Carbs? No carbs? What're carbs? Eat 3 meals or 6? Organic or not organic? Red meat or no red meat? To hell with it; I think I'll have cake!
With regards to health and fitness, we enjoy access to information on whatever area of personal concern we desire. At the touch of a button we can read up on nutrition, exercise, and weight loss; with the only limit being the question asked.
In the wake of access to information, we need to ask whether people are really better off now than they were before, in relation to their physical fitness. After all, obesity is on the rise as well as illness associated to poor nutrition and lack of physical activity. With so much conflicting data and an abundance of varied opinions, some people just don't know what to think and what might be the most ideal approach for them.
With regards to health and fitness, we enjoy access to information on whatever area of personal concern we desire. At the touch of a button we can read up on nutrition, exercise, and weight loss; with the only limit being the question asked.
In the wake of access to information, we need to ask whether people are really better off now than they were before, in relation to their physical fitness. After all, obesity is on the rise as well as illness associated to poor nutrition and lack of physical activity. With so much conflicting data and an abundance of varied opinions, some people just don't know what to think and what might be the most ideal approach for them.
Human diversity is a tremendous thing, it's what fuels progress and innovation, it's what breaks individual predictability. Sure this is a great thing, but one of the down sides is that knowing what is beneficial for one person doesn't necessarily tell you what's good for another.
When I start working with people, I find their questions often plagued with too much complexity. They don't know whether to eat organic food, they want to know how many grams of protein to eat per day, should they be taking supplements, and so on.... Such specific questions are reflective of their confusion; you'll find so many different responses to these questions and this is where we all become paralyzed in the headlights of the information train.
If you're confused and uncertain about your personal needs, I'd suggest forgetting about all the conflicting information and starting with the more obvious things. As you take more control over the basics, you can look deeper into the more complex questions; like eating organic, supplementation, ounces of protein, and is Pilates better for the core as opposed to medicine ball training?
So, before you start worrying about the details, just get the basics working efficiently. Until you can get the top 2 objectives met; you won't have to ask another question. Here're the top 2:
#1 You absolutely must do some form of physical activity 3-4 times per week. Bike or walk to work, go to the gym, play a fun sport, or join an exercise class. Unless you start to move your body, there's just no sense in discussing much else. With over 300 muscles in the human body that produce movement; we are clearly designed to move. Ignoring this will jeopardize your health and limit the efficacy of all your other choices.
#2 "Garbage in, garbage out." The food that you consume is the raw material that builds your body; and your body is the tool through which everything gets done. To start with, don't worry about carbs or no carbs and calorie counting. By just practicing better nutrition, you're sure to have progress in your wellbeing. Use a general guideline in your approach by avoiding white flour and switch to whole grain, resist eating processed foods, avoid sugar as best as you can, and make sure your snacks are in the form of vegetables and fruit. Once you've committed to that and are comfortable with it, you can begin to look at specific features of where your nutrition can be further improved.
Maximizing your results from these 2 suggestions can literally take months to years. Creating habits that stick require that you get organized and plan your schedule to allow for "me" time; and these days we know how much of a challenge that is in itself. Focus your undivided attention on these top 2 objectives and you'll see that just keeping this up requires discipline. A great Russian coach that I trained with-Dr. Igor Burdenko-constantly reminded our class that you start with the simple and move on to the complex; never the other way around.
When I start working with people, I find their questions often plagued with too much complexity. They don't know whether to eat organic food, they want to know how many grams of protein to eat per day, should they be taking supplements, and so on.... Such specific questions are reflective of their confusion; you'll find so many different responses to these questions and this is where we all become paralyzed in the headlights of the information train.
If you're confused and uncertain about your personal needs, I'd suggest forgetting about all the conflicting information and starting with the more obvious things. As you take more control over the basics, you can look deeper into the more complex questions; like eating organic, supplementation, ounces of protein, and is Pilates better for the core as opposed to medicine ball training?
So, before you start worrying about the details, just get the basics working efficiently. Until you can get the top 2 objectives met; you won't have to ask another question. Here're the top 2:
#1 You absolutely must do some form of physical activity 3-4 times per week. Bike or walk to work, go to the gym, play a fun sport, or join an exercise class. Unless you start to move your body, there's just no sense in discussing much else. With over 300 muscles in the human body that produce movement; we are clearly designed to move. Ignoring this will jeopardize your health and limit the efficacy of all your other choices.
#2 "Garbage in, garbage out." The food that you consume is the raw material that builds your body; and your body is the tool through which everything gets done. To start with, don't worry about carbs or no carbs and calorie counting. By just practicing better nutrition, you're sure to have progress in your wellbeing. Use a general guideline in your approach by avoiding white flour and switch to whole grain, resist eating processed foods, avoid sugar as best as you can, and make sure your snacks are in the form of vegetables and fruit. Once you've committed to that and are comfortable with it, you can begin to look at specific features of where your nutrition can be further improved.
Maximizing your results from these 2 suggestions can literally take months to years. Creating habits that stick require that you get organized and plan your schedule to allow for "me" time; and these days we know how much of a challenge that is in itself. Focus your undivided attention on these top 2 objectives and you'll see that just keeping this up requires discipline. A great Russian coach that I trained with-Dr. Igor Burdenko-constantly reminded our class that you start with the simple and move on to the complex; never the other way around.
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