Moderation and Common Sense
It has really taken me years to figure this out. I was never the most critical thinker growing up and I took a lot of things on faith. I respected my elders and usually did as I was told. I could easily buy in to a well done presentation and accept what I was seeing because "why would people lie?". I spent many years of my life heavily invovled in a religion when I was younger which I no longer participate. I pretty much blindly followed the leaders.
I think a much healthier attitude is "most people are selfish assholes and want to control everything". Certainly there are honest, fair people in the world. I am drawn to make friends with these types of people. When I hear people talk about religion or computer technology or their philosophies on exercise or life or whatever, I have to take a step back and use common sense. This flies in the face of much of what I have been taught growing up. But you have to ask yourself "does this jive with what my gut tells me? are there solid facts to back it up? what is this person's motivation?".
How this relates to exercise is how people grab onto a certain diet or certain exercise regimen and preach it as religiously as a missionary talks religion. I have read a lot of articles online and a few diet/exercise books. The one I like the best is an e-book called Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle. It speaks well to my common sense (at least 90% of it does). The basic ideas are some I have mentioned before ... everyone is different (body types, how they process food), balance is key, real food (vs. protein shakes and the like) is the way to go, exercise should be cardio/lifting combination, eat frequently with natural foods, etc. From experience, this really seems to make sense.
Some of the things that I don't completely buy into or have to ask some more questions are about long-term effects. What is the real goal? Is it ultimate health or lowest body fat%? The book stresses how to burn fat ... lots of it. And I know the methods work. But I wonder if beyond a certain point, health takes a hit? I don't know the answer but common sense tells me the principles of eating lean protein with complex, unrefined carbohydrates and good fats are dead-on accurate. The problem is do being too lean cause problems? Programs like this where meals are small and frequent, if you end up eating 3 chicken breasts a day to get lean are you better off healthwise?
The author, Tom Venuto, stresses the importance of planning and balance. I think that is key. I think mixing a lot of greens into the diet is important. I think other things like tea should be stressed for health purposes as well. I have read the menus of some readers that they follow and although they lose fat, I am not sure they have enough balance. But getting 5 or 6 small, balanced meals is tough. Much harder than going to the gym. It takes real effort.
But life isn't all about losing weight. I do it to be healthier long-term and I write about it because it helps me stay motivated.
I think a much healthier attitude is "most people are selfish assholes and want to control everything". Certainly there are honest, fair people in the world. I am drawn to make friends with these types of people. When I hear people talk about religion or computer technology or their philosophies on exercise or life or whatever, I have to take a step back and use common sense. This flies in the face of much of what I have been taught growing up. But you have to ask yourself "does this jive with what my gut tells me? are there solid facts to back it up? what is this person's motivation?".
How this relates to exercise is how people grab onto a certain diet or certain exercise regimen and preach it as religiously as a missionary talks religion. I have read a lot of articles online and a few diet/exercise books. The one I like the best is an e-book called Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle. It speaks well to my common sense (at least 90% of it does). The basic ideas are some I have mentioned before ... everyone is different (body types, how they process food), balance is key, real food (vs. protein shakes and the like) is the way to go, exercise should be cardio/lifting combination, eat frequently with natural foods, etc. From experience, this really seems to make sense.
Some of the things that I don't completely buy into or have to ask some more questions are about long-term effects. What is the real goal? Is it ultimate health or lowest body fat%? The book stresses how to burn fat ... lots of it. And I know the methods work. But I wonder if beyond a certain point, health takes a hit? I don't know the answer but common sense tells me the principles of eating lean protein with complex, unrefined carbohydrates and good fats are dead-on accurate. The problem is do being too lean cause problems? Programs like this where meals are small and frequent, if you end up eating 3 chicken breasts a day to get lean are you better off healthwise?
The author, Tom Venuto, stresses the importance of planning and balance. I think that is key. I think mixing a lot of greens into the diet is important. I think other things like tea should be stressed for health purposes as well. I have read the menus of some readers that they follow and although they lose fat, I am not sure they have enough balance. But getting 5 or 6 small, balanced meals is tough. Much harder than going to the gym. It takes real effort.
But life isn't all about losing weight. I do it to be healthier long-term and I write about it because it helps me stay motivated.
posted by George @ 8:27 AM
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