Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Health rant

   Okay, I'm aiming for a post or so a day to balance between actually doing this and just rambling, but I feel like writing, so meh.

   I grew up with a fitness professional as a dad, so naturally, I've heard a fair amount of ideas. I've also heard what school etc has to say, because I grew up in a generation of having health stuff shoved down my throat, and of course there's just taking biology and the assertions that seem to be inherent there (teachers and textbooks seem incapable of not mentioning the evils of saturated fat when going over macro nutrients). So by now, I have developed a list of things which are pet peeves and tempt me to go on a rant... especially when stated as fact. I mean don't get me wrong, I'm not going to claim that I know I'm right, but I feel pretty damn sure that the mainstream has no business claiming certainty.

    So I tried going to a new gym, and their intake process involved telling me things that are on that list of pet peeves. I held in my desire to go off on the person trying to tell me how to take care of my body at the time, but now I feel like going on a little bit of a rant.

    Health pet peeve #1: Cardio Cardio Cardio I'm not going to sit here and tell people that they shouldn't do cardio, if they enjoy than great, do what you enjoy. But best case it's not time effective, far as I can tell. You can increase cardiovascular health more effectively with interval training, and things like heavy lifting more effectively increase basal metabolic rate after. It certainly doesn't seem like it ought to be the corner stone of a fitness program.
    Health pet peeve #2: Eat as many meals as possible. I'll allow that possibly this is different for people who run on glucose. But when intermittent fasting seems to have a more positive impact on body composition than just calorie restriction... nope, sorry, don't buy it.
   Health pet peeve #3: Fat bad, grains good. Perhaps the one most likely to send me on a rant. Our bodies seem to like running on fat more than sugar... and eating a bunch of whole grain still comes out to running on sugar.
   Health pet peeve #4: Focus on weight loss. No, no, a thousand times no. Which granted is more a mentality thing, but really. Focus on being healthy, if you're getting more able to do what you want to do, you're succeeding. Fuck the number on the scale.
   Health pet peeve #5: Calories in vs calories out. Technically accurate, but useless. Far as I can tell, weight loss largely depends on convincing your body to run effectively (looking at basal metabolic rate), not just cutting dietary calories and increasing calories spent on activity).
   (Slightly tangent-y peeve: I seem to have forgotten some of my specific arguments. -_-)

   I know that I may not know the answers. I believe that the best thing for me to do is a variety of activities, of which cardio would only be a small portion, and a diet revolving around fats and protein and no grain, and potentially a good bit of intermittent fasting. This is what to me makes the most sense, but I can't absolutely prove it. And I could go off on that more, and perhaps I will down the road. Right now, my biggest pet peeve is this: the certainty of people who try to tell others how to be healthy. Except, I don't think that qualifies as a peeve, it potentially hurts people too much. These people talk like they have the answers, most people seem to think that there is no debate. I respectfully admit that I might be wrong, and maybe mainstream is right, or vegans (for health reasons) are right, or whatever. But fucking think about. Especially when you're a trainer. I mean seriously. Don't fucking sit me down and tell me the simplest and most accepted ideas like I'm a kid in grade school. Do they think we're not capable of actual thought and contemplating what option to test, or do they not get that there are different ideas anymore than the general population?? And if it's the latter, they can't have looked into it much, what the fuck are they doing trying to advise people in the first place?? Fuck!!

   *deep breath* Okay, rant over.

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