Tuesday, May 28, 2013

The Health Junkie: FAT LOSS FOR IDIOTS

The Health Junkie: FAT LOSS FOR IDIOTS: I heard this phrase used the other day and it occurred to me that millions of people around the world are still doing the same things in gy...

FAT LOSS FOR IDIOTS

I heard this phrase used the other day and it occurred to me that millions of people around the world are still doing the same things in gyms and fitness centres whilst getting exactly the same results ... The madness of it all is that they are still fat or overweight and yet they continue to pay their monthly fees and run, cycle, step, dance or whatever and go home thinking they've done well. This is bizarre, this crazy acceptance of failure as if that's just how it is. They have come to accept that working out at home or in a gym three times a week equals no change.
   It's a sort of coercive brainwashing; you do your thing week in week out with the total acceptance that it won't work?

                  'If you keep doing the same thing then you will get the same result'

How NOT to lose fat.
     I am fascinated by the psychology of this, admittedly some of it is pure ignorance but some of the practices that people take part in to lose weight are bordering on the criminal. If it doesn't work and the trainers and fitness centres know it doesn't work then why do millions of people sign up for more of the same year after year. I know that many people believe that if they are not getting any worse then that's a good thing and an end in itself but really that's maintenance. Now maintenance is fine if you have achieved your predefined goal and have low body fat and a super toned body. But most people don't have this so why do they accept it?
    I visited a gym last week and saw rows and rows of people pedalling away on bikes as well as
running, cross training, gliding and doing all sorts of wild and wonderful things on a whole range of aerobic machines and equipment but, with a few exceptions, they all had one thing in common ... they were overweight. Now before everyone starts jumping all over me, yes I totally accept the argument that they are doing some form of exercise and that this is better than doing nothing at all but when you've been doing it for years with the express desire to lose fat and you are not, then why do you continue?
   The person I was with turned to me and softly muttered the line ...

                                           'That's just fat loss for idiots'.

 I am the first to admit that I too suffered this same madness for years as I ran to lose weight. I didn't,  infact I very, very slowly began to put weight on. The reason for this is your body becomes efficient at what you are doing  and so burns less fat because it doesn't need as much energy as it did when you first started exercising. Your physiology adapts.
    Combine all this with poor nutrition and boom! you get fatter. The amount of times I here people say 'but I go to the gym 4 times a week and I eat really well' as if its not their fault, is amazing. The other excuses that get trotted out with staggering regularity are 'it's just my genes', 'it's hereditary' or the one I love the most,  'I have special hormones' ... Wow, what do you want, a prize!

                     Instead of looking for an excuse why not look for the solution.




Stephanie at age 57
  There are proven scientific methods to burn fat and tone the body. Now at this point a very good friend of mine, Stephanie, will probably be dashing of an email chastising me for criticising the masses. So, for the record, let me say again that it's great that people are trying to get fit and working on improving their cardiovascular health but surely the goal is to be effective, so if fat loss is your goal, STOP and change what you are doing now! ... and by the way Stephanie is superbly toned and a great example of fitness and health. As you can see from the picture, Stephanie, at age 57 doesn't look remotely like the masses ... and she doesn't run on long slow cardio machines either ... and never has. 
              
       Therefore assuming that most people who read my blogs are not idiots then how do we cut fat. I will expand on this in another post but for now here are  my top 10 ways to cut fat.
1)  Eat a protein/vegetable breakfast. (Not cereal, orange juice, toast and jam, croissants or waffles etc.)
2)  Supplement your diet with fish oil, probiotics, green drinks, magnesium, zinc and vitamins.
3)  Drink at least 2.5 litres of water per day. (No alcohol ... yep that's what I said.)
4)  Eat at regular times throughout the day (and up to 5 meals per day)
5)  Double your protein intake and severely restrict you carb intake ... and only eat slow/low carbs.
6)  Reduce stress.
7)  Sleep approx 7 hours per night.
8)  Eat lots of vegetables and salad (watch that dressing!)
9)  Lift weights to build fat burning lean muscle.
10) Do 10-20 mins of High Intensity Interval Training at least 4 times per week.

 .... and stop yo yo dieting and doing long, slow cardio ...  because it doesn't work!

Now at this point you might be thinking 'but this guy runs ultra-marathons and that's a lot of long slow cardio' ... yes, but I don't do it to lose fat, I do it because I enjoy it ... well, sort of. It can be fun, exhilarating, beautiful and mentally and physically rewarding, and it can also be a total nightmare of pain and suffering, but mainly I do it for the challenge.

Yesterday I lifted weights and did an 12 minute High Intensity routine. From an exercise stand point this is still the most efficient and quickest way to lose fat.
And today I went for a run in the mountains which was an exhilarating, life affirming and stunningly beautiful experience.

Both have their place just don't confuse why you do what you do ... and don't be an idiot :)







 

Thursday, May 23, 2013

BUY THE BOOK

Just a quick update to all my readers. You will notice on the blog page a picture and a book title ... yes folks I have just published my first book!  LAST TRAIN TO ST TROPEZ.
 It is available worldwide on Amazon.

USA Link to Amazon ...
   http://www.amazon.com/Last-Train-Tropez-Phil-Jeremy/dp/1481062875/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369325208&sr=1-1&keywords=last+train+to+st+tropez

UK link to Amazon ...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Train-Tropez-Phil-Jeremy/dp/1481062875/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369325421&sr=1-1&keywords=last+train+to+st+tropez

Click and put this link into your browser.


 Firstly this is NOT about running but I think if you like my blogs then you will like the book. It's an amusing true story of my adventure through France in 1978.  A quest for freedom with no responsibilities it pulls no punches and is written from a young man's view of the world. Hopefully you will be entertained and perhaps inspired as it is a vivid account of life on the road, meeting dynamic characters, beautiful women and surviving risky situations whilst living on your wits.
 Enjoy.





 HEALTHJUNKIE BLOG
phil@modelplan.co.uk http://www.healthjunkiephil.com/phils-weekly-blog.html