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This week I’m going to cover 3 different things that I’ve ‘changed my mind on’ during my 16 years in the Fitness Industry.
I blogged the other week about how our ability to admit we were wrong about something is a huge part of making the changes that lead to results.
I’ve been wrong many times.
Most FitPros won’t admit that.
They’ll subtly change their message (if they have a message that is) and kinda say “That’s what I meant”.
Or, even worse, they won’t be able to see that they were wrong, even in the face of overwhelming evidence.
They’ll see their beliefs and cherry picked ‘confirmations’ of them over the years as having more weight than controlled, large scale studies and experiments.
Exercise for Weight Loss
So, here’s the first thing I was wrong about:
The effectiveness of exercise for weight loss.
Now, in my defence, I was pretty quick to realise this.
I remember, in my first job in fitness (2002 Fitness First Derby represent), doing the maths on calorie burn for various exercises.
And being surprised how little it was compared to the amount of food that the same number of calories could come from.
It didn’t quite add up to how effective I’d previously thought exercise was and what I’d been told on my Level 2 Fitness Instructor course at the Cambridge YMCA earlier that year.
I even produced some little posters for the club showing, for example, half an hour on the treadmill compared to a Mars Bar.
Having said that, I probably continued to overestimate the role of exercise in weight loss for many years.
Saying things like “Weight loss is 70% nutrition. 30% exercise”.
Or maybe 80-20.
Now?
I’m not sure I’d put a number on it as life doesn’t really work that way.
But, if I had to……….
I’d probably say it’s more like 100-0.
Successful Weight Loss Without Exercise?
You can lose weight quite successfully by just eating better and not exercising (sure, some may be lean mass etc. but you will lose fat too).
And, conversely, you can be exercising hard and frequently but be gaining weight / fat if your eating isn’t great.
Kinda sounds like a 100-0 to me.
Now exercise has many benefits – I wouldn’t run a facility that offers that as part of their programmes if it didn’t (check our briefing meeting at RISE in Macclesfield if you like the sound of going somewhere where exercise is only part of the equation. Giving a weight loss equation that actually provides the answer you want).
It can help maintain (or increase) lean mass and bone density.
Improve health, fitness, energy levels, sleep, aches and pains and much more.
And many, myself included, find it much easier to be focused on the food side while they’re doing regular exercise, compared to when they aren’t.
It can contribute to weight loss, in conjunction with appropriate eating,
But, over the years, I’ve definitely changed my mind on the effectiveness of exercise for weight loss.
And maybe you have now too?
And, maybe, that’s given you the focus to make some adjustments elsewhere?
Much love,
Jon ‘187’ Hall and Matt ‘4:20’ Nicholson
P.S. Before Matt’s mum googles 4:20, I’m joking 😉
RISE Macclesfield – myrise.co.uk
Serious transformations. Fun times!
Enter your details at myrise.co.uk for more information about what we do.
Or check out our monthly find-out-more meeting if you want to learn more about our free ’20lbs weight loss in 8 weeks’ and ‘Beach Body’ challenges –> myrise.co.uk/briefing-meeting
