I just finished Scott Abel's Book Understanding Metabolism: The Truth About Counting Calories, Sustainable Weightloss, and Metabolic Damage. It's been a long time since I sat down to a book on fitness and nutrition as I have been trying to steer myself away from being so zoned in on it these days. But the winter bear only hibernates for so long and I've recently had the appetite to read read read.
The book was a bit refreshing as there wasn't any groundbreaking information in the book. No new studies done to prove or disprove any former theories on nutrition. And no radical dietary or fitness approach to help you achieve that smokin' hot bod you've been longing for. Nope....it was simple, concise, and to the point. Which is perhaps the one thing that I've been longing for all this time.
Scott goes on about how complicated we have made our diets and that the price we pay for that are short term results that come around to bite us in the a$$. How many times have you tried a diet, a new workout routine, or even a cleanse for that matter, only to feel barely ok while you are on it and rebound once you are off of it. Why is that? Why do we feel so awful after doing something that is supposedly so good?
Answer: We were never meant to be on a diet of such restriction. We were never meant to put our bodies through such extremes. It distorts our hormones creating an imbalance in our reproductive, endocrine, digestive, immune, and nervous systems. We become a heavy metal concert instead of a flowing symphony. Our bodies when put through such extremes gets out of whack and our health is the price to pay for it.
I lived on a cleansing diet for 10 years. My main purpose when I ate was to make sure that my body was cleansing itself. Now granted, cleansing our bodies is CRITICAL. Yes....CRITICAL. We need to make sure we are eliminating waste and toxins on a daily basis through our bowels, lungs, skin, & kidneys. But what I was not aware of, or didn't pay much attention to rather, was that my body still needed to rebuild. I needed nourishment to store, hold for a rainy day, if you will, and not constantly be in a state of depletion.
Diets do that. Constant dieting, overtraining, and lack of proper rest puts your body into a state of depletion on ALL levels. And instead of returning to the source of the depletion, we opt to spend lots of money on supplements to "help support" our bodies......when all we really needed was to eat wiser and more, train smarter, and get proper rest....lots of proper rest.
Although this book was quite simple in its wordings, I did find it to be an eye opener as to how complicated we as health enthusiasts make our diets out to be. And as a friend of mine on Facebook posted yesterday, ironically it is those who diet the most and who overdo the observation of every macro and micro nutrient and calorie they consume who happen to have the most health issues.
You know what? She's right. I see it in my office on the daily and I saw it in myself after being in the hospital this past April. Taking supplements unnecessarily to fix something that can be fixed by taking a step back, sound boarding your diet and lifestyle, and not being so obsessive can cause you a world of hurt and set you back months in your health.
We all have health, diet, and fitness goals. But we need to truly be realistic about these goals. What is the real purpose behind it? Search for the answer, ask the BIG GUY, meditate on it, get a coach or therapist of some kind, and find what's behind it all.
This by no means means that we should not exercise hard...watch what we eat...track and log our routines. It's simply a reminder that there is much more to health and wellness than simply dieting and exercising. When was the last time you packed up a picnic and just chilled at the lake or the beach. Relaxation with family and friends is just as important. In fact, I'm looking forward to some pool time with my loved ones this weekend.
If you're having some issues with diet and nutrition and feel like you've been super stressed about it, take a step back and reassess what your true goals are. Perhaps your approach needs some fine tuning. Perhaps you just need a break. Look at the signs and you will be guided in the right direction.
Ciao
The book was a bit refreshing as there wasn't any groundbreaking information in the book. No new studies done to prove or disprove any former theories on nutrition. And no radical dietary or fitness approach to help you achieve that smokin' hot bod you've been longing for. Nope....it was simple, concise, and to the point. Which is perhaps the one thing that I've been longing for all this time.
Scott goes on about how complicated we have made our diets and that the price we pay for that are short term results that come around to bite us in the a$$. How many times have you tried a diet, a new workout routine, or even a cleanse for that matter, only to feel barely ok while you are on it and rebound once you are off of it. Why is that? Why do we feel so awful after doing something that is supposedly so good?
Answer: We were never meant to be on a diet of such restriction. We were never meant to put our bodies through such extremes. It distorts our hormones creating an imbalance in our reproductive, endocrine, digestive, immune, and nervous systems. We become a heavy metal concert instead of a flowing symphony. Our bodies when put through such extremes gets out of whack and our health is the price to pay for it.
I lived on a cleansing diet for 10 years. My main purpose when I ate was to make sure that my body was cleansing itself. Now granted, cleansing our bodies is CRITICAL. Yes....CRITICAL. We need to make sure we are eliminating waste and toxins on a daily basis through our bowels, lungs, skin, & kidneys. But what I was not aware of, or didn't pay much attention to rather, was that my body still needed to rebuild. I needed nourishment to store, hold for a rainy day, if you will, and not constantly be in a state of depletion.
Diets do that. Constant dieting, overtraining, and lack of proper rest puts your body into a state of depletion on ALL levels. And instead of returning to the source of the depletion, we opt to spend lots of money on supplements to "help support" our bodies......when all we really needed was to eat wiser and more, train smarter, and get proper rest....lots of proper rest.
Although this book was quite simple in its wordings, I did find it to be an eye opener as to how complicated we as health enthusiasts make our diets out to be. And as a friend of mine on Facebook posted yesterday, ironically it is those who diet the most and who overdo the observation of every macro and micro nutrient and calorie they consume who happen to have the most health issues.
You know what? She's right. I see it in my office on the daily and I saw it in myself after being in the hospital this past April. Taking supplements unnecessarily to fix something that can be fixed by taking a step back, sound boarding your diet and lifestyle, and not being so obsessive can cause you a world of hurt and set you back months in your health.
We all have health, diet, and fitness goals. But we need to truly be realistic about these goals. What is the real purpose behind it? Search for the answer, ask the BIG GUY, meditate on it, get a coach or therapist of some kind, and find what's behind it all.
This by no means means that we should not exercise hard...watch what we eat...track and log our routines. It's simply a reminder that there is much more to health and wellness than simply dieting and exercising. When was the last time you packed up a picnic and just chilled at the lake or the beach. Relaxation with family and friends is just as important. In fact, I'm looking forward to some pool time with my loved ones this weekend.
If you're having some issues with diet and nutrition and feel like you've been super stressed about it, take a step back and reassess what your true goals are. Perhaps your approach needs some fine tuning. Perhaps you just need a break. Look at the signs and you will be guided in the right direction.
Ciao
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