The Diet & Fitness Truth--Test Your "Fit-Q"
Are you as confused
as
most people about the
best way to lose weight and get in shape? It
seems like there is an expert in every area touting how their way is nothing
less than miraculous. And then
there is the other expert with a totally different method claiming to have one
even better!
But what about the miracle eat-anything-you-want fat
absorbers, lose-30-pounds-in-30-days fat burners, hip & thigh shapers,
state-of-the-art total trainers, cellulite-removal creams, amino “pro-poo”
supplements, and the rest (whew, I'm out of breath after that!)? The ads
and infomercials look so easy, and the models look great! Just pick your weakness—and for five easy payments,
they’ll send you the product that will change your life (as long as you call
the toll-free number call within the next fifteen minutes!).
And
if the “sizzle” of the promises aren’t enough,
they back their product with authoritative titles such as: PhD., Doctor, “Certified XYZ this & that”, and “Grand-PuBah”.
In reality there are no “magic bullets”.
Where you are today is a result of your accumulated knowledge and habits
for proper nutrition and exercise. But
don’t feel bad if you are confused. If
you were to take the financial interest and product pitch out of the equation,
many of these “experts” would be confused too—just on a higher
level (I don’t want to damage any egos here).
So there are truths and there are skewed facts . . .
let’s take a look what we’ve learned from allowing the experts to feed us
our knowledge. It’s very
confusing, but maybe we can knock a few holes in some of the overwhelming hype.
Below is a brief health and fitness quiz.
All of the answers are true or false.
Just for fun, test yourself. The
answers follow the test questions, Give your answer before you peak!
You’ll know soon enough, plus you may be surprised to learn some new
facts. OK, here you go:
1.
If you are really serious
about loosing weight and making a diet work, then you must drastically reduce
your daily calories until you reach your goal.
Extreme calorie
reduction is counter-productive to loosing weight. That’s because your body senses hunger as stress, and
attempts to preserve itself by slowing its metabolism until this period of
imposed famine is over. When you
get really hungry and your blood sugar drops, that’s even worse because you
will get tired, irritable, and weak—leading to cravings to gorge on
calorie-dense foods to feed the extreme hunger.
If you lose any weight on this type of diet, it will include muscle and
water, which is counter-productive. (Answer:
False)
2.
The best diet for loosing weight is a low carbohydrate diet because
carbohydrates tend to make you crave even more carbohydrates.
This will tempt you to overeat and thereby delay your overall progress.
Carbohydrates are good—but let’s discern simple from complex.
Generally the simple carbs (such as refined flour, white sugar, and
sodas) are “high-glycemic” and will tend to make you store fat.
The glycemic index is a relative way to measure the rate that foods cause
your blood sugar to elevate. Complex
carbs on the other hand are low-glycemic. These
promote stable blood sugar and insulin levels, which means that you feel better.
Plus if you are attempting to burn body fat with exercise, you will have
the energy to do so. The good (complex) carbs are the also high in fiber and
nutrient-dense. These are the whole
grains, and vegetables. (Answer:
False)
3.
Cooking spray
labeled “fat-free” must be 0% fat according to FDA regulations.
Cooking spray is almost pure fat. Read
the ingredients. How do they get
away with labeling it as “fat-free”? The
key is that the level is based on the amount of fat in a portion.
According to the label, a portion is a spray lasting 1/3 of a second.
So use this fatty "fat-free" product sparingly. (Answer:
False)
4.
Because excessive
fat and sugar can cause you to gain weight, foods labeled "fat-free"
and "sugar-free" are usually the best choices for loosing weight.
Think of this: food product suppliers want to sell their product.
Based on the general public’s desire to “eat healthy”, these are
marketing phrases that get attention. Take
salad dressing for instance. Would
most weight-conscious people choose regular or “fat-free”?
Fat-free, of course! But it
needs to be palatable for them to buy this “guilt-free” salad dressing
again. For average consumer,
that’s good enough. But if they
looked closely at the ingredients, they would see that the fat-free dressing
usually has more of something that the regular dressing doesn’t—added sugar
(such as corn syrup). This is to
make up for the flavor lost by removing the fat.
Conversely, “sugar-free” products most often have added fat to give
flavor and texture. The favorite
fat used in these foods is hydrogenated vegetable oil. Any hydrogenated fat (one that is solid at room temperature)
is a real artery "clogger". (Answer:
False)
5.
Based on your
ability, there is no better exercise program than a daily walking, jogging, or
running program. In fact, when you select the one that best suits your ability
(and of course you watch your diet), any of these cardio routines done
consistently (along with some stretching) is all you need do in order to get
into and stay in your best physical condition.
Granted, a good
cardio program should be an important part of anyone’s fitness program.
It is good for the heart and lungs (cardio and pulmonary systems).
However it does not promote the ligament strength and bone density,
improved muscle strength and shape (past a minimal amount), and increased
metabolism provided in a weight-bearing exercise program.
A good run or walk burns calories while you are doing it, but every pound
of muscle you develop burns an extra 50 calories per day—and that’s a boom
to your metabolism. The best
exercise program includes some of both. (Answer:
False)
6.
We all know that
it’s good to be on a regular exercise program.
But muscle-building weight-resistance exercise can cause you to “bulk
up”, which will turn into fat if you ever stop. That’s another reason why
cardio routines are the best for long-term fitness.
It is impossible for steel to turn into wood just as muscle will not turn into
fat, despite appearances over time. Without
a regular exercise program, you will lose muscle shape and size, and may add
some fat that you didn’t have before. Under the layer of skin, it looks as if
the muscle has transformed itself into fat.
Now you know that the muscle deteriorated and fat was gained.
Muscle actually helps you to stay leaner because of increased calorie
demands. Take the example of two
150 pound people, where one has a higher muscle-to-fat ratio.
The one with the better muscle base has a higher metabolism and burns
more calories at rest. Just as in
two similar model cars; the one with the bigger engine burns more fuel than one
with a smaller engine—even when idling! (Answer:
False)
OK,
now that you compared the facts to your answers, how’d you do?
Actually it really doesn’t matter since at this point you know the truth, and
that’s what counts. But don’t feel that this is enough—you’re only
going to realize your best level of health and fitness when you put this
knowledge to use. So now it’s up to you to get into a personalized
and progressive plan that fits into your lifestyle.
Two other important keys are that you: (1) commit to enjoying the process,
and (2) record your activities on a calendar. And speaking of calendars
wouldn’t TODAY be a good day to start?
“My purpose is to
help you with your concerns,
and to develop a personalized strategy
for getting the results that you really want!
Whether you are just beginning a program
or are experienced but hitting plateaus . . .
you will get body-changing results and
learn techniques to make healthy habits enjoyable
and lasting—integrating into a fit and healthy lifestyle!”
If
you would like to contact me to start a program, here's the link:
[email protected]
Back to Level 10 Fitness Home Page