Why You Shouldn’t Rely on Science For Your Health and Fat Loss Advice.

What is ‘good science’? I’ve never seen it defined as eloquently as this:

“This is how functioning science works.  Outstanding questions are identified or hypothesis proposed; experimental tests are than established either to answer the questions or to refute the hypotheses, regardless of how obviously true they might appear to be.  If assertions are made without the empirical evidence to defend them, they are vigorously rebuked.  In science, as (Robert) Merton noted, progress is made only by first establishing whether one’s predecessors have erred or ‘have stopped before tracking down the implications of their results or have passed over in their work what is there to be seen by the fresh eye of another.’  Each new claim to knowledge, therefore, has to be picked apart and appraised.  Its shortcomings have to be established unequivocally before we can know what questions remain to be asked, and so what answers to seek — what we know is really so and what we don’t.  “This unending exchange of critical judgment,” Merton wrote, “of praise and punishment, is developed in science to a degree that makes the monitoring of children’s behavior by their parents seem little more than child’s play.” (from Gary Taubes’ Good Calories, Bad Calories, pp. 450-51)

How often is “good science” practiced?  Taubes follows the above passage with this opinion:

“The institutionalized vigilance, “this unending exchange of critical judgment,” is nowhere to be found in the study of nutrition, chronic disease, and obesity, and it hasn’t been for decades. . .  Though the reasons for this situation are understandable, they offer scant grounds for optimism.  Individuals who pursue research in this confluence of nutrition, obesity and chronic disease are typically motivated by the desire to conserve our health and prevent disease.  This is an admirable goal, and it undeniably requires reliable knowledge to achieve, but it cannot be accomplished by allowing the goal to compromise the means, and this is what has happened.**  Practical considerations of what is too loosely defined as the “public health” have consistently been allowed to take precedence over the dispassionate, critical evaluation of evidence and the rigorous and meticulous experimentation that are required to establish reliable knowledge.  The urge to simplify a complex scientific situation so that physicians can apply it and their patients and the public embrace it has taken precedence over the scientific obligation of presenting the evidence with relentless honesty.  The result is an enormous enterprise dedicated in theory to determining the relationship between diet, obesity, and disease, while dedicated in practice to convincing everyone involved, and the lay public, most of all, that the answers are already known and always have been — an enterprise, in other words, that purports to be a science and yet functions like a religion.”  (pp. 451-52)

**Bold mine

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In the fields of nutrition, chronic disease and obesity, the good intention of helping others has lead to mountains of research that, essentially, is as valuable as garbage because it frequently fails to live up to the rigorous standards of good science.

This misfortune is compounded when the results of these studies are released to the public as (unsubstantiated) “courses of action” that are often accepted as gospel because they’re delivered by highly regarded experts.

What’s the price we pay when research isn’t forced to live up to the rigorous standards of the scientific method?

What’s the price of delivering a “course of action” prematurely?

Conflicting advice.  Confusion by the masses.  And a world that’s sicker and fatter than it’s ever been, despite all the time, energy and money we’ve dedicated to study.

It’s time for it to stop.

Good science in the fields of nutrition, chronic disease and obesity was done well before the end of WWII (though much of it has been lost (or ignored)).  Good science, backed by evidence from the trenches of today’s top fitness professionals, exists today.

It’s up to us professionals to deliver it to you.  It’s up to you to be open to it. Just know that the beneficial “course of action” you take will likely go against the grain of the sound, scientific advice that’s guided you for the past 60 years.

Thank you for reading!  (If this post resonated with you (or struck a nerve) please share your comments below!)

Low Fat, High Carbohydrate Nutrition — One Big Mistake?

“Forming hypotheses is one of the most precious faculties of the human mind and is necessary for the development of science.  Sometimes, however, hypotheses grow like weeds and lead to confusion instead of clarification.  Then one has to clear the field, so that the operational concepts can grow and function.  Concepts should relate as directly as possible to observation and measurements, and be distorted as little as possible by explanatory elements.”

– Max Kleiber, The Fire of Life:  An Introduction to Animal Energitics, 1961

(As cited in Gary Taubes’ Good Calories, Bad Calories)

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We live in a world filled where an inordinate number of us live in fear of making mistakes. Worse yet, we’re often afraid to admit to them once they’ve been made.

And it’s ironic, because isn’t one of the first things we tell our children, “mistakes are a blessing because of the lessons learned?”

As this pertains to the realm of health and fitness, what’s the biggest mistake we’ve made?

The low fat, high carb hypothesis.

This perpetual mistake is responsible for, at the very least, robbing people of optimal health.  And despite mountains of evidence against it, despite numerous researchers openly admitting that the “low fat-complex carb” dogma is not the answer we still fail to effectively change the literature available to the masses.

Why?

Because too much money has already been spent on one area of research?

Because some of the data is too hard to collect?

Because “the authorities” are afraid of losing money/power?

Because doing so would be admitting that we’ve been doling out advice for 30 years that – while good intentioned – is wrong…. a mistake?

What happened to simply doing what’s right?

We need to find a way to effectively inform the masses that “low fat-high carb hypothesis” is not the answer. . . after we admit that the hypothesis was a mistake.

Care to discuss?  Please share your comments!

Is Exercise REALLY The Answer to Fat Loss?

Is Exercise Really the Answer?

(A philosophical look at our obsession with using exercise for fat loss. . .  Have we ever explored any other options, or do we only look to exercise because it transforms us fastest, as opposed to being the healthiest – or even the most fundamentally effective – way to lose fat?)

These days, in a world that’s continually losing control of the fat loss battle, the most common answer to the question, Why do you exercise? is probably, “To lose fat.”

We know exercise works to help the process.  The principles that work’ have been used to assemble some of the best selling, most effective fat loss products on the market:  Alwyn Cosgrove’s Afterburn, Craig Ballentyne’s Turbulence Training and Dax Moy’s Look Great Naked Challenge, to name a few.   So let me be clear in saying that I’m not writing this to imply that ‘exercise for fat loss is ridiculous’ . . . because it’s not.

I, along with many other  great coaches in the profession, have repeatedly used sound exercise principles to help clients shed thousands of pounds of body fat.  Smart training works – no question – and works well.

But I still wonder, in terms of health, in terms of fat loss, just because exercise ‘works’ (and can provide quick results in a ‘gimme now’ society) is it really necessary?  Or would we get the same results (perhaps less quickly) if we emphasized health as much (or more) than exercise?

Look beyond the fact that “exercise works” and consider this:

The body has an innate intelligence that we’ll never fully understand . . .

. . .an innate intelligence that will do everything in it’s power to survive at all costs . . .

. . . an innate intelligence that, provided the right foundation of quality food, quality sleep, a balance of anabolic and catabolic stress – will likely just “be” or become the body that we’re looking for – from the inside, out.

Isn’t it possible that “exercise” is to “fat loss”  AS

anti-inflammatories are to inflammation  AS

decongestants are to clogged sinuses  AS

pain killers are to pain?

In other words, isn’t it possible that “exercise for fat loss” is the ‘drug’ that assists in melting body fat, but does so without healing the root cause of the problem?  If so, wouldn’t it benefit us as a society if we focused on ‘remedies’ that promoted health, healing and transformation from the ground – up, in conjunction with the body’s innate abilities – as opposed to focusing more on programs requiring us to kill ourselves just to remove body fat?

In my own personal experience, successful life-changing, long lasting, fat loss transformations are the result of programs that emphasize nutrition and healthy lifestyle and exericse — with nutrition and lifestyle being the priority.  If exercise was the most critical factor, wouldn’t it be the priority instead?  If it was the most important component of fat loss, wouldn’t we see more successful fat loss cases even if nutrition and lifestyle habits were suboptimal?  If exercise is the most critical factor in fat loss, wouldn’t there be fewer success stories of individuals maintaining their ‘leanness’ via quality nutrition and a healthy lifestyle, despite reducing the amount of time dedicated to formal exercise?

Formally scheduled exercise gives us the opportunity to move in a culture where being sedentary is the norm.  Exercise improves physical attributes such as strength, endurance, power, flexibility, speed and mobility. . . and it’s a required component in these changes.  Exercise also contributes to successful fat loss, but I often wonder if we place too much emphasis on it as the end all-be all contributing factor — when learning and applying the facets of holistic health and nutrition might be just as, if not more, effective.

Your thoughts?  Please share in the comments!

Thanks for reading.

Are You Aware of What’s Preventing Your Optimal Fitness?

“The chief characteristic of the volitional act is the existence of a purpose to be achieved; the clear vision of an aim.”

– Robert Assagioli, The Act of Will
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I recently suggested that one core factor keeping you from optimal health and fitness is that you’re ‘alive, but not living.’

What typically underlies that and proves to be an initial stumbling block for most (and, perhaps, is creating a stumbling block for you)?

Lack of Awareness.

Not lack of drive.

Not lack of success.

Not lack of passion.

Definitely not lack of intelligence.

Lack of Awareness.

Quite simply, you don’t know what you really want.

And when you don’t know what you want, you don’t have direction.

And when you don’t have direction, it’s not very easy to live.

(How could it be? You don’t really know where you’re going!)

I realize that this may come across as a far-fetched idea to you, being that you’ve probably created one heck of a life for yourself over the years.  But the truth is, this ‘lack of awareness’ happens all the time, especially when the speed of the world around you and the 10,000 things you’re juggling get you (almost) continuously trapped in your head.

With that being the case, it’s no wonder you begin the journey of ‘getting healthy and fit’ on auto-pilot — doing it ‘because it’s something you’re supposed to do’ or because ‘everybody else is doing it’ . . . without really giving it deeper thought and becoming truly aware of the reasons behind your decision.

And this kills your progress — if not immediately, then soon down the road. Because without awareness – without PURPOSE behind your actions – you’ll have little to carry you forward when the initial excitement of your ‘fitness journey’ wears off. . .

The good news is that this is simple to fix. You, just need to ask yourself two questions:

1. What do I want? (Better said, What do you Choose to Have?)

Answer this as clearly as possible. Do you want to lose 25 lbs of fat in 12 weeks? Do you want to be able to ’see your six pack’ in the mirror every morning?  Is there a beach vacation you’re preparing for in 6 weeks.?  A class reunion in 6 months?  Do you want to prepare for your fast-approaching softball season?  Whatever it is you want, specify it, and hang it in front of you to give you a target to strive for.

2. Why do I want it?

This essential question – WHY? – is the one responsible for illuminating your purpose, which, in turn . . .

. . . gives you a frame of reference which you can use to measure the quality of your decisions and actions. (read: “Is what I’m doing right now helping me to fulfill my purpose, or is it taking me away from it?)

. . . gives you the intrinsic motivation to keep moving forward, no matter what challenges you’re asked to overcome between now and the completion of your mission.

Why? Gets you out of bed and into exercise when you’re tired, sore, aching, brain-fried, (insert symptom here) . . .

Why? Helps you make healthy food choices — despite the junk food sitting on the table in front of you . . .

Why? Pulls you out of your slump when you’re emotionally drained and can’t remember the goals you’ve written down for yourself (or find where you placed them).

Asking ‘WHY?’ is as important (and possibly more powerful) as asking ‘WHAT?’ — the key, of course, is that you stop long enough to ask . . . and then listen.

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In the end, getting the most out of your health and fitness (and your life), will always come down to your commitment cultivating awareness. This may be hard to hear. This may be hard to face . . . but it doesn’t make it any less of a reality.

Awareness = Ability to Know what you want = Direction = Ability to truly live.

Deepen your level of awareness and you’ll not only get closer to optimal health and fitness . . . you’ll live the life of your dreams.

Steady-State Cardio May Be Ineffective For Fat Loss . . .

. . . but those who perform it at its extremes (read: marathon running, triathalons, etc.) show us all one quality that’s important for achieving success on the gym floor (and in life, for that matter). (See video, The Crawl below. . . )

If you’ve been around my training long enough, you know that I’m the last person in the world to suggest that somebody goes out and performs long distance, steady-state cardio.

Why, exactly?  Long distance, steady-state cardio . . .

• is the least effective way to burn body fat.  This is becoming (increasingly) old news, but there are still too many people out there churning out mile after mile, hoping to ‘lean out’.  This form of cardio is great at making your body more efficient . . . and the surest way to make sure you have to work even harder (read: run even further) to see any fat-burning effects.  (Strength training instead, anyone?)

• makes ‘maintaining muscle tissue’ difficult. Hopefully, you’re working hard to add (or, at the very least, maintain) muscle, so why go out and burn it all away with mile after mile?  You need that supple, functioning muscle, you know, if you plan on moving around with good strength and energy . . . making your ‘regular’ daily activities as well as your ‘extracurricular’ activities easier to perform and more enjoyable.

• trashes your body, especially if it’s ‘trashed’ already. I (and about 99.99% of the other fitness professionals who are conscious of it) spend hours per day training clients to improve their performance and correct muscle imbalances generally linked to faulty posture.  Running is something you can still perform when you have poor posture, but it doesn’t mean that you should.  (You wouldn’t drive your car cross-country with poorly-aligned tires, would you?)  If you insist on running, at the very least consider seeking out a qualified fitness professional who can assess and help correct any imbalances you might have.

• is hard on your body, period. There’s no denying that long, steady-state cardio is challenging . . . and it’s an incredible feat of endurance (marathons, triathalons).  But it’s also capable of placing incredible stress on your body.  (Fight or flight, anyone?)  Even, Phidippides, the elite Greek runner who ran the first ‘marathon’, died from exhaustion shortly after running it.  We are capable of running, playing hard, pushing our limits of endurance — and by all means if we’re healthy and willing, there’s no reason not to do it in that light.  The fact is, though, that most people do steady-state cardio because they want to burn body fat, not merely because they’re ‘having fun’ or because ‘they can.’ (The problem with that?  See bullet point #1 )
  

All the above being said, there is one thing that can’t be denied about those who choose to participate in long distance events (or compete at the highest level), as illustrated in this tear-jerking video . . .

They’ve got incredible heart . . .

They’ve got incredible desire . . .

They’ve got incredible focus . . .

They’re willing to challenge themselves to their known limits and beyond . . .

They’re willing to overcome obstacles . . . and demand the best possible effort from themselves in the face of adversity . . .

. . . all in the name of finishing, of becoming champions . . . of striving to become ‘better’ now than they were 2 strides (seconds, minutes, hours, days, years) ago.

Heart.  Tenacity.  Courage.  Fight.  Drive.  Thirst for Greatness.  Pride.

Do you have it in you?

Yes?

See you at the finish line!

The CORE Factor In Achieving Optimal Health and Fitness.

I aim for three things in conversation:

• communicating clearly
• telling the truth
• telling the truth constructively

That last part, ‘being constructive’, is often the hardest part.  Because it’s one thing to clearly tell the truth while ruthlessly stepping on feelings . . .  and another thing altogether to share my perception of the truth as carefully and with as much consideration as possible.

And it’s with that thought in mind that I’m going to share with you the first of a core set of reasons why you’re likely not experiencing the optimal health and fitness that you desire. . . and that you deserve.  The truth may hurt (or it may make you want to smack me upside the head), but it’s a chance I’m willing to take (as gently as possible) if the truth is going to help you get yourself on track.

What’s one thing that’s keeping you from being ‘fit?

You’re alive . . . but you’re not really living.

It’s not your training methods; it’s not your sleep habits; it’s not your nutrition. (Truthfully, it might be, but I’m not discussing that now. . .)

No. . . this goes much deeper than that — deeper than most individuals stop to think about, or care to think about for that matter.

You’re ALIVE . . . but you’re not really LIVING.

Sure, your heart is beating.

You’re breathing.

Your brain is functioning.

You’re moving.

You’re interacting with society.

You’re ALIVE.

But maybe you’re also paralyzed by fear — worrying about the future.

Maybe you spend half of each day lamenting the past.

Perhaps you’re at a job (or you’ve made a life choice) where you’re unhappy, but ’staying put’ despite that unhappiness.

You might be ’staying the course’ because you’ve fallen prey to the thinking that ‘you’re old . . .  and there’s no point in changing now!’

You’re NOT LIVING.

And the result of this  — being alive, but not living — is that you’re in a constant state of turmoil, whether that turmoil is as obvious a hand in front of your face, or as subtle and imperceptible as an ant’s footsteps from 100 miles away.

You’re in a state of constant, draining, unnecessary stress because you’re living a life that’s in conflict with the peace, joy, love freedom and action that your heart and soul desires.  You’re living in conflict with your life’s purpose.

And that conflict effects you mentally, emotionally and physically — drastically effecting all the effort you’re giving to achieving optimal health and fitness, no matter how hard you’re working.

How do I know this?

Because I’ve seen countless times with my clients — clients who, from the outside looking in, had everything going for them.  Wisdom from experience.  Wealth.  Fame.  A loving, thriving family.  Supportive Friends.

Many of these individuals were successful as defined by society in almost every imaginable way, yet still unable to take control of their health and fitness.  They came to me, whether it was for a ‘health overhaul’ and losing 100+ pounds, or for a ‘touch-up’ job to burn a few pounds of fat and ‘firm up’ for the summer, frustrated with their inability to get the results they wanted . . .

And many of them, when they ‘began living’ (in conjunction with the other education they received), saw dramatic, positive changes — not only in health and fitness — but in every aspect of their lives!

You can have the same thing to . . . if you simply move beyond ‘just being alive’ and start living!

Get out of your mind so that you can see this moment, right now, that’s in front of you.

Let go of your fears and, with your open eyes, see (and seize!) the opportunities that are presenting themselves to you right now.

Trash the ‘I’m too old . . . it’s too late’ story you’ve told yourself and do exactly what your soul is crying for you to do!  After all,  it’s your life, no matter where you are along the journey, and nobody else is going to do it for you!

What are you waiting for?  Go out and start LIVING!

Yours in Health and Fitness,

P.S. Does this post strike a chord with you? Does it ring true? If so, what are you going to do about it? Share your thoughts below and let me know what you’re going to do today to start getting the most out of your life!