Weight Loss versus Lifestyle

With the long weekend upon us, it’s time to kick back, relax and enjoy the holiday. When trying to lose weight in a general sense, I am a strong supporter of the notion that it is all about lifestyle balance. If either your “most” desired short-term lifestyle or your weight loss attempts are over-shadowing the other, you’re doomed for failure. Let’s consider either of the options:

Too much focus on a desirable lifestyle

Notice I began that title with “too much”. By too much, I mean over-entertaining your short-term gratifications such as overeating, avoiding exercise at all costs or consuming the wrong foods. Obviously if you don’t pay any attention to nutrition or exercise, you are not going to lose weight. The irony of “too much” short-term gratification is that it means that you’re stuck in the unhappy position that you are in now – overweight. Really, this isn’t a desirable lifestyle at all. That’s not to mention the increased risk of various diseases and the inability to participate in physical activities.

Too much focus on weight loss

Yes, the alternative can be just as much an issue. Doing “too much” in the way of exercise and dieting can really begin to eat away at you. Just imagine if you threw your favourite food out the window and swore to never eat it again. Do you think you could do this in the long term? For most mortals, this is a completely unrealistic approach to weight loss. Sooner or later, willpower will cave in and you will find yourself hoarding into your third family pack of chocolate. This is what happens with many “diets”, which I have written extensively on (check out “Yo-Yo Dieting – No-No Dieting“).

The same thing goes for exercise. If you already lead a busy lifestyle and don’t particularly enjoy exercise, yet you choose to exercise 14 times per week, do you really think you could keep this up? For starters, 14 sessions per week is far too much to be effective for most people. But the point I’m getting at is that you are going to burn yourself out, give up, feel like a failure and never step foot back into that gym.

Many psychological disorders are created as a result of “overdoing” the nutrition and/or exercise. It begins subtly but eventually, through a slippery slope, can culminate into a life-threatening disease. The two most common diseases here are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Believe it or not, may athletes suffer from psychological diseases by pushing it a little “too much” with exercise and/or diet.

And here’s the second bout of irony.  By pushing nutrition and/or exercise too far, you don’t obtain sustainable long-term weight loss!  It’s also a no-brainer to work out that your lifestyle isn’t all that desirable either.

The Answer…

Find a balance between lifestyle, exercise and nutrition! It’s really that simple. As soon as you find something that you can live with for many years to come, you will see long-term, sustainable weight loss! Sure, there’s plenty of trial-and-error, but throw away those fad diets, stop being a yo-yo and develop a new lifestyle!

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The Treadmill versus Running Outdoors

If you’re fanatic about running, then you’ll probably love both the treadmill and running outdoors. Both exercise formats have benefits and drawbacks. Let’s discuss the treadmill versus outdoor running so you can ascertain which is going to be better for you and your goals.

Impact

Both exercise formats have some degree of impact. The road has a far higher impact level than a treadmill, yet a grass surface cushions the degree of impact more so than a standard treadmill. If you perform a lot of running, you will want to be wary of the degree of impact that your body encounters, otherwise your joints will inevitably sustain long-term damage as a consequence.

For anyone who has already sustained a joint or ligament injury throughout the ankles, knees or hips, it may be wise to avoid running outdoors on on the treadmill altogether. A more suitable form of cardio could be of a low-impact nature such as the bike, cross trainer, recumbent bike, rower etc.

Effectiveness

Both outdoor running and the treadmill can be as effective as each other. Effectiveness really comes down to your overall exercise and nutritional regime. Often the best indicator of the effectiveness of a particular exercise is how much you enjoy it. Think about it, if you don’t enjoy running outdoors, then you’re probably not going to stick to a consistent regime. Additionally, you won’t put in the same amount of effort as if you really loved running outside!

Convenience

A run outdoors is certainly convenient. Put on your running shoes and away you go. But there could be many problems associated with outdoor running. One problem may be that you live in the middle of the city where it’s completely flat and overly crowded. Another may be that you don’t feel comfortable running outside in the dark after work.

The major benefit with the treadmill is that you can run without having to dodge people and adjust the hill settings as you see fit. The drawback is that, unless you have a treadmill available at home, you will have to make your way to the gym and possibly even wait for the machine (probable during peak hour at the gym).

Safety

Have you ever been in a gym and heard a “thud”, only to see that someone has fallen off the treadmill? I’m nearly up to double digits – it’s not an uncommon occurrence! Some people just cannot get the hang of a treadmill, so if you fall into this category, it may be wise to find an alternative.

Outdoor running presents many risks also. I’ve twisted my ankle a number of times from unexpected dips in the surface. If you’re running multiple times per week, this can become a real issue.

For high intensity exercise, I always try to steer clients away from the treadmill. If you are running near your maximal capacity, it is far too easy to lose your balance on the treadmill in the middle of a sprint. My advice would be to stick to outdoor running in such a situation.

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Of course there is the obvious - a treadmill or gym membership is far more expensive than just running outside. You get fresh air with outdoor running. You could watch television while on the treadmill. The list goes on…

The point of this article is that the treadmill is not necessarily “better” than outdoor running. Running outdoors is not necessarily “better” than the treadmill either. It boils down to your personal situation, lifestyle, goals, medical considerations and personal preferences.

For further reading, here’s an article I published entitled “The E Word…Exercise“

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How to Build Muscle Quickly

I will often get asked how to quickly build muscle.  Unless you’re going to start using certain anabolic substances that are not permitted for non-medicinal use within Australia, the answer is simple – by following an effective regime consistently.

I can truly empathise with anyone who is just starting out in the gym, because I too was in that position once upon a time.  I was scrawny weighing in a 62kg (meanwhile I’m 79kg at present) and wanted to build serious amounts of muscle as quickly as I possibly could.  Fortunately after speaking with some more experienced professionals, I quickly changed this “short-term” mindset into a “long-term” goal.  For if I had have stayed with the focus of how to build muscle quickly, I would have been doomed for failure.

Here’s why – natural muscle growth is a slow process.  It isn’t going to happen overnight!  Ask any person who has naturally built a significant degree of muscle how long it has taken them.  Some may say 6 months and others may say 6 years.  It really comes down to how effective your training, lifestyle and nutritional methods are in supporting muscle growth, in addition to your genetic makeup.

Going back to training for muscle growth, I remember that I knew at least 30 people who joined a gym to try to build muscle.  This was when high school had finished and everyone was trying to bulk up.  That was in 2003.  Fast forward to 2009 and guess what – there are only 2 people from that original group that I know of who have stuck to a weight training regime.  I’m one of them and a friend is the other.  Both of us have a far higher degree of muscle mass than six years ago.  Everyone else hasn’t made any progress at all.

As with anything in life, there are no shortcuts.  It’s all about dedication, consistency and a long-term approach to achieving a goal.  Of course if you’re after some professional assistance to build muscle, please visit our online personal training section.

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The Best Time to Exercise

I often get asked what the best time of exercise is.  This is a great question because you obviously want to get the most bang-for-your-buck when investing time and effort into your exercise regime.

There is no straight forward answer to this question.  The best time to exercise for one person may not be the best time for another.  Let’s begin with the science behind the the advantages of exercising in the morning and in the evening:

The main advantage of exercising in the morning is that you allow a greater degree of nutrient availability throughout the day to aid in recovery.  Let’s assume that your goal is to build muscle.  Muscle growth requires ready access to nutrients, including proteins and carbohydrates.  If you were to exercise in the evening, you may be able to fit in 1-3 meals and then you would fall asleep, not eating for the next 8 hours.  Conversely, if you exercise in the morning, you will be able to consume PLENTY of calories during the remainder of the day to support muscle growth.

Exercising in the morning also assists in stress reduction throughout the remainder of the day.  Upon the conclusion of your workout, your body will release endorphins (naturally occurring opiates) that help to relax you.  Colloquially, this is known as the “runners high”.  This feeling of relaxation helps you to enhance your focus, productivity and mood throughout the day.  Stress levels will be reduced and you will therefore enhance your day significantly.

Exercising in the evening has it’s benefits also.  You may have heard about circadian rhythms.  Well, they are our internal clocks.  Circadian rhythms are responsible for us falling asleep, waking up and the “ups” and “downs” that you experience during the day.

Science has shown that at about 6.30pm, the circadian rhythms of a typical person will result in a higher output when performing physical activity.  So this means that your reflexes, strength, aerobic/anaerobic capacity, endurance is enhanced relative to any other time during the day.  If you are able to output more, this means that you are therefore able to create more overload, or more stress on your body.  Overload is what is required in order to initiate a physiological enhancement as you recover.  In other words, more overload means more results.

Click on this link to read more about circadian rhythms.

Ultimately, you could argue either way – morning or night could both be the best time to exercise.  So you need to ascertain which time to exercise best suits YOU.

Here are some considerations (of course I’m sure you could think of others):

• Your lifestyle and commitments
• Your work
• Stress levels
• Vicinity to the gym (or other place where you exercise)
• Training partner’s preferred time of training
• Busyness of the gym

And here’s the most important consideration:

• The time that YOU prefer to exercise

If you feel ill when you exercise in the morning (plenty of people do), then don’t exercise in the morning!  If you make too many excuses after a full-on day at work, then it’s going to be a waste of time to exercise in the evening.  You need to ascertain what works best for you and your lifestyle.

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Is more weight more effective?

I first joined a gym when I was 17, back in year 12 (I’m glad I did…it stopped me from stressing too much in that HSC year!). I had a personal trainer who showed me how to correctly execute a number of exercises. In hindsight, that was a really smart move.

Because I trained by myself and just for general physique, I can’t say that I was really into the “weight game”. But that changed somewhat a year later when I joined a more popular gym and started training with some friends. My training rationale would go something along the lines of “the more weight the better!” But you quickly learn.

I was fortunate in that I didn’t sustain any major injuries. Admittedly, I wasn’t completely negligent in my approach, but not nearly as careful as what I am now. Two reasons for this:

1. Throwing around weights at the gym can be really dangerous.
2. Through the theory learnt when undertaking studies for my qualifications, I learnt that sacrificing form for more weight didn’t necessarily overload that muscle more.

Whenever I train a client, I place a heavy focus on technique. I am a strong believer that proper form is the foundation to great results in the gym. Ultimately, if you are trying to overload a muscle – overload it with good technique. As soon as you begin utilising other body parts, you are only recruiting other body parts – that muscle being targeted isn’t necessarily being overloaded any more effectively!

Here’s a classic example – standing bicep curls. Textbook form is to keep your back straight and curling up without your upper arms moving forward. What I consider “sloppy” form is when you recruit your legs and back in a swinging motion. Consider what is actually happening here:

Your biceps are only so strong. They can only generate so much force. By swinging, yes, you can move more weight…but your biceps aren’t doing the additional work to lift the bar up.

Unless you are an experienced weight trainer and have a good degree of body awareness, you are significantly increasing the risk of injury.

Ego can play a real part in the temptation to “lift as much weight as possible”. I would guess that the majority of weight trainers have played this game at one point in their life. But seriously, who cares if the person next to you can lift more weight? Personally, I’m quite happy competing against myself trying to lift more than the previous week. I honestly find it silly sacrificing technique in order to impress someone else.

I will admit that there are more advanced training techniques whereby it may be necessary to move away from “textbook” form. A good example of this may be if you are trying to overload the eccentric phase to each rep. Since this is a more advanced way of training, it really isn’t recommended for inexperienced weight trainers.

Of the inexperienced weight trainers that I see in the gym, more than half of them don’t know how to correctly execute various exercises in a safe and effective manner.

So there are my thoughts on poor technique. Unless it’s for a specific purpose, take a look at your form and fix it up if you need to.

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5-HTP Supplement Information

5-HTP is a popular supplement, so I thought I’d put up a blog post to share my thoughts on the supplement.

Supplementing with this natural bean extract (the Griffonia Simplicifolia) has been recommended to numerous patients that do suffer from depression.  Do a quick Google search on depression and you’ll see what I mean with 594,000 results displayed!  However 5-HTP has also been shown to assist with other psychological concerns such as poor mood, depression, insomnia and lack of concentration.

But hang on, I’m no psychologist.  So why am I talking about depression, insomnia, lack of concentration and poor mood?  Well, 5-HTP has also been shown by some studies to assist in weight loss and curb over-eating.  Interestingly, all of these symptoms can be linked to depression.

It has been demonstrated that 5-HTP acts as the “middle-man” between tryptophan (an essential amino acid found in your everyday diet) and serotonin (responsible for normal mood).  The science basically suggests that a lack in serotonin can cause an array of symptoms, such as those previously mentioned.

5-HTP, or technically ”5-Hydroxytryptophan” has been shown to enhance serotonin levels as it is a natural precursor to (or is converted into) serontonin.

Now because this supplement deals with serotonin (as do anti-depressants), it is very important to always seek advice from your doctor before using 5-HTP.   Personally, even though “some” studies have demonstrated weight loss with this supplement, I would not supplement with 5-HTP purely for weight loss.  A correct nutritional and exercise regime can take care of that far more effectively than a single supplement.

By the way, here are some guidelines I found for 5-HTP:

While 5-HTP, in a pure form is not a risk for EMS, there are some cautions to be observed in it’s use. 5-HTP should not be used if you have the following medical conditions:

Cardiovascular Diseases; Extremely Elderly Persons; those with Parkinsons; Disease, Cancer or Autoimmune Diseases; Lung Diseases; Chronic Alcoholism; Liver diseases; parasitic infection; AIDS; Anorexia Nervosa; Low protein Diets; Severe allergies; Myalgia; Peripheral Neuropathy; Rash or Flushing; Edema; Nausea; Diarrhea; Sickle cell anemia; hemophilia; Pregnancy

Do not use 5-HTP is you are currently taking any of the following medications:

Anti-depressant drugs; Monoamine oxidase inhibitors; Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; Tricyclic medications; Weight Loss medications; Anti-parkinson medications; Barbiturates and other tranquilizing drugs; Antihistamines and cold medications; Alcoholic beverages; Intravenous drugs; Cancer chemotherapy or antibiotic medications.

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Pain When Exercising

Anyone who has been consistently exercising will know that an injury is bound to occur eventually. As a personal trainer, I see injuries all the time, the most common of which being knee, lumbar (lower) spine and shoulder injury.

One of the worst things that you can do when exercising is to aggravate an injury. Many people who train can succumb to the temptation to “work through the pain”, no matter how small it may be, just to get maximal results from that particular workout. I must admit that I have been guilty of this myself in the past, being so dedicated to my training. But what about the long-term implications?

Well, think of it this way. A small injury can quickly manifest itself into a long-term setback that could put you out of your training regime for months. Yes, I have seen this happen. The way to aggravate an injury is to needlessly work through the pain when exercising.

So the point: if you ever experience pain when exercising, STOP! It’s as simple as that. Pain is your body screaming out to you, “SOMETHING IS WRONG!!!”. If the injury significant enough, get it checked out by a professional (don’t self-diagnose) and take the appropriate steps to rehabilitate that area of your body.

One note, some forms of injury rehabilitation will be painful, especially when you are beginning.  So if that’s the case, then that’s what you will need to endure in order to recover from an injury.  However, above I am referring to an undiagnosed pain.

Here’s an interesting article we have available about how to approach an injury:

Let No Injury Slow Me Down!

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