WHY ISN'T IT WORKING?
by David Gilks
What is that you say? Running your brains out while living on rice crackers and light soya cheese isn't going to cut it? How about those low fat not fat food items? Shouldn't eating a bunch of low fat cookies solve the problem? Truly now, we are a horribly confused and mislead group! People trying to lose weight, people trying to gain weight, people trying to get stronger, prevent aging and build strong bones or fix an old injury! From a professional's point of view, it is very disturbing to watch people struggle and fail often with the mass of confusing health and fitness information. Even the leaders in the different fields of research cannot agree with each other.
When it comes to diet information the amount of conflicting information is staggering! Low fat, no fat, high fat, which way to go? How about staying with the basics! We need some fat in our diet, about 30 grams a day. Unsaturated fats are the best, and having fat in the diet is necessary for many bodily functions and most importantly in the absorption of many fat-soluble nutrients. You cannot have a fat free diet, rather a fat reduced diet with a focus on unprocessed oils. How about carbohydrates? Having much luck removing them altogether? How long did it take before the weight came back on? Carbohydrates are not the enemy! We need the energy and nutrients that we derive from carbohydrates and by removing them completely out of our diet will force our body to use our muscle for fuel. Has this happened to you? I met many chronic dieters who have lost weight through carbohydrate restriction, but the weight they lost was primarily muscle. Not the result they were looking for I'm sure. Just a smaller but fatter version of their former self. We have all heard that combining protein, fat and carbohydrates at each of our 5 small meals during the day will help kick start our metabolism and stave off body fat production.
So why aren't you doing it? How about your exercise program? How consistent are you with it? Do you know the body will only recognize consistent behaviour? The start and stop approach will never work. The reality is that even if you only walked briskly for 15 -20 minutes 5 x week and reduced your calories by 500 per day you would reduce your calories by 200,000 per year, or a possible 55 lbs. of fat loss. Add some resistance training and you are certainly on your way! We are all aware of the benefit of exercise and proper nutrition yet most of us fail to reach our fitness goals.
And the reason for the high percentage of failures? I have found that when working with a client for the first time that there is a large volume of information that we hold as fitness truths does not apply to them personally, or it is incorrect all together! Remember that the redesigning our metabolism and rebuilding a weak or injured part of the body does require a certain amount of skill and direction, not simple a one size fit all type of program. If you are learning golf, visit a golf pro, and if you are learning tennis, find a good tennis pro. But when it comes to fitness training, which can be more complex than any sport, we simply wander in and do it. There are many steps required to meet your fitness goals. Make an appointment with a fitness professional your first step.
