Talk around a gym almost invariably leads to eating and weight loss. It's a natural topic: people are there for health reasons, to get in shape, and hopefully stay there. Eating is an essential part of the equation. New clients are particularly interested in what works and what doesn't and most are surprised to hear that what they've traditionally thought or heard about eating and nutrition are actually wrong. What dawned on me last week when a client adamantly stated: "They say oatmeal is good for you!" was: Where does this information come from and who exactly are 'They?'
People take recommendations from many sources for many different reasons: where to invest money, what school to send their children to, the best new restaurant, vacation spot, or movie. When it comes to health, nutrition, and exercise, there is no shortage of recommendations and everyone's an expert! I personally do not like the word 'Expert' and most people who do possess comprehensive and authoritative knowledge or skills in a particular area rarely call themselves experts. They let the facts or performance do the talking for them.
Conventional Wisdom
In the area of health there have been generally accepted theories or beliefs, (about eating in particular), which are held by most people, including doctors, that are passed down to the general public and accepted as definitive truth. This body of knowledge has been coined Conventional Wisdom. There are a lot of problems with accepting tips that can radically alter your health mostly because no one really knows where the information is coming from and who the source is! Some advice is surely science-based and qualified but most of it seems to trickle down via the Internet, magazines, tv, product labels, with Dr. Oz and Oprah in tow.
BUT, what we do know is that most, almost all, of the nutrition and exercise recommendations currently being handed down, prescribed, and recommended are blatantly wrong! All you have to do is look around a water park and airport to see what the information being handed down is yielding. This is not to say all Conventional Wisdom is bad. Smoking is always frowned upon, and the once fantastic hydrogenated margarine has been shelved.
The purpose of my website has always focused in on these areas: Effective Exercise, Eating Strategies, Dispelling Common Myth, and Tools to Get Lean, always relying on research, the facts, and science to back it up. Objective over Subjective...Fact over Opinion.
So, back to the gym talk. When talking to clients particularly about effective eating strategies, I almost always hear, They Say...to which you will most likely hear from me: 'Where did you hear that?' So, with that said, here are a few top and most frequently overheard 'They Say's' from out and about.
1) They Say oatmeal is good for you
Fact: Oats in any form (quick, steel cut, long cook) are a grain and come with there own form of Gluten (Avenin), which is just as bad for the gut and inflammatory as wheat. Read More
2) They Say jogging is the best way to burn fat
Fact: Jogging is not bad. Jogging every day as your sole source of exercise is bad. Results and body longevity come from Variation (rotating your tires). Give your cartilage and spinal disks a break from daily pounding. Read More
3) They Say organic cane sugar is better than regular sugar
Fact: It's true that it is better than high fructose corn syrup, but at the end of the day it's still sucrose and spikes the bloodstream with glucose. Too much sugar=too much Insulin + too often=glycation, inflammation, excessive fat storage= you're in trouble
4) They Say you need to get fiber from whole grains
Fact: Vegetables have 4x's the fiber of grains and fruit 8x's. Plus both have a heck of a lot more nutrients, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and enzymes.
5) They Say lifting weights will make a woman bulk up
Fact: This is like saying driving a car will get you in an accident. As with any goal, it can be achieved. Lifting heavy and often, say 80-90% of maximum ability may increase muscle mass, but if your goal is to increase strength of muscle, connective tissue, bone, etc, boost metabolism, and perhaps show a muscular cut or two, a responsible and effective program can be created. In 18yrs, none of my female clients have bulked up.
6) They Say fat is bad and you need to eat more carbs
Fact: Fat and Protein are the preferred sources for the human body. The only carbohydrates we should be eating are vegetables and a little fruit. Good sources of fat are so beneficial for the body: nerve tissue, hormone manufacture, cellular function, brain maintenance.
7) They Say milk is a great source of protein
Fact: Even if it was, the milk produced and sold today does not even remotely resemble the raw version coming from the animal. After growth hormones, pharmaceuticals, pasteurization, homogenization, and synthetic chemicals and vitamins added, there is nothing beneficial to it ...or the cow. Eggs and meat have far more bioavailable protein. Read More on Dairy
8) They Say beans are an excellent source of protein and fiber
Fact: Again, meat and dairy have far more protein, vegetables and fruit more fiber.Plus you have to boil them which takes WAY too long and they're bland.
9) They Say Dips are a great exercise to work your Triceps
Fact: This exercise targets nothing in particular and poses great risk to the shoulder and biceps tendon. Frequently going past the shoulder's available range of motion with an increasing torque load, it is one exercise you need to punt. Read More about it
10) They Say Cholesterol is bad
Fact: Cholesterol is involved in many functions in the body: producing bile for digestion, manufacturing hormones, and the brain itself is 66% cholesterol. When you hear your doctor state 'You have high cholesterol' what you're not hearing is that it is caused from eating too many refined grains and sugars, not from eating fat.
Learn the Facts Here
Turning your 'They Say' into 'I Know' takes just a little look into the science and not accepting the common dogma. Learn Don't Follow.
-BL
