This month, we're talking about lies and breaking down the myths and pseudo-science that the fitness industry propagates in order to capitalize on your body-insecurity. Sometimes these lies and black and white constructions (we'll get to some of those); other times, it's the partial truths or manipulation of facts that wind up getting us in the end.
Today, we're going to look at one of the most pervasive half-truths out there: "Weight loss (Fat Loss/Health/Insert-Catch-Phrase-Here) is 80% diet, 20% exercise."
There are some variations on this theme, but they ultimately amount the same thing: What you eat is more important to your health than how much you move your body, especially if your goal is trying to lose weight.
This myth is based on the fundamental premise: that all overweight people have a food intake problem. This has been the dominant paradigm in the weight-loss/fitness/health sciences for a long time, so it is understandable that people believe it. However, several recent studies on obesity are beginning to indicate that the reverse might actually be true. Science is indicating that weight gain is actually what causes calorie intake to increase- and that sedentary behaviour (the action of not moving) is the real culprit for a population that is rapidly increasing in body mass.
This isn't to say that many of us don't eat more calories than we consume, but it is to say that implying that reducing our calorie intake is the key to good health is a bit of a stretch.
While it may be (mostly) true that you can't 'out exercise' a very high calorie diet (though there are many people who actually do and do so healthily...we'll talk about that in another post), it is equally true that you can't 'out-eat' a sedentary lifestyle. What I mean by that is that evidence strongly indicates that it is a much greater risk to not get enough physical activity and exercise than it is to have a very high calorie diet, even if the former results in weight gain.
With that in mind, let's look at today's myth: "You need to dramatically change your eating/exercise patterns to change your body."
The BS meter is dangerous high with this one. When we are told that we need to radically transform pretty much everything about our lives, overnight, in order to achieve any sort of meaningful change, we are outright lying.
Every single change you make, no matter how tiny, is going to have an impact on your body. That's how physiology works. For better or for worse, your body is always working through your choices and making adaptations based on what you are doing.
The not so great part of that is that all your bad choice impact you. Unfortunately, no matter what they say, calories do count on Valentine's day.
BUT the great thing about this is that every single good choice you make will impact you too! Which means that every time you choose the stairs over the elevator, or have a salad instead of fries, or go for a beautiful walk on a sunny day- every time you make a choice that ultimately favours your body functioning properly, you are going to have a slightly better body.
It may not be a lot. And it may not show up on a scale right away. But, if you play your cards right, it will show up in your life...and the scale eventually catches up, if you decide that you want it to.
So, if changing your diet is something that strikes you as overwhelming right now, rest assured that you absolutely can transform your body for the better just with exercise! Beyond that, if you are careful to not increase your calorie intake and keep it stable, increase in exercise WILL translate to weight loss. It may not be as rapid as going on a hyper restrictive diet; but health is a way bigger picture than your actual body weight, and- overall- increasing your activity levels will be healthier for you in more ways than just change your mass.
Habits take a while to form- we know that. We also know that changing habits in small doses is generally helpful in avoiding relapses and ensuring that the changes stick. There is nothing wrong with focusing 80% of your efforts on diet. And there is nothing wrong with making dietary changes in lieu of activity changes if you want to start there or are limited in what you can physically do.
If that's what works for you right now, then that's great. BUT, weight loss and health are simply more complicated than what you put on your plate. And sometimes, what goes on your plate is a more complicated equation than "does this fit my calorie count?"
Now, if you are looking to get as low a body fat percentage as possible, dietary changes will become inevitable. And that's ok. But it doesn't have to be your starting point.
Don't let diet stress become a barrier to your success. Calories are not your enemy. Food is your friend.
With body-love,
Coach Zita
The following post is part of a series STOP THE LIES! aiming at deconstructing the hundreds (thousands?) of lies being told by the diet industry in an effort to shame people (usually women, but they are broadening their scope to men more and more...how very inclusive <eye roll>) into having unhealthy relationships with their bodies in an effort to sell them products. Enough is enough. It's time to expose these lies for what they are.
No comments:
Post a Comment