It never ceases to amaze me just how often we, as humans, are looking for the quick fix, the latest and greatest form of exercise, diet, super food or supplement to help us achieve our weight loss, health and/or fitness goals overnight. Don’t get me wrong I totally relate to this. I was once overweight and when I was first introduced to fitness, gyms and diet I was bombarded with literally hundreds of different books, ads, people, products, tips, tricks and hot topics, all of which claimed to be the holy grail in fat loss, muscle gain and shortcuts to the body of my dreams.
Only yesterday I discovered the latest in a revolutionary weight loss system. No this one didn’t have you standing on a vibrating platform whilst eating a kebab, or attaching electronic pads to your abs, nor did you have to twist on a cheap, space aged looking piece of plastic that folds up and fits under your bed. In fact you don’t even have to exercise on this one!! It’s called the negative calorie diet and it works just like this:
Negative calorie diet (yes people are actually trying to SELL this) Directions:
step1 - forget the myth of needing nutrients, it’s all lies
step1 - forget the myth of needing nutrients, it’s all lies
- step 2 - eat celery and cabbage - AS MUCH AS YOU LIKE (how generous)
- step 3 - don’t eat anything else EVER
- step 4 - PAY ME for this scientific weight loss breakthrough
- step 5 - die from malnutrition- just give us your credit card details first
Sound too good to be true? This breakthrough might just put me out of business.
I really hope I don’t have to clarify just how ridiculous these scams (that’s what they are) and many others like them actually are. Rub your thumbs together for 2 minutes thrice a day (personal favourite). Then some are even dangerous - think Ephedra - a weight loss supplement which also happened to be the main ingredient for the illegal street drug “speed”, now banned due to reported deaths, heart attacks and many cases of heart palpitations. Or the vibrating chair which claimed to cleanse the intestines, cure headaches and back problems, even increase muscle tone. But, in reality did none of the above and was painful to use.
A more recent and VERY popular exercise trend would be Zumba, promising Zumba abs. Now before you Zumba fans weigh me down with dumbbells and toss me into the river, lets get this straight, Zumba is a great, fun class and is not a gimmick or scam. You are actually moving within your body for an extended period of time, with many twist, turns and reaches recruiting core muscles (abs and obliques) also incorporating lots of quick footwork and high arms also aiding in raising your heart rate, in effect burning calories and possibly losing some weight. However, I can guarantee you WILL NOT achieve the chiseled, defined abs like the lady on the video and I can also guarantee that if your Zumba instructor wanted to drop a few kilos, or improve his/her abdominal definition, they would be doing a little more than Zumba alone.
So, resistance bands, bosu balls or funky suspension systems aside, there is a reason every single gym from Brisbane to Egypt and everywhere in between all stock the same equipment of barbells, dumbells and treadmills…BECAUSE THEY WORK!!
Let’s keep this simple, in order to lose weight you must create a negative caloric deficit. This means you need to expend (burn) more calories than you consume (eats). This can be done in 2 ways; a) eat fewer calories than you burn or b) burn more calories than you eat. The healthiest and most effective approach would be to combine the two and eat a target number of calories in accordance with your goals whilst partaking in exercise to burn excess calories and experience positive health benefits.
Basically, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! If you can do it in your lounge room in 10mins a day don’t expect to look like the woman on the ad (or remotely close for that matter). Losing weight and changing your body shape REQUIRES HARD WORK AND DEDICATION. If drinking shakes from the chemist actually helped even 10% of the people that try them to achieve long term weight loss I would no doubt be out of a job and Tony Ferguson would be TIMES magazine’s person of the year.
When it comes to weight loss, maintenance and particularly elite level conditioning (the last few kilos), there ARE NO quick fixes. No slick marketing campaign or fancy piece of equipment can compare to hard work alongside dedication to food and exercise. There is no doubt both diet and exercise go hand in hand, and without a solid plan for both, you will only ever get part of the way to your goal or fall off the wagon and have to begin your journey all over again.
Don’t be fooled by the latest and greatest “scientifically proven” super exercise method or super food, particularly if it comes in 3 easy payments and has a million buff bodies with cheesy grins on the ad.
But, when it comes to weight loss, what is better? I was told I must do cardio in the morning before I eat? Or that walking burns more calories than running? Or that drinking green tea and half a grapefruit every morning will make me a fat burning machine (my sister’s aunty’s step-cousin Doris does this and she is really skinny). Don’t eat after 5:46pm… no, no sorry, I meant no CARBS after 5:46pm – so kfc chicken legs don’t count right? The list is endless and depending on which study you read from which journal, some, all or none of these methods may be proven effective. This is all well and good but at BEST they are simply what I like to call “one percenter’s” – they may make a very slight difference (if at all) to your results - but only when a solid food and exercise program is in place.
Stick to the absolute bare basics, eat less rubbish, more nutritious foods and partake in a vigorous exercise program. If you are doing a cardio session you want to be huffing and puffing from the word go, sweating, going red and feeling short of breath. If you are performing strength work at any sort of level to induce positive results, it would be expected that you will experience fatigue and burning in your muscles during, and also after (up to several days) you perform said exercise. It is really THAT simple and doesn’t need to be any more complicated than that for the average gym goer looking to lose a few kilos and tone up.
At the end of the day guys, we all know what we should be doing. If I asked anyone of you what you would change in order to lose weight and tone up you could all tell me what changes you would make to your diet and possibly even exercise and if performed 95% of you would experience great results.
You are not alone here. When I first embarked on my own weight loss journey I fell victim to many “latest and greatest” type products (particularly food supplements or latest craze exercises), with no real evidence as to whether or not they actually worked.
After a long period of trial and error, testing these endless theories and ideas on myself, I became frustrated at how few of them were true, and when they actually were true, how marginal the results actually were. That is why I no longer choose to run with that particular crowd. I will not prescribe a new “diet trick” or “revolutionary exercise method” to any of my clients no matter how popular it may be unless I have experienced it for myself first. If you have hit a plateau in your weight loss program and are struggling to lose the next bit, I can help you because I myself have busted through the exact same plateau. I know this is also the case for several of my colleagues and fellow trainers at PURE health clubs http://www.purehealthclubs.com.au.
I am not saying that to reach your goals exercise must become a mind numbing, boring “task” or simply a means to an end, far from it. Exercise should be challenging and FUN. If you enjoy a dance class or similar exercise DO IT! Make it a part of your weekly plan. However in order to achieve the body and fitness goals you desire, there are certain exercises and programs that will actually get you there and and they don't come in 10mins a day or three easy payments. Amazing results requires amazing effort.
Don’t be fooled by slick marketing or false claims. If you want real guidance from someone who has been there, done that and is still doing it - trainers that WALK the TALK themselves - contact me today: anthony@purehealthclubs.com.au
I still see trainers outside of PURE and industry professionals swearing by products or techniques that prove to be of little to no help when it comes to helping you achieve YOUR results. That’s why I myself and my peers at PURE health clubs http://www.purehealthclubs.com.au like to practice what we preach.
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