Good Sports Fitness

06/18/2022

Great discussion!
h/t Greg Nuckols at Stronger by Science
Is obesity a choice?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keBZfGAmq2Q

04/06/2022

The scale never tells the whole story.

It’s important to get multiple types of measurements when trying to transform your body and health.

If we went strictly by the scale, this person would not have seen objective improvements. Looking at metabolic markers and also waist circumference, we were able to capture some non-scale objective improvements.

❤️❤️

02/01/2022

You probably need to know much less than you think in order to be successful when it comes to lifestyle and weight loss.

I understand wanting to nerd out on the topics. That’s totally fine. But in order to make practical changes, you don’t need to know all of the complexities.

For example, worrying about how many meals to eat per day is probably a waste of time. I generally recommend between 2-5 meals a day, BUT some do fine with even just one meal a day. The principle of energy balance matters most. This is how many calories you eat per day versus how many you burn. Whether you eat more or fewer meals per day may depend on your lifestyle and preferences.

More meals per day (up to about 5 or 6) spread evenly may be best for muscle retention, but even then making sure you’re actually lifting and getting in enough protein in the day is more important.

What about which foods to eat? Again it comes down to energy balance first. Eat foods that help you stay satiated and less miserable with fewer calories(and sufficient protein). Don’t worry about the rest.

Having a good coach can help you implement these principles into your life. That’s why I’m launching my nutrition coaching program soon. No need to get super detailed into nutrition. Just find practical ways to get success. ❤️❤️

06/19/2021

If you’re waiting to get motivated before you decide to get up and do the thing...you’re gonna be waiting a very long time.

Most people think motivation is the first step.

“First you get motivated. Then you take action. Then you get results.”

Wrong.

That’s not how it works.

And thinking you’re just going to “get motivated” is a pipe dream.

First you take action.

Even (and especially) when you aren’t motivated to do it.

Maybe it’s walking 5min/day.

Maybe it’s drinking a glass of water before you eat.

Maybe it’s having 1 piece of fruit every day before 10am.

Maybe it’s counting your calories one day/week.

I don’t care what it is.

I just care that you pick something to do and do it.

Because this equation begins with action.

From your action you get results.

From your results you get motivated.

With that motivation you take more action.

And so the cycle continues.

But it all starts with action.

So, please.

Stop waiting until you’re motivated.

Make the decision to do something every day that will get you closer to achieving your goals.

And do it.

Every day.

Even when you don’t want to.

Then you’ll get results.

From the results you’ll get motivated.

And then you’ll be taking more action.

Love you.

Share this post if there's someone in your life who needs to hear it.

05/13/2021

As promised here are some more basics. These are the components of our total energy expenditure. Most people who think of metabolism think of our basal metabolic rate. That’s what I was discussing in the last post. It’s pretty much set in place. It’s around 60-70% of our total energy expenditure for the day. The other components are worth mentioning too.

Most importantly is the non exercise activity thermogenesis. This is the energy we burn that isn’t purposeful exercise or energy we burn trying to digest food. It’s the little stuff like fidgeting and changing posture and walking (although purposely walking can be a form of exercise of course). This is where we can have a major impact on the amount we burn. Increasing ways we move without it being purposeful exercise is probably a good idea if possible.

You’ll see the exercise thermogenesis is a small component. This partly explains why exercise isn’t that great by itself for weight loss. There’s only so much you can do of it and our bodies have interesting ways of compensating for it anyway.

The other component is the thermic effect of food. This could be modified slightly by eating a higher percentage of calories from protein, but the calorie difference from that isn’t going to cause massive amounts of weight. It’s still small relative to everything else but is partly why people say you should eat higher protein to lose weight.

Hopefully this is a good taster. ❤️

01/03/2021

11/15/2020

If you’ve been following me for awhile you’ll be no stranger to the concept of “under reporting” when it comes to how much we think we eat. For whatever reason, we eat much more than we think we do. This does NOT mean you’re an idiot or a failure or a liar or a bad person whatsoever. Hell I do it too!

It’s just something we have to understand whether we are someone trying to lose weight or a coach or a doctor or whatever. Unless you’re in a metabolic ward being fed from a metabolic kitchen where everything is precise, you’ll likely be off on your estimation of intake. If you’re consistent at least, and you’re not losing weight for a period of 2-4 weeks, you can adjust accordingly (or not if you’re already miserable in which case you may want to take a diet break).

Anyway, it’s not a moral failure if you eat more than you think you do. It’s a normal phenomenon. I do it. Dietitians do it. We all do it. ❤️❤️❤️

11/10/2020

You've probably heard this common axiom: "Walk at least 10,000 steps a day!"⁠
⁠
And for good reason, since it's been shown to improve blood pressure and other parameters of cardiovascular health.⁠
⁠
However, while 10,000 is a nice, round number, it is probably not YOUR PERSONAL optimal number. ⁠
⁠
For instance, check out this graph.⁠
⁠
It's from a study in older women finding that mortality rates decreased sharply as steps went up to about 4,400. ⁠
⁠
Beyond that, they decreased more slowly until about 7,500. Beyond that, they stopped decreasing.⁠
⁠
So if there’s a magic number in this scenario, it is 7,500. ⁠
⁠
Yet even if this happens to be your magical number, it is still just a number. Don’t let it rule you. Do more when you can, do less if you can’t. ⁠
⁠
Don’t decide not to walk at all today because you have time or energy for only 5,000 steps. Don’t feel like you’ve failed today because your fitness tracker says that you’ve walked only 5,000 steps. ⁠
⁠
Stay flexible! What really matters is how much you walk, or move in general, over weeks and months and years — not within a single day.⁠

Reference: PMID 31141585
⁠

12/03/2019

Why do most people regain the weight they lost? It’s two-fold. First, people think that once they’ve lost the weight that they can just be done with it completely. That means they go back to their old habits, which is eating more calories than they were taking in (whether it be a lot of high calorie foods or very sedentary lifestyle or a mix of both).

The second reason is because our bodies and environment are fighting us to go back to where we were. Your hunger may be heightened, your drive to move more may be less, you’re surrounded by l sorts of yummy high calorie foods. The first and second reason are tied into each other by the way.

So are you screwed? Nope. There are ways to fight back. There are foods that are more satiating. There are tactics to keep your calories and portions lower (we like diet templates). There are awesome fitness facilities that can allow you to move while enjoying it. There are coaches that help you strategize when feeling hopeless. There are doctors who can even give medicines and refer to surgery when the above doesn’t work.

Either way, you can do it. It takes time. It takes practice. It takes patience. If you’re interested in working with one of our awesome RP coaches to get you there, be sure to click on the link BELOW as we are offering a one month of coaching free deal right now that ends today or when slots fill up (may be in a few hours.). Hope to have you in our program!

https://renaissanceperiodization.com/rp-store/coaching