Hey guys, sorry for the paucity of articles blogs lately, they actually take a serious amount of time to put together, but you'll be happy to know this and an articles for women blog are up.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
A Note To All You Silly (And Dangerous) Anti-Vaccination People Out There.
There is a lot of scare tactic nonsense going on at the moment about the SV40 vaccine (see here to see what the CDC has to say on that), and vaccines in general. Generally spread by purveyors of pseudoscience based on shoddy research, bad science and conspiracy theory nonsense. Vaccinations save lives and are, on the whole, considered safe. Here are the conclusions of a report done on the safety and effectiveness of certain vaccines.
(2011). Adverse Effects of Vaccines: Evidence and Causality. The Institute of Medicine. Retrieved 29/08/2011. http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2011/Adverse-Effects-of-Vaccines-Evidence-and-Causality/Report-Brief.aspx?page=2
Reference
The committee was not charged with making recommendations, and it did not pinpoint any particular areas for continued research. Much research already occurs to determine the safety of vaccines for the populations for whom they are recommended (emphasis added). However, there is much to learn about the human immune system, autoimmunity, and the effects of genetic variation, all of which may influence how people respond to vaccines.
Vaccines offer the promise of protection against a variety of infectious diseases. Despite much media attention and strong opinions from many quarters, vaccines remain one of the greatest tools in the public health arsenal (emphasis added). Certainly, some vaccines result in adverse effects that must be acknowledged. But the latest evidence shows that few adverse effects are caused by the vaccines reviewed in this report.
(2011). Adverse Effects of Vaccines: Evidence and Causality. The Institute of Medicine. Retrieved 29/08/2011. http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2011/Adverse-Effects-of-Vaccines-Evidence-and-Causality/Report-Brief.aspx?page=2
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Notes On 'Trick Or Treatment'- Chapter 3- Homeopathy by Ernst & Singh.
Sorry for the length between posts on my look at this book, they're involved and I've had my head in other things. This week we investigate homeopathy and its efficacy.
Definition
"A system of treating illness based on the premise that like cures like. The homeopath treats symptoms by administering minute or non-existent doses of a substance which in large amounts produces the same symptoms in healthy individuals. Homeopaths focus on treating patients as individuals and claim to be able to treat virtually any ailment, from colds to heart disease." (Ernst & Singh, p92, 2008)Homeopathy, according to Ernst and Singh has gained huge popular status in the last couple of decades (p93), and they suggest that from this a kind of argument from popularity is occurring whereby people use (and promote) it simply because it is popular.
The authors trace the beginnings of homeopathy to Samuel Hahnemann who used a Malaria treatment, as a cure all tonic, working under the assumption "if I take something that cures me of illness it will make me feel even better if I'm not sick". This, however made his health decrease, moreover, it led him to experience some of the symptoms of Malaria. This gave a Hahnemann a thought, that what if he experimented with other treatments to see if he got the same results? He did, and he did. He, by reversing the logic of his experiments came up with an ultimate principle: "that which can produce a set of symptoms in a healthy individual who is manifesting a similar set of symptoms". (pg95) This bizarrely led Hahnemann to the conclusion that he could improve remedies by diluting them (to this day it still remains a mystery why he came to this conclusion).
Hahnemann was not without his merits, he tested his hypothesis on others, administering daily doses (in an experimental procedure he called "provings") to several healthy people, who were asked to keep detailed diaries of their symptoms. This gave Hahnemann some figures with which to work from, he argued that the identical remedy given to a sick person could relieve the same symptoms (p96).
Homeopathic procedure
This is where it gets interesting, and well, bizarre (more so?), Ernst and Singh explain the procedure to accrue homeopathic remedies:
"If a plant is to be used as the basis of a homeopathic remedy, then the preparation process begins by allowing it to sit in a sealed jar of solvent, which then dissolves some of the plant's molecules. The solvent can be either water or alcohol, but for the ease of explanation we will assume it is water...After several weeks the solid material is removed- the remaining water with its dissolved ingredients is called the mother tincture.
The mother tincture is then diluted, which might involve one part of it being dissolved in nine parts water, thereby diluting it by a factor of ten. This is called a 1X remedy, the X being the Roman numeral for 10. After the dilution, the mixture is vigorously shaken, which completes the potentization process. Taking one part of the 1X remedy, dissolving it in nine parts water and shaking again leads to a 2X remedy. Further dilution and potentization leads to 3X, 4X, 5X and even weaker solutions- remember that Hahnemann believed that weaker solutions led to stronger remedies." (Ernst & Singh, p97, 2008)There was a reason I put such a long quote up, I want you, the reader, to fully appreciate just what homeopathy is and what it sells you (at a high premium). Ernst and Sing accentuate their point:
"A 4X remedy, for instance means that the mother tincture was diluted by a factor of 10 (1X), then again by a factor of 10 (2X), then again by a factor of 10 (4X), and then again by a factor of 10 (4X). This leads to dilution by factor of 10x10x10x10, which is equal to 10,000... homeopathic pharmacists will usually dissolve one part of the mother tincture in 99 parts of water, thereby diluting by a factor of 100. This is called 1C remedy, C being the Roman numeral for 100. Repeatedly dissolving by a factor of 100 leads to 2C, 3C, 4C and eventually to ultra-dilute solutions.
For example, homeopathic solutions of 30C are common, which means that the original ingredient has been diluted 30 times by a factor of 100 each time. Therefore the original substance has been diluted by a factor of 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,0000,000,000,000,000. This string of naughts may not mean much, but bear in mind that one gram of the mother tincture contains less than 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 molecules... The bottom line is that this level of dilution is so extreme that the resulting solution is unlikely to contain a single molecule of the original ingredient (emphasis added). In fact the chance of having one molecule of the active ingredient in the final 30C remedy is one in a billion, billion, billion, billion. In other words a 30C remedy is almost certain to contain nothing more than water. (emphasis added)" (Ernst & Singh, p98-9, 2008)Again, sorry for the long quotes but for me personally that should be the end of this post, what more do you need to know about homeopathy?
Ernst and Singh continue mentioning that some homeopathic pharmacists stock 100,000C remedies which means they've diluted 30C remedies "already devoid of any active ingredient" further by a factor of 100, another 99,970 times, this costs money, upwards of 1,000 pounds! (p100)
Obviously from a scientific perspective there is no reason a homeopathic remedy should work (apart from the placebo effect). There are some ad hoc theories given by homeopaths to describe how it works: some suggest that the remedies have a "memory" of the original ingredient (p100), Hahnemann proposed that a "vital force", something close to a spirit, determined a persons well being (p105), they have also been known to hold a pendulum over a shortlist of possible remedies to determine which one to use (p104) . The authors continue explaining just what homeopathic remedies have been suggested to be effective on: diarrhoea, coughs, headaches, to arthritis, diabetes and asthma, from bruises and colds to cancer and Parkinson's disease (pg100).
Both DARPA (U.S Defense force), scientific studies and even James Randi have tested the efficacy of homeopathy, with no positive results. In 1999 Dr Andrew Vickers meta-analysed 120 research papers on homeopathy and found no reproducible effect (p125). In fact James Randi is still offering his $1million dollar prize to anyone who can demonstrate its efficacy, no-one has. Randi also ingested sixty-four times the dosage of a homeopathic sleeping remedy before a meeting of the U.S congress and "didn't even feel drowsy." (p126)
Conclusion
If you want to drink water please use filtered bottled water, if you want to get medical treatment, see your doctor!
Reference
Ernst E., Singh,. S. (2008). Trick Or Treatment. New York, New York. W.W Norton & Company. Pp- 93,93,95,96,97,98,99,100,104,105,125,126.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
A Night Out.
So I went out drinking Saturday night, a work thing, and it constituted my first consumption of alcohol in 2-2 and a half months, and I gotta say... I don't miss it.
And I don't see why it's such a big deal.
I don't want to seem indifferent, I've certainly had my share of boozy nights, but I wonder why this is a part time obsession for Australians. I'm not a moral arbitrator of course, ultimately I don't mind what you do with the body you inhabit, the only people I have to regulate on this issue are the people who pay me to do so (and family members and loved ones?).
Having a night out, I was very aware that I felt like shit, even when drunk, and I came to the conclusion that alcohol allows people to romanticise; they romanticize the booze itself, their feelings when on it, their own lives and the emotional angst they may feel. And I worry that's where the feedback loop is, the encouragement, the reward. Alcohol becomes about escapism, about flying free from the imprisonment of the day to day, of the mundane so to speak.
But it's fake, it's an illusion and you pay for it, with your liver, mind/brain and most importantly, to me as your trainer, your bodyfat percentage levels.
The crap I ate over the weekend is sickening, I put myself back a few weeks with my eating habits from that night out, I feel lethargic, tired, de-motivated.
Therein lies the self fulfilling nature for habitual drinkers, is it your life that's keeping you down? Or the alcohol? A vicious cycle of drink, feel like crap, feel depressed, drink to escape that.
I don't envy anyone in that cycle, but for anyone who is willing to admit they may just be, there is hope, and it's a hope I've offered throughout this blog. Training, focusing on self improvement, your diet, these yield positive results and positive self reinforcement. Change the cycle, from drinking, self sacrifice, emotional angst, helplessness, to; positivity, training, feeling invigorated (endorphins), seeing results (confidence), repeat!
The first step is the hardest, realising alcohol is a problem that keeps you down, the second step is easy, removing elements in your life that allow you to get into that comfort zone: friends, habits etc, the third step is easiest: get in the gym and make healthy choices with your food!
Wow, doesn't this sound like a sermon, coming from an atheist!
And I don't see why it's such a big deal.
I don't want to seem indifferent, I've certainly had my share of boozy nights, but I wonder why this is a part time obsession for Australians. I'm not a moral arbitrator of course, ultimately I don't mind what you do with the body you inhabit, the only people I have to regulate on this issue are the people who pay me to do so (and family members and loved ones?).
Having a night out, I was very aware that I felt like shit, even when drunk, and I came to the conclusion that alcohol allows people to romanticise; they romanticize the booze itself, their feelings when on it, their own lives and the emotional angst they may feel. And I worry that's where the feedback loop is, the encouragement, the reward. Alcohol becomes about escapism, about flying free from the imprisonment of the day to day, of the mundane so to speak.
But it's fake, it's an illusion and you pay for it, with your liver, mind/brain and most importantly, to me as your trainer, your bodyfat percentage levels.
The crap I ate over the weekend is sickening, I put myself back a few weeks with my eating habits from that night out, I feel lethargic, tired, de-motivated.
Therein lies the self fulfilling nature for habitual drinkers, is it your life that's keeping you down? Or the alcohol? A vicious cycle of drink, feel like crap, feel depressed, drink to escape that.
I don't envy anyone in that cycle, but for anyone who is willing to admit they may just be, there is hope, and it's a hope I've offered throughout this blog. Training, focusing on self improvement, your diet, these yield positive results and positive self reinforcement. Change the cycle, from drinking, self sacrifice, emotional angst, helplessness, to; positivity, training, feeling invigorated (endorphins), seeing results (confidence), repeat!
The first step is the hardest, realising alcohol is a problem that keeps you down, the second step is easy, removing elements in your life that allow you to get into that comfort zone: friends, habits etc, the third step is easiest: get in the gym and make healthy choices with your food!
Wow, doesn't this sound like a sermon, coming from an atheist!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Dialogues Between Shmoopy's.
Here's an interesting dialogue (re: email exchange) between myself and my uber brain girl
Kara
My reply
Kara
My reply
Kara
My language is pretty simple but I find what Kara was saying an interesting insight into the psychology and group mentality by someone whose perspective is of the larger cultural kind. My big brain girl!
Kara
"Interesting dialogues blog, wonder how much class and pop culture/conspicuous consumption issues play a part in these kinds of questions generally."
My reply
"Class- definitely, pop culture- hmmm I'm unconvinced (is this a media= action thing? Refer to the porn blog), conspicuous consumption (hiding your drinking habits?)- I'll wait to comment until I understand..."
Kara
"I think being on a 'weird' diet is definitely a form of capital in today's society. People are always following celebrity diets and I think that can become a form of status among the pop culture literate. People who are like that wouldn't feel their friends wont like them cause they eat crap."
My reply
"I do too, it seems not in these instances, or perhaps cause I'm not a celebrity?"
Kara
"Hehe maybe but still alot of people would value being on a diet whatever it is, in terms of the status it would give them in front of their friends."
My language is pretty simple but I find what Kara was saying an interesting insight into the psychology and group mentality by someone whose perspective is of the larger cultural kind. My big brain girl!
The Conditioning Research Blog On Sitting In A Chair All Day.
This is for all my clients who spend all day at the computer!
Reference
Conditioning Research. (2011). Sitting and Health. Retrieved 22/08/2011. http://conditioningresearch.blogspot.com/2011/08/sitting-and-health.html
"Our bodies were not built for life in a chair and it is no surprise that research has highlighted the danger that so much sitting poses to health. Scientists have found that time spent sitting was associated with increased risk of mortality. Those who sat “most of the time” were more likely to die during the following 12 years than those who “almost never” sat, even after controlling for age, smoking, body weight and physical activity[2]. Even if they exercised, people who sat for over 6 hours per day had a higher risk of death than those who sat for under 3 hours per day[3]. Sitting watching television for an average of 6 hours a day could shorten life-expectancy by almost 5 years[4]." (Conditioning Research blog, 2011)See the full article here, complete with other studies.
Reference
Conditioning Research. (2011). Sitting and Health. Retrieved 22/08/2011. http://conditioningresearch.blogspot.com/2011/08/sitting-and-health.html
Monday, August 22, 2011
Destination: Abs (Redux)- Wk3.
Sorry I missed last week, I don't want to simply post week to week if I have nothing particular to say. With that mindset in, well, mind, how am I progressing? To be honest, the results are coming slow, I look better in the mirror than I do on the scales. I'm feeling leaner, the clothes are loose, but the scales say I've actually put on almost a kg (with a reduction in BF of about 1%), I haven't done any serious assessments, simple OMRON and scales at the moment. I've got a major assessment coming up next week. It's insane the weight difference I feel and see from high to lower carb days (sometimes a difference of 3kgs), which messes with your head, but my goal is ultimately to keep as much muscle as possible, so doing it slow is fine (after all I want to look good around December, a considerable amount of time away).
Training is solid, back is feeling good, no pain or discomfort. I've been semi regularly doing my foam rolling and stretching. I've been trying to increase the weight, but it's really f-ing hard doing 15 rep sets with any moderate weight, increasing it just makes you want to die! HIIT is fun as always, especially the boxing, I really like the way I feel during dieting phases, I like the diet restrictions (as much as I constantly crave Nandos and nachos), and I like how clean and healthy I feel. You enjoy food more when you're not just eating crap all the time. Psychologically, I get far more enjoyment out of a piece of chocolate now, than I did eating a whole bag of malteasers before, not hard to see why.
Assessment next week guys, complete with photos and measurements, eep!
Diet has been good, for days that I've been feeling a bit naughty, I've been having (low fat) bacon, sausage eggs (as in x1 strip of bacon, x1 egg and x1 sausage which comes to about 350Cals, all protein and a little fat). I would recommend this to my clients who are on high protein diets, I would advise, however, not to have this type of meal with any carbs at all, no bread, no drink (other than water), its just too high in fat.
The diet took a massive hit over the weekend, after my night out on Friday (some thoughts on that coming in another blog, prepare for a rant people!). Nachos, large meals, ugh! And I have an assessment this week! Grr!
You really do realise it's the large portion sizes that contribute so much to the excess bodyfat, since I've been keeping most of my meals at about 400 Cals I've noticed the belly fat drip off. That would be another piece of advice to my clients, get rid of those gorging, large meals, you want to feel satisfied by the end of the meal, not sick.
Other than this past weekend, I've been on track with diet, eating right, for the first time in a long time. There is some debate about counting Calories, I used to be against doing it, and many professional coaches are, but I think it's worth doing at least once in your life (and by counting calories I simply mean working out your daily intake X your Physical Activity Level - 500-1000 Cals to drop weight, not weigh all meals etc). This way you get to see, objectively what you need to be eating, people often think they've got a pretty good hold on the Calories they're supposed to ingest in a day, I've seen people get it so wrong it's crazy, on both ends of the scales (I've seen girls eating 1500 Cals over what they're supposed to and guys eat that much under!). This is what you see most often with so called "hard gainers", they think they're eating a lot when in actuality, they're eating nothing, or binging and starving. The point is to consistently meet Calorie targets, with the adequate mix of protein and carbs.
Training is solid, back is feeling good, no pain or discomfort. I've been semi regularly doing my foam rolling and stretching. I've been trying to increase the weight, but it's really f-ing hard doing 15 rep sets with any moderate weight, increasing it just makes you want to die! HIIT is fun as always, especially the boxing, I really like the way I feel during dieting phases, I like the diet restrictions (as much as I constantly crave Nandos and nachos), and I like how clean and healthy I feel. You enjoy food more when you're not just eating crap all the time. Psychologically, I get far more enjoyment out of a piece of chocolate now, than I did eating a whole bag of malteasers before, not hard to see why.
Assessment next week guys, complete with photos and measurements, eep!
| Alternating Set System | ||||
| Day 1- MRT- Phase 1 | Set | Rep | Rest | Wk3 |
| A1: Fr-Squat Psh Press Cmbo | 3 | 15 | 30 | 40kg,40kg,40kg |
| A2: Seated Cable Row | 3 | 15 | 30 | 65kg,65kg,70kg |
| B1: DB Step Up | 3 | 15ea | 30 | 10kg,10kg,10kg |
| B2: Pushup (on Fitball) | 3 | 15 | 30 | 15,15,15 |
| C1: Glute Bridge | 2 | 15 | 0 | 1,1 |
| C2: Plank | 2 | 60s | 30 | 30s,30s |
| Day 2- HIIT | ||||
| 5-10 min warm up | X-Trainer | |||
| 1 minute on | 5 | 1,1,1,1,1 | ||
| 2 mins off | 5 | 5min cooldown | ||
| Cool down 3-5 mins | ||||
| Day 3- MRT | Set | Rep | Rest | Wk3 |
| A1: Deadlift | 3 | 15 | 30 | 60kg,60kg,70kg |
| A2: DB Alt Military Press | 3 | 15 | 30 | 15kg,15kg,15kg |
| B1: DB RFESS | 3 | 15ea | 30 | 12.5kg,12.5kg,12.5kg |
| B2: Wide Grip Pulldown | 3 | 15 | 30 | 75kg,75kg,75kg |
| C1: Landmine | 2 | 15ea | 0 | 25kg,25kg |
| C2: Rollout | 2 | 15 | 30 | 8,10 |
| Day 4- HIIT | ||||
| 5-10 min warm up | Boxing | |||
| 1 minute on | 5 | 1,1,1,1,1 | ||
| 2 mins off | 5 | 5mins cooldown | ||
| Cool down 3-5 mins | ||||
| Day 5- MRT | Set | Rep | Rest | Wk1 |
| A1: Fr-Squat Psh Press Cmbo | 3 | 15 | 30 | 40kg,40kg,40kg |
| A2: Seated Cable Row | 3 | 15 | 30 | 75kg,75kg,75kg |
| B1: DB Step Up | 3 | 15ea | 30 | 15kg,15kg,15kg |
| B2: Pushup (on Fitball) | 3 | 15 | 30 | 15,15,15 |
| C1: Glute Bridge | 2 | 15 | 0 | 1,1 |
| C2: Plank | 2 | 60s | 30 | 30,30 |
| Day 6- HIIT | ||||
| 5-10 min warm up | ||||
| 1 minute on | 5 | - | ||
| 2 mins off | 5 | - | ||
| Cool down 3-5 mins |
Diet has been good, for days that I've been feeling a bit naughty, I've been having (low fat) bacon, sausage eggs (as in x1 strip of bacon, x1 egg and x1 sausage which comes to about 350Cals, all protein and a little fat). I would recommend this to my clients who are on high protein diets, I would advise, however, not to have this type of meal with any carbs at all, no bread, no drink (other than water), its just too high in fat.
The diet took a massive hit over the weekend, after my night out on Friday (some thoughts on that coming in another blog, prepare for a rant people!). Nachos, large meals, ugh! And I have an assessment this week! Grr!
You really do realise it's the large portion sizes that contribute so much to the excess bodyfat, since I've been keeping most of my meals at about 400 Cals I've noticed the belly fat drip off. That would be another piece of advice to my clients, get rid of those gorging, large meals, you want to feel satisfied by the end of the meal, not sick.
Other than this past weekend, I've been on track with diet, eating right, for the first time in a long time. There is some debate about counting Calories, I used to be against doing it, and many professional coaches are, but I think it's worth doing at least once in your life (and by counting calories I simply mean working out your daily intake X your Physical Activity Level - 500-1000 Cals to drop weight, not weigh all meals etc). This way you get to see, objectively what you need to be eating, people often think they've got a pretty good hold on the Calories they're supposed to ingest in a day, I've seen people get it so wrong it's crazy, on both ends of the scales (I've seen girls eating 1500 Cals over what they're supposed to and guys eat that much under!). This is what you see most often with so called "hard gainers", they think they're eating a lot when in actuality, they're eating nothing, or binging and starving. The point is to consistently meet Calorie targets, with the adequate mix of protein and carbs.
| Diet | ||
| Monday- 3200 Cals | T-S- 2600 Cals | Sunday- 2100 Cals |
| Breakfast | Breakfast | Breakfast |
| Oats/milk/30g pro powdr | Egg/whites/Spinach | Smoothy |
| Protein- 39g | Protein- 32.5g | Protein-29g |
| Carbs- 41g | Carbs- 1.5 | Carbs- 45g |
| Fat- 8.2g | Fat- 13.4g | Fat- 4g |
| Total- 415 Cals | Total- 260 Cals | Total- 429 Cals |
| Morning Tea | Morning Tea | Morning Tea |
| x2veg sausages | Chicken/Mixed Vegetables | Egg/whites/Spinach |
| x1 multigrain bread | Protein-46.5g | Protein- 32.5g |
| butter | Carbs- 13.5 | Carbs- 1.6 |
| glass hi-lo milk | Fat- 18.2 | Fat- 13.4g |
| Protein- 43.3g | Total- 420 Cals | Total- 260 Cals |
| Carbs- 31.5 | ||
| Fat- 18g | ||
| Total- 473 Cals | ||
| Post Sleep | Post Sleep | Lunch |
| Vegetable smoothy | Vegetable smoothy | Chicken/Mixed Vegetables |
| Protein- 46.6g | Protein- 46.6g | Protein-46.5g |
| Carbs- 37.9g | Carbs- 37.9g | Carbs- 13.5 |
| Fat- 3g | Fat- 3g | Fat- 18.2 |
| Total- 411 Cals | Total- 411 Cals | Total- 420 Cals |
| Before Work | Before Work | Afternoon Tea |
| Smoothy | Smoothy | Vegetable smoothy |
| Protein-29g | Protein-58g | Protein- 46.6g |
| Carbs- 45g | Carbs- 90g | Carbs- 37.9g |
| Fat- 4g | Fat- 8.2 | Fat- 3g |
| Total- 429 Cals | Total- 429 Cals | Total- 411 Cals |
| Post Workout Shake | Post Workout Shake | Dinner |
| x2 up n go/30g protein | x2 up n go/30g pro | Chicken/Mixed Vegetables |
| Protein- 45.1g | Protein- 45.1g | Protein-46.5g |
| Carbs- 55.7g | Carbs- 55.7g | Carbs- 13.5 |
| Fat- 8.3g | Fat- 8.3g | Fat- 18.2 |
| Total- 517 Cals | Total- 517 Cals | Total- 420 Cals |
| Post Workout Meal | Dinner | Evening |
| tofu/glass hi-lo milk | Chicken/Mixed Vegetables | Bacon and Eggs |
| Protein- 39.2 | Protein-46.5g | Protein- 42.7g |
| Carbs- 36.4 | Carbs- 13.5 | Carbs-3.9g |
| Fat- 22.7 | Fat- 18.2 | Fat-28.9g |
| Total- 432 Cals | Total- 420 Cals | Total- 404 Cals |
| Before Work | ||
| Smoothy | ||
| Protein-29g | ||
| Carbs- 45g | ||
| Fat- 4g | ||
| Total- 429 Cals | ||
| Protein-276.2g | Protein- 268.9g | Protein- 233.6g |
| Carbs- 292.5g | Carbs- 198.6g | Carbs- 113.1g |
| Fat- 68.2g | Fat- 73.6 | Fat- 70.2g |
| Max Total- 3109 Cals | Max Total-2460 Cals | Max Total- 2200 Cals |
Client Response To "The Dialogues".
Cherie
And another client response:
"Everyone has days when they crave stuff they shouldn't have-alcohol, carbs! (oh, I do miss carbs), but I don't go around counting every calorie or wishing I could have this or that. Most days I don't even think about it. I eat a colourful salad, sip a green smoothie, crack open a tin of tuna- and I enjoy it. Even look forward to it (ok sometimes not the tuna). Sometimes I will give into the craving on those days, noone is perfect 100% of the time but it often is a conscious decision to ensure that "sometimes" doesn’t morph into "regular" or "often".See the insightful people I get to work with?
I know lots of men/women who refuse certain foods and beverages etc because they are following a training regime at various times- they aren’t considered boring by anyone I know. But if I do get asked why I'm not partaking, my response is simply - I don't feel like it (said with a smile!) or if I'm in a particularly hyper mood- I don't NEED it! :-) It doesn’t have to be a big deal, I don’t have to be a martyr, I don’t have to provide a detailed explanation as to why my training goals don’t support a drinking habit, or a kebab complete with sour cream at 3am. I don’t have to be "that" girl, and in the end, if my friends don’t respect my choices, then perhaps I need new friends!
I'm not going to lie, wine was difficult to give up for the first week/end but again, now I don't even think about it unless I have a day like yesterday. However, even then, do I miss it because I want the wine or because it was simply a habit to reach for the glass after one of those looooong days at the office? When I finally dragged myself through the door at 8pm- I decided to reach for a glass of sparkling water instead and have an early night- which meant I still made it to my 6am yoga class and I felt great all day. I know that would not have happened if I'd had the wine -even if it was only a glass or two.
That's not to say I wouldn't have enjoyed the vino but it's about recognizing other pleasures derived from living by "the rules".
I am a creature of habit. A lot of the time the pleasure I derive from my actions/choices is largely due to the comfort of the habit, not necessarily the act/food/beverage itself.
However, at the end of the day, it all comes down to what you are willing to accept and/or sacrifice, you have to decide what makes you happy.
A training program is not just about training your body, it's about training your mind, too.
I'm not getting results at warp speed either- but I'm learning to enjoy living by the rules rather than dreading them- and for me that makes the process a whole lot more bearable (I also like to think it makes the days that I do fall off the wagon more forgivable!) and I hope, more successful, in the long term."
And another client response:
"... I agree with both of you...cos that’s how I feel...but saying that I know I have to be strict to get the results hence why I’m doing lite and easy, but the downside to that is only when I can afford it which means for say 1 to 2 weeks a month..I decide and then the bad things come back in! I know that I have to make drastic changes to get the results and know that i couldn’t maintain that way of living...think eventually most people will get to the place they want to go (physically and mentally) but it does take everyone different times?"
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Dialogues Regarding Nutrition.
I wanted to relay a recent email exchange a la (albeit post modernistic) Socrates or Hume on motivation, diet, and the seemingly absolutist position I take with my clients versus a more reasonable view pushed by my poor clients. Observe and see what you think?
Sarah
My reply
Sarah
My reply
Sarah
"Ok, about your blog. I have had some thoughts about motivating people who do not want to be motivated ... or maybe motivated in the way you feel motivated should be.
For example, I have changed my eating habits, drastically, in the past 8months and picked up the gym stuff. Although taking some time off of alcohol would be beneficial, as well as a sticking to a strict diet would be awesome but is it about making lifestyle changes or is it about reaching a goal weight? I’m sure I could lose my remaining 8 kilos (that’s really all I want to lose) if I stopped everything, but I would be miserable if I stopped drinking and eating. Not to say that drinking and eating are all I do for enjoyment, but I am single, go out on a lot of dates and have a very active social life. I would much rather make long term changes to my behaviour, rather than a four week stint where I am miserable and counting down the days until I can share a bottle of wine with my friends. You know? I could do a few weeks off, I would probably lose a few kilos, but would I gain it all back when I started living like my normal self again? That would piss me off.
So the compromise is, working out and following your diet most of the time and still having indulgences. I look at other things, like how much my cholesterol and stuff has gone down (well the bad kind and my good kind has gone up). I know that probably sounds like crazy talk, because I freak out when I gain weight or my measurements don’t change, but I will get there eventually and have picked up some great habits along the way.Does this make sense?"
My reply
""For example, I have changed my eating habits, drastically, in the past 8months and picked up the gym stuff. Although taking some time off of alcohol would be beneficial, as well as a sticking to a strict diet would be awesome but is it about making lifestyle changes or is it about reaching a goal weigh?"And I commend you for that, and yes the goal is to ultimately fix your habits, but the immediate goal is to reach target weight (one follows the other).
"I’m sure I could lose my remaining 8 kilos (that’s really all I want to lose) if I stopped everything, but I would be miserable if I stopped drinking and eating. Not to say that drinking and eating are all I do for enjoyment, but I am single, go out on a lot of dates and have a very active social life. I would much rather make long term changes to my behaviour, rather than a four week stint where I am miserable and counting down the days until I can share a bottle of wine with my friends. You know? I could do a few weeks off, I would probably lose a few kilos, but would I gain it all back when I started living like my normal self again? That would piss me off. "
I think the larger problem here is you equate having fun with alcohol and junk food, and being miserable with the loss of both, that's a real problem. Do you really feel those things are all you have or need? Your social life doesn't need to mean eating crap and filling your body with junk, does it? I agree, it is important to focus on the long term, but I'm not sure that's how you actually feel, this feels more like confirmation bias, that you're justifying a position after the fact. You were really intense about your results, about getting them fast, made me do 2 assessments in 4 weeks, these are not the actions of someone who is taking their time. This feels a little like you wanting to simply take time off training and go partying for a few weeks, which is of course your prerogative, but it's hard for me to take your goals seriously.
"So the compromise is, working out and following your diet most of the time and still having indulgences. I look at other things, like how much my cholesterol and stuff has gone down (well the bad kind and my good kind has gone up). I know that probably sounds like crazy talk, because I freak out when I gain weight or my measurements don’t change, but I will get there eventually and have picked up some great habits along the way."
Again, great! But I don't think that's what's going on, or rather, don't think that's all that's going on. You don't get results by training some of the time, and eating junk and drinking the rest, all you'll do is stay exactly where you are, and work twice as hard. Unfortunately fat loss is a strict, horrible thing, and it requires constant diligence and hard work.
I'm not getting on your case, just trying to be honest. But ultimately it's your time, you do what you need to do, it's my job to try and make you stick to what works, ultimately it's you who decides if they want to do that.
"Does this make sense?"
Unfortunately not really, to me at least... but you've gotta do what you need to do, and I'm not going anywhere... so I'll always be there to help, anyway I can :)"
Sarah
"galub juman, not idea but everyday either. There is a compromise in this. I only really drink on Friday and Saturday, nothing in the week. It’s not balls to the walls drinking, like pre mixes and cocktails- I drink dry white wine or vodka soda water and fresh lime. I mean, the alcohol content is bad and drinking is not ideal but I’m not adding to anything with sugar syrup and juices. I don’t patricianly care what I eat, but I hate being ‘that girl’ who doesn’t want to go out to dinner because she is dieting. I order sensibly, but then again may eat a piece of bread of something.
I think there has to be some sort of balance, as you can become obsessed with weight loss and dieting and become consumed. Those girls are really annoying. No one wants to hang out with that girl.
I do have holidays booked, this year, more often than not. Part of those holidays are balls or eating at new restaurants or whatever. I guess that is what we do ... how we roll, but I am mindful.Weight loss is not meant to be easy, I get that. Then again, I don’t think it is supposed to be miserable. I haven’t struggled in cutting out the food that I have, with the exception of sandwiches. There just has to be some sort of compromise. I guess that is what my point is ... yes, results won’t come as fast with a compromise, but then again if you can find that compromise it is a lot easier to maintain. Yes?"
My reply
""I think it would be a different social time for me if I were to stop eating and drinking . Really i don’t think the eating is too much of a problem ... I mean I am usually pretty good, even when I am drinking ... My big I need to eat when I am hung over is usually something like a veggie subway or something like that. I still don’t eat meat, so it’s not like I’m going all out on the food but there are occasions, I hosted a dinner party for my friends family last weekend .. .which did include a range of curries and galub juman, not idea but everyday either. There is a compromise in this. I only really drink on Friday and Saturday, nothing in the week. It’s not balls to the walls drinking, like pre mixes and cocktails- I drink dry white wine or vodka soda water and fresh lime. I mean, the alcohol content is bad and drinking is not ideal but I’m not adding to anything with sugar syrup and juices. I don’t patricularly care what I eat, but I hate being ‘that girl’ who doesn’t want to go out to dinner because she is dieting. I order sensibly, but then again may eat a piece of bread of something."
And again, I commend you, but as far as taking steps to lose the weight you want? You've really only taken the first of 10 steps, for example, I'm dieting at the moment (see here and here), I'm training 6 times a week, structuring all my meals and it's still happening slowly, I don't drink, I don't eat junk, and it's a really slow process (I'm planning on doing 6months of this). I enjoy this though, I like looking good and being healthy, that makes me happy, but it wasn't always so, I used to only eat 6 pies a day, do no exercise and drink everyday etc etc, the point is I changed the way I viewed the world, because I wanted the results. The measures and changes you're doing above are great, really. But they're nothing in the scheme of things, and you're not going to change your body type at all, unless you get drastic, even just for a short time... You can go to dinners, go clubbing, do whatever you want, without breaking the rules...
"Weight loss is not meant to be easy, I get that. Then again, I don’t think it is supposed to be miserable. I haven’t struggled in cutting out the food that I have, with the exception of sandwiches. There just has to be some sort of compromise. I guess that is what my point is ... yes, results won’t come as fast with a compromise, but then again if you can find that compromise it is a lot easier to maintain. Yes?"
It's not supposed to be miserable, but again, I think you're associating dieting with being miserable, which is not the way to go about it, you need to look at it as doing what you need to to get the goals you say you desire, otherwise you're just spinning your wheels.See on a dieting program, you should be looking at sandwiches as junk food, not the exception. I think, if you find a compromise all you're going to do is die by a thousand degrees (or compromises in this case). You need an objective standard (calories restriction and counting), objective guidelines (X amount of protein per day, X amount of training per week) otherwise you have no idea what you're doing and it becomes a matter of throwing everything at the problem and hoping something sticks, which is obviously silly :)"This addresses many of the complaints the "regular" person has with training and diet, and my objections to that. I think this dialogue can be helpful to those attempting to diet, both to see you're not the only one struggling and to see what my objections to your queries may be.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Alwyn Cosgrove On Aerobic Training.
"These researchers found that aerobic exercise doesn’t work at all — the weight loss after six months to a year is less than 4lbs. I’d say that it still does That takes us 2 weeks at Results Fitness.
There are several other studies showing no effect of aerobic exercise on weight loss when compared to dieting alone. There are a ton of benefits to low intensity aerobic exercise, but time and time again, research and the real world have shown that it’s not an effective tool for fat loss training or really an effective use of your time if that’s your goal.As far as exercise for fat loss goes – Strength training is number one. Metabolic circuits and interval training are number two. But they all fall a long way short of a solid nutrition plan.14 studies on weight loss and aerobic exercise with 1847 participants have failed to show any meaningful results. Isn’t it time we faced the truth that it just isn’t a fat loss tool?" (Cosgrove 2011)
Reference
Cosgrove A., (2011). Aerobic Exercise and Weight Loss Research.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Killsession Musings Part 3.
I guess it's time for some general thoughts of mine, firstly, a comment on gym etiquette (for more see here), who do you notice in the gym, that erks your niblets? As I look around the gym/s I frequent there's always the usual suspects, may I list them for you?
The so-called stereotypes of women appear to be far less common and far less offensive to the senses than the men, is this a function of testosterone? Or simply the fact that men proliferate the weight room, and women generally (although thankfully the paradigm is changing) the group fitness room.
Hmm what else does the muser wish to discuss today? What about "Calories in vs Calories out"? There is some discussion, usually amongst the ignorant (not used in a pejorative sense) that fat loss (or weight gain) is simply a matter of "Caloric intake is X, simply make sure you consume X (plus or minus X to lose/gain weight), no matter where the Calories come from". What is missed here is macronutrient distribution, we need to ask the question when designing fat loss diets "are carbs and fat and protein as metabolically active as each other (hence interchangeable)?" The answer to this is no, they're not. The reason we (I) push a focus on protein is for several reason, but not the least of which being, it's thermic or metabolism raising effects. Your body has to work (i.e- burn Calories) to digest protein (break down into composite amino acids for various functions in the body, for more see here), that requires energy, whereas fat and carbs can basically be seen as metabolically dead.
Moving on, let's discuss diet briefly. What do you need to do to get lean? Simply? Cut out the shit food and alcohol, as Dan John says, we're not children anymore, yet so many of us still eat like we are. It's really that simple. Yet it is the hardest thing for people to do. Your results come from your diet, you can't out train that fact, the tips I've given on this blog (here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here) are what you need to do, yet I still see status updates on FB and receive emails from my clients about their drinking, junk food etc. What can I do as a trainer to motivate those who don't wish to be?
- Guy wearing sunglasses
- Guy who stinks
- Guy throwing weights
- Guy dropping weights
- Guy grunting (with his 7.5kg dumbbell)
- Guy who spends all the time in the gym and never makes any progress
- Guy with no towel
- Tough guy (wannabe?)
- Guy doing UFC style workouts (with his "Tapout" shirt on, looking suitably gruff)
- Guy who half squats (and indeed half "everything's")
- Cardio bunny girl
- Girl suffering from "Skinny fat" syndrome
- Class girl
The so-called stereotypes of women appear to be far less common and far less offensive to the senses than the men, is this a function of testosterone? Or simply the fact that men proliferate the weight room, and women generally (although thankfully the paradigm is changing) the group fitness room.
Hmm what else does the muser wish to discuss today? What about "Calories in vs Calories out"? There is some discussion, usually amongst the ignorant (not used in a pejorative sense) that fat loss (or weight gain) is simply a matter of "Caloric intake is X, simply make sure you consume X (plus or minus X to lose/gain weight), no matter where the Calories come from". What is missed here is macronutrient distribution, we need to ask the question when designing fat loss diets "are carbs and fat and protein as metabolically active as each other (hence interchangeable)?" The answer to this is no, they're not. The reason we (I) push a focus on protein is for several reason, but not the least of which being, it's thermic or metabolism raising effects. Your body has to work (i.e- burn Calories) to digest protein (break down into composite amino acids for various functions in the body, for more see here), that requires energy, whereas fat and carbs can basically be seen as metabolically dead.
Moving on, let's discuss diet briefly. What do you need to do to get lean? Simply? Cut out the shit food and alcohol, as Dan John says, we're not children anymore, yet so many of us still eat like we are. It's really that simple. Yet it is the hardest thing for people to do. Your results come from your diet, you can't out train that fact, the tips I've given on this blog (here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here) are what you need to do, yet I still see status updates on FB and receive emails from my clients about their drinking, junk food etc. What can I do as a trainer to motivate those who don't wish to be?
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Destination: Abs (Redux)- Wk1.
Well, as of Wednesday night I hurt my back, quite intensely, but not to much actual damage, it was more a muscle "twang" with resulting soreness that actually, if you could look at it this way, was quite fortuitous as it alerted me (with the aid of the photo in this blog) to a problem I have, which is "anterior pelvic tilt" (for more see here). I've since been on a rehab program and addressing movement deficiencies and I gotta tell ya, I feel better, as in complete relief, I did HIIT on Thursday night, and thought I'd still be too sore to do my MRT on Friday, but after extensive foam roll, stretching and activation on my abs and glutes I felt good, so proceeded to do a light MRT workout, where I hurt my back even more... just joking. It was a really good workout, I focused on posteriorly tilting my pelvis by actively activating my glutes and abs, which helped "turn the lights on" (coupled with my prior activation drills) and make the exercises I was doing flow properly. I experienced almost no discomfort during training itself, felt fine afterwards and this morning.
I'd forgotten how bullshit hard MRT training is, and how much I have been getting on my clients backs for work that is really intense!
As far as diet goes, I've been strict this week, with "cheat" meals cming from 2 Quorn lasagnges on Wednesday night (650 Cals) which I subsitituted for half of my vegetable smoothy (211 Cals) and my post workout tofu mean (432 Cals), which put me even. I also had 4 vegtarian sausages on Friday night with 2 pieces of wholemeal bread which is about another 250 Cals on top, but I removed my last half of the vegetarian smoothy, so it came out close.
I've also removed the tofu and vegetarian sausages as of Thursday, and replaced it with chicken and veggies. I did this for several reasons (1) the incomplete protein, they say all your amino acids go into a "pool" where incomplete proteins get filled by the complete ones you ingest, still I don't think I'm getting the kind of thermic effect from the vegetarian proteins that a complete protein will give, (2) the sodium content of vewgetarian meals is ridiculous, I was consuming upwards of 1.5g a day (upper limit is less than that), I was getting headaches, this is not healthy.
I'd forgotten how bullshit hard MRT training is, and how much I have been getting on my clients backs for work that is really intense!
| Alternating Set System | ||||
| Day 1- MRT- Phase 1 | Set | Rep | Rest | Wk1 |
| A1: Fr-Squat Psh Press Cmbo | 3 | 15 | 30 | 40kg, 40kg, 40kg |
| A2: Seated Cable Row | 3 | 15 | 30 | 60kg, 65kg, 65kg |
| B1: DB Step Up | 3 | 15ea | 30 | 10kg, 10kg, 10kg |
| B2: Pushup (on Fitball) | 3 | 15 | 30 | BW, BW, BW |
| C1: Back Extension | 2 | 15 | 0 | BW, BW |
| C2: Plank | 2 | 60s | 30 | 60s, 50s, |
| Day 2- HIIT | ||||
| 5-10 min warm up | 5 min run around GF room | |||
| 1 minute on | 5 | 1,1,1,1,1 | ||
| 2 mins off | 5 | Boxing Intervals | ||
| Cool down 3-5 mins | 5min cooldown | |||
| Day 3- MRT | Set | Rep | Rest | Wk1 |
| A1: Deadlift | 3 | 15 | 30 | 60kg, 60kg, 60kg |
| A2: DB Alt Military Press | 3 | 15 | 30 | 12.5kg, 15kg,15kg |
| B1: DB RFESS | 3 | 15ea | 30 | 12.5kg, 12.5kg, 2.5kg |
| B2: Wide Grip Pulldown | 3 | 15 | 30 | 75kg, 75kg, 75kg |
| C1: Landmine | 2 | 15ea | 0 | 45kg,45kg |
| C2: Rollout | 2 | 15 | 30 | 8, 6 |
| Day 4- HIIT | ||||
| 5-10 min warm up | 5min warm up | |||
| 1 minute on | 5 | 1,1,1,1,1 | ||
| 2 mins off | 5 | X-Trainer Intervals | ||
| Cool down 3-5 mins | 5min cooldown | |||
| Day 5- MRT | Set | Rep | Rest | Wk1 |
| A1: Fr-Squat Psh Press Cmbo | 3 | 15 | 30 | 25kg, 25kg,30kg |
| A2: Seated Cable Row | 3 | 15 | 30 | 55kg, 55kg, 60kg |
| B1: DB Step Up | 3 | 15ea | 30 | 7.5kg, 7.5kg, 10kg |
| B2: Pushup (on Fitball) | 3 | 15 | 30 | BW, BW, BW |
| C1: Glute Bridge | 2 | 15 | 0 | BW, BW |
| C2: Plank | 2 | 60s | 30 | 30s, 45s |
| Day 6- HIIT | ||||
| 5-10 min warm up | ||||
| 1 minute on | 5 | |||
| 2 mins off | 5 | |||
| Cool down 3-5 mins |
As far as diet goes, I've been strict this week, with "cheat" meals cming from 2 Quorn lasagnges on Wednesday night (650 Cals) which I subsitituted for half of my vegetable smoothy (211 Cals) and my post workout tofu mean (432 Cals), which put me even. I also had 4 vegtarian sausages on Friday night with 2 pieces of wholemeal bread which is about another 250 Cals on top, but I removed my last half of the vegetarian smoothy, so it came out close.
I've also removed the tofu and vegetarian sausages as of Thursday, and replaced it with chicken and veggies. I did this for several reasons (1) the incomplete protein, they say all your amino acids go into a "pool" where incomplete proteins get filled by the complete ones you ingest, still I don't think I'm getting the kind of thermic effect from the vegetarian proteins that a complete protein will give, (2) the sodium content of vewgetarian meals is ridiculous, I was consuming upwards of 1.5g a day (upper limit is less than that), I was getting headaches, this is not healthy.
| Diet | ||
| Monday- 3200 Cals | T-S- 2600 Cals | Sunday- 2100 Cals |
| Breakfast | Breakfast | Breakfast |
| Oats/milk/30g pro powdr | Egg/whites/Spinach | Smoothy |
| Protein- 39g | Protein- 32.5g | Protein-29g |
| Carbs- 41g | Carbs- 1.5 | Carbs- 45g |
| Fat- 8.2g | Fat- 13.4g | Fat- 4g |
| Total- 415 Cals | Total- 260 Cals | Total- 429 Cals |
| Morning Tea | Morning Tea | Morning Tea |
| x2veg sausages | Chicken/Mixed Vegetables | Egg/whites/Spinach |
| x1 multigrain bread | Protein-46.5g | Protein- 32.5g |
| butter | Carbs- 13.5 | Carbs- 1.6 |
| glass hi-lo milk | Fat- 18.2 | Fat- 13.4g |
| Protein- 43.3g | Total- 420 Cals | Total- 260 Cals |
| Carbs- 31.5 | ||
| Fat- 18g | ||
| Total- 473 Cals | ||
| Post Sleep | Post Sleep | Lunch |
| Vegetable smoothy | Vegetable smoothy | Chicken/Mixed Vegetables |
| Protein- 46.6g | Protein- 46.6g | Protein-46.5g |
| Carbs- 37.9g | Carbs- 37.9g | Carbs- 13.5 |
| Fat- 3g | Fat- 3g | Fat- 18.2 |
| Total- 411 Cals | Total- 411 Cals | Total- 420 Cals |
| Before Work | Before Work | Afternoon Tea |
| Smoothy | Smoothy | Vegetable smoothy |
| Protein-29g | Protein-58g | Protein- 46.6g |
| Carbs- 45g | Carbs- 90g | Carbs- 37.9g |
| Fat- 4g | Fat- 8.2 | Fat- 3g |
| Total- 429 Cals | Total- 429 Cals | Total- 411 Cals |
| Post Workout Shake | Post Workout Shake | Dinner |
| x2 up n go/30g protein | x2 up n go/30g pro | Chicken/Mixed Vegetables |
| Protein- 45.1g | Protein- 45.1g | Protein-46.5g |
| Carbs- 55.7g | Carbs- 55.7g | Carbs- 13.5 |
| Fat- 8.3g | Fat- 8.3g | Fat- 18.2 |
| Total- 517 Cals | Total- 517 Cals | Total- 420 Cals |
| Post Workout Meal | Dinner | Evening |
| tofu/glass hi-lo milk | Chicken/Mixed Vegetables | Egg/whites/Spinach |
| Protein- 39.2 | Protein-46.5g | Protein- 32.5g |
| Carbs- 36.4 | Carbs- 13.5 | Carbs- 1.6 |
| Fat- 22.7 | Fat- 18.2 | Fat- 13.4g |
| Total- 432 Cals | Total- 420 Cals | Total- 260 Cals |
| Before Work | ||
| Smoothy | ||
| Protein-29g | ||
| Carbs- 45g | ||
| Fat- 4g | ||
| Total- 429 Cals | ||
| Protein-276.2g | Protein- 268.9g | Protein- 233.6g |
| Carbs- 292.5g | Carbs- 198.6g | Carbs- 113.1g |
| Fat- 68.2g | Fat- 73.6 | Fat- 70.2g |
| Max Total- 3109 Cals | Max Total-2460 Cals | Max Total- 2200 Cals |
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