The pursuit of a healthy lifestyle is often filled with
wacky attempts to make results while avoiding hard work. Everyone wants the
results but no one really wants to work for it. Sound familiar? But instead of
calling things what they are: misguided and unrelatable to anything remotely
scientific, we call them Trends. The
vast majority of trends, dietary- or exercise- related, are a load; so let us
take a look at six so-called healthy trends that not validated by science.
1.
Meatless
Monday this has become so popular that some schools now have a Meatless
Monday menu in elementary schools.[i] Apparently protein is now the dietary devil
despite the fact that there is overwhelming evidence that high protein diets
aid in weight loss. Now why is this? Dietary protein is chemically different
than dietary fat or carbohydrates in that it contains a nitrogen molecule as a
part of the amine group that gives rise to the amino acids. Do not worry if
that went over your head. The important part of this is that the breaking of
the amine group during the digestion requires greater energy expenditure than
the digestion of fats or carbs. How much more? About 30%, depending on the
source of the protein. Animal proteins require more energy to digest than
vegetable proteins. So if a person wants to lose weight restricting calories to
a healthy level combined with having those calories come from predominantly
high protein sources is an easy way to lose weight. Good luck doing that
without eating meat. As a personal trainer, I have never met anyone who ever
said, “Can you help me look like that vegetarian over there?” Beyond weight loss,
protein is a key component in building and maintaining healthy cells in every
part of the body: skin, hair, internal organs, bones, and muscles. Without protein
these cells cannot function properly or, when needed, be replaced. I am all for
eating a healthy dose of fruit and veggies but strict vegetarians are not the
healthiest people in the world.
2.
Juice
Cleanses Fruit and vegetables are great; as a part of a healthy nutrition
program. But not as the entire program. Everything in moderation. Juice
cleanses start out feeling great during the first 24-48 hours. This is due to
increased presence of all the good nutrition in fruit and vegetables including
high amounts of fiber. However, once that fiber catches up with you; good luck
getting out of the bathroom. Extend that juice cleanse out to a four or five
days, maybe a week and things quickly change. It is hard to stay hydrated when
you are dealing with IBS. Severe dehydration may become a problem. If a person
sticks with a juice cleanse long enough, and in severe cases, a person may
begin losing hair, seeing discoloration of the nails, experience weakness and
fatigue. Juice cleanses are an unhealthy extreme that eliminates needed
nutrition that comes from protein and dietary fats. By all means, eat fruits
and vegetables. Eat a lot of them. But do not eat fruits and vegetables
exclusively.
3.
Planet
Fitness I rarely call out any specific entity but when the word “Fitness”
is in the name of the company and the company serves pizza to its members on
the first Monday night of the month; frowns upon and has an obnoxious “lunk
alarm” that goes off when people show the slightest bit of intensity; and does
not allow certain fantastic exercises like squats or deadlifts then at the very
least there is no truth in branding. I get the business concept; Planet Fitness
wants to create an environment where people feel comfortable. It is appealing
to a specific demographic: those want to be comfortable. That is commendable.
However, by its very nature, fitness cannot be improved if ones primary concern
is comfort. Intensity is the instigator of change and it is not welcome here.
4.
Hot
Classes I have theory about these:
the instructor turns the thermostat way up to induce a sweat because the
intensity of the exercise is not high enough to make people sweat. Hot yoga or
any other physical activity performed in high heat puts the body at serious
risk for dehydration. Staying properly hydrated during exercise is just as
important as working up a decent sweat. Keep in mind, that if you attend these
classes the sweat is more due to the heat than the effort.
5.
Sauna
Suits Before the trend of hot classes there was the hot suits. Those sweat
suits that look like something that an astronaut might wear. The idea here is
that the extra sweat increases weight loss. Let me be clear; the sauna suit
does not cause weight loss by increasing metabolism and creating greater
calorie burning.[ii]
Any weight loss associated with the use of a sauna suit is strictly due to
water loss. The weight will return as soon as a person starting rehydrating.
6.
Anything
that offers weight loss without effort Outside of a few
specialized-physician supervised weight loss programs there is very little that
will work to create weight loss without solid sweat equity. Life and health are
performance-based only great effort will yield great results.
QUICK EXERCISE TIP OF THE WEEK
How tot Improve Shrugs
[i] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meatless_Monday
[ii] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauna_suit
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