Don’t trust everything you read. Except Here. Trust It All.
Welcome to my Blog. Here you can learn everything you want to know about getting stronger, losing weight and managing your diet, in an empathetic and scientific way.
How To Plan And Design A Home Workout — The Ultimate Guide
I know this article is coming a little late into the “Lockdown” Home Workout Game…but cut me some slack. I did still have a business to run and build, and The Fitness Collective is now allowing me to sit down and write really helpful content for you. Like this.
The Home Workout. It’s a funny beast.
From where I am sat, it is something you know you could do. But it just isn’t that easy to actually execute.
And it doesn’t matter how many times you intend to do one, finding the right energy for it just seems elusive.
And I’ll let you in on a little secret…
During Lockdown I was really struggling to do Home Workouts too.
But keep that between you and me, please.
I’ve been writing Home Workouts for The Fitness Collective for many years now. From 10min Bodyweight Workouts to full-blown Programmes, and with great results I might add. Putting this format of a workout alongside their nutritional adherence to a Calorie Deficit here are some results:
From doing a minimum of 70mins a week I have had one client lose 26lbs. Another client has lost 14lbs by following this programme which I have laid out here. And using this format on the Gym Floor lost another client of mine 24lbs.
I know it works, and I have been using formats very similar to this for years as a one on one Coach as well as an Online Coach. This isn’t a program I learned in a book or even a method that I found out on some secret trainer coaching call.
This is a format I have been intuitively using with all of my clients for the last 5 years.
It keeps training fun, it keeps training optimal and it allows clients to feel progress but not feel overworked. It’s not a quick fix or a fast solution. It’s sustainable, achievable and the results stick over a long period of time.
There are a lot of issues out there with the way that many trainers structure and write a Home Workout for you, so my plan right now is to give you a plug and play formula, one that will challenge you every time you workout and will never get boring or too easy for you.
One that you can change at any moment if you wish, one where you can switch up exercises when you get bored of them or feel like you need a different challenge, however
This is way more advanced than a 20min Booty Workout on YouTube.
But because it's advanced, it doesn’t mean you aren’t going to be able to do it. It means this Article is going to take you through:
Table of Conetents for: How To Plan And Design A Home Workout — The Ultimate Guide
So if you’re ready…
How To Plan And Design A Home Workout — The Ultimate Guide
GETTING INTO THE RIGHT MINDSET FOR A HOME WORKOUT
Knowing that you are going to the gym to do a workout is quite straightforward, and although you will have good days and bad days with that, you still seem to have the right energy for it when you are there.
But at Home that energy doesn’t exist.
And this is perfectly normal. Many, many, many people struggle to workout from home.
This relates to something called Environmental Productivity.
When everyone around you is working on the same thing you sense that energy and it keeps you accountable for what you want to do too. It helps keep you motivated. It's like going to study at a Library, despite having a perfectly good set up at home. The energy about the place matches your driven desire for your action.
So how can you create a Gym Environment at Home to help you get motivated to do the workouts?
Try Cranking Up The Music
Gyms have specific music on for specific reasons. The ideal Beats Per Minute for a Strength Training Workout is 130–140 for each song. Here Spotify has done the hard work for you and it groups Music by BPM: This Playlist is one example of that.
If you want a Playlist full of inspirational music for the Gym which we use in The Fitness Collective then all you have to do is click here: The Fitness Collective Spotify Playlist
Use Stock Footage Of Other People Working Out
You can head to YouTube and just get rolling footage of other people working out. Put it on your TV and away you go…it will be like you are working out next to other people who are doing the same thing as you.
One Example of that footage is right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfWaGAgU4ms
Give Yourself A Journey To Your Gym
Lay out everything you need for the Gym. Your Weights, your Mat, your Towel, your Water Bottle, put the stock footage on your TV, and start your music playing.
Then leave your house dressed and ready to workout.
Walk around the block knowing that when you re-enter it is not your Home. It’s your gym. Just make the walk 5 minutes and treat it as your workout.
That way when you enter your home, you will see it as a different space, and it will feel more like a fresh space for you.
Peter Hall, the very famous RSC Director said:
“The first act of creativity is sweeping the floor”
That is what you need to do. Clear the decks and set it up as your Home Workout space. Then clear your mind and your physical state by leaving the space and returning with a different intention.
How To Plan And Design A Home Workout — The Ultimate Guide
Are Home Workouts Effective to Lose Weight and/or Build Muscle?
Let’s look at this a little more objectively.
Are you able to get to a Gym? If so…then go to the gym to workout. You can increase the loads and perform much more optimal exercises for your body.
I highly doubt you have a Barbell at home…
Are you unable to go to a Gym? This could be for many reasons. Maybe you are scared of the Gym or it makes you feel uncomfortable. Maybe you have young children and can’t find the time. Maybe you can’t afford a Gym. All valid reasons and understandable reasons for your desire to workout at home, and this is why working out at home can be effective for you.
If you do get intimidated by a Gym environment then please read this article which has helped hundreds of people overcome their fear: https://www.thegymstarter.com/blog/how-to-stop-worrying-about-going-to-the-gym
If you fall into the “Unable To Go To The Gym” demographic then yes…home workouts can be effective for you. But they aren’t going to help you lose weight or build muscle unless you are a beginner and experience those “newbie” gains.
In order to Lose Weight, you must be in a Caloric Deficit
In order to Gain Weight and therefore Build Muscle, you must be in a Caloric Surplus.
So in truth, we need to be asking better questions of your Home Workouts (your Gym workouts too).
Your calories will always determine your ability to lose or gain weight. Your workouts will decide how you feel about yourself when doing either of these goals.
We need to be asking questions like:
Will this workout improve my ability to move? Will this workout help me improve how I feel about myself? Will this workout increase my mood? Will this workout boost my confidence? Will this workout give me a sense of accomplishment?
And the answer to every single one of those is Yes. A Home Workout will do that, provided you continue to follow some key principles laid out in the rest of this article.
Using these questions is how I have managed to focus the minds of my clients which has allowed them to get such great results when they just workout at home. Clients who have worked for just 10mins a day, do it every day. Therefore over a week, they are getting in at least 70mins of exercise a week. This plan is based on doing more than that in terms of time, but less frequently in terms of days.
How To Plan And Design A Home Workout — The Ultimate Guide
What Exercises Should You Do In A Home Workout?
Exactly the same exercises you would do in the Gym.
Thanks, Ron.
Let me clarify.
When I build a workout for anybody I will focus it around three movement patterns groups:
Push / Pull / Squat or Legs
And your Home Workouts should be no different at all. The issue we have here is that access to your ability to Push and Pull will be hindered by the equipment you have available to you.
To accommodate for this, you can allow a bigger bias to your Leg Exercises, which will keep the workouts very challenging for you.
Exercise Selection will always be based around the Muscle Groups of Push/Pull/Squat or Legs and then you will choose exercises starting with the Compound Movements.
These are:
Primary: Squat, Deadlift, Pull Up, Bench Press, Overhead Press
Secondary: Incline Row, Barbell Row, Push Up
As you are working out at home, personally I believe you should be doing three Full Body Workouts a week. These should be between 40–60mins in duration. You can do more, you can do less. It is entirely up to you. What is most important for your training is that you put it into a format that you enjoy, and will, therefore, keep adherent too.
Consistency is and always will be the most important part of ANY training program.
The majority of your workouts at home will be Compound Work (Multiple Muscle Focus). However, you can sneak a few Isolated (Single Muscle Focus) Movements in there too if you so wish.
The following lists will have crossovers for your Muscles and may engage many other muscle groups as well…but that’s ok. Also, the following list is where I would start…that doesn’t mean that other exercises aren’t justified.
The numbers next to each exercise is a difficulty rating based on a beginner working out, 1=Easy, 5=Hard. The difficulty is always subjective and just because an exercise is rated as 5 doesn’t mean you need to avoid it. What you are willing to put into your plan is completely up to you and I would recommend you challenge yourself as much as possible, whilst feeling safe and having a sense of accomplishment from what you are doing.
We can also limit or increase the intensity of an exercise and that will be very important for you to manage as you write and develop through your program (more on this in the section “What Sets and Reps Should You Do In A Home Workout”)
An exercise with FB written next to them means you can use them as a Full Body Compound as well
Bodyweight Push Movements (Compound)
Push Up (4), Incline Push Up (1–3), Wall Push Up (1), Bear Crawl (3), Spider Climbers FB (5), Push Up Plank (3), Mountain Runners (2), Pike Push Up (4), Hindu Push Up (5), Long Plank (4), Full Plank (3), Cobra Stretch (1), Stop Press Push Up (3), Walkout FB (2), Burpee FB (5)
Bodyweight Pull Movements (Compound)
Bodyweight Deadlift FB (1), Good Mornings (1), Towel Row (3), Bird Dog (2), Supermans (1), Prone Back Extension (1), Renegade Row (3)
Bodyweight Pull Movements (Isolation)
I’s, Y’s and T’s (2), Prone T (2), Wall Angel (3), Cobra Wings (2).
Bodyweight Leg Movements (Compound)
Squat (2), Forward Lunge (4), Squat Jump (4), Split Squat (3), Sumo Squat (2), Bulgarian Split Squat (5), Split Squat Jumps (5), Squat Pulse (3), Split Squat Pulse (4), Sumo Squat Pulse (4), Reverse Lunge (2), Side Lunge (3), Walking Lunge (3)
Bodyweight Leg Movements (Isolation)
Single-Leg Glute Bridge (3), Glute Bridge (1), Frog Pump (3), Clamshells (1)
If you have one set of Dumbells or one Single Kettlebell at Home you can add in any of these exercises:
Please note these exercises are not rated for difficulty as it will depend on the weight you have at Home
Push Movements (Compound)
Floor Chest Press, Overhead Press, Floor Chest Flyes, Arnold Press, Seated Overhead Press, Floor Pullover, Squat and Press FB.
Push Movements (Isolation)
Lateral Raise, DB or Bodyweight Arm Circles, Front Raises.
Pull Movements (Compound)
Deadlift FB, Bent Over Row, Renegade Row, Seated Low Row, Single Arm Row, KB or DB Swing FB, KB Halo, KB Single Arm Deadlift FB, KB Single Leg Deadlift.
Push Movements (Isolation)
Reverse Flyes, Upright Row.
Leg Movements (Compound)
Goblet Squat, Squat and Press FB. You can also add weight to any of the Leg Movements detailed above.
Leg Movements (Isolation)
Romanian Deadlift. You can also add weight to any of the Leg Movements detailed above.
Own Preference Training
This refers to anything additional you want to work on. This could be an Ab Circuit, some additional Arm Work, some Mobility Focus, anything you want to work on that is additional to your Goals. For example, in The Fitness Collective, we run Exercise Challenges, and you could insert that here.
Putting These Exercises Into A Structured Workout
A good dynamic warm-up is important for working out if you went for a brisk walk beforehand that’s a great start, and then from there just go into some Squat Swings, Arm Swings and any form of light movement that gets the heart rate elevated and your limbs moving.
Then you are going to use this structure (please note RPE is explained in the next section):
Full Body or Leg Compound (RPE = 9)
Leg Compound (RPE = 9)
Push Compound (RPE = 9)
Pull Compound (RPE = 8)
Leg Compound (RPE = 8)
Push Compound or Isolation (RPE = 8)
Pull Compound or Isolation (RPE = 8)
Leg Isolation (RPE = 7)
Leg Isolation (RPE = 7)
Own Preference Training (RPE =7)
What About Rest Periods? Your rest period between each exercise will be determined by your RPE. Therefore if you found an exercise was an RPE of 9 you would need longer to rest as opposed to if it was just a 7. You can dictate your rest, as long as within each set you reach your desired RPE.
How To Plan And Design A Home Workout — The Ultimate Guide
What Sets and Reps Should You Do In A Home Workout?
This is where so many Home Workouts fail you.
The typical Home Workout will tell you to do one of these many things:
The HIIT Format
30secs of said exercise, 10 seconds rest, or 40secs of said exercise, 20secs rest, etc, etc.
The Strength Format
3 Sets of 12 Reps, 5 Sets of 5 Reps, etc, etc.
The Failure Format
Do every exercise to exhaustion
It is impossible for myself as your trainer, or for anyone else to know truly how many Sets and Reps you need to do to gain what you need to gain from a Home Workout. We have formats in the Gym Environment of what Rep Range you need to work for, for certain outcomes. However at home, as you more than likely won't have enough weight to challenge yourself to the desired outcome across a Set you will need to judge everything based on your RPE, not Reps.
Therefore you need to learn to develop how many sets and reps you are capable of doing whilst sticking to the desired RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) across the set.
What is RPE?
RPE stands for Rate of Perceived Exertion. It’s a scale of 1–10 of how exhausted you feel once you have finished a set of exercises.
1 = you can do it all-day
10 = you need a 10-minute rest once you are finished
What RPE Should You Work For?
Across the whole workout, you want to walk away feeling like you worked at an RPE of 7–8.
One of the principles behind making workouts successful and effective is that of a Progressive Overload. This is the concept that every workout you try and do a little bit better than you did before. This could be: More Reps, More Sets, Longer Time Exercising, Better Form or Lifting More Weight.
When you judge a workout on your RPE your Progressive Overload is taken care of by itself as you adapt. Month One your 5kg Goblet Squat could be an RPE of 8 which is your target exertion level.
Then in Month Three, the exact same exercise, for the same amount of Reps might only make you feel like you worked at an RPE of 6.
When this happens you need to add in Progressive Overload. You can now improve your form, do more Reps, add in an extra set or add more weight to make sure you keep your Exercise at your target RPE of 8.
How To Structure Your Sets
You can structure your Sets however you want and in whatever format you desire.
You can stick to a traditional Strength Training Format which would be typically 3 Sets and as many Reps as you need to hit your RPE.
You can group the exercises into Circuits. The time for each exercise will be determined again by your RPE. If you find an exercise easier then do it for longer, or rest for a shorter time period. If you find the exercise harder then do it for less time, and rest for more time.
You can Super Set the exercises which is when you do two exercises back to back and give yourself no rest between each set.
To begin with, whilst you are figuring out how hard you are working over a Set to get your RPE then aim to work towards the traditional 3 Sets of 12 Reps format.
Or if you want to do a more HIIT Style of training use the 40 seconds on, 20 seconds rest structure.
How To Plan And Design A Home Workout — The Ultimate Guide
An Example Training Programme Based On This Structure
Here is a Training Programme you can take straight into your Training based on the structure I have outlined in this article.
How To Plan And Design A Home Workout — The Ultimate Guide
What Equipment Do You Need For A Home Workout?
Luckily, you don’t need a Golden Retriever to do your Reverse Crunches.
This Article has laid down a plan that should allow you to build some amazing workouts for yourself without any equipment at all.
I’m called The Gym Starter and part of that means I want to make Exercise as accessible as possible for you, hence giving you a plan that requires no investment other than your own body.
That being said, most people know someone or can get their hands on some equipment, and if that’s something you want to find out more then here is what I would personally recommend:
Dumbbells: They don’t have to be flashy but do need to be heavy and if you can get some they will certainly make your Home Workouts more interesting. I would recommend anything two 5kgs Dumbells or above.
5kg Dumbbells are heavy for many beginners especially when they are dong Isolation Exercises. But as you know by now, at Home we want to work as many Compound Movements into your workouts as possible, and 10kgs+ in those movement patterns is going to make them a lot more effective for your body.
Kettlebells: The exact same rules apply here as with Dumbells. A Kettlebell is a wonderful tool for your Home Workouts, but if you can only afford one KB, try getting a 10–12kg+ Kettlebell. This will make exercises like your Deadlift and Goblet Squat a lot more effective for you.
TRX/Suspension Trainer: If you can get a Suspension Trainer it will add another dimension to your workouts, especially your Back Exercises. They are super safe to use, hook over your door, and super fun too. An official TRX is quite expensive, but there are plenty of affordable Suspension Trainers on the Market, and I do recommend them to clients.
Yoga Mat: You will be doing a lot of floor work and making that feel more comfortable is important. If you are going to add in a lot of Ab Work in your Own Preference Training then maybe consider getting quite a thick Yoga Mat to just help with that.
Resistance Bands/Mini Bands: I do love a Resistance Bands as they are really cheap and can very much add a useful dimension to your workouts.
If you can add those three items to your arsenal of Workout Equipment then you will do very well. But you shouldn’t be spending 100s of Dollars on this stuff.
I always say to clients, lets see how you get on being consistent with just your Bodyweight first, then we can look at investing in some equipment. The last thing I want is for you to spend $200 on all of this stuff, and it just collects dust, making you feel like you aren’t achieving what you want, and therefore making you feel rubbish about yourself every time you come across it.
How To Plan And Design A Home Workout — The Ultimate Guide
Conclusion
Now it’s your turn. Go and be creative. Go and create your workouts and explore what your body can do.
You now have a format that you can adapt completely for your own individual circumstances and you can create a fantastic training programme for yourself at home.
Track your progress, write down your RPEs on every workout and when you get bored of a workout change either the exercises or the workout structure.
Here is a Blank Template you can download and use for your Home Workouts:
And that’s it.
Have fun.
And make sure you let me know how your progress goes.
Did You Find This Useful?
I have plenty more articles about working out throughout this website.
Here is a selection I think would make great further reading for you:
Wait! There’s More…
You are also invited to get a bundle of Weight Loss Goodies from me including:
Get yourself a free month of workouts (Home and Gym-based options)
Get yourself a free copy of my e-book ”27 Ways To Faster Fast Loss”
Get yourself a free customized Calorie Calculator
Straight to your Inbox
All you have to do is put your email address in below:
Why “Eat Less, Move More” Is Causing The Problem, Not Curing It
It’s incredibly frustrating.
When I hear the term “Eat Less, Move More” I am reminded of my days as a Football Referee. Days that were hounded with the extreme oversimplification of the “Offside Law” combined with incredibly subjective biased opinion in favor of someone's team compared to the opposition.
The truth is…90% of Football Fans do not know the Laws well enough to comment.
And the second I, a very qualified referee, a man who had studied the topic for years and years and had exercised the Laws of Football with Authority at least 3 times a week in front of crowds of fans and pitches full of players, the second, I tried to re-educate people on the issue at hand, I was in the wrong.
I was the bad guy. Because my opinion didn’t fit their very bias narrative.
Truth and facts are irrelevant in situations like this. If the said person had an opinion on it, no matter how wrong, offensive, and downright out of order that opinion was, the truth just did not matter.
And the same can be said for the term “Eat Less, Move More”.
Because we all have a body…because we all spend a portion of our lives being aware of our “Body Weight” people think that they know how it works.
Without study, or reading the literature. Without actually coaching someone.
It isn’t good enough. And all you are doing is causing the problem, not curing it.
You see, Obesity isn’t the problem of the person who is Obese.
It’s the problem of society.
And terms like “Eat Less, Move More” are causing that problem within society even more. To those who believe this is all weight loss is and that it is the “Final Solution”, you could not be more wrong.
You are overlooking far too many other factors that are interwoven into the fabric of society, things like Depression, Poverty, Lack of Job Security, An Economy that prays on keeping people feeling inadequate.
“Eat Less, Move More” is a form of Weight Stigmatization, make no mistake.
Weight bias is defined as negative attitudes towards, and beliefs about, others because of their weight. These negative attitudes are manifested by stereotypes and/or prejudice towards people with overweight and obesity. [1]
I am not denying the fact that in order to lose weight you must be in a Calorie Deficit and this is the foundation for “Eat Less, Move More”.
But as Martin MacDonald says:
“A Calorie Deficit is as simple as Calories In vs Caloires Out, its juts that Calories In vs Calories Out just isn’t that simple”
And it really really isn’t.
Listen more about Body Positivity on The Fitness Solution where I chat with Amy Snelling all about Body Positivity right here:
Why “Eat Less, Move More” Is Causing The Problem, Not Curing It
Why it is more than simply to just; “Eat Less”
When you Fat Shame. When you tell someone to just stop eating…
Have you considered the following:
1. The person might actually be using their weight as a defense mechanism due to previous sexual abuse.
Justin Faden et al (2012) put together a study that found:
73% of patients undergoing psychiatric hospitalization following gastric bypass have a history of sexual abuse. [2]
and
As these patients undergo weight loss, they may experience significant psychological distress [2]
2. The person due to their Obesity is bored as it’s very difficult for them to be anywhere other than home?
California State University (Edward E. Abramson et al) conducted a study where they took a group of Obese Individuals and people who are rated as “Normal” on the BMI scale. They were fed until satiated, then asked to complete an interesting and boring task…whilst the food was readily available to them. The results were:
That the obese consumed significantly more food than normals, and that boredom markedly increases food consumption for both obese and normals.[3]
3. Where they live is causing their obesity and impacting their food choices?
A study in 2009 looked into the relationship of where people live and the foodservice outlets that were in their neighborhood and concluded:
The lower the ratio of fast-food restaurants and convenience stores to grocery stores and produce vendors near people’s homes, the lower the odds of being obese. Thus the proximity of the obesogenic environment to individuals appears to be an important factor in their risk for obesity. [4]
Furthermore, we live in a very stressful environment.
Now more than ever.
In the UK alone we are predicted to lose 6.5million jobs due to the current pandemic, according to the University of Essex [5].
Whenever the TV or Radio or Paper is turned on, something that someone who is bored is more than likely to do…not only are they exposed to more stress, but they are also re-exposed to more weight stigmatization via these media outlets. Ever heard the term “Obesity Crisis”?
If someone said to me the condition of my body is a “crisis” then I would be in panic mode. It would be full-blown stress…and stress leads to calories.
To then avoid this stress from mainstream media they might turn to Social Media, which might also help curb this boredom. Social Media is another stressful place to be…looking at images of people who have the ideal body which may well trigger someone into a cycle of emotional eating or binge eating which in turn results in an increase of calories. As the person looking at their feed will just feel totally inadequate.
The International Journal of Eating Disorders published a study in 2019 and found that:
A clear pattern of association was found between Social Media usage and Disordered Eating cognitions and behaviors with this exploratory study confirming that these relationships occur at younger‐age than previously investigated.[6]
And I haven’t even mentioned Poverty. It’s extremely easy for someone who has never had to worry about where their next meal is coming from to spout the advantages of eating a nutritious meal. However, someone who is worried about where the next paycheque is coming from, or keeping a roof over their head, or even whether they will have a meal to eat or not, is not going to worry about the quality of that meal.
You have no right to tell someone who is in poverty what food they should be eating. All you should be doing is worrying about whether they have food or not in the first place.
Jesus didn’t feed the 5000 to a Chorus of “What about the Mercury levels” and “Carbs make you fat because of insulin”. He fed them to a chorus of pleases and thank yous, of gratitude and helpfulness.
As opposed to telling people to “Eat Less”. How about we give them something to be thankful for instead so that they can see hope and love in the world.
Listen to this Episode of The Fitness Solution to really comprehend an awful lot more about why Eat Less, Move More is a term that harms more than it helps:
Why “Eat Less, Move More” Is Causing The Problem, Not Curing It
What about “Move More”?
When you Fat Shame. When you tell someone to just get off the couch…
Have you considered the following?
The person might not be able to get off the couch without help.
The person might be embarrassed to get off the couch in front of people, let alone exercise in public.
The fact the person managed to get onto the couch is their huge win for the day, and just getting out of bed was as hard for that person as they could be dealing with poor mental health.
I think it's a little too obvious for me to sit here and tell you that Obese people struggle with exercise.
Because in fact, it’s not even the physical act of exercising alone that is the main struggle.
In the Gym, working as a Personal Trainer I have had at least three clients tell me that they can’t work out in front of the mirrors because they can’t stand to look at themselves.
And this feeling is backed up by a study by Wicklund and Duval in 1971, upon which they found:
Viewing oneself via mirrors has been shown to increase levels of objective SA via self-evaluation, leading to increased awareness of the discrepancy between an individual’s current self and his or her “ideal” self [7]
These clients weren’t overweight, or obese.
I have had clients squeeze my hand so tight it was painful when they first walked into the Gym because of how scared they were, and then ask that we go for a walk instead and “maybe next week I will feel a bit better about that environment”.
Again, these clients were not overweight or obese.
But it’s how they felt in society.
Now imagine how they might feel if they were overweight or obese.
Actually, it's hard to because you can’t imagine actually being in the gym as an overweight or obese person. I know I can’t. I can’t even pretend to comprehend how they feel. It’s literally beyond my comprehension…and I would consider myself very empathetic to other people's feelings.
But again the Science backs us up here.
A study at Syracuse University in 2008 found a correlation between Weight Stigmatising someone and their motivation to exercise.
These findings suggest that weight stigma (through its impact on avoidance motivation) could potentially decrease physical activity levels. [8]
We all have a sport we dislike participating in. For me it was Rugby…when I was growing up I really didn’t want to get hurt when playing. I felt too small…too weak and far too intimidated to step foot on the Rugby field.
What was your sport? Running?
Imagine if the world told you that the only way to stay alive was to go for a run every day.
Would that inspire you to run...or would it fill you with dread and fear? With worry and again….stress?
We all skipped Gym class at school. And it wasn’t because we were playing truant…it was because that day you were told you were going to get beaten up by your bully, or that you looked fat in your PE Skirt, or that you were so rubbish at Sports the Teacher would just stand next to you blowing his or her whistle whilst screaming at you to do one more burpee.
You skipped that class.
Because the environment wasn’t one that you enjoyed.
What's the difference?
Conclusion
Throughout the article, I have put some words in Italic Bold. The purpose of that was to create this list:
Weight Stigmatization.
Weight as a defense mechanism.
Is bored.
Where they live.
Stressful environment.
Totally inadequate.
Poverty.
Without help.
Might be embarrassed.
Dealing with poor mental health.
Can’t stand to look at themselves.
How scared they were.
How they felt in society.
When you see this list, you can see how complex a web Obesity is. This is without even looking into the Medical side of the condition and how that might affect someone's ability to work on their weight.
The cure to Obesity does not lie in a poorly educated Personal Trainer, Doctor, Government sitting there and telling someone to “Eat Less, Move More”.
To treat Obesity is to treat society. Is to overhaul our economy, our Media, our Health Care messaging around the issues.
When you look up the causes of Obesity on the NHS website it states:
“Obesity is generally caused by eating too much and moving too little” [9]
It’s not good enough.
When you look at the list of causes of Obesity I have outlined in this article do you really think the mantra that the NHS is putting out there is truly good enough?
It's too simplistic. It’s too shameful. And the world needs to do better.
Last week I was lucky enough to have a discussion on my Podcast, The Fitness Solution, about this with someone who was on National Media here in the UK as she said: “I will not work with Fat people”.
The discussion we had was one of great respect and education. We moved the dial forward in her mind and her attitude towards what she said and what she will say in the future.
They are hard discussions. The problems are beyond complex and that can mean that it can almost be too overwhelming to try and tackle and change.
It’s easy to say that a Calorie Deficit is a way forward and that can be summed up simply by “Eat Less, Move More”.
But if it was that simple it would have worked by now. To say Eat Less, Move More is to bury your head in the sand, its to lack empathy, understanding, and the desire to actually create change.
My wish for this article is that whenever you see someone post the words “Eat Less, Move More” you just send this to them.
We need more discussion around these topics, and we need more empathy for those who need it most because that is the only way we will ever get on top of Obesity and truly help those who need it.
Did you find this useful?
You can Join The Fitness Collective which is my Membership Group. In there I give Monthly Updates, Live Q and A’s, I provide you with new workouts each and every month, and write guidance on your fintess journey.
To find out more about The Fitness Collective you can click here: The Fitness Collective
Please share this with your friends and anyone else you may know who is worried about training in a gym, and feel free to follow me using the links below…
And if you want to get updates on when I publish new articles, publish new podcasts or anything else then please remember to sign up below
And above all remember this…for as long as you are trying your best no one can ask for more from you.
Coach Adam
References:
Euro.who.int. 2020. Weight Bias And Obesity Stigma: Considerations For The WHO European Region (2017). [online] Available at: <https://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/noncommunicable-diseases/obesity/publications/2017/weight-bias-and-obesity-stigma-considerations-for-the-who-european-region-2017> [Accessed 28 July 2020].
Faden, J., Leonard, D., O’Reardon, J., & Hanson, R. (2013). Obesity as a defense mechanism. International journal of surgery case reports, 4(1), 127–129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijscr.2012.10.011
Abramson, Edwaed E., Stinson Shawn G., (1977).
Boredom and eating in obese and non-obese individuals,
Addictive Behaviors, Volume 2, Issue 4, 1977, Pages 181-185 https://doi.org/10.1016/0306-4603(77)90015-6.Spence, J.C., Cutumisu, N., Edwards, J. et al. Relation between local food environments and obesity among adults. BMC Public Health 9, 192 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-9-192
The Independent. 2020. More Than 6.5 Million Jobs ‘To Be Lost In UK Coronavirus Lockdown’. [online] Available at: <https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/coronavirus-lockdown-job-losses-unemployment-recession-university-essex-study-a9472966.html> [Accessed 28 July 2020].
Patricia A. Cavazos‐Rehg, Ellen E. Fitzsimmons‐Craft, Melissa J. Krauss, Nnenna Anako, Christine Xu, Erin Kasson, Shaina J. Costello, Denise E. Wilfley, Examining the self‐reported advantages and disadvantages of socially networking about body image and eating disorders, International Journal of Eating Disorders, 10.1002/eat.23282, 53, 6, (852–863), (2020). Wiley Online Library
Wicklund, RA, Duval, S (1971) Opinion change and performance facilitation as a result of objective self-awareness. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 7: 319–342. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2055102915598088#bibr54-2055102915598088
Vartanian, L. R., & Shaprow, J. G. (2008). Effects of weight stigma on exercise motivation and behavior: a preliminary investigation among college-aged females. Journal of health psychology, 13(1), 131–138. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105307084318
How Do You Get Motivated To Lose Weight and Exercise?
How Do You Get Motivated To Lose Weight and Exercise?
If you have got this far, I would imagine you haven’t considered whether you are inspired for your fitness journey.
Or that you even should be?
Because all we talk about in Fitness is: Motivation.
Seriously…its all anyone focusses on when it comes to starting their fitness or carrying on with their fitness. The number of people that tell me they are lacking motivation, or they have lost motivation…
So how does Jacquie, who is 46, and that person you always see at the gym, no matter how infrequently you attend, how does she always seem to be there…how does she keep going if we know motivation fails people and shouldn’t be relied upon?
Well, I believe that motivation fails you if you don’t add inspiration to what you do when working on yourself physically.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, the great Russian composer said this:
“Inspiration is a guest that does not willingly visit the lazy.”
In this article I want to address the following so that you can go away from here lit up and ready to keep going for the amount of time you need to keep going for to be a success at what it is you want to achieve.
Table of Contents for: “How Do You Get Motivated To Lose Weight and Exercise?”
3. 6 Ways To Find Your Fitness Inspiration
4. Conclusion
If you want to watch my YouTube Video that accompanies this blog then please head here:
How Do You Get Motivated To Lose Weight and Exercise?
The Difference Between Motivation and Inspiration
The wonderful Humanitarian Leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar describes it thus:
It has also been described like this:
“Motivation is a push factor,” he explained. “It’s an outside force that is compelling you to take action, even if you don’t necessarily want to. Inspiration, on the other hand, is more of a pull or driving force. It’s something that comes from within that gets us to proactively give our best effort. When someone is inspired, they’re with you for the long haul.” — Sam Taggart
I find both quotes interesting.
In Fitness the topic of Motivation is a very prevalent one. It's the go-to word that people use when it comes to describing the state of their fitness.
You fall into two camps:
Motivated
Not Motivated
It is completely linear. The majority of people see that if they fall into Camp 1 (Motivated) they are then taking action and doing the things they need to do to get to their goals.
If you are in Camp 2 there is no point at all. And that's that.
The much-misunderstood truth is that there is a Third Camp:
3. Motivated and Un-Motivated
Which is what every single human being in the world is. No one ever has the perpetual motivation and no one ever has perpetual un-motivation (I’m sure that's a word…leave me alone!).
The human condition is a blend…like with everything else.
Now we know that the best way to find your Motivation is the following:
You follow this Loop.
Start with Action, then you get Results and then you find your Motivation.
Or a simpler way I like to put it is: Do, Track, Repeat
However…if you know Motivation will fail you…how do you bolster that part of the loop? How do you make sure that when you hit Motivation you then are able to restart the Loop with Action again?
As Sam Taggart says in the quote above:
“Motivation is a Push Factor”
“Inspiration is more of a Pull Factor”
Now if you have followed me for a long time you will be very aware that I am a proponent of Balance in your Fitness journey.
I am sure you have seen someone with a Kyphotic Posture in their life? A very over-pronounced upper spine tilting someone's head forward.
This Kyphosis occurs, presuming there are no other health issues at play, the Kyphosis will occur if someone has spent too much of their life “hunched over”. It could be someone has worked on a laptop for 20+ years, it could be they have hunched over a Games Console for too long, or they just stand that way as they lack strength.
My point is it comes from an imbalance.
To correct this in the Gym we would have to strengthen all of the back muscles using many Pulling Motions and stretch out the shortened chest muscles. We would have to work on counterbalancing the body.
So, if Motivation is a Push…
…and if all you do is Push you create an imbalance in yourself.
We need to create a Pull in your life.
Just like we would create balance in your workouts in the Gym.
And that Pull is your Inspiration.
You need to turn your Motivation Loop into a Success Loop:
You must do both: Repeat AND Learn.
You need to find your Pull and your Push in order to be able to stay in perpetual motion towards your Goals.
With my clients in The Fitness, Collective success is always attributed to those who work on their inspiration. Motivation and Inspiration are very close bedfellows and one thing they do have in common is they must both be worked upon.
Neither of them will just appear or turn up, they will require you to work on them in order to allow them to have the correct effect.
How Do You Get Motivated To Lose Weight and Exercise?
What Is Inspiration in Fitness?
Personally, I think I came a little late into the game when it came to Instagram Fitness Inspiration
Or should I say #fitspo
And I am eternally grateful because I had I have joined the industry maybe 4 years previous I might have fallen foul to the bandwagon, but instead I have found clarity and my message which is miles away from the selfie hell that #fitspo truly was and probably still is.
A quick search on the good old Instagram and 70.7million hits of Fitness Inspiration show up and they look like a pile of sick:
Please read this next bit really carefully: THIS IS NOT FITNESS INSPIRATION
This is Fitness Self Indulgence. This is a bunch of very fit people trying to make a bunch of unfit people feel very very shit about themselves.
It causes eating disorders, poorer self image and can really really harm those who look at it.
As I outline in these TikTok Videos which I created after the awful news of Nikki Grahame’s death from Anorexia Nervosa:
I’m not saying they are doing it intentionally, but that is the effect and the result of this horrible practice and anyone who utters the word “Fitspo”.
70.7million photos of unachievable physiques, highly edited photos, and extremely lucky genetics have caused a failure to you. It has caused many people to think that Inspiration is the perfect body, unachievable results and beauty that can only truly be achieved by Adobe Photoshop.
Looking through all of those photos…I personally do not find a single one of them inspirational.
They just make me feel rubbish about myself…and I wonder if you feel the same?
The good news is this: Fitness Inspiration doesn’t exist on Instagram.
Inspiration for Fitness comes from within, not an external source. It comes from your own desires, beliefs and wants from yourself.
Inspiration in Fitness is Learning. It’s the studying. It’s developing your “fitness brain” and figuring out how it interacts with your life. It's learning how you manage under heavyweights, it's feeling your Glutes fire, it's walking out of the Gym feeling strong.
It’s finding out about how much you are struggling with it and how much the professionals struggle with it. It’s the understanding of your humanity in the field of Fitness.
I know that sounds like a lot…I’m not saying just because you are trying to become fit you need to become a PT…believe me you really do not need to do that.
What I am saying is you need to be a little more immersive in the subject.
How Do You Get Motivated To Lose Weight and Exercise?
6 Ways To Find Your Fitness Inspiration
At Drama School, we had to keep inspired, and just like Motivation, I found the harder I worked the more inspired I became.
When we would get a new script…it was like learning a new language. A script doesn’t come alive until you have read it at least 8 or 9 times…and you need to do that before…well before Day 1 of Rehearsals.
The reason it reveals itself slowly to you is because of all the other research you do around it. You find out the History of the time the Play was set, you find out the stories of the people who lived during those times, you listen to Music and look at Art from the period to try and help make the world believable to you…make the world seem real to you.
Many people dislike Shakespeare because they quite simply “don’t understand it”. When I first pick up a play of his…I don’t either. But the more I work on it, and the more I read it, and view it from different angles…the more it reveals to me.
The difference is that I give Shakespeare an 8th and 9th chance. Most other people don’t give it a second chance.
And Fitness is the exact same. You have to delve deeper sometimes, you have to ask insightful questions and you have to allow it to reveal its work to you.
If you just go to it with a standoffish attitude, then you can expect standoffish results.
So here are six strategies to help you find your Fitness Inspiration…and spoiler alert…
…None of them are “Check Instagram”
They will all help you move towards the Learn aspect of the Success Loop. You don’t have to do all of them, but I do recommend you do as many as you can take on without feeling stressed out about them.
How Do You Get Motivated To Lose Weight and Exercise?
CONNECT TO A HIGHER PURPOSE
When you set your goals, I don’t want you to think too much on topics like:
I need to lose 2 stone
I need to look good in this top
I need to get into those jeans
I think they are quite materialistic goals, but I do know they will let you down eventually and will not fulfill you fully if at all.
What you should look more towards is:
I want to be a role model for my family
I want to prove to myself I can change
I want to feel more alive than I do right now
With the second set of goals, you are looking more “Intrinsically” than “Extrinsically”.
Edward Deci in his book Why We Do What We Do says this in relation to Intrinsic Goals:
“…strong aspirations for any of the intrinsic goals — meaningful relationships, personal growth, and community contributions — were positively associated with well-being. People who strongly desired to contribute to their community, for example, had more vitality and higher self-esteem. When people organize their behavior in terms of intrinsic strivings (relative to extrinsic strivings) they seem more content — they feel better about who they are and display more evidence of psychological health.” [1]
And this in relation to Extrisnisc Goals:
“The researchers found that if any of the three extrinsic aspirations — for money, fame, or beauty — was very high for an individual relative to the three intrinsic aspirations, the individual was also more likely to display poorer mental health. For example, having an unusually strong aspiration for material success was associated with narcissism, anxiety, depression, and poorer social functioning as rated by a trained clinical psychologist…[1]
Here we can see that you can literally inspire yourself…and as a by-product, it will make you happier as well.
Think how many times in the past you have used an Extrinsic Goal like “get into that pair of jeans” and you achieved it. Are you now…months or years later still able to get into that pair of jeans?
If they were your sole aspiration…I would give a fair bet that you have gone through cycles of yes and no with that.
If you wanted to get into those Jeans to feel a lot sexier, and it makes you feel more alive and healthy when you do….chances are you are wearing them right now…
Connecting to your intrinsic values will educate you on yourself, it will help you look at what is driving you forward and what and who you really value in your life.
How Do You Get Motivated To Lose Weight and Exercise?
2. FOLLOW INSPIRATIONAL PEOPLE
Don’t follow them on Instagram…i mean you can…but can you actually follow them on more meaningful platforms too?
Do they have a Podcast? Do they have a book? Do they have a blog? Do they have a website? Do they have a YouTube Channel?
All of these longer-form contents will inspire you a lot more than a quick flick and tap on the old IG.
A list of humanoids I find Inspiritational in terms of Fitness and the content I find of their’s most inspirational is the following:
Achieve Fitness Boston (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/achieving-fitness/id1294470614)
Jordan Syatt (https://www.syattfitness.com/blog/)
Mike Vacanti (http://www.mikesmacros.com/)
Tony Robbins (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Awaken-Giant-Within-Immediate-Emotional/dp/0743409388)
Richard Nicholls (https://www.richardnicholls.net/podcast/)
Dave Cottrell (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/master-the-mind-master-anything-with-dave-cottrell/id1287141836)
Mike Matthews (https://legionathletics.com/blog/)
Simon Sinek (https://www.ted.com/speakers/simon_sinek)
Mark Manson (https://markmanson.net/books)
Dan John (http://danjohn.net/)
Dr. Spencer Nadolsky (http://drspencer.com/)
Or there is you know…
Me and my new Instagram page: @the_gym_starter
I may have found some of these initially on Social Media, but without a doubt, their longer-form content is what has inspired me the most and actually that is what I will go back to most when I need that inspirational lift. Not their latest post on Twitter.
Some of them are uber famous, some of them aren’t, and that is the beauty of the list. I gravitate towards people who speak my language. Your list could be extremely different.
This is also just my inspiration in terms of my Fitness and part of that is running my business. Your list could have musicians on there, playwrights, artists…
And that brings me to my next point…
How Do You Get Motivated To Lose Weight and Exercise?
3. ENGAGE IN ART
I’m sorry. Coronation Street just doesn’t count. Eastenders is not Art.
In the same way, I think Long-Form content form inspirational people can help you more than their Social Media feeds can, I too think that Art can help you stay connected to your Intrinsic Goals.
Find the things that light a fire up inside you.
For me, it’s the Theatre. For you, it could be Robbie Williams’ “Swing When You’re Winning” or Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets.
Art has a wonderful way of making us understand the human condition. When someone can pluck a phrase or a lyric and sum up exactly how you are feeling at that moment, and finds just about the right words, and puts it in a way that speaks to you like you never knew something could…
That lights you up.
And to be inspired…being lit up is very important.
When I am feeling my lowest I would jump on a train and head to London to do two things.
I would walk past my Drama School and listen to Jackson Brown’s “These Days”
Head to Trafalgar Square to go and stare at paintings in the National Portrait Gallery.
Yup. I’m a rock star.
(I challenge you to find another Fitness Blog that uses Bob Ross this effectively)
These were two strategies that have always helped me feel alive. They have made me understand my condition as Adam, they have guided me and connected me with who I believe I truly am.
There’s a lyric in These Days that says:
“Don’t remind me of my failures, I have not forgotten them”
It drives me forward. It teaches me compassion and empathy. It allows me to reconnect to some of the most inspirational times in my life…and I just love it.
Find your song that does that. Watch Movies that aren’t about Superheros beating each other up but that are about real humanity.
Art can and will keep you inspired. Inspiration isn’t linear. If you can get inspired about life that will bleed into your Fitness. It will help you reconnect with your higher purpose.
I was always taught: “You must fall in love each day”
Do that…because it will reconnect you with your Intrinsic Goals and educate you on your own humanity — which is something none of us do enough of.
How Do You Get Motivated To Lose Weight and Exercise?
4. BECOME PART OF YOUR FITNESS COMMUNITY
Being part of a community can improve Mental Health. One very significant reason for that is that you begin to feel connected.
Connections in this day and age are getting more and more lost in the world of WhatsApp and Email. We don’t talk as much.
And when you have a community you communicate.
Communication is one of my big must do’s for a client. I won’t work with someone if they aren’t willing to communicate with me. They must also communicate with others.
Recently I overhauled my Private Facebook Group and I was really surprised that when I messaged people that I would have to revoke their access unless they joined The Fitness Collective for just £20/month how many of them said thank you to me for allowing them to be in the group for the period of time they were.
They said that although they hadn’t commented much they still got great value from it.
I was astonished.
The words Community, Communication have the same Latin Origin: “Communis” and this means: to share.
Ever heard the phrase: “Sharing is Caring”
If you find a Fitness Community, you will find a place where you can communicate, where you can share and where you can care for yourself and for others.
The Gym floor is this place for many people. Online Fitness Communities are that for others. When you see stories from people, whether you personally know them or not, but when you see their stories, and you spend time with them it’s amazing what kind of an effect they can have on you.
You can learn a lot from other people and especially if those people are just like you. They will share your struggles, your beliefs and your energy…and it will keep you inspired when you see them both succeed and learn.
How Do You Get Motivated To Lose Weight and Exercise?
5. LONG BOUTS OF LISS
This is a fancy way of saying “go for a walk”.
LISS means Low-Intensity Steady State Cardiovascular work.
This doesn’t just mean Walking though. It can be a light jog…but stay with me.
You can also do all kinds of things like:
Canoeing, Stand Up Paddle Boarding, Mountain Biking, Tandem Biking, Mountain Climbing, Hill Walking, Beach Surfing, Rock Climbing, Rafting, Kayaking.
The list can go on, and I appreciate that some of them aren’t that accessible to do regularly.
But they do all have one thing in common.
Nature.
And nature can be so moving it hurts and it can be so much fun!
Nature also teaches us insignificance which is a terribly humbling thing to go through. Have you ever been stood in a Mountain Range and felt like a speck of dust?
When we are humbled by nature it gives us perspective on our lives, and perspective is something that you very much require in Fitness.
Find out more about how Perspective influences your Fitness in this Article: Your Scale Strategy
How Do You Get Motivated To Lose Weight and Exercise?
6. ACTIVE VISUALIZATION
The first thing a Professional Golfer does before hitting aTee Shot is visualise the shot. Where is the ball going? How will it land? How will the swing feel?
Professional Athletes visualize everything they do. They see how their race will go, they see how that pass will look, they use their imagination in this way for two reasons:
To create a consistent outcome
To drive them forward for success
Have you ever wanted something so badly that you have sat there and imagined how it might feel if it would ever happen?
The imaginative version of try before you buy.
Well, when you visualize your ability to create something you also learn to sense what it will feel like. This will teach you control and understanding, this will train you how to react when things won’t go wrong, you are helping increase your hours of practice in what you are doing.
There are very few things that teach us better than practice.
Afterall; practice makes permanent.
Therefore when you spend time in your imagination, thinking about what it is you are working towards you begin to develop sensual and behavioral responses.
These are known as Manifestations.
When you want something, and you think about it, you visualize it, you sense it…you feel it in your body you then will find the behavior change you desire for that outcome a lot easier.
Because you have mentally practiced for it.
How Do You Get Motivated To Lose Weight and Exercise?
CONCLUSION
When you can get Motivation and Inspiration into your Fitness Journey everything will become easier.
Both require action, to be able to get there, but they have slightly different pathways.
Motivation is a Push Factor. Its what drives you to do something.
If all you do is Push in your life, whether that is in Fitness, Business or anything else you will become imbalanced.
To fix that balance you require a Pull.
This is Inspiration.
In order to find inspiration for your Fitness Journey, you need to allow yourself to learn. Learn about the subject of fitness by following inspirational people who will teach you, you need to form an opinion, you need to question why you are doing what you are doing.
It’s almost not enough to just “Do” fitness. You have to allow it to permeate your life…if you want to learn to be ruthlessly consistent and achieve your goals.
I wrote this a few months ago…and I think it sums up this article quite well…
How Do You Get Motivated To Lose Weight and Exercise?
What’s Next?
I have plenty more articles about Motivation in your Exercise and Weight Loss Journey right here on my website.
Here is a selection I think would make great further reading for you:
If you struggle with motivation for a Home Workout then read this:
How To Stay Consistent with your Fitness and why it’s important
How Long Will It Take To Lose Weight with Diet and Exercise?
You are also invited to get a bundle of Fat Loss Goodies from me including:
Get yourself a free month of workouts (Home and Gym-based options)
Get yourself a free copy of my e-book ”27 Ways To Faster Fast Loss”
Get yourself a free customized Calorie Calculator
And a Free Month of one to one Coaching…
Straight to your Inbox
All you have to do is put your email address in below:
Is Your Metabolism Broken? How Does Your Metabolism Actually Work?
In life, there are many words that get wildly overused, combined with also being used in the completely wrong context and with the completely wrong meaning.
Literally.
I’m sure you have your own list. But words that spring to mind are:
Legend — this is often used when someone is quite good, but usually a long long way away from having legendary status
Crazy — nine times out of ten you are not referring to a situation that is “mentally deranged, demented or insane”
With all due respect — is usually said right before all respect is thrown out of the window.
Shouldn’t of — shouldn’t even exist. Its shouldn’t have.
Its not Rocket Science — No Sandra, you are right it's not Rocket Science. And if it was neither you are I would be discussing it because neither of us know the first thing about rockets.
and in Fitness one of these words is almost certainly….
Metabolism …Speed up your Metabolism. Slow it down. Fix it. Is your Metabolism broken? What foods speed up my Metabolism? Is Breakfast good for your Metabolism? Do you need to keep your Metabolism running? Workouts to speed up Metabolism?
The answers to all of these questions elicit a different more confusing response about the word, and when that occurs there is a void for the fitness industry. A void that gets filled by magic fixes, magic pills and really bad advice.
And when that happens you are in a losing battle.
Is Your Metabolism Broken? How Does Your Metabolism Actually Work?
So let me set the record straight. In this article I will cover the following:
What is your Metabolism?
How does Metabolism work?
What influences your Metabolism?
Is your Metabolism broken?
How does my Metabolism relate to weight loss?
Conclusion
Listen to an episode of The Fitness Solution on this very topic right here:
What is your Metabolism?
A clear straight definition looks like this:
“Metabolism describes all the chemical processes that go on continuously inside your body to keep you alive and your organs functioning normally, such as breathing, repairing cells and digesting food” [1]
Every chemical reaction requires energy for it to occur. That energy comes from the calories you eat.
With me?
Good.
So lets simplify it for Fitness and Weight Loss purposes. My definition for this context would be the following:
“The way in which you body burns calories to keep your body running. Like the speed at which a car burns fuel in order to make its engine work. You burn calories to keep your engine running”
The confusion comes when we look at how we burn those calories.
And if you have read many articles by me you realise in these moments I turn to Instagram:
As you can see in the Graphic your metabolism is made up of four chunks.
BASAL METABOLIC RATE (BMR) — this is 70% of your daily caloric burn (or 70% of what your metabolism does each day). A rather large portion.
LEARN HOW MANY CALORIES YOUR BMR BURNS EACH DAY BY DOWNLOADING MY FAT LOSS CALORIE CALCULATOR RIGHT HERE: https://www.thegymstarter.com/get-my-calorie-calculator
NON-EXERCISE ACTIVITY THERMOGENISIS (NEAT)— this is 15% of your Metabolism and the next biggest portion of your Metabolism and relates to all movement you do away from prescribed “fitness” or “training”. Think Daily Walks, Gardening, Fidgeting and Climbing the Stairs.
EXERCISE (EAT) — Just 5% of your Metabolism is what you burn in the Gym when you workout. Sorry, let me rephrase that…this is what you actually burn in the Gym when you workout. Its not what the Cardio Machine or your wristwatch has told you you have burnt. Activity Trackers can be up to 60% inaccurate when it comes to tracking Aerobic Activity [2].
One study took 34 adults from a US College Campus and once they were deemed capable of moderate exercise they were put on a Elliptical for 30mins on a “Quick Start” Function and this was the conclusion:
“Elliptical machines appear to overestimate caloric expenditure by a large number of calories. As is often stated, caution should be used when relying on exercise equipment for caloric expenditure information. Based on this data, individuals should expect caloric expenditure to be overestimated by approximately 100 calories each 30 min of exercise performed on elliptical equipment at moderate intensity” [3]
I have gone into more detail on this section of your Metabolism because in my experience people don’t believe me when I tell them this. When I say that one hour in the gym is not enough to lose weight if you do not work on other aspects of your life, as most people have a colloquial experience of a machine telling them that they are burning more than they are in the Gym.
The Fitness Industry to doesn't help. Trainers recommend an hour a week for clients, not because that is what is effective, but because that is what the General Population might be able to afford their services.
One Hour in the Gym, and ignoring other parts of your Metabolism is not enough for you to lose weight no matter what your Trainer tells you.
THERMIC EFFECT OF FOOD (TEF) — This is around 10% of your Metabolism and is responsible for how much energy it takes for your body to digest your food.
Have you ever heard the myth [4] that “You burn more calories eating a stick of celery than it provides”? Well, that claim exists because of the TEF rating of a stick of Celery. It's also responsible for fads such as the Celery Juice Diet which you may well have heard of.
That is what TEF is. Each food has a certain amount of energy (Calories) in it and each food goes through a digestion phase in the body, which uses up Calories as well.
Is Your Metabolism Broken? How Does Your Metabolism Actually Work?
HOW DOES YOUR METABOLISM WORK?
As I mentioned above when you eat food that food contains Energy and that Energy is measured in Calories. Your Metabolism is the Global term for how your body burns those calories.
So how does your body burn these calories?
YOUR BMR:
This is one of the hardest parts of your Metabolism to influence because it is the part of your Metabolism that is largely determined by your genetics and your body composition.
For example, someone who is 6ft 6in tall is that tall because of their genetic makeup. They will also naturally have a higher BMR as their body is just bigger. They will have bigger Organs and longer muscles. Muscle is a key contributor to your BMR because the more muscle you have you increase your BMR due to the fact that muscle requires more calories at rest compared to Fat.
This is why when I am with clients I explain to them that they can lose weight without Strength Training as a Caloric Deficit is all that is needed to lose weight and that can be achieved outside of the Gym. However, by lifting weights and getting stronger they are improving their Metabolism and giving themselves an insurance policy against weight gain in the future.
YOUR NEAT:
If you want to lose weight you underestimate NEAT at your peril. This is your 10,000 steps a day. Your fidgeting. Your Gardening. The cleaning of your house. This is all of the movement you do outside of the Gym, and you do a lot more movement outside of the Gym than inside it over a week.
Your NEAT is the highest proportion of your Metabolism that you have complete control over. This is the one thing you are solely responsible for…and if you increase it…then you are going to burn a lot more calories each day getting you closer or above your required deficit.
In The Fitness Collective each and every month we have a Step Leaderboard for this very reason and those who consistently post big numbers on the leaderboard are also those who lose the most weight. It's not a coincidence.
A study that researched data from 86 studies on Pedometer Analysis without a Dietary Intervention and found the following:
“The amount of weight loss attributable to pedometer-based walking programs is small but important from a clinical perspective. According to the meta-regression results, the average participant adhering to a pedometer-based walking program can expect to lose about 0.05 kg per week. That translates to a weight loss of about 1 lb every 10 weeks” (5)
YOUR EAT:
I feel like I went into this quite a lot in the previous section. Try not to read this as “EAT” (one word) but rather as E-A-T because this have everything to do with Exercise and nothing to do with food.
The Gym does not burn as many calories as you wish or for the amount of effort, it feels like you are putting in.
Some questions naturally come up around this topic like:
What about HIIT?
High-Intensity Interval Training has been found to burn more calories in the Gym over the period of time you are working compared to Cardio Exercise but its pretty equal to traditional strength training methods.
However, there are three caveats to that:
HIIT generally leads to an added Calorie Intake after exercise and therefore is not ideal for Weight Loss as you feel like the harder you have worked and been good then the more you have earnt some “bad” foods [6] and it stimulates your appetite more [7].
HIIT often comes with the term “EPOC” associated with it. This is known as Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption and is overly attributed for the “calorie afterburn” you get from a HIIT Workout. Studies show that the biggest factor in EPOC is the intensity of the workout whether that be from HIIT or Traditional Strength — the differences are very minimal. Both are a better option for this than running or cycling.
The more intense your exercise session the more it will impact on other parts of your Metabolism. Namely NEAT. This is due to your body trying to “Cap” the number of Calories you can actually burn in a day [6].
As you can see for the person trying to lose weight…there are a lot of pitfalls to be had when it comes to HIIT, although it is more superior than traditional Cardio is for weight loss.
READ MY ARTICLE ON WHY RESITANCE TRAINING IS SO USEFUL FOR FAT LOSS : What is most important for Fat Loss?
YOUR TEF
I have already discussed Celery, and I don’t really want to go back there if I can help it.
But this is where a Personal Trainers love of Protein comes into play.
Now I know what you are thinking…
“I thought Protein was just for building huge guns”
Is Your Metabolism Broken? How Does Your Metabolism Actually Work?
What influences your Metabolism?
I have gone over this in the previous sections of this article. But its always good to take a moment to summarise and be nice and clear.
Your Body Composition: Muscle burns more calories at rest than Body Fat, which is why when someone is after Fat Loss I will put them onto a strength-based training system in order to improve their muscle density and impact their resting metabolic rate (this doesn't;t happen overnight though).
Your Organ Size: A taller human has bigger Organs and will, therefore, burn more calories at rest.
Your Movement: The more you move the more calories you burn.
Your Food: The more nutrient-dense your food the more calories you burn digesting it.
Your Prescribed Exercise: Not as much as you think but does burn some calories.
As you can see, this is a very complex web of how your body works, because where one solution looks like it's going to be a good path to go down…it can cause a negative effect elsewhere in the body.
For example: Lift Weights to really high intensity as that burns more calories, can lead to increased calorie consumption.
Therefore we must view our metabolism as a global thing that must be treated with balance and understanding over a long period of time.
Can I speed up my Metabolism with the foods I eat?
There is some evidence to suggest that this is possible…however the effect is pretty minimal.
If you remember back to the Bar Graph of your Metabolism then you are aware that your TEF is only about 10% of your Metabolic output. Therefore you really are misplacing your focus.
A lot of these foods relate to increasing your Heart Rate for a period of time over a day like Coffee and Tea and Chilli.
The other foods that speed up your Metabolism generally stick to the rules that I outlined above in relation to Protein and the fact your body will try and use so much of that food that it spends a lot of energy digesting and absorbing nutrients.
Interestingly and one part of this argument that I am on board with is the subject of Water. Water has been shown to be able to increase your Metabolism by up to 24–30% [8].
This relates to a phenomenon which is called Water Induced Themrogensis. To you and I though…its bascially the body using energy to heat the water up to Body Temperature. It also has to be noted in order to do this you have to drink above your normal intake. And a study in Overweight Children concluded that cold water had a slightly better effect [9]
Again, though…this is all limited, and is definatley a very small piece of a much larger pie. I wouldn’t advise you to go away from this article and think that by drinking 500ml 4 times a day is suddenly going to imporve your Metabolism beyond compare.
Its just a consideration you can factor in…and is one of the reasons it is in my Five Awesome Rules For Fat Loss Life:
Is Your Metabolism Broken? How Does Your Metabolism Actually Work?
What about MetCon? And other workouts that “speed up” my Metabolism?
In a word.
Marketing.
Its a Marketing Campaign from the trained or gym you are in that is based on conscience at all.
It's clever too.
It makes you think that there is something wrong with your Metabolism and that this workout will help fix that. It makes you think that the person selling you this Metabolic Conditioning workout is actually going to fix you.
And they aren’t. It's basically a clever way of saying “Lift weights to improve your BMR by adding muscle to your body”
That's it. As you can probably tell right now, there is a lot about your Metabolism that you can’t impact quickly in the gym. It takes a long time to add muscle and reduce body fat…and that is the only way you can enhance your Metabolism inside the Gym
Is Your Metabolism Broken? How Does Your Metabolism Actually Work?
Is your Metabolism Broken?
No.
Its not possible.
Wait. Let me change that.
Unless you have a medically diagnosed Metabolic Condition then no. Your Metabolism is not broken. I am not a Doctor or an Endocrinologist so in this sense, I speak from my own experience.
Even if you do have a Metabolic Condition usually relating to Hormonal Imbalances in your body (PCOS, Thyroid Issues, Pituarty Issues) then your Metabolism isn’t likely to be as broken as you think it is.
I have a client who has Pituitary Condition and in researching it for her we found that the weight gain relating to the hormonal issue is only going to be between 5-10lbs of weight.
In fact, The British Thyroid Foundation state this:
“In general, 5-10 pounds of body weight may be attributable to the thyroid, depending on the severity of the hypothyroidism. Finally, if weight gain is the only symptom of hypothyroidism that is present, it is less likely that the weight gain is solely due to the thyroid.” [10]
But focus not on the numbers, but the last thing they say: “its less likely…solely due to the thyroid”
Here they mean that it is more than likely to be a lack of a Caloric Deficit and other behavioural issues that are leading to your weight gain.
Its still significant enough. But it is nowhere near what she would have believed had we not have found out more.
For those of you reading this who are not diagnosed with these issues then again your Metabolism isn’t broken.
The truth is that it feels slow because you are not concentrating on what you need to concentrate on to affect your Metabolism more positively.
You are not adding muscle to your body
You are not eating Protein-rich Nutrient-dense foods
You are not moving enough outside of the gym
Your exercise option in the Gym isn't congruent with your goal of “improving your metabolism”
I know that can be hard to read…but genuinely it's important.
Taking responsibility for yourself in relation to your Metabolism, if you want to lose body fat is very important.
Many people will tell you its broken. But that not physically possible. But Metabolism is an easy scapegoat for failings elsewhere in what you are doing to achieve fat loss. There is nothing in relation to your Metabolism that means you will not be able to achieve a Caloric Deficit, and therefore that means that your Metabolism is not the reason you are not losing weight.
Is Your Metabolism Broken? How Does Your Metabolism Actually Work?
How Does Knowing All Of This Relate To Weight Loss?
You could have got this far into the article and felt one of two ways:
Utterly Defeated by the fact there is now 70% of your Metabolism that is really hard to effect and change.
Amazed by the fact that there is now 30% of your Metabolism that is totally under your control and that you can change in order to reach your goals.
30% is a huge amount.
If you had a Calorie allowance of 1500kcals a day and you under ate by 30% every day you would then have saved yourself 3150kcals in a week. Which would amount to losing around 1lb a week ontop of where your deficit is already set at.
If you could influence anything by 30% I reckon you would see that as a positive thing
What if your bank gave you 30% more interest?
What if you earn 30% more each month?
What if you had 30% more holiday allowance each year?
You would consider that as pretty life changing. I know I would.
So actually you have a lot of power to change your Metabolism and to help getting it working more efficeintly for you.
Don’t get me wrong…to lose weight you do still need a Caloric Deficit. The rules of Fat Loss will never change. However understanding this side of your Body and manipulating it to your advantage…to make it more efficient will in no doubt help that Deficit happen for you.
FIND OUT A LOT MORE ABOUT A CALORIE DEFICIT RIGHT HERE: What is A Calorie Deficit Diet Plan?
THE BOTTOM LINE
Here is the good news:
You aren’t broken. You aren’t on the scrap heap. You do have control over you Metabolism and how it can burn more calories each day.
To do this you need to:
Increase your NEAT
Focus your diet into more nutrient-dense options
Stop spending 30mins on a Cross Trainer and start picking up the 5kg Dumbells
Lift weights consistently enough over a long period of time to increase your muscle density and therefore improve how many calories you burn at rest.
And that's it.
Remember the rules of a Caloric Deficit are always the governing factor when it comes to Weight Loss, and your metabolism is responsible for how many calories you burn each day.
You can influence 30% of that amount which is a huge portion.
But in order to do that you have to take action and start making your Metabolism work more efficiently for you.
Stop thinking it is broken. Start taking responsibility and start moving towards making your Metabolism efficient…not inefficient.
By doing that you will watch the weight come off you as you wish and it will add to all of the feelings of wellbeing and health that you are craving.
Remember…you got this. You aren’t broken. You don’t need fixing. You just need to start fine tuning a few things…
And now you know how.
Is Your Metabolism Broken? How Does Your Metabolism Actually Work?
Did you find this useful?
I offer as much free help to anyone who comes across me - because well. finding trusted resources on the Internet is hard at the best of times, and I would hope over the course of this article, I have built your trust.
If you want to get to know and (hopefully) like me too….then my emails are a great place to be.
If you subscribe I will send you free of charge:
A Free Customisable Calorie and Macro Calculator so you can learn exactly what to eat for your body
A Month of Free In Gym Workouts so you can get started building that self-esteem you always wanted
A Month of Free At-Home Workouts in case you still wanted to get started, but find a Gym too intimidating
56 Bodyweight Workouts that are 10mins long to help you keep the habit to create your success even if you are really busy.
Just fill out the form below…and make sure you check your Junk Folder - as I quite often end up in there!
References:
2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/metabolism-and-weight-loss/> [Accessed 22 June 2020].
News.iastate.edu. 2020. Activity Trackers Not As Accurate For Some Activities, ISU Study Finds • News Service • Iowa State University. [online] Available at: <https://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2015/08/19/activitytrackers> [Accessed 22 June 2020].
Caloric Expenditure Estimation Differences between an Elliptical Machine and Indirect Calorimetry Exerc Med. 2018;2:8. Published online April 18, 2018, <https://doi.org/10.26644/em.2018.008> [Accessed 22 June 2020)
WATSON, T., 2020. Could You Survive On Celery Alone?. [online] Www108.lamp.le.ac.uk. Available at: <https://www108.lamp.le.ac.uk/ojs1/index.php/jist/article/view/2546/2499> [Accessed 22 June 2020].
Richardson, C. R., Newton, T. L., Abraham, J. J., Sen, A., Jimbo, M., & Swartz, A. M. (2008). A meta-analysis of pedometer-based walking interventions and weight loss. Annals of family medicine, 6(1), 69–77. https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.761
Pontzer, H., Raichlen, D. A., Wood, B. M., Emery Thompson, M., Racette, S. B., Mabulla, A. Z., & Marlowe, F. W. (2015). Energy expenditure and activity among Hadza hunter-gatherers. American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council, 27(5), 628–637. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.22711
King, N. A., Hopkins, M., Caudwell, P., Stubbs, R. J., & Blundell, J. E. (2008). Individual variability following 12 weeks of supervised exercise: identification and characterization of compensation for exercise-induced weight loss. International journal of obesity (2005), 32(1), 177–184. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0803712
Vij, V. A., & Joshi, A. S. (2013). Effect of ‘water induced thermogenesis’ on body weight, body mass index and body composition of overweight subjects. Journal of clinical and diagnostic research : JCDR, 7(9), 1894–1896. https://doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2013/5862.3344
Boschmann, M., Steiniger, J., Hille, U., Tank, J., Adams, F., Sharma, A. M., Klaus, S., Luft, F. C., & Jordan, J. (2003). Water-induced thermogenesis. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 88(12), 6015–6019. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2003-030780
British Thyroid Foundation. 2020. Thyroid And Weight - The Science. [online] Available at: <https://www.btf-thyroid.org/thyroid-and-weight-the-science> [Accessed 25 June 2020].
Why You Don’t Have To Earn Your Calories In The Gym…
I chose this photo for this blog post for many reasons. Number one its what the world is doing…or at least its what the world wants you to do. Run away from the food you have eaten..or more…try and banish the food you have eaten from your body. Secondly, she has a smile on her face. This smile could mean two things:
She has realised that she doesn’t need to run anymore from the cake and ice cream, and banishing the calories you have eaten through exercise is a daft thing to suggest.
She is just enjoying movement because the movement is there to make us happy.
I fear I am being overly optimistic about the photo. I think the photo in truth was designed to promote the banishing of calories from your body.
This article arose from a TV Programme that was aired here in the UK. It was called Horizon. The tag line for this show is the following:
“Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you’ve never seen before”
This particular episode was focussing on “The Restaurant that Burns Off Calories”. All you need to know at this point is that a Doctor and a Restuarant Owner teamed up and built a restaurant full of the UK’s “favourite dishes” and built a gym behind the restaurant where there were about 40 Gym Bunnies all ready on Cardio Machines to burn off all the calories that were consumed in one service in the restaurant. The whole menu had been calorie counted, and then the figures were totalled up, and those on Rowing Machines, Treadmills and Exercise Bikes saw this figure ever-increasing and had to keep working towards the final of total of, 45,687 calories.
The show came into much criticism on Social Media as it is promoting the idea that you “have to earn your food in the gym”. Which you simply do not. And anything that promotes this notion is going to be criticised for helping push people towards very real and dangerous eating disorders.
In this article, my aim is to move your mind away from the very worrying and potentially damaging thought that you have to “earn your food”. I would also like to say right from the start, I have never had an eating disorder, and I am also not an eating disorder professional. Throughout the article, I have cited where I have got my information from, and the sources that I believe to be very credible.
My sole purpose in this article is to try and show you how all food including, cakes, donuts, crisps, alcohol, sweets and ice cream as well as exercise and training play two very important roles in maintaining both your physical and mental health. And above all…why you do not have to earn your calories.
If you have found this article, and are suffering from an eating disorder please stop reading, and seek professional and medical advice right here: https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/support-services
We will go through the following:
The Dangers of “earing your calories”.
The Dangers of overtraining.
Why did the BBC Produce this TV Show? and the problems within it.
The best foot forward…
THE DANGERS OF “EARNING YOUR CALORIES IN THE GYM”
This article arose from a TV Programme that was aired here in the UK. It was called Horizon. The tag line for this show is the following:
“Horizon tells amazing science stories, unravels mysteries and reveals worlds you’ve never seen before”
This particular episode was focussing on “The Restaurant that Burns Off Calories”. All you need to know at this point is that a Doctor and a Restuarant Owner teamed up and built a restaurant full of the UK's “favourite dishes” and built a gym behind the restaurant where there were about 40 Gym Bunnies all ready on Cardio Machines to burn off all the calories that were consumed in one service in the restaurant. The whole menu had been calorie counted, and then the figures were totalled up, and those on Rowing Machines, Treadmills and Exercise Bikes saw this figure ever-increasing and had to keep working towards the final of total of, 45,687 calories.
The show came into much criticism on Social Media as it is promoting the idea that you “have to earn your food in the gym”. Which you simply do not. And anything that promotes this notion is going to be criticised for helping push people towards very real and dangerous eating disorders.
When we equate the food we eat in a direct correlation to the amount of exercise we have to do to burn it off…it is a battle we will always lose, because you cannot exercise that much. Or if you do…it will likely lead you towards very excessive behaviour patterns and destroy your relationship with what exercise is, and what your food is.
When you adopt purging behaviours (verb. to physically remove or expel (something) completely) you are treading a very very dangerous line between both your mental health and your physical health.
Here some infographics I once made:
From @thegymstarter on Instagram
As you can see from the infographics…it is merely impossible to:
Do 239 minutes of running at 6mph every time you have a Pizza.
Do 526 minutes of walking, just because you ate Christmas Dinner.
Do 24 minutes of walking every time you consume a Glass of Red Wine.
The sheer thought that you might think, when you sit down on December 25th to enjoy your Christmas Dinner that you will then be faced with nearly 4 hours of walking (depending on your weight) will suck out all enjoyment of that dinner and the true meaning of Christmas. Despite the fact, I don’t know many people that will willingly engage in that much time on a Treadmill (I ran a half marathon on a treadmill once…I do not recommend it).
So what is the other option…you purge the food away.
Every time you do this you are setting up a neurological behaviour that equates food with pain. We all need to eat food. We all need calories to survive. Without them, we will die. This is a fact of life.
And when you become overwhelmed with the idea of how much exercise you will have to do in order to banish the food from your body you will look for the shortcut…which will then lead you into directions such as:
Avoiding social situations.
Living with a feeling of shame.
Relating food enjoyment to painful behaviours.
Changing your brains chemistry to a reward system for these behaviours (1).
Engaging in compensatory behaviours can become addictive. Self-induced vomiting can actually change an individual’s brain chemistry, affecting serotonin levels and releasing endorphins.
This can result in a high that those with purging disorder might strive to recreate following a meal. Similarly, it can be difficult to cease laxative use if an individual’s body has become reliant on them to produce bowel movements (1)
Studies have shown that living on a Very Low-Calorie Diet typically less than 800kcal a day, but can be as little as 1000kcal a day it can have the same physiologically as total starvation (2).
CAN THAT MUCH EXERCISE BE DANGEROUS AS WELL?
Overtraining is a serious subject as well…and if you start walking down the path of “earning your calories” you will have to engage in copious amounts of exercise to compensate.
As I mentioned above, I once ran a Half Marathon on a Treadmill, and it was not a good decision. It took me 2 hours. And yeah…it left its mark. So much so I wasn’t able to train for 4–5 days. But that was a one off stupid incident during marathon training from someone who was very well versed in the ability to run. If I did that day in and day out over a long period of time other issues will begin to arise such as:
Increase in weight
Heavy mood swings
Constant muscle aches (different to DOMS)
Overstressing of muscles leading to frequent injuries
Fatigue and exhaustion
Sleep quality has decreased
In order to actually create a change in the body through training, it must be backed up with a very disciplined regime of sleep and nutrition. Without these two things, you will not build that body you want, and therefore you will always be chasing your tail. If you are considering your food as something you have to burn off, and you educate yourself on the calories contained in foods, then you will be moving towards poorer nutritional choices (ie too few calories), combined with a tendency to overtraining.
According to a study in May 2002, approximately 80 percent of patients with anorexia nervosa and 55 percent of patients with bulimia nervosa compulsively exercise. Female eating disorder patients who exercise report higher levels of psychological distress and psychopathological traits than non-exercisers (3).
Therefore you can see how it will begin to affect both mental and physical health.
WHY DID THE BBC PRODUCE THIS SHOW AND THE PROBLEMS WITHIN IT
A piece of research came out in 2019 from Loughborough University that stated when people know how much exercise they will have to do to burn off their food, as displayed on a food label (knowns as PACE labelling) they are likely to reduce their caloric intake by 103kcals a day (4)
An NHS Blog post (5) states this as the conclusion:
Researchers found:
1. people were less likely to buy a sugary soft drink if it was labelled with PACE information, compared to no label.
2. people selected on average 64.9 fewer calories if food or drink was PACE labelled, compared to no label or other labelling (95% confidence interval (CI) -103.2 to -26.6)
3. people ate on average 80.4 fewer calories if food or drink was PACE labelled, compared to no label or other labelling (95% CI -136.7 to -24.2)
I remember when this story broke as I was invited to talk about it on BBC Radio 5 Live. I was merely approaching it from the relationship of PACE labelling and weight loss. I didn’t really see the relationship this would then have with eating disorders until I looked into it more.
The premise is a fair one. Let's get that out the way right now. The idea that anything that reduces our caloric intake could be a win-win is always going to be a “good idea” especially when we are facing huge increases in obesity globally. But I would like to think that the first half of this article has made you realise the very serious consequences labelling food like this can have.
The show itself was very lukewarm on two fronts. One, its dietary information and the message it tried to get across, and two its understanding of the role exercise plays in our metabolism.
I could pull the show apart, trust me, I made enough notes on how sensationalist it was at times throughout the programme. But also just how sensationalist the whole premise was. Having 40 or so people, all who were not a cross-section of society in terms of their exercise habits, their age and weight working out on Cardio Machines to burn off food others had eaten is simply sensationalism. And the fitness industry has dabbled in sensationalism far too much. This is one reason why eating disorders are on the rise (6) because of Diet Culture and unrealistic expectations of what is achievable being spouted left right and centre to everyone.
Other issues I noticed with the show was that there was no given metric as to how they were monitoring how much exercise the subjects had to do. They didn’t look to me like they were wearing heart rate monitors or were going through a VO2 Max Test as they were doing it to determine truly how many calories they were actually burning.
The lack of information about how the exercise subjects output was being monitored might lead some people to jump on a treadmill and take the numbers that the machine gives you as fact. The numbers of calories burned on a Treadmill, Exercise Bike or Rowing Machine are to be disregarded at all times. They are wildly inaccurate and will nearly always give a higher reading close to 15–20% than what you actually did.
This is important to know because you will be giving it your all on a Cardio Machine, tracking that number…not seeing results that you think you deserve and then you will want to give up again.
I also felt that nearly every shot of the exercise subjects you saw, they looked downtrodden, deflated and absolutely exhausted. I mean…who wouldn't be? Having to do that much exercise.
The meals that the restaurant were serving might have been “typical” to the UK, but they are only typical to the UK when we are eating out. Something that we do not do all day every day. So to directly correlate the very stark image of that many people, looking that hot and sweaty, because of food that someone has eaten, is falsifying the truth. Home Cooked Food vs Restaurant Cooked Food is always going to have big variances in the Caloric value due to things like Oil, Salt and other flavourings that are used in the food.
One of the hosts gave a very simplified version of how your Metabolism worked, and she followed this statement up with “you can’t do much to influence your BMR”, again, which is not giving you the full truth. Which is what makes this programme so very wrong indeed. The sheer fact that the programme is telling you only what you can and cannot do in one exercise session to burn away your calories is very misguided.
The show took in no regard for what happens over long periods of time when you add muscle to your body, and how that helps you maintain your weight. The show gave reference to the fact that Muscle requires more calories to maintain than body fat…but it didn’t look into that any further — which again is giving a very imbalanced view.
It also didn’t mention EPOC (Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption). EPOC is responsible for the continuation of burning calories post-exercise. It occurs both in Cardio work and Resistance Training. However, it occurs to a greater degree in resistance training (7), although the studies I could find do say it is a small difference, and it is an incremental difference over long periods of time.
One last point on the show which I think sums the whole thing up. There was a moment when Angela a middle-aged woman who was enjoying a meal ordered a dessert. The waiter then showed her the PACE labelling for the item she ordered. Angela changed her mind to a different less calorific dessert. However the look on her face would have suggested that she was neither happy about choosing ice cream, and she seemed even less impressed that she felt guilt-tripped into having it.
She also says as her husband is eating the Cheesecake “I have pudding envy. I really wanted the cheesecake”. She was out having a nice meal and has now had her dinner somewhat spoiled by the fact that she now knows she saved 335kcals on her meal.
They went on to ask her about this and she said that she has a goal in mind to fit into a dress for a wedding…and this choice will get her one day closer to getting into that dress.
Which is a nice thought? But it won't help her. It won’t help her because she is encouraging herself to move away from the enjoyment of her food and into a place where she is having to avoid things she enjoys, simply because she is viewing her food as like for like exchange for calories, and weight. She also states later in the programme that “she isn't careful about the food she eats”.
Which brings me to my last point in this section. You can’t build good habits with food if you are building it on a foundation of sand. Shocking people into better choices will not work, because an awful lot more goes into why people chose the foods they eat each day. It's down to their emotional behaviours, their environmental factors and their relationship with themselves.
Not their relationship with their food labels.
THE BEST FOOT FORWARD AND CONCLUSION
So what should we do? If PACE labelling isn’t the answer what should we do instead?
Like with most things two words spring to mind.
Education and Balance.
The education required would be to acknowledge that Exercise is responsible for just 5% of your Daily Metabolic burn.
Read that again.
Exercise is responsible for just 5% of your Daily Metabolic burn.
Above is your Metabolism each day set out as percentages. And you can see Exercise Activity is responsible for just 5% of that.
So I ask the question…why was the show expecting people to burn off 100% of their meals?
Energy In vs Energy Out is what it is important here. And that bar in my infographic is 100% of your energy out. Therefore a keener focus on the big sections of the bar would be useful.
You can improve your BMR by lifting weights, maintaining muscle mass, sleeping better, eating more protein and enjoying the compound effect of these lifestyle changes over a long period of time will help improve your metabolism.
Increase your NEAT. This is your Daily Movement. Fidgeting, Standing, Climbing Stairs, Walking, Gardening, Dancing and everything in between.
We can even increase our Thermic Effect of Food due to making sure the food we eat has a higher Protein focus.
Add all that up and you are increasing 95% of your Metabolism. Yes, it will take time but this isn’t nor should it ever be a like for like situation. Your metabolism is a lot more complex than Exercise = Calories, and the sooner we can understand that the sooner you will start protecting your future self from increased weight gain.
If you want to lose weight and don’t want to spend all day on the treadmill just because you ate a burger …then you can need to do the above.
I would also suggest that you get yourself Calorie Educated. Spend time learning what calories are in your food, and learning how that can work into your numbers for each day. I repeat:
You do not have to earn your calories eaten in the gym.
I have a system called the Five Awesome Rules For Fat Loss Life which I outline in this video which will be a great place to start your understanding of how this all weaves together and why not equating calories eaten to time spent on a Rowing Machine is a good idea.
Did you find this useful?
You can Join The Fitness Collective which is my Membership Group. In there I give Monthly Updates, Live Q and A’s, I provide you with new workouts each and every month, and write guidance on your fitness journey. To find out more about The Fitness Collective you can click here: The Fitness Collective
Please share this with your friends and anyone else you may know who is worried about training in a gym, and feel free to follow me using the links below… And if you want to get updates on when I publish new articles, publish new podcasts or anything else then please remember to sign up below.
And above all remember this…for as long as you are trying your best no one can ask for more from you.
Coach Adam
References:
1.Ekern, B., 2020. Purging Disorder: Signs, Symptoms — You Need To Be Aware Of This. [online] Eating Disorder Hope. Available at: <https://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/blog/purging-disorder-signs-and-symptoms> [Accessed 23 April 2020].
2. Uclahealth.org. 2020. Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD) Plan : RFO Weight Loss Program | UCLA Center For Human Nutrition. [online] Available at: <https://www.uclahealth.org/clinicalnutrition/vlcd> [Accessed 23 April 2020].
3. Eating Disorder Hope. 2020. Exercising And Eating: What Are The Risks And Effects Of Over-Exercising. [online] Available at: <https://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/information/orthorexia-excessive-exercise/risks-over-exercising> [Accessed 23 April 2020].
4. Davis, N., 2020. Exercise Advice On Food Labels Could Help To Tackle The Obesity Crisis. [online] the Guardian. Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/dec/10/exercise-advice-on-food-labels-could-help-to-tackle-the-obesity-crisis> [Accessed 23 April 2020].
5. nhs.uk. 2020. Exercise Advice On Food Labels Could ‘Change Eating Habits’. [online] Available at: <https://www.nhs.uk/news/food-and-diet/exercise-advice-food-labels-could-change-eating-habits/> [Accessed 23 April 2020].
6. Marsh, S., 2020. Hospital Admissions For Eating Disorders Surge To Highest In Eight Years. [online] the Guardian. Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/feb/15/hospital-admissions-for-eating-disorders-surge-to-highest-in-eight-years> [Accessed 23 April 2020].
7. Unm.edu. 2020. Resistance Training And EPOC. [online] Available at: <https://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/epoc.html> [Accessed 23 April 2020].
How Does Your Menstrual Cycle Affect Your Fitness And Weight Loss?
Over the years, I have worked day in and day out with women in terms of helping them lose weight. Many, many of these clients whether it be online or in-person, have stuck with me for a long time and when you develop relationships like that we got to know each other.
This gave me plenty of data and analysis, combined with just being in rhythm with these clients to go away and study how the Menstrual Cycle will affect your ability to lift weights, lose weight and do all things fitness.
It was a topic I was really passionate about developing my knowledge on and learning more about, so I could coach my clients through it that little bit better. However, there was a problem.
Upon researching it some more, it felt like the information out there still didn’t break it down quite well enough. It would talk about how “Exercise can help beat fatigue and improve mood.” which is nothing we didn’t already know, but when it came to distinctly draw the parallels between your Hormonal Changes over a standard 28 Day Cycle and how that will directly affect how you are responding and able to manage this alongside your goal to lose weight…the internet started to fail.
So here it is.
This one-stop-shop article is designed to help you understand how your Menstrual Cycle really can work for you, and against you when it comes to losing weight, how you can manage that to keep adherent to your goals, and the science that dictates the management for you.
What a gift.
Please Note: I am not a Doctor. I am not a Medical Professional. I am just a Personal Trainer who wants to help you, and these are my findings. At all times I would fully recommend seeking Medical Advice if you have any major concerns about your Cycle.
As I am being so very generous at this time, it would be awesome if you could say thank you. byway of becoming my friend.
As your friend, not only will you get the opportunity to ask me anything in the world, but I promise to keep showering you with gifts to help you with your fitness.
Some of them will be very helpful, some of them will be very funny and some of them may be inappropriate - but that's what friendship is all about - isn’t it?
If you want to become friends then please just send me a friend request by filling out the form below.
TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR “How Does your Menstrual Cycle affect your fitness and weight loss?”
Why Have I written this article for you?
For me, it all started with a client and a Podcast. Like a lot of what I do. One of my clients was infuriated at me for not recognizing that she definitely does require more calories on and in the lead up to her Menstruation, compared to the rest of the month.
A feeling I am sure you can relate to.
And although I was wholly understanding of her desires, I didn’t fully understand how much it correlated until I listened to the James Smith Podcast on Female Physiology and how it affects Fat Loss in Female Clients. James, it would appear, had much the same experience as me, and he was generous enough to put his research out there, for us all to learn from.
So what I am about to tell you, is inspired by him, interpreted by me, and backed up by science and the work I have done with female clients for 5 years.
Women are not weaker versions of men.
As a woman, you have an incredibly intricate Hormonal Profile that acutely impacts what you can and cannot do both in terms of lifting weights, and of course, how to adhere to a diet. You have 4 different profiles every 28-day cycle.
The only way you will be successful and sustainable in fitness is if you enjoy what you are doing, and ladies, that means working with your body rather than against it.
Get To Know Your Menstrual Cycle
So let’s learn to work with your system.
Oh and this is an article relating to the way in which your cycle quote “should” unquote be working. I am fully appreciative of different conditions that affect the cycle; PCOS to name one, Menopause as another, or external factors affecting your cycle like the Contraceptive Pill.
These all would require a different article…which I will write…so what I would ask is the following: try to adapt this information to your own circumstances, and if you have any further questions then email me on adam@thegymstarter.com.
Don’t Forget To Follow Me On Instagram:
This is Your Cycle:
Let's start with an Info-graphic so you can refer back to this at any time.
The Different Phases And Their Effect On Your Fitness and Weight Loss.
The Follicular Phase: Week 1: Day 1 to Day 7: Part 1 of The Follicular Phase
This part of your cycle has a secondary phase inside of it as well which is Menstruation which occurs typically at Day 1 to Day 5 of your cycle.
During this part of your cycle, you may experience cramping and may feel quite uncomfortable, despite the fact you may be wearing pads and/or other sanitary items to help with the bleeding.
During Week 1 your dominant Hormone is Oestrogen, which is a hormone that your body uses for Bone Strength, Regulating your Menstrual Cycle, Pregnancy, and maintaining Cholesterol Levels. In a nutshell, it’s useful and is a good thing to be aware of.
How is Fitness and Weight Loss Affected Day 1 — Day 5?
Many of my friends who I work with by coaching them online have reported different experiences during this phase and it is totally personal.
But my best advice for this period (no pun intended) is the following:
Work on strong and steady Resistance Training
Avoid activities like HIIT and Jumping movements if they cause you discomfort
Get plenty of sleep as your body is working hard
In terms of Calories, you might be a little more hungry, and a calorie deficit could be hard, so just use trial and error to see how you react
Week 2: Day 6 to Day 14: Part 2 of The Follicular Phase
This is the best time of the 28 days to maximize your results. Both in terms of Calories and your Strength.
Leading into Day 14 your Testosterone Levels will be increasing which combined with LH (Luteinizing Hormone) and the peak in LH especially is what causes Ovulation on Day 14.
If you are going to be adherent to a Calorie Deficit now is the time. Your energy will be at its highest, your strength at its strongest, and your ability to stick to it all should be at its greatest.
How is Fitness and Weight Loss Affected from Day 6 — Day 14?
But my best advice for this part of your Cycle is:
Keep working on your Resistance Training — you should be able to target your heaviest lifts in this part of your cycle.
In terms of Calories maximize your caloric deficit if you are trying to lose weight as you will have the most amount of energy to adhere to this.
And Cardio…? Well during this time you will feel rather horny due to the increase in Testosterone and LH. Your body will be signaling to you to get pregnant which makes perfect sense, as your eggs are releasing. So if you want to do Cardio…grab your fella and have a week of fun…just remember to be safe…
Ovulation happens on Day 14.
And things well…things take a slight turn for the worse in terms of your physiology.
The Different Phases And Their Effect On Your Fitness and Weight Loss:
The Luteal Phase: Week 3: Day 15 to Day 21: Part 1 of The Luteal Phase
Say hello to Progesterone. The dominant hormone of the next two weeks.
So whether you are pregnant or not, your body doesn’t wait to confirm this, before it starts preparing you for the growth of a tiny human. Progesterone is responsible for maintaining pregnancy which is why it is such a key player in this phase of your cycle.
Progesterone is responsible for building your uterine wall, and making sure your uterus is ready to receive a fertilized egg.
How is Fitness and Weight Loss Effected Day 15 — Day 21?
Your body will require an extra 100-300kcal a day — so moving to a Maintenance or Momentum (thanks to Jordan Syatt) Calories each day might be a good idea. I understand that in order to lose weight a Calorie Deficit is needed, but in this phase, understanding your need for more calories and fueling your body as it is working harder will help you manage your hunger and avoid cravings that may lead to overeating if you are trying to restrict too much.
Some women report headaches during this phase, and to combat that I would suggest some light Aerobic Exercise like Running or Rowing. Even regular outdoor walks would be good for you in nature — may I recommend a 10min Guided Walking Meditation…can be found on my Youtube Channel
You can continue to Strength Train as well, just be realistic that you might not be able to perform like you did last week
Week 4: Day 22 to Day 28: Part 2 of The Luteal Phase
This is the part of your cycle where PMS may start to creep in. You may feel a lot more fatigued, and your mood and energy levels may well vary from day-to-day. Your body is literally preparing itself to keep a fertilized egg in the uterus and to allow you to child bear. This takes its toll. As far as your body is aware you are now about to be pregnant. It doesn’t know that you won’t be, and so it takes the necessary steps to make sure that you have the most successful pregnancy possible. This is going to require energy, a redirection of your resources, and is going to have an effect on your performance. Progesterone is still dominant, and it is putting the finishing touches on your uterine wall for the egg.
During this phase, I regularly have clients tell me that they just are too tired, have too much fatigue, and feel a lot weaker in this phase of their cycle. It’s cool. At this point, I explain to them whats going on, why they feel that way, and make sure I lower their expectations of what to expect in terms of their output, and this way they don’t come away from the Gym feeling more exhausted, deflated and overwhelmed.
How is Fitness and Weight Loss Effected Day 22 — Day 28?
Stick at Maintenance or Momentum Calories for this final week, in order to keep your energy higher and to allow you to not have the extra stress of trying to stay in a Calorie Deficit.
As PMS kicks in, this can come with a multitude of different side effects: Depression, Anxiety, Physical Pain. Studies have shown that PMS can cause Dysphoric Disorder and its very important that you look after yourself if you experience this. Ways of managing this would be to increase calories to maintenance, to exercise in a way that brings you enjoyment, and not displeasure, and to talk to your trainer, or others about how you are feeling. Honesty is always the best policy.
You can continue to Strength Train…but lower your expectations, especially as you move further into this stage, as it will get harder, and you may feel weaker. There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking this phase as a time to iron out your technique with lighter loads or to take a De-Load Week altogether.
Let’s Conclude
If you have read this diligently, I am basically splitting your Nutrition and your Training up into two very deliberate phases:
PHASE 1 — Day 1 to Day 14
Calorie Deficit, Solid Strength Training with a build into Day 14 for your strongest moments and highest energy in the Gym.
PHASE 2— Day 15 to Day 28
Maintenance/Momentum Calories, and move toward more quality movement, rather than quantity of load or Reps. Expect to feel more tired, so adjust your expectations to meet that.
Now I’m sure you’re thinking…
“Am I reading this correctly? I only have to be in a Calorie Deficit for two weeks…is that enough will I lose enough weight?”
I want to be talking to a person who is in this for the long run…if you want to lose 2 stone in 6 weeks, this plan is not going to work for you. But if you want to learn how to make Fat Loss, Calorie Adherence and Fitness sustainable and achievable then yes.
Yes I am saying you need to Calorie Deficit for two weeks. Maintain for two weeks.
I would much prefer you find adherence for four weeks, over the course of your cycle in this manner, rather than two weeks of a Calorie Deficit, and two weeks of going full-on “Shit Head”(thanks Mike Vacanti). By this, I mean eating way more than you Maintenance Calories and undoing two great weeks of your Calorie Deficit.
The choice is yours:
4 Weeks of Total Adherence?
or
4 Weeks of Yoyo-ing over and over again, and never making progress?
There will be aspects of this article that don’t apply to you right now…but may in the future. There may be parts of this article that mean nothing to you, but they might a friend. There is no one case that is the same. But its here, as a gift from me to you, to help you understand why and what is going on when things sometimes just feel impossible.
If you have any questions…please put them below or reach out to me by becoming my friend.
Did you find this useful?
I have plenty more articles about weight loss for females throughout this website.
Here is a selection I think would make great further reading for you:
Thank you for being here - and if you want to become my friend now you have finished the article - my offer still stands….
References:
Aaptiv. (2020). Here’s How Your Period May Affect Your Workouts — Aaptiv. [online] Available at: https://aaptiv.com/magazine/exercise-affects-periods [Accessed 1 Mar. 2020].
Smith, J. (2020). #6 Fat Loss For Females. [podcast] The James Smith Podcast. Available at: https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/6-fat-loss-for-females/id1444720680?i=1000428908837 [Accessed 1 Mar. 2020].
Healthdirect.gov.au. 2020. Oestrogen. [online] Available at: <https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/oestrogen> [Accessed 10 March 2020].
HealthyWomen. 2020. Progesterone | Healthywomen. [online] Available at: <https://www.healthywomen.org/condition/progesterone> [Accessed 10 March 2020].
Indusekhar R, e., 2020. Psychological Aspects Of Premenstrual Syndrome. — Pubmed — NCBI. [online] Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Available at: <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17175199> [Accessed 14 March 2020].