2017 in Review
December is a time to reflect on the past 11 months and look forward to and plan for the up and coming 12 months. Instead of writing another article I like to see if you’ve been paying attention. How do you score on the below True or False quiz:
1. Magnesium deficiency can contribute to fat storage in the abdominal region = True | False
2. Poor gut health can prevent you from losing weight = True | False
3. HIIT is more effective at burning fat than steady state cardio = True | False
4. Body weight or callisthenic exercise is more beneficial than equipment based exercise = True | False
5. Vegetable based oils (like sunflower, sesame, canola, etc) are healthy = True | False
6. One of the biggest mistakes made with vegetarian diets is the amount of starch consumed = True | False
7. The follicular phase of the menstrual cycle, when estrogen is high and progesterone low, is a time to focus on cardio training = True | False
8. The statement “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” is based on science = True | False
9. Your metabolic rate is set and only changes with your weight = True | False
10. One of the most effective exercises for toning the bum/glutes is the Donkey Kick = True | False
Answers:
1. True – Research suggests that magnesium deficiency is a big contributor to an enlarged waist. Magnesium plays a very important role in glucose regulation, it has the ability to decrease inflammation and anxiety, lower cortisol, improve HDL cholesterol levels, and adequate levels are absolutely critical for a lean body.
2. True – It’s very difficult to lose weight and be healthy if you don’t have a healthy gut. If your gut is not healthy, it will negatively affect the production of the neurotransmitters, leading to poor cognitive function, low mood, feelings of depression, and low motivation as well as poor digestion that prevents your body receiving the nutrients it requires
3. True – HIIT training burns more fat due to 1) improved insulin sensitivity 2) Anabolic Effect and 3) Afterburn effect
4. True – Movement based exercise focuses on increasing ROM, increasing mobility and strengthening joints. Movement based exercises, or calisthenics, not only increase your range it strengthens your secondary system, which includes ligaments, tendons, inter-connective tissue and fascia. By strengthening your secondary system this type of exercise massively helps in preventing injuries.
5. False – vegetable oils are high in omega-6 fatty acids and usually contain large amounts of trans fatty acids. Many studies have now demonstrated that vegetable oils can cause serious harm to your health. Omega-6 oils are pro-inflammatory – inflammation leads to chronic disease.
6. True – The term vegetarian, to me, means someone who predominantly eats vegetables. However, what I regularly see many people following a vegetarian diet consisting mainly of pasta, bread, rice, dairy and other non-vegetable foods. To me this is a STARCHetarian – a huge mistake! Starchy foods hold very little mineral and vitamin content = empty calories
7. False – The best time to focus on resistance training is in the follicular phase of the menstruation cycle. The follicular phase has more estrogen, which means less fat storage, more fat burning and is a muscle gaining time. In this phase carbohydrate intake can be a little higher due to better insulin sensitivity which also helps with lean tissue development
8. False – It is not fact at all but rather a slogan! Seventh Day Adventists James Caleb Jackson and John Harvey Kellogg invented “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” in the mid 19th century to sell their newly developed breakfast cereal foodstuffs. Kellogg was incredibly eccentric with his thoughts about breakfast believing that bland food would curb masturbation
9. False – The metabolism is adaptive and reactive to food, exercise and mood. We must continually vary our inputs and outputs, so that our bodies continue to adapt and change
10. False – The donkey kick exercise works core stability, in particular the Transversus Abdominis (TVA). The general mistake is to think that this exercise works the glutes. However, there is no resistance applied, so the glutes will not be overloaded sufficiently to cause significant “toning”.
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