Why we really don't know what to eat

Why can I eat 3,800 calories a day, workout 4 times a week for 30 minutes each and not gain any weight? And then turn around and train for a marathon, eating less calories and working out more and not lose any weight. Why am I always between 205 and 210 lbs no matter what? For years I have been trying to understand how to eat and how it will effect me.

The most important book you can read this year is Michael Pollan's "In Defense of Food". But you don't even have to read the whole thing. Pick it up and turn right to the chapter entitled Bad Science (part 1, chapter 9). (The link will take you to the chapter available on Google books.) These 10 pages succinctly sum up the problems with the science of nutrition in a way I have been trying to articulate for several years.

The fundamental issue according to Pollan is that nutrition science, and all science for that matter, must isolate a variable to determine how changes to that variable impact the subject of the research. Nutritional scientists isolate the nutrient. Unfortunately, that approach "takes the nutrient out of the context of the food, the food out of the context of the diet, and the diet out of the context of the lifestyle."

Isolating the nutrient ignores its interplay with other nutrients, chemical compounds, and the human body that is processing it. All of which can create subtle or not so subtle changes in the nutrient's behavior.

Are you familiar with the glycemic index? Many popular diets are based on the principle that some foods have high impact on blood sugar levels than others. In isolation, that is true. A banana will spike your blood sugar level higher than a carrot. But when we start to combine foods (after all, we rarely eat one food at a time) some of the glycemic index science gets blurry. Eat a bagel by itself and those carbs will be processed quickly. Spread some peanut butter on that bagel and the absorption of carbs slows dramatically. The bagels glycemic index number has been altered by the peanut butter.

The supplement industry regularly claims they have "isolated" the enzyme or anti-oxidant responsible for preventing this or that disease. The problem is when the chemical or compound is extracted from the FOOD it rarely has the same impact has when it is left in the food. The reason, the interplay of all the elements of the food is erased when the chemical is processed into a supplement, AND THE INTERPLAY MATTERS. In a test tube, the science works. Beta-carotene in its native food source eats up free radicals. When beta is extracted and placed in a supplement, it just doesn't act the same way.

We don't understand these food interactions very well because our nutrition science doesn't look at food as a whole and doesn't address the uniqueness of our bodies. Eat a steak and you will absorb its iron. Drink coffee when you eat that steak and you won't get much of the iron.

What we do know is that eating real foods in their whole form will provide us with nutrients that help our body function. Continue to eat fruits, vegetables, meats, poultry. Choose organic if you so desire. But be ware of claims about how some part of that food will make you bigger, smaller, taller or smarter. Food is way more than the sum of its parts.

Be well,

Paul

Paul Dziewisz

Active Personal Fitness

www.ActivePersonalFitness.com

267.626.7478

"You give us the effort...we'll get you the results."

What's the difference.....

One of our readers sent in the following question.

I was just reading your blog from Sept. 28th and I have a question based on your commentary. In terms of Fitness, what would be the difference between Stamina and Endurance, Power and Strength, and Flexibility and Agility? I'm just curious. - Christina

The Answer

Great question. First off, thanks for taking the time to join my newsletter and for reading the past blogs. I hope you find them informative.

Not knowing your level of fitness I will try to define the terms and give examples from everyday life and from an athletic perspective.

I think the easiest of the three distinctions is between flexibility and agility. Flexibility is the ability of your body to move through a full range of motion without restriction due to tightness in the muscles or joints. Having adequate flexibility in everyday life may show itself by a person who is able to reach their hands fully overhead to grab a box off the top shelf of the pantry and then bend down and place that box on the floor without feeling tightness or pain in their shoulders or legs. In athletics, flexibility is best displayed by a gymnast performing on the uneven bars or on the floor routine. They are able to contort into improbable positions without restriction from muscular or joint tightness.

Agility is the ability for your body to move quickly but in a controlled manner through a variety of directions and planes of motion. Agility for the average person is demonstrated by being able to “catch” your balance when you trip on the curb by quickly placing your other foot into position without even thinking about it. For the athlete, agility can be seen in an NFL defender moving sideways at full speed, leaping over a blocker, turning and running toward the ball carrier without losing balance or control.

The power vs. strength distinction is a little more subtle. Strength is the ability to supply force against an object. Lifting a heavy box off the ground is an example. In athletics it is displayed by a football player pushing on his/her opponent for the length of a full play. Power is the ability to exert maximum strength in minimal time. It usually involves one good forceful movement. Power is the shove you give to a child on a swing when they want to go really high. In sport, it is the hard swing of a home run hitter.

Stamina and endurance basically mean the same thing. Except when I refer to them I am referring to cardiovascular endurance and muscular stamina. Endurance is the ability to process and deliver oxygen to the body. Stamina is the ability to process and deliver energy to the body. Endurance is displayed by someone who can walk up 5 flights of stairs and not be winded at the top. Stamina is displayed by someone who can carry 20 boxes of books out to the car without stopping to rest their arms. Marathon runners have tremendous endurance. And if you ever tried to throw punches for even 30 seconds it would be very clear that boxers have extraordinary stamina to keep punching over the course of ten 3-minute rounds.

I hope that helps. I would be happy to explain more or differently.

Thanks again for the question and keep reading the blog.

Be well,

Paul

Paul Dziewisz
Active Personal Fitness
www.ActivePersonalFitness.com
267.626.7478

"Light weight" is an oxymoron

Not many things bug me. I'm pretty easy-going and even-tempered. Usually, that is.

Then I walk into my local gym and see someone doing an exercise using the same 5lbs dumbbells they have been using for the last 3 years. Most of these exercisers are women. Their argument, "I don't want to look like Arnold." So they continue to use their "hand weights" (that term is a dead giveaway...they are dumbbells, not hand weights) and they continue to look the same year after year.

"You won't" is my standard response. Women, and most men for that matter, do not have the genetic makeup or the hours to devote to lifting weights needed to create bulking muscles. Furthermore, lifting the same sized weights over and over again for weeks, months, and years is not doing ANYTHING to make you more fit.

No one ever got stronger lifting light weights. You should not do any exercise where you intentionally choose to use light weights. Yet glance at a group exercise class at your local gym and count how many people are doing bicep curls with 5 lbs weights.

What do you pick up in your day that weighs 5 lbs or less? A gallon of milk weighs 8 lbs, your purse or briefcase is over 10 lbs, your toddler is 20+, a shovel full of snow is 25+, a full suitcase...forget it. Lifting light weights is not making you stronger; it's not even preparing you to perform your daily activities.

How to chose the right weight?
The right-sized weight is a personal decision. The important thing is to choose the right weight for you and continue to choose heavier weights when your body is ready.

If you are doing 10 reps of an exercise, choose a weight where the 8th, 9th and 10th reps are challenging and fatiguing. If you finish 10 reps and could immediately do 10 more then you need to use more weight.

Once you've gotten strong enough to complete 10 reps with the weight you are using it is time to increase it. Using progressive resistance will make you stronger, give you more LEAN muscle, and give you the arms, legs and torso you are looking for.

Arnold will never show up in your mirror. I have two friends who do female physique competitions. They train for hours lifting weights and rigidly adjust their nutrition to look lean and strong for their competitions. And even then, when you see them in street clothes you would never say "hey, look at Ms. Arnold". More than likely you would say, "wow, I wish I had those arms".

For more information on how to put yourself on the path to fitness and the body you want, contact me at 267.626.7478.

Be well,

Paul
Paul Dziewisz
Active Personal Fitness
www.ActivePersonalFitness.com
267.626.7478