I can't trust people who say...

[eliz]

I can't trust people who insist that the secrets to diet and exercise are in micromanaging the details: combining specific foods at specific times, doing exactly this number of reps of this exercise followed by this many seconds of jogging in place at this heart rate, etc. This to me is the equivalent of the "become rich by no longer buying lattes!" philosophy of personal finance.

 

Most of us are not even close to the point where the tiny minutiae of what we eat and how we work out are going to have a noticeable effect. Someone who struggles just to work out three times a week, period, does not need to worry about how many seconds to rest between sets. It's almost like people have been led to believe that thinking more about fitness counts for anything vs. doing the basics consistently.

[Tech_Hunter]

Most of us are not even close to the point where the tiny minutiae of what we eat and how we work out are going to have a noticeable effect. Someone who struggles just to work out three times a week, period, does not need to worry about how many seconds to rest between sets. It's almost like people have been led to believe that thinking more about fitness counts for anything vs. doing the basics consistently.

^^^ Yep.....I was overthinking what I needed to do.  Finally, I just decided that I had to MOVE three times a week.

 

When I started the Nerd Fitness basic routine, when I first watched it, I procrastinated my start because I was afraid I couldn't do the whole thing.....well, DOING NOTHING is not going to help!  So, I broke it up into sections, because I couldn't get through the whole thing.  I've worked up to all the exercises and three reps now.

 

Sometimes your goals have to be so broad and simple, so you work on the habit, and when you are 80 pounds overweight, anything positive helps.

[MetalBender]

True.

I had a conversation the other day, about how many sets to do, with a friend who eats good and work out often. And I was afraid he was going to get all preachy. Instead he just said "well... 1 set is ALWAYS better than zero sets. Everybody has to start somewhere"

[I-Jo]

once is better than nonce I say.

 

There is definitely this fear of failure or overwhelming sense of can't do it people face because they have no idea- OR even worse- they have no clue that you can modify almost anything- it's sad- but there is DEFINITELY a way to workout at EVERY fitness level.  Because if there wasn't- no one horribly out of shape or overweight would EVER get fit!!!!

 

You literally HAVE to start with one baby step- no matter how baby it is- you have to take a baby step somewhere in the right direction.

 

I love to see when it starts to snowball and people get more motivated on their own.  It's really awesome. 

[Nighner]

I've had people ask this.  Or...

 

Person ~ "How long is your diet and exercise program for?"

Me ~ "For the rest of my life, it's more of a lifestyle and not just a program."

Person ~ "Oh really?!  I found an amazing program  and I only have to do it for 6 weeks."

Me ~ "Huh....?"

 

Exactly.

 

The recent changes I've made to my diet, I have approached as "for life" changes.  Namely, plenty of meat and veggies as my staples.

 

I've been eating this way for a few weeks at work now.  My co-worker had these two inspiring comments for me...

 

"In my experience people who eat high protein to lose weight, end up gaining it all back."

 

and

 

"I could never eat the same thing every day."

 

I let these comment slide by, but they really irked me off.  

[I-Jo]

what's hysterical- is they DO eat the same thing every day- they just eat a lot more crap.

 

That being said- I eat an obscene amount of eggs- and I do so daily- I'm still okay with it- very functional and tasty.

[ScrabbleGirl]

 

 

"In my experience people who eat high protein to lose weight, end up gaining it all back."

 

CITATION NEEDED!!!

[Irish Oisin]

A female friend of mine is doing some boxing each week and has a personal trainer who gives diet advice and she has been advised against eating a lot of protein and has even been told to stop eating red meat altogether! I told her that protein is good and her body needs it to which she said "But I don't want to get muscular". Her personal trainer is filling her with this kind of thing, I tried to talk her round but she just said that I wasn't a personal trainer and didn't know what I was talking about. All I said was protein is good for you and red meat is a good source of protein! (not the best, but good)

[Rob__]

A female friend of mine is doing some boxing each week and has a personal trainer who gives diet advice and she has been advised against eating a lot of protein and has even been told to stop eating red meat altogether! I told her that protein is good and her body needs it to which she said "But I don't want to get muscular". Her personal trainer is filling her with this kind of thing, I tried to talk her round but she just said that I wasn't a personal trainer and didn't know what I was talking about. All I said was protein is good for you and red meat is a good source of protein! (not the best, but good)

 

http://www.expertrating.com/personal-trainer-certification.asp

 

They're one of the top 9,815 website in terms of traffic, and certification is only $70. On one hand LOL, but on the other, I kinda want to just for these situations.

[Nighner]

A female friend of mine is doing some boxing each week and has a personal trainer who gives diet advice and she has been advised against eating a lot of protein and has even been told to stop eating red meat altogether!

That's interesting, the guy who said this to me...

 

"In my experience people who eat high protein to lose weight, end up gaining it all back."

He was a boxer back in the day.

 

CITATION NEEDED!!!

I don't know what to say except he's almost 30 years my elder thus invariably his knowledge and experience is vastly superior to mine.

 

what's hysterical- is they DO eat the same thing every day- they just eat a lot more crap.

That being said- I eat an obscene amount of eggs- and I do so daily- I'm still okay with it- very functional and tasty.

In this case, he a lucky ducking duck, in that his wife is very health conscience and she cooks all his meals and lunches.

Must be niiiiice.

I agree with your sentiment in general though.

And yeah, yay for eggs!

[UberTumbleweed]

http://www.expertrating.com/personal-trainer-certification.asp

 

They're one of the top 9,815 website in terms of traffic, and certification is only $70. On one hand LOL, but on the other, I kinda want to just for these situations.

 

"See where ExpertRating certified Personal Trainers have been working"

 

Ripple Bagel and Deli.  Tequila Beach.

 

Gosh, I gotta get my ExpertRating certification!!1!!!1

[Anivair]

Things that will make me stop listening to you about fitness or nutrition if you say them: 

 

• squatting is bad for your knees
• just eat less and do more cardio
• calories in, calories out
• healthy whole grains
• lifting weights is bad for your bones
• women shouldn't be lifting weights (or "weights over X pounds")
• fat is bad for you
• You should be running every day

 

That's not a complete list, but it's a start. 

[cn3wton]

I heard this in the gym the other day.  "Wow this is too easy"... 

 

Worst part is that he was helping someone at the same time... Really? You run on the elliptical at lvl 1 at 5mph and wonder why its easy?  Heaven forbid you try and push yourself or sweat...

[I-Jo]

LOL

 

"wow that looks hard"

or

"you know there's an easier way to do that"

 

O_o

 

yeah- I really haven't come up with a sarcastic ENOUGH answer other than- well that's the fucking point dumbass

[Irish Oisin]

I've gotten that as well I-Jo

"That looks really hard, who are you trying to impress?!"

"*panting* Myself actually"

 

One of the lads in the gym last night

"I'm here all the time (he is), yeah, I'm a real gym bunny"

*laughter all around him*

[Zorch]

 

• calories in, calories out

 

On the opposite side, if someone says "calories don't matter", I'll tune them out almost immediately.

 

As always, the truth lies somewhere in between: eating the right types of foods is better for one's health, and makes it much easier to manage one's weight.

[Rob__]

LOL

 

"wow that looks hard"

or

"you know there's an easier way to do that"

 

O_o

 

yeah- I really haven't come up with a sarcastic ENOUGH answer other than- well that's the fucking point dumbass

 

On the flipside of this:

 

"you know those squats could be doing more for your core if you did them while standing on a swiss ball...."

[I-Jo]

BAW HA HA HAHA True.

 

I hate people who stand on those stability balls. It just really annoys me LOL 

[ModernSpartacus]

How about people that talk about being "big-boned" or it's just they have a "small frame". That's directly tied to your weight. Your bones are alive (well depending on the type of bone) and grow with your body. If you gain weight, your bones get bigger in order to support that weight! It's an excuse to give up on being healthy.

That being said, my bone structure means that even when I do lose weight, I'm not small and petite, I'm more of a broad shouldered female rugby player :L I'll never look like a model because my bones aren't structured like that.

[Waldo]

 

I heard this in the gym the other day.  "Wow this is too easy"... 

 

Worst part is that he was helping someone at the same time... Really? You run on the elliptical at lvl 1 at 5mph and wonder why its easy?  Heaven forbid you try and push yourself or sweat...

Honestly it depends on what you are trying to accomplish. There are in fact good reasons to run ridiculously slow on the treadmill.

It is often said that you should avoid cardio when bulking. I'm among the many who are in firm disagreement with this sentiment, however you should avoid INTENSE cardio. Easy cardio, like could talk on the phone easy, is very much a good thing in moderation.

But to do that you have to be able to moderate yourself. I can pace myself much better outside (relax and enjoy my surroundings/music) than on a treadmill (I always end up going too fast on a treadmill, going too slow on one annoys the crap out of me), but many are the opposite, set it to an easy slow speed and forget it.

[Waldo]

 

Most of us are not even close to the point where the tiny minutiae of what we eat and how we work out are going to have a noticeable effect. Someone who struggles just to work out three times a week, period, does not need to worry about how many seconds to rest between sets.

Stick with it long enough and work hard enough, and the need to pay attention to the details will come.

[Waldo]

 

A female friend of mine is doing some boxing each week and has a personal trainer who gives diet advice and she has been advised against eating a lot of protein and has even been told to stop eating red meat altogether! I told her that protein is good and her body needs it to which she said "But I don't want to get muscular". Her personal trainer is filling her with this kind of thing, I tried to talk her round but she just said that I wasn't a personal trainer and didn't know what I was talking about. All I said was protein is good for you and red meat is a good source of protein! (not the best, but good)

Show her how hard it is to become a personal trainer...

[Irish Oisin]

And become one myself? That could be something to do once I set out on my new life. I mean, fuck it, why not?

[I-Jo]

I think he ment- just show her the "steps" to take- and for some certs- there are not many- my friend paid 5-700 for hers and it was a multi day very intensive exam.

 

I know two other girls who couldn't tell their ass from a hole in the ground and they managed to get one.

 

PT's have their role and some are really good and very earnest about their desire to help people and also to be the best trainer they can be.

[Irish Oisin]

I've pointed her in the direction of Staci. You can't argue with results!