances of you getting there is so much higher.

So as you make your plans for a new, improved, physique, think of where you want to be long term. What you actually want to achieve. And take as long as is optimal to get there. Even if you have a short term goal, like a wedding, a party or a holiday, you should never be dieting or training at the expense of your long term results. There will be another event along soon enough that will then be your focus. But if you’ve gone about things the wrong way this time, chances are you will have added even more fat than you have now and slowed your metabolism in the process, making it much harder to lose the pounds of fat you have added all over again.

Your results should be forever not just for next month. Play the long game and never have to panic about how you are going to lose the pounds you want in time for the next event ever again.

Personal Training Coaching Nutrition and Fitness Glasgow

About the Author:

[intlink id=”11″ type=”page”]Mark Tiffney[/intlink] is a certified Personal Trainer, Nutritionist, Fitness Instructor & Life Coach. (REPS Registered) with over 8 years experience in the sports, health,  fitness and exercise field.

If you are interested in having your diet evaluated or having a meal plan prepared for your body type, fat loss or muscle building goal or are looking for general help with your training of fitness goals, please contact Mark by emailing:

info@designsonyouself.com

Mark is also currently offering one to one [intlink id=”8″ type=”page”]Personal Training[/intlink] & Coaching sessions in Glasgow.

To arrange a free consultation, please call 0141 41 60 348 or email info@designsonyourself.com
(c) Dynamic Core Solutions Ltd

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Posted in Diet & Nutrition, Exercise, General | 2 Comments »

So what is a ‘Fat Burning Zone’?

Thursday, September 17th, 2009

I was recently presented with a question on the ‘Fat Burning Zone’ as part of a forum discussion and my response ended up being an article in itself, so I thought I’d post it here in case someone else finds it useful.

The tone is a little rambling and it may not be all that structured, but I was just letting go, because it’s one of those ‘trueisms’ that just keep appearing again and again and one I thought there was more common knowledge about these days.

The original post read:

“I have been fat burning for 2 months now and seem to be wondering sometimes if I am wasting alot of time for nothing. I have lost about 1 st in this time from 18.7 down to 17.7stone, and need to get to 15 stone. I was in a bad accident 1 yr ago and when I came out of hospital with my shoulder and leg in casts I continued on my normal diet of pasta ect and not taking into account the amount of cal’s I am not using compared to what I did before my accident and this made me put on at least 2 1/2 stone over the year. I knew I shouldnt be eating as much but it was so hard not to due to the bordem .

The problem I have is 2 of my friends have gave me conflicting info and both of them are fitness instructors. I am 28 and 1 of my friends says I should be doing 60% of my max H/R for 1 hr a day which is about 115-116 beats per min…… well i now do 1hr 45 a day at this rate and I do feel the difference….. AND…

My other friend says i should be working at around 135-140 for 1hr for the best fat burning

 

I know how the fat burn process works ect, like you only burn sugar for the 1st 20 mins then u burn fat but I dont know what H/R’s to stick to”

My Response read:

“I’m going to try to answer this, but talk of a ‘Fat Burning Zone’ really drives me crazy because it adds confusion where there should be none (as you have clearly found out).

First of all, there is no magical heart rate where you suddenly start burning fat. You are always burning fat and carbohydrates (or glycogen) in every activity. What shifts is the balance between the two (or the focus). The slower and more laid back the pace, the more your body uses fat as its primary fuel source. As the intensity of your activity increases your energy source switches from Aerobic to Anaerobic and the fuel source becomes primarily carbohydrates (I’ll stick with that term as it is the macronutrient you consume and so will recognize it more freely – I don’t want to over confuse with the actual internal process).

However, even when carbs become the primary fuel source, your body will still be burning fat, just a much higher percentage of carbs.

The so called ‘fat burning zone’ is the zone that you work at where you are burning the most calories before reaching the point where this change in emphasis occurs (and it’s usually – though not always – around 60-70% of your Max HR).

There are several problems with that though:

1) The max HR calculation of 220-age is a huge generalization. Even the person who came up with it has since been quoted as saying it was just a theory and he didn’t expect people to take it so literally. That calculation can be vastly off. First off, women can usually get the heart rate higher than men during exercise (if at the same level of fitness).

Also, someone who is physically fit can raise their heart rate much higher during exercise (safely) than someone who is new to physical fitness. Therefore, if you are going to aim for this magical zone it would probably be best to use PRE (Perceived Rate of Exertion) as your guide [on a scale of 1-10 (10 being flat out) how hard are you working?] and you would aim for around 6-7/10 which is slightly out of breath but still able to hold a conversation without the sentences getting broken up.

2) Is burning fat during exercise the best solution? – Have a think about this. Your body will react to the demands you place on it. So, for example, if you lift weights, what you are actually doing is breaking down muscle. Your body then reacts by building that muscle back stronger than before in order to cope with that demand.

If you burn fat, therefore, what does your body do?

It tries to cover that demand for the future by trying to store more fat. Now if you keep pushing for longer each time and continue to train, that may not be a problem. But you can’t increase your output indefinitely. There are only so many hours in the day. And when you stop increasing your output level your body’s improved fat storing ability will catch up with you. And if you were to stop altogether, you would probably end up putting on more fat than you had to begin with. Therefore, if fat burning is your goal (as apposed to endurance running) then wouldn’t you be better teaching your body to store the nutrients you want it to and to let it realize the one thing it can do without is fat?

As a comparison – Imagine the physiques of an Olympic 100m sprinter and compare to that of a marathon runner. Which would you prefer to achieve?

Most people go for the sprinter, because they look more ‘toned’. That is because, whilst long distance runners are ‘skinny’ they still generally have quite a high body fat content and what they have lost is actually muscle tissue. The reason is that is what makes them more efficient long distance runners. (muscle weighs more than fat, fat is easier to carry around and is an acceptable fuel source, so that’s what is sticks with).

3) Calorie Balance – When it comes down to it, the only thing that matters when burning fat is the calorie balance. If you are burning more calories than you are consuming you will lose weight (and fat) if you are consuming more than you burn you will not (and may add weight). Therefore, the more calories you burn the better. Now, if you were to go out and go for a nice gentle stroll for half an hour the percentage of fat burned over carbs would be huge. The ratio is greatly in favor of fat burning at that level. If, however, you were to go and bust a gut sprinting for half an hour you would be burning more carbs than fat.

Does that mean you are more likely to burn more fat walking than sprinting for the same period? Absolutely not! In fact, even though you are burning more carbs than fat whilst sprinting, you are still burning more fat than you would be walking, you are just burning WAY more carbs. But over all, what you are doing is burning vastly more calories and that is what will help you achieve that deficit.

My last point is going to be about weight though – you say that you have lost 1stone and NEED to get to 15stone. Why? What is so magical about 15st?

Are you competing in a boxing competition?
Are you a jockey?
Are you doing some kind of activity that has a weight restriction?

If yes, then your comment is perfectly valid. However, if it is because you were 15st in the past when you looked good, that is not a valid reason. If you stuck your arm in a tractor’s wheel and ripped it off you would probably lose the weight you wanted to, but I’m guessing that’s not the look you are going for (But then maybe I’m just out of touch with the ‘in look’ these days).

However, if you were to add a little muscle (say 5lbs) and drop another 15lbs of pure fat, I think you’d find you’d look a lot better than you wanted to. But you will only have lost 10lbs more. The thing is, weight is not the issue – the amount of fat on your body is (remember, muscle weighs more than fat). I refer you back to the 100m sprinter and the marathon runner physiques. The marathon runner will weigh much less than the sprinter, but which physique looks healthier and more ‘toned’?

So in summing this up, my suggestion is to forget about fat burning zones.

When you go to train, with whatever you are doing, do it with an intensity befitting the results you want. If you are looking to burn fat and you have 40mins available, then work at an intensity that is befitting 40mins of HARD WORK. Push yourself and don’t leave anything in the gym (or on the track). If you have 20mins work even harder to squeeze the most out of your session. If, on the other hand, your goal is to run the London marathon, then train for endurance, forget the scales and just work on your technique and progression.

If you train hard and your diet is right you will get the results. At the end of it all, results are all that matters. Find what works for YOU and do that, even if it goes entirely against what the ‘science’ says ‘should’ work.

I hope that is of some use to you.

Rant ends.”

Hopefully that clears up a few issues and maybe clarifies some of the confusion regarding the subject and will allow for a more informed choice when it comes to your training regime.

Thanks, as always, for taking the time out to read my ramblings and I truly hope you are finding them useful.

Mark

Mark Tiffney is a certified Personal Trainer, Nutritionist, Fitness Instructor & Life Coach. (REPS Registered)

If you are interested in having your diet evaluated or having a meal plan prepared for your body type, fat loss or muscle building goal or are looking for general help with your training of fitness goals, please contact Mark by emailing:

 

info@designsonyouself.com

 

Mark is also currently offering one to one Personal Training & Coaching sessions in Glasgow.
To arrange a free consultation, please call 0141 41 60 348 or email info@designsonyourself.com
(c) Dynamic Core Solutions Ltd

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Posted in Exercise | 1 Comment »

What came first, the cholesterol or the egg?

Thursday, September 10th, 2009

Over the years I have heard many ‘truths’ about the consumption of eggs. In 1988 we were all advised to fear eggs by that time UK minister for health Edwina Currie. We were told that “Most of the egg production in this country, sadly, is now affected with salmonella”. This has since been shown to be nothing more than scaremongering and the facts are that, during that period, of the 30million eggs sold there were only 26 cases of salmonella.

So we were free to eat eggs again. Right?

Well maybe salmonella isn’t the big issue it was claimed to be, but what about heart disease? After all, egg yolks contain high levels of cholesterol and high cholesterol causes heart disease, so eggs are still out of bounds for anyone who has any interest in looking after their health & fitness levels as well as their longevity.

Is that the truth? Is that what people believe? Well, given that I ended up having the exact same conversation last week, about this very subject, twice in the space of 2hrs, I thought it might be time to put a few truths out there for general consumption.

So where did this link come from?

Early studies of eggs have show that eggs do indeed increase cholesterol levels in the body and these studies are the basis of the link to heart disease that has now become the accepted truth. And the fact is that these studies are perfectly true in their conclusions. However, it is worth noting that these studies were conducted by the makers of breakfast cereals in an attempt to show their product as the healthier option when choosing your morning fuel source. That fact alone should lead to some level of suspicion as to the validity of the statements.

As I stated earlier, the facts of the study are perfectly valid and accepted. However, the conclusions are far from truthful. What these studies failed to point out is there are different types of cholesterol within the body. There are LDLs (Low Density Lipoproteins) or BAD cholesterol as well as HDLs (High Density Lipoproteins) Good cholesterol. What is important to know is it is not so much the levels of these cholesterols that are the issue, but the BALANCE.

High levels of LDLs = Bad
High levels of HDLs = Good

And what the aforementioned studies failed to mention is what the resultant balance of each of these types of cholesterol was when eggs where consumed.

Well the cholesterol found in eggs is of the LDL type, so it must be that right? Well not quite. Eggs also contain carotenoids, Vitamin A, Vitamin E and choline (which has been shown to REDUCE cholesterol levels) so it should not simply be taken at face value that this is the case (as has been the case for so many years)

What does the research show?

In recent years a number of studies have been done to test the actual effects on the body through the consumption of eggs and the results are rather interesting.

According the JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) Vol 281 which tested a total of 37,851 men aged 40 – 75 and 80,820 women aged 34 to 59 (all free of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia or cancer) there was “…no evidence of an overall significant association between egg consumption and risk of CHD (Chronic Heart Disease) or stroke in either men or women.”

A Kansas State University study published in the Journal of Nutrition in 2001 showed that the absorption of cholesterol from eggs is reduced by lecithin (which is also found in eggs). The researchers found that lecithin (a type of fatty acid) interferes with the uptake of cholesterol in the intestine.

In 2007 a study of 9500 people reported in the Medical Science Monitor found that eating one or two eggs every day did not increase the risk of heart disease or stroke among healthy adults. The study also noted that eating eggs may actually be associated with a decrease in blood pressure.

A University of Washington study concluded that people with and without high blood cholesterol levels are better off if they eat 2 eggs a day.

A University of Connecticut study also showed that a group of men in the study who ate 3 eggs per day for 12 weeks while on a reduced carb, higher fat diet increased their HDL (that’s the good one remember) by 20% while their LDL (Bad) stayed the same. Whereas the group that ate egg substitutes (egg whites) saw no change in either.

I could go on, but I think you get the point.

In the end egg consumption has been shown to have little influence on serum cholesterol levels, but it does affect the body in many other ways.

The type of cholesterol being produced is altered by the regular ingestion of eggs. As well as the 2 different types of cholesterol (LDLs & HDLs) there are also numerous forms of LDL cholesterol. According to Maria Luz Fernandez (Dept of Nutritional Sciences, University of Connecticut) the types of LDLs being associated with a 3-fold increase in Chronic Heart Disease risk is a smaller, more dense and more highly concentrated than other forms and is characterized by both its high vulnerability to oxidation and greater ability to enter arterial walls. Egg consumption has been shown to increase the amount of larger, more ‘buoyant’ LDL particles, described as “less artherogenic particles” (Fernandez 2006). Therefore, the increase in the number of larger LDL particles lowers the number of the harmful small LDL particles in the bloodstream, reducing the risk of Heart disease.

Sensitivity

As with most things in life, there are those who are more sensitive to dietary cholesterol than others. Such people are termed “hyperresponders” and again, the general rule was therefore to reduce the amount of cholesterol (including eggs) from their diet. (This generally included the elderly as a matter of course). However, whilst such sensitivity has been shown to increase LDL cholesterol from the consumption of eggs, studies have also shown that eggs also increase HDL cholesterol, keeping the LDL to HDL ratio constant, which is important as it is this ratio that determines your risk of heart disease which, in this case, shows no increase to the risk.

The exception to this, though, would be individuals already at risk of developing cardiovascular disease. At risk individuals would include smokers as well as diabetics. Quershi et al. (2007) found long term egg consumption to be “detrimental to glucose tolerance”. Generally, diabetics and those already at risk of cardiovascular risk should always be conscious of their dietary cholesterol intake, including egg consumption.

So now we’ve covered the risk of heart disease, what benefits do eggs have?

Well quite a lot actually:

The average egg contains around 60mg of potassium, at least 5 B vitamins, Vitamin D (which most people are highly depleted in), Vitamin E, Vitamin A, Choline (as already mentioned), Phosphorus and Zinc.

Eggs are also beneficial in that they contain mono-unsaturated & polyunsaturated fats including omega 3 & omega 6 essential fatty acids (Fats that are ESSENTIAL to our health and wellbeing and are far too important to be dealt with in the limited space of this article)

Eggs also contain lutein and zeaxanthin (two similar carotenoids which act as antioxidants and are important for eye health and may also play a role in reducing oxidation of LDL cholesterol.)

In a nut shell (or in this case, an egg shell) eggs have only 75 calories, 5 grams of fat, no trans fats, are high in protein and contain 13 essential vitamins and minerals. They have been described by experts as ‘nature’s most complete food’ and should be considered an essential part of a healthy diet.

Does that mean you can go out and eat as many whole eggs as you like?

Well nothings ever that simple is it?

If you look at the breakdown above, one egg contains 75 calories and 5g of fat. As one gram of fat is equal to 9 calories, that means one egg contains 45 of its calories from fat. That’s 60% of the calories coming from fat.

With any client I have worked with I would never recommend a diet higher than 35% fat (usually less than this to start with, depending on their body type and specific goals) for the simple reason that anything higher (whilst sticking to a desired calorie intake level) would not allow for the required protein intake for maintenance or development of lean muscle tissue or would cause a severe carbohydrate restriction, which is also unbeneficial (but the subject for another debate).

Further, fat has the lowest thermic effect on the body (the amount of calories burned during digestion) meaning that it is more likely, in large quantities, to cause storage of fat.

Yes fats have their place in a balanced diet and many types of fats (EFAs) are ESSENTIAL in a healthy diet. But 60% fat is excessive. It is for that reason alone that I would recommend either consuming eggs as part of a meal that returns the balance back in favour of proteins and carbohydrates or mixing whole eggs with egg whites. A good starting point would be to use 2 egg whites for every whole egg (though again this will depend on body type & goals to determine correctly)

Not all eggs are equal

I would just like to quickly make the point that I am only endorsing the consumption of free range eggs here.

You’ve heard the adage “you are what you eat” and it is so very true. However it is also true of chickens and as a result the eggs they lay. Chickens are designed to roam free & peck at high quality, fresh grains. They are not meant to be crammed into cages or barns and fed steroids to make them bigger & antibiotics to keep them healthy due to the unhealthy nature of their imprisonment. You will only receive the full benefits from your eggs if you get it from a natural source and that means free range.

You can possibly add to the effect by obtaining the ‘Omega 3’ variety (meaning that omega 3s were added to the diet of the chickens producing the eggs ‘slightly’ increasing the omega 3 content).

Trust me; it is not worth the small cash saving achieved in purchasing anything but free range. If nothing else, you will feel more satisfied and less likely to want to eat more with better quality nutrition which should ultimately save you more money.

In conclusion, if you were restricting your egg intake on the often quoted basis of 3 eggs per week, I hope I’ve managed to put your fears to rest and that eggs will now become a greater part of your diet. Believe it or not, I have only touched on the benefits eggs can have to your training, dieting or general health and in today’s age of convenience foods, high sugar contents, processed ready meals etc it is nice to know that there is a nicely packaged, easy to prepare and very versatile food available to you.
One last tip – most foods, when consumed in high levels, can cause you to develop an intolerance to them. Whilst the evidence on this is a little vague regarding egg consumption, it would probably be a good idea to cycle off eggs every now and then, especially if you are consuming them at a level greater than 2 per day. Usually a simple 4-6 week change in diet removing eggs completely will be enough to reverse the trend and allow you to start experiencing the full benefits of egg consumption when you cycle back on again.

So the next time you reach for that sugar loaded cereal box in the morning or a ready meal for dinner, stop for a moment and consider the benefits of a freshly made omelette filled with healthy ingredients (spinach, onion, mushrooms, berries, peas, peppers, tomatoes etc. – take your pick the list is huge) Boil a few and put them in the fridge as a healthier snack than chocolate or crisps and take them with you along with some fruit if you don’t think you’ll have time to stop for a prepared meal. Scramble them and add smoked salmon mushrooms and asparagus or poach them and add to a fresh salad. You can add spices, garnishes or stick them in a blender with fruits and berries for a more balanced juice.

The list goes on and on. (Though please don’t ruin it by frying them in oil).

Bon appetite!

Mark.

Mark Tiffney is a certified Personal Trainer, Nutritionist, Fitness Instructor & Life Coach. (REPS Registered)

If you are interested in having your diet evaluated or having a meal plan prepared for your body type, fat loss or muscle building goal or are looking for general help with your training of fitness goals, please contact Mark by emailing:

 

info@designsonyouself.com

 

Mark is also currently offering one to one Personal Training & Coaching sessions in Glasgow.
To arrange a free consultation, please call 0141 41 60 348 or email info@designsonyourself.com
(c) Dynamic Core Solutions Ltd

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The Big Fat Debate! – Butter V Margarine

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009

Saturated fat is bad for you, Butter contains lots of saturated fat, therefore butter is bad for you!

Margarine on the other hand has much less saturated fat, no cholesterol and on top of that it spreads much easier.

That is certainly the information I was brought up on and seems entirely logical. Margarine manufacturers are always telling us about the low cholesterol levels, the fact that despite being much healthier they have managed to make it taste just as good and these days it’s even an excellent source of Omega 3, the latest buzzword in health food marketing.

As for butter, well it sits there in it’s foil wrapping next to the packets of Lard. You can’t spread it on your bread without tearing it to pieces and there’s nothing else in it to entice you. It’s just butter. A big lump of saturated, artery clogging fat.

So where did it all go wrong for butter?

Butter has been part of our diet for centuries. According to www.dairygoodness.ca “Butter’s origings go back about 10,000 years to the time when our ancestors first began domesticating animals. The first reference to butter in our written history was found on a 4,500 year-old limestone tablet illustrating how butter was made”, but earlier this century the number of autopsies performed in America was increased and a startling discovery was made. The number of people dying as a result of heart disease was much higher than previously thought. Scientists had also found a link between high cholesterol and heart disease and one of the biggest causes of high cholesterol was saturated fat in the diet.

As a result the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) recommended a reduction in saturated fat intake and Government guidelines were issued accordingly. This lead to the influx of the low fat, high carb diet.

The implications of these guidelines is a topic for discussion all by itself. Suffice to say, this trend to go ‘low fat’ was probably one of the biggest factors in pushing consumers away from butter and looking for lower fat alternatives. Enter margarine.

Margarine tubs flood the supermarkets with their big bold claims gracing their packaging,

“Less than 1% fat”
“Zero Cholesterol”
“Tastes like butter”

But is it that straight forward?

If you stop and take a look at the ingredients list you will note on most margarines that it is primarily made from soybean oil. Soybean oil has the lowest amount of heart friendly monounsaturated fats of all oils. It also has the highest ratio of Omega-6: Omega-3 fatty acids (a balance that has been highlighted recently as needing to be redressed drastically in most western diets).

So why is this oil used? Quite simply, it’s cheap.

Not only that, but regardless of which oil is used, the fact remains that it is an oil. Liquid at room temperature (Saturated fats are solid at room temperature) so in order to make this unsaturated fat more solid for the purpose of spreading, it is hydrogenated. A by product of this process is the formation of Trans fats. Trans fats have been found to be just as bad, if notworse than saturated fats when it comes to heart disease.

Margarine has been shown to not only increase LDLs in the body (Bad Cholesterol) but it also lowers HDLs (Good Cholesterol). It has also been shown to lower the quality of breast milk in pregnant women and has been shown to decrease immune response.

To top it off, it is also usually more expensive than butter.

But what about the healthier margarines?

Since the benefits of the low fat diet have been put into question, and the problems of Trans fats have started to become more a part of the consumer conscience, a number of ‘healthier option’ margarines have hit the shelves with claims to:

“Lower Cholesterol”
To have “No Trans Fats”
And to be “Fortified with plant sterols which appear to lower LDLs (Bad Cholesterol)”
And to be “an excellent source of Omega 3”

Let’s take a look at a couple of examples of these claims:

I Can’t Believe it’s not butter claims to have “Zero trans fats” but if you have a look at the nutritional information you will find the following:

Per 14g serving

Kcal – 90
Total Fat – 10g
Saturated Fat – 2g
Polyunsaturated Fat – 4.5g
Monounsaturated Fat – 2.5g

Cholesterol – 0mg

The FDA allows manufacturers to make the “Zero Trans Fats” claim as long as each seving of the product has less than half a gram of trans fat in a serving of 14g. This equates to up to 3.5% fat by weight. Take a look again at the fat break down – 2g + 4.5g + 2.5g = 9g of Total fat, but the total fats are listed as 10g. The reason for this is there are trans fats making up the rest, but as they are allowed to claim “Zero trans fats” on the front of the packet, they are hardly then going to list them on the rear.

Further, have a look at the ingredients list. These include:
Vegetable Oil Blend (Liquid soybean oil, [we’ve already seen why this is bad] liquid canola oil,hydrogenated soybean oil, partially hydrogenated soybean oil) plus numerous other ingredients including ‘artificial flavors’

So what about the “Great Source of Omega 3” claim?

Well, lets have a look at the content in Flora’s Omega 3 Plus margarine:

The ingredients list shows 1.8% fish oil (180mg per 10g portion) if you consider that it is generally felt that 500mg should be the recommended amount of fish oil in a daily diet and that a 4 oz portion of Wild Salmon contains over 1230mg of Omega 3, suddenly the words “Great Source” seem to lose their significance. So if that is your reason for going the margarine route, perhaps supplementing might be a better route?

But then there’s the plant sterols lowering our LDLs. That’s got to be a good thing right?

Well perhaps. It is true that plant sterols appear to lower LDLs by around 10% however there is some question as to whether they may have some negative effects on the heart independent of lowering LDLs.

The fact is these extra ingredients are just that, ingredients. What you should remember is that Margarine is processed, manufactured substance as compared to butter which is one ingredient – butter (sometimes with added salt). There is no getting around the fact that Margarine will always be a laboratory produced product and added with the ‘good’ ingredients are the colours and preservatives all used to make it look like butter. (That yellow sheen doesn’t come naturally)

One thing to keep in mind is the human body is a highly sophisticated machine that is very good at evolving to its environment. That said, evolution is a very long process and doesn’t happen over night. As stated above, butter is a natural substance that has been around for thousands of years and has become a dietary staple, margarine is less than 100 years old, a drop in the ocean of evolutionary development, and is therefore not something our bodies are accustomed to dealing with during the digestive process.

But what about the saturated fat? What about the heart disease?

As the saturated fat in butter is naturally occurring, it has generally been agreed by experts that a small percentage of saturated fats are beneficial to a healthy diet.

At the turn of the century, heart disease in the western world was rare. By 1960, it was our number one killer. Yet during the same time period, butter consumption had decreased to less than a quarter. So it is clear that, whilst it remains logical to control portion sizes, butter itself is not the be all and end all of the argument.

Not only that but butter also contains a huge list of nutrients essential for your body’s growth, repair and well being. It has been shown to increase the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods. It contains antioxidants, which can help to offset free radical damage to cells. It is a source of Vitamin D, Calcium & Selenium. It also contains conjugated linoleic acid which is thought to help maintain lean body mass, prevent weight gain and may reduce the risk of certain types of cancer.

So it’s not the big bad monster it has often been though of and in fact has a lot going for it.

(For a fuller list of the nutrients contained in butter check out http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/skinny.html#butter)

I would, however, suggest that you stick to Organic and preferably Raw butter as the non-organic alternative is highly susceptible to persistent organic pollutants, a class of toxic chemicals that are attracted to fatty tissues in substances like milk. They are hereditary and so passed from mother to calf and originate from the eating of contaminated feed. According to Horizon Organic’s Marketing Director Gwen Scherer, “Organic butter avoids such contamination.”

But, if you should watch your portions, how much is too much?

Well 7% Saturated fat is considered healthy even for high risk candidates, with 11% recommended the cut off for most people. So for a women consuming 2000 Kcal per day, 24g of Saturated fats would be considered acceptable. Whereas for a weight training male consuming 4500 Kcal per day, 55g would be acceptable and anything under 35g would be considered very low.

Given the fact that butter has also been shown to aid in the development of lean body mass, weight trainers and body builders would do well to air towards the upper extremes. But remember, everyone is different and what works for most may not work for you.

The purpose of this article is not to give a definitive answer, because there isn’t one. It is simply to point out the flaws in general perceptions and give you new information to help you make informed decisions that benefit you. Anything that has one ingredient is usually going to be a better choice over one that has 20+ and has been processed in a factory. However if you must go the margarine route, read the labels and the ingredients and make your choice on the facts rather than the advertising hype.

So now you are allowed butter again, the only choice is what to put it on? If your answer is white bread or even wholemeal bread, you may want to reconsider. But, that’s a topic for another day. Might I suggest using it for cooking, especially with eggs, to add flavour?

Lastly, once you have worked out your portion sizes, I’d suggest you keep an eye on this, at least for a while. For a week at least, portion out your daily amounts the night before to get a feel for how much your portion is. Then when you reach for the butter you can see how much of this you are using. Otherwise it is all to easy to get carried away.

This is something I go into more detail with my clients on when helping them create their weekly menus and I feel it is critical to get a good understanding of portion sizes early on as you will be surprised just how wrong you are when you estimate things.

For now though, rejoice in the fact that eating healthy doesn’t always mean deprivation. Have your butter and enjoy it guilt free as part of your healthy eating lifestyle. And smile if the buttercup tells you that ‘you like butter’.

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Thanks for dropping in

Wednesday, June 24th, 2009

This part of the site is an area where I intend to add pieces of diet, exercise, health & fitness information on a regular basis that I hope you will find useful in your journey of self improvement.

My goal when I started out in the fitness & coaching field was to help as many people as possible achieve the life & self image they desired. That is as true today as it has always been and as such, I don’t feel that anyone should be deprived of good information and the tools to move forward just because they can’t afford to pay for them.

The media is constantly bombarding us with the information they want us to have rather than the truth. Fortunately, with the rise of the internet, it is now easier than ever to get the right information. However, that is in itself a double edged sword, as there is now so much information that it is easy to get lost in the sheer volume of information being thrown at you.

When I first started out researching for myself I quickly began to realise that there are many quality sources of information already available and I would hear the same good information quoted again and again. Therefore, I started to assume that it was commonplace and most people would now be aware of the truth behind the propeganda of the advertising world. Yet, even now, I am constantly shocked by just how wrong that assumption was. Every day (several time per day usually) I hear the same false comments and claims being made. The same reasoning of how this exercise reigime or that diet is the right way to go. You can’t eat this or that is healthy and will help you lose weight. And every time I hear these ‘facts’ I still cringe inside at how mislead we as a nation have been.

It is no wonder heart disease and obesity are at an all time high.

So it is my hope, through these articles and updates, to try and add to that change. To add information on diet, exercise & lifestyle choices that I hope you will be able to take away and use to improve your awareness and make more informed, unbiased choices. Rather than relying on what someone wants you to believe in order to sell you their product.

I’ve been in the same position as most of the population, where I believed things to be true because the argument was so compelling and no one was there to tell me any different. I’ve had to seek out the truth through a great deal of study and research, which I now hope can be of benefit to you.

I will also be using this area for general thoughts and ideas that I may just throw out and from time to time I will let you know what I’m up to and of any events or products I’m working on. I may even suggest other products or resources that I feel are worth looking at.

That said, I can assure you that this will never become a sales pitch. I hate reading adverts or being sold to as much as anyone and I will never inflict that on the people who have taken time out of their day to come here and put their trust in what I have to say. When I add information or advice, it is simply that. I will never promote a product I haven’t tried and noticed good results with, I will never mention anything I don’t think is worthy of your interest. Take this information and use it as you see fit. I will endevour to remain balanced in my views and present both sides of the argument to allow you to make informed choices.

I hope this page is of use to you in your quest for self improvement and that you come back often.

If you’d like to keep up to date with what is going on here then either register on this blog (you don’t HAVE to leave a comment) or sign up for the free download in the box on at the side of each page.

Again, thank you for taking the time to come to my site and thank you for taking enough interest in yourself, your health & fitness and your self image to want to make a difference. I hope you achieve the life you are looking for.

Mark.

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