New Year's Guarantees: Cold Weather, Crowded Gyms, and Opinion-based Facts

I have to say that this is my least favorite time of year. I generally hate winter, which is why I live in Florida.

But what  I really hate more than cold weather is a crowded gym with "resolutioneers" all over the place spewing gobs and gobs of "opinion-based facts". So what, exactly, do I mean by "opinion-based facts"?  Well, let's see, here is a list of the top five opinion-based facts I have heard so far this year and my response to them. Sound like fun?

1. "A low-(carb/fat) diet is the best way to lose weight"
2. "Don't do cardio"
3. "Do more cardio"
4. "Too much protein will give you kidney failure"
5. "Walking (or swimming) is the best exercise"

Sort of an eclectic list, but I do find myself in YMCAs (aka, the nation's largest adult day care provider) all over the country on a regular basis, so I am doomed to hear this type of thing over and over again from people who have this type of misinformation baked into their brains. So let's take these one at a time.

1.  "A low-(carb/fat) diet is the best way to lose weight". Sorry people, this is just WRONG.  A pound of fat is approximately 3,500 calories. To lose weight you need to expend 3,500 calories more than you consume.  It does't matter if it's fat or carbs as long as you fill the gap with additional protein. That's it.  And the majority of these calories are burned by your body in its normal operation, not from exercise. Increase the amount of energy your body uses normally and you will lose weight more efficiently. The easiest way to do that? Build muscle, because muscle will increase the amount of calories you burn at rest.  Now you can tell that fat guy with the towel wrapped around him who has been talking about his "diet" and is still fat to shut up...or go back to the steam room.
2. "Don't do cardio". With this one, you first have to clear up the definitional problem. "Cardio" is not "running on the treadmill". "Cardio" is anything that raises your heart rate for a sustained period. Raising your heart rate can both increase your progress toward burning calories (see #1 above) and   also increase the size of your heart muscle and make it work more efficiently.  Anyone who says "Don't to cardio" is an idiot who probably keeps his lock on a public locker all night with his dirty jockstrap inside.
3. "Do more cardio".  A very common refrain from all the wanna be "bodybuilders" with  huge arms and small legs who wander in off the street with the tight, gray hoodie and load up 300 pounds on the bench to mark their territory.  Building lean muscle will allow your body to operate at a higher resting metabolic rate and burn more calories WITHOUT more cardio. Tell the hoodie guy that there's free anabolic steroids in the parking lot and you will be rid of him for the rest of your workout.
4. "Too much protein will give you kidney failure".  In peer-reviewed exercise science journals you will find that this is simply not true. But that old guy who squats in the Smith machine with a belt and knee sleeves will tell you that he had to have a kidney transplant because of too much protein. HE'S LYING.  Your body simply gets rid of excess protein. End of story. You need protein to repair muscle damage and promote lean muscle growth, so eat the protein. EAT IT.
5. "Walking/Swimming is the the BEST exercise".  Have you ever seen that guy who walks all the time in your neighborhood but still has a gut and has absolutely no muscle tone?  Listen, a man will lose 30% of his muscle mass between the ages of 50 and 80 unless he works to retain it by lifting something heavy and overfeeding on protein.  "Well, it's easier on the joints, Steve". OK, if you fail to load your joints you will lose muscle density and become more susceptible to osteoporosis. There is no "best exercise". Exercise should be a variety of activities that progressively challenge your strength, your mobility, and your aerobic fitness.  Tell the guy who is in the same lane in the pool every morning doing the "best exercise" that he might as well stay home with his "bad knee" unless he adds some resistance training to his routine.

I hope you found this entertaining. This is still January, so I'm sure I'll have lots more of these before the end of the year.  In the meantime, drop me a line at 3Sigmawellness@gmail.com or on Twitter @3Sigmawellness.

 Be well my friends.