A Few Home Truths... continued

As I have recently been challenged on this piece (which I welcome! Challenge everything!), I thought it best to offer a short follow up. I have been condemned for my "train with intensity" philosophy. I have been challenged that the only people getting good results are those who follow good nutritional habits and exercise with intensity - I have been told that statement is simply not true. Well I will make this as short and sweet as possible.

I agree completely that hormone imbalances exist. I agree that we can put too much stress onto our bodies (muscles, organs, minds, everything), and that both of these factors can influence our training results. So the question is how do we address the hormonal imbalances? How do we fix them? You guessed it - good, clean nutritional habits!

There are 3 factors - and only 3 to consider. Nutrition, lifestyle & exercise. Sort out your dietary habits by replacing junk food (toxins) with good, clean unprocessed foods (nutrients). Do your best to eliminate stress from your life (easier said than done, but do what you can!). Finally... train - with intensity! This doesn't mean go balls to the wall every training session every day, but training with Barbie & Ken weights and never breaking a sweat will get you NOWHERE. With exercise you need to shock your body into changing. A good trainer will understand how to put together a program to enable you to do this efficiently and effectively. Your sessions should be tough, but equally you should be able to get through them and recover.

All those who challenge my views are welcome to do so. But it is interesting to notice that what they advise comes back to those 3 simple truths - Good nutrition, stress-free lifestyle and exercise. Of course, when they are selling something they will take something simple and complicate it.

In have to add the reason why people fall into the trap of believing quacks is because they so deserately want to believe there is a magic formula. They want to believe there is a short cut to obtaining the body they desire. So when someone comes along who is selling magic formulas and short-cuts, they will, against all logic, buy into it regardless. There is no magic formula. There is no short-cut. Get on the right path and stay there, one step at a time, and you WILL reach your destination. It took time for your body to reach it's current state, it will take time to reverse it. Forget weight-loss, forget perfect pecs or thighs, focus on health, fitness, strength, range of motion & endurance as goals. Form will follow the function.

Challenge Everything - Especially Yourself.