When people think of getting fit they think of going for a walk or jogging or if it’s in the gym they think about the treadmill, crosstrainer or exercise bike. But is cardio the best way to get fit or to lose weight? Well the answer to that is NO!
Firstly what is fitness? According to wikipedia Physical fitness comprises two related concepts: general fitness (a state of health and well-being) and specific fitness (a task-oriented definition based on the ability to perform specific aspects of sport or occupations). Physical fitness is generally achieved through correct nutrition, exercise and enough rest.
So aerobic fitness is just one aspect of fitness, with the other aspects being
Strength
Power
Speed
Flexibility
Co-ordination
Agility
Balance
Accuracy
Crossfit have proposed a really comprehensive view on fitness that is worth a read and is available here: What is Fitness
So jumping on the treadmill will not help develop any of the other aspects of fitness.
Another problem with aerobic training is that your body adapts to it and you stop burning as many calories as you used to. For example: You’ve decided to get fit again so you join a gym and like most gym programmes they will get you doing 20 or 30 minutes on the treadmill and 10 or so minutes on the crosstrainer etc.
Week 1 you jog/walk 5K it takes you 35 minutes and you burn 350 calories (calories burned is used for example only)
Week 2 you jog/walk 5K, it takes you 30 minutes and you burn 300 calories
Week 3 you now jog 5K, it takes you 28 minutes and you burn 280 calories
Week 4 you now jog 5K, it takes you 26 minutes and you burn 250 calories
So what is happening? Well, your body is getting used to the exercises so you are finding it easier but you are also burning less calories. So really by week 3, in this example, you would want to start jogging 8K to burn the same amount of calories as you were at the start, and the better you get at jogging the further you will have to jog to burn the same amount of calories. Another big problem with aerobic exercise is the fact that you are not only burning fat but you are losing muscle mass. If you don’t believe me, just look at any professional marathon runner (most look anorexic, the person on the left of the picture is a marathon runner, the person on the right is a sprinter). Another problem with just doing cardio is that by losing muscle mass you are reducing your metabolism so you end up burning fewer calories at rest. If you enjoy running and want to be a marathon runner then that is great, but if you want to be fit and healthy then there are better, quicker and safer ways to go about it. The world renowned trainer/coach Paul Chek covers this point in a radio interview he did on Underground wellness which you can listen/watch below.
I know what you are thinking. If running on the treadmill isn’t the best way to get fit and healthy what is? Well that is quite simple: lift weights (resistance training) with functional movements done at high intensity. As an example of what I mean watch this video of Chris Spealler putting Jason Khalipa through a workout (these two guys are two of the fittest men in the world). I like the way they make fun of the gym equipment and do an absolute killer workout with just a set of dumbbells and two exercises.
Jason Khalipa managed to complete the workout in 10:53 (probably take around 20 minutes for most fit people). The workout worked pretty much every muscle in his body as well as his aerobic and anaerobic energy systems. All he has to do now is some foam rolling and stretching and that is his workout done for the day. Compare that to someone who spends an hour or more on the treadmill and gets none of the benefit that Mr Khalipa’s workout did.
So don’t waste all your time on the treadmill/crosstrainer. Get a proper program designed for you to achieve your goals.
So to finish, for you to get the most out of the time you spend getting ‘fit’ you should work on all aspects of fitness, especially the ones that may cause you some problems e.g. poor mobility, lack of basic strength etc.
Run, use a crosstrainer, or become one of those people who buys a treadmill (which costs big bucks in the 000 range for one that is any good) and then promises themself that they will use it a few days a week. I might be a bit mad in the head but the results I get with my clients require no more than a kettlebell, pull-up bar, some bands, skipping rope and a foam roller. It’s really that simple! Many of my clients come to me every 4-6 weeks for new programs that are brief, constantly varied, functional and therefore highly effective. So get off the cardio band-wagon and start getting truly ‘fit’ today.
One of the key elements I stress to my clients is how important it is to have long-term consistency with their training and eating habits. If you want to see the most gains in your training or achieve your weight loss goals, you’ve got to be consistent and that’s over the long haul.
Acquiring fitness or losing weight is not a short-term process, it takes time but if you are consistent you will see great improvements.
So how do you get to be consistent in your training or diet? Well you need to make a 100% commitment to achieving your goals and then back that up with action. It isn’t easy to be consistent as it takes great self-discipline and there will be times when it will be hard and it would be easier to take a seat on the couch and turn on the TV and eat a few chocolate biscuit’s instead of heading out to train. But, if your goals are to be reached, you’ve got to decide you really want it and fight through the tougher days. If you do this you will succeed!
Once you’ve decided to commit to achieving your goals, you could consider hiring a personal trainer to help you achieve these goals. Having a personal trainer, apart from teaching you how to exercise and eat properly, can also provide helpful feedback, positive motivation and accountability, especially during tougher periods which will help you stay on track. If you decide to hire a PT click here to find out what qualities a good personal trainer should have!
Whether you decide to use a personal trainer, train at a gym or plan your own training, it’s important to have a training plan that is realistic and that fits in with your schedule. A schedule that will allow you to be successful includes adequate time for training and recovery and is in harmony with both your family and your work life.
So now we will assume that you have your schedule worked out and you are now heading on the right track. You come home from work feeling tired, it’s raining outside and you feel like sitting back on the couch and ordering in a takeaway and taking it easy. NO, NO, NO. Grab your training bag and get your training session done, you will feel more energised after training. There is always an excuse not to train or eat properly, excuses are around every corner. The first session you miss soon turns into two and before you know it you haven’t trained for a couple of weeks. And unfortunately when it comes to training, if you start missing too many sessions you are not standing still but instead are moving backwards.
You can only make improvements in your training or weight loss by being consistent. You don’t need to do anything outrageous or extreme, you only have to be consistent with the small steps and all your goals will be possible.
Each year people waste a fortune buying fitness gadgets that are a complete waste of money. Every morning the TV is full of infomercials selling the next big thing. EMS devices have been popular for a number of years now and they do not do what the advertisement says.
Yes, physical therapists do use them to help some people who have certain injuries, heck, I even say that NASA does use EMS devices like it says in the advert, but I can guarantee it is not to give their astronauts a six pack!
Again none of these kind of products will give you a six pack like the images in the advert simply because the muscle is not the problem when wanting to achieve a six pack. The problem is all the fat in front of your six pack and the only way you will get rid of that is with a healthy eating plan and some hard training which includes both strength and metabolic conditioning. I’m sorry, but if you are not sweating profusely then you are not training hard. So don’t waste your time and money looking for a quick and easy option.
I have not seen this next exercise machine advertised over here yet but if it is on the shopping channel it must be fantastic. The Japanese are light years ahead!
So don’t keep looking for that quick fix or easy option, just eat clean and move your body and you will be off to a great start.
Most people who are overweight are in denial about it, believing that their weight is normal simply because what is normal in society now is being overweight. Research conducted by North-South food safety body Safefood established that only 38 per cent of people believe they are overweight when in fact two-thirds of people across the country are carrying excess weight. Furthermore, 57 per cent of those surveyed felt they didn’t need to lose weight. Dr Cliodhna Foley-Nolan, director of human health and nutrition at Safefood, said this meant a great proportion of the population are in denial, putting themselves at increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and some cancers.
In an attempt to increase awareness of the problem of being overweight Safefood has launched an advertising campaign encouraging individuals to measure their waistlines and “stop the spread”. (I’m sure you’ve seen the advert, but I will add it to the end of this blog just in case you haven’t). Having a waist size greater than 32 inches for a woman or 37 inches for a man is a clear indication you are carrying excess weight. You may have noticed that pharmacies were handing out free measuring tapes in order for people to be able to measure their own waist. Your waist measurement should be taken at bellybutton level. So grab a measuring tape and give it a try now!!
The following clip is from Australia. I like it because it lets you see that you slowly gain your weight over time and that it just didn’t happen overnight. Be more aware that your clothes are starting to get tighter, and instead of buying the next size up, do something about your weight gain, as it say in this clip, “The more you gain, the more you have to lose”.
So don’t be afraid to put the measuring tape around your waist or weigh yourself, whatever size or weight you are, you are that size whether you get on the scales or not, so don’t be in denial. Find out what size and weight you are and if you are bigger/heavier than you should be then do something about it.
This next clip shows how the Japanese are now dealing with the introduction of fast food into their culture. They don’t mess about!
This next clip is of people who are in denial. The clip is quite long but for me at the 6.54 minutes when they show pictures of her when she had lost all the weight and she mentions how life was easier, I think that the point has not registered with her at all. All the people in the clip are happy and proud about being overweight, but how happy will they all be in a few years’ time when they can no longer carry their own weight, when they can no longer get up off the chair by themselves, even some of the people in the clip would have a hard time getting up off the ground if they happen to fall over.
I know that the people in that clip are an extreme example but Ireland is starting to get that way. In my opinion losing weight is not about trying to get a body of a super model, it’s about being fit and healthy, it’s about being able to play with your kids and not get tired or get to them quickly if they fall and hurt themselves. It’s about being able to go up those flight of stairs with your shopping and not having to rely on the elevator. It’s about reducing your risk of heart disease or diabetes, down to the simple things like not having sore knees, hips, back etc.
So you have taken the measurements or you have weighed yourself and you realise that you have some weight to lose, so what next? What diet should you go on?
My advice is to NOT go on any diet and not start taking diet pills or fancy diet products (if you are extremely overweight get checked by your Doctor). Simply start by cutting out all those unhealthy sugars and processed carbohydrate you are eating. For more details check out my blog, “A Simple View To Losing Weight.”
The following is the Safefood advert that you will see on your television.
Apart from just putting the measuring tape around your waist there are basically four ways to find out if you are the right weight for your height.
BMI
The one that you would hear mentioned quite a bit on TV is the Body Mass Index or BMI. This uses your weight and height to find out if you are overweight or not. The massive drawback with this is that it doesn’t differentiate between fat weight and muscle weight, therefore it is not accurate with muscular individuals. For example, 2 people can be exactly the same height (5’ 11’) and the same weight (200lbs) and share a BMI of 27.89. However, one is overweight while the other is very muscular (lean muscle is dense and heavy therefore weighs more). Using the BMI Chart both people, even though completely different in body shape, will be deemed as being overweight. But
unless you have a six pack the BMI is a simple place to start!
To read the BMI chart below look for your weight (horizontally) and height (vertically) where the two measurements meet is your Body Mass Index Chart rating. Note that the BMI chart below displays in both lbs and kgs for weight as well as inches and cm for height.
Waist to Hip Ratio
Doctors seem to be using this now in favour of the BMI. The theory behind the Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is that individuals store fat around the middle (apple shape) and around the hips (pear shape). In general, carrying fat around the middle seems to place individuals in a higher risk category for coronary heart diseases than carrying it around the hips. However, it must be remembered that this is just one measurement and that total obesity may still be a greater risk than the location of where fat is stored on the body.
To use the WHR simply measure your waist at the most narow girth at your bellybutton and with your feet together measure your hips at the largest girth of the buttocks. Then you simply divide the waist circumference by the hip circumference. For example if your waist measured 32 inches and your hips measured 40 inches you would divide 32 by 40 and your result would be 0.8 So again type 32 in your calculator push the divide button, type 40 in and hit equals and you will get 0.8
If men are greater than 0.95 and women are greater than 0.85 there is an increased risk of heart disease.
But for me I personally think that the WHR is of less use than the BMI simply because if you have a big belly and a big ass you could still get a good score, for example if your belly measurement is 40 inches and your hip measurement is 50 inches your will still get a score of 0.8, the exact same score as the person above with just a 32 inch waist. So keep that in mind when using this!
Bioelectric Impedance
Body fat scales use the Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) technique. This method measures body composition by sending a low, safe, electrical current through the body. The current passes freely through the fluids contained in muscle tissue, but encounters difficulty/resistance when it passes through fat tissue. This resistance of the fat tissue to the current is termed ‘bioelectrical impedance’, and is accurately measured by body fat scales. When set against a person’s height, gender and weight, the scales can then compute their body fat percentage. But like everything it also has its limitations.
If for example you are dehydrated or just after exercising or after having a big meal you will get different readings. So it is better to try and use the scales at the same time of day as you used them before and to have a glass of water about an hour before you use the scales. But out of the previous methods it is the best and it is one that I like to use with my clients along with taking some basic measurements. A lot of chemists now have BIA scales in their shops so give it a try and see what your body fat percentage is.
Skinfold measurement
This is probably the most accurate (outside of getting laboratory tests done) but also the most invasive method as it requires someone else to take measurements with callipers at different locations on your body depending on what formula they are using. To get an accurate reading skinfold measurement needs to be taken by someone trained to do so, ie most personal trainers. If you do get skinfold measurements done make sure you get the same person to take the measurement the next time as this can also affect the results. The major drawback I find with this method is that someone who is overweight does not really want someone grabbing at the fat on their body as they can find it quite
embarrassing. And for me, anything that makes someone feel uncomfortable is not worth doing, even if it might be more accurate. You can also get skinfold calipers that have been designed to be used by yourself, which can be used as a good guide but as they only generally measure the one sight it would not be as accurate as getting it done professionally.
So whether you use a set of BIA weighing scales or Skinfold measurements the following is a guide to what your body fat should be.
So for me the best method is the fancy weighing scales that tell you your body fat percentage. If you use them right they are relatively accurate and the only thing you have to do is take off your shoes and socks. You can even get BIAs that you just hold in your hand. This is the way the BIAs in the chemist work: the scales weight you, a censor measures your height and you hold on to the handles to get your body fat percentage reading. Super easy to do so jump on a set the next time you are near a chemist!
I hope you found this post informative and I wish you the best of luck on your weight loss journey!!
Due to attending a lot of martial arts and fitness related seminars and courses I travel quite a bit. So when I’m travelling I like to get a quick workout in when I get to the hotel to loosen out after all those hours of sitting around airports and taxis/buses etc. Generally the hotels I stay at don’t have any facilities and because I usually fly with Ryan Air (that means small hand luggage only) I don’t bring bands or anything like that with me. But thankfully you don’t need anything to get a good workout except yourself
and the willingness to train.
This first super simple workout I’m going to talk about in this blog I simply call Triple 7.
Because all it is, is 7 squats and 7 press-ups for 7 minutes. That’s definitely a bit simple you might be thinking, but if you try it I’m sure you will change your mind. 7 squats and 7 press-ups is one set. It is your goal to complete as many sets as possible in the 7 minutes with proper form and technique. So all squats have to be below parallel and to full extension and all press-ups with chest touching the ground and to full extension. Check my other posts for detailed explanations on how to squat and do a press-up.
As a rough guide:
If you can get to around 11 or 13 sets you aren’t doing too badly
13 – 16 sets is very good
Over 17 with proper form is fantastic!
Try it out and see how many sets you can complete. You can post scores in the comments section.
Yesterday I attended the Bob Proctor seminar in the RDS Dublin. Bob Proctor is a world renowned business and motivational speaker. Thanks to Paul, my brother-in-law, I had VIP tickets to the event. The event started in the Sandymount hotel at 7am for breakfast with Mr Proctor, where, partly by chance and partly Paul knowing the right people, I ended up sitting next to Mr Proctor for breakfast. The VIP breakfast was a question and answer session where 70- 80 business people attending had the opportunity to ask any questions they might have had. The questions and answers lasted until about 9.30am where we all had the opportunity to have our photo taken with Mr Proctor before heading over to the RDS. The RDS event ran from 10.30am to around 5.30pm and was lecture based with a couple of different speakers so, unlike the VIP breakfast, there was no opportunity to ask any questions or meet Mr Proctor personally.
This is my first time attending an event of this kind so this is my take on it and the information gained.
First off, I’m all for motivational / self-development books or listening to podcasts and the like, as I believe that some people can use them to give themselves the push they need to get their life heading in the right direction, whether that is to finally go for that job of their dreams, to giving up smoking or losing that big belly. We all, at times, need help or that bit of wisdom from someone who has the experience or knowledge we are after. But I also notice that some people continue to keep searching for that big something not realising that they have already got what they were searching for all along.
I found the whole event fascinating. I suppose from my martial arts and personal
training background I have an interest in watching people’s body language and reactions. Most of the people there seemed to be waiting on Mr Proctor to give them the secret, that big simple thing that would make them all millionaires. But unfortunately there was no big simple secret handed over, but there were lots of simple common sense information taught that, if applied, would I’m sure have you heading in the right direction. And the exact same thing can be applied to fitness or losing weight. People are continually searching for that super programme or that magic weight loss solution rather than taking the simple (but hard) approach of actually training hard and to stop putting bad food in your mouth.
The whole seminar revolved around changing your paradigms. So what is a paradigm? A paradigm is Mr Proctor’s fancy way of saying “a multitude of habits”. The whole idea is to re-programme your sub-conscious with a new productive way of thinking and to get rid of your unproductive habits. That’s basically the whole seminar in a nutshell, but I suppose the important aspect is in the detail of how to accomplish
this change. Basically Mr Proctor says that most people only have a surface perception and that they need to dig deeper to have a greater understanding.
People basically need to focus more on what they want. Mr Proctor told the story of himself in his early years when he was working at a fire station. He was earning 4000 dollars a year, the chief of the station earned 11500 dollars a year. After reading the book “Think and get Rich” Mr Proctor started to focus on what he wanted, so he carried a small card in his pocket that said on it that he would be earning 25000 dollars a month. He would take the card out every so often and read it to himself so that he was continually focusing on his goal. One day some of his work mates saw him reading the card and wanted to know what was on it. Mr Proctor didn’t want to show them as he was embarrassed but they held him down and took the card out of his pocket. When they read what was written on the card they all laughed and made a mockery of him. Remember, the chief fire officer was earning 11500 a year and Mr Proctor was aspiring to earn 25000 a month. He said after that he almost tore the card up but that he now thanks God every day that he didn’t. You see, people will try to put you down and hold you back, they do not want you to surpass your station in life. Who do you think you are to want to improve yourself? But suffice it to say that within a year Mr Proctor went from earning 4000 a year to over 175000 and two years later he was earning over 1 Million a year and had half the fire station staff working part-time for him. This was made possible by focusing on what he wanted; he says “What you focus on you get more of”.
I could go on, but if you listen to a couple of his podcasts, which cost nothing, you will hear a lot of the same anecdotes and get a good idea of what he teaches.
Would I go to one of his seminars again? Unfortunately I would have to say no to that as I found the way he ended the seminar was designed to prey on vulnerable people searching for answers. What I mean by that is that it didn’t take too long for me to realise that he was trying to sell something to us. By half way through his second lecture he would briefly mention different programmes he had, and every so often quick
pictures of one of his programmes would come up. You would only have to watch a couple of Darren Brown’s shows to know that he was subliminally trying to imprint an
image in our mind, and when he started to mention that you don’t need your wife or partner’s permission to buy something to improve yourself, I knew that a big sale was not too far away. At the end everyone was handed out a form that we were told to fill in and that if we didn’t have a pen make sure we got one. Basically he was selling three different programmes that were worth a total of 4587 euro but if you signed up there and then you would get it for 1197 euro. Quite a lot of people started to walk out at this stage, but I did notice people beside me filling the form in. Now whether the package was value for money or not is not for me to say, but the way he went about selling it was totally wrong in my opinion. It turned what was a positive lecture into something quite negative and instead of leaving the lecture on a high and talking about what a great speaker Mr Proctor is (which he is) we left wondering why he ended the seminar that way. I suppose Mr Proctor does say that, “In order to get rich you need multiple sources of income”, so he was only really practicing what he preaches, but there had to be a better way to go about it. Making people feel like they had to buy something, and if they didn’t that there must be something wrong with them, doesn’t seem right to me and I’d say didn’t seem right to all the people who walked out.
So, all in all, I enjoyed my first experience at a self-development lecture and my first time being a VIP. I did learn quite a few things including how NOT to end a lecture.
Squatting is a fundamental basic movement that everyone should be able to do. It is a vital, functional and natural component of your being. It is the bottom position in nature’s intended sitting posture (if you watch young children it is the way they sit when playing or even watching television – chair is not part of your biological make-up) and as you rise from the bottom position (even from sitting in a chair) to standing you are doing a squat. And as we move into old age it becomes even more important to have good squatting strength. The main reason people end up in nursing homes is not because of illness. It’s because people can no longer look after themselves. If you no longer have the strength to get of your chair or even off the toilet you are in a downward spiral. If you do not train the squat you are missing out on a seriously important part of your training.
The squatting exercise I am talking about in the blog and the following video clip is the Air Squat. This is a squat that is done with just your body weight. You need to be able to perform this movement correctly before you even try doing a back squat, front squat or overhead squat. If you can’t perform this movement correctly then you are just adding weight to dysfunction, which in the end will do you more harm than good. So
take your time learn how to do the Air Squat correctly and add it into your workouts. Like the push-up, it can be done anytime and anywhere so no excuses not to train.
that you are not only burning fat but you are losing muscle mass. If you don’t believe me, just look at any professional marathon runner (most look anorexic, the person on the left of the picture is a marathon runner, the person on the right is a sprinter). Another problem with just doing cardio is that by losing muscle mass you are reducing your metabolism so you end up burning fewer calories at rest. If you enjoy running and want to be a marathon runner then that is great, but if you want to be fit and healthy then there are better, quicker and safer ways to go about it. The world renowned trainer/coach Paul Chek covers this point in a radio interview he did on Underground wellness which you can listen/watch below.
