Nutrition - who to believe?

Nutrition is often confusing. One day something is healthy, then the next it is not. One day a certain food causes health problems, the next it doesn't, and is recommended and promoted. The problem is there are so many studies on nutrition; whom do you believe?

Well the truth is it is very rare for every single study on a subject to be in agreement. There are always a few that sit in direct contrast to the majority of the studies. So it is never a good idea to suggest broad conclusions or recommendations based on a few select studies. If you pick & choose the studies that suit your point of view, you can prove just about anything you would like about nutrition. Many studies about nutrition use animals as subjects, and drawing conclusions about human health from animal studies can be very misleading. 

If a certain study 'proves' something is unhealthy, and you are or know of someone who does very well on that something, the study is not definitive. Sure, there can be a general rule that 'generally' applies to 'most' people, but to blindly accept information just because someone tells you it is so is ridiculous. How often can you find people with recognised qualifications disagreeing with each other? So even if you have been taught something, it doesn't make it correct. Besides, how do we know that something has been proven? Because someone tells us it has? Come on people, think for yourselves.

If a qualified and recognised expert tells me something is unhealthy, I want to know why he think that. I don't want to hear that he knows because someone else told him. I don't want to hear it is because he read it in a book. I especially do not want to know it is because he read an article on the internet. I don't even want to hear that he knows because he has a qualification in that field. I want to hear that he tried it personally for long enough, with no other variables changing at all, and it showed enough significant results for him to come to his conclusion. 

This doesn't mean you shouldn't listen. Listen to everything. Listen to everyone. Read, research & most importantly question. The more information you have, the better equipped you are to reach a conclusion. But don't do it just because someone else told you - regardless of who that person is.

For every person who tells me something is healthy or unhealthy, or for every study I see that tells me something is healthy or unhealthy, I can find a person and a study to refute them. More often than not I can find a person who is a living example that disproves most 'known facts' out there. So until someone tells me something is healthy or unhealthy for ALL of the people ALL of the time, I will continue to question everything that is put before me. I will continue to be my own study, and see how things affect ME in the real world, rather than how they affected 6 rats in a laboratory test in 1969. I will continue to challenge everything, and so should you.

Challenge everything, especially yourself.

Alex Kay Grimmer

Contact me for Kettlebell classes and Personal Training in Southend-on-sea.

Contact & location details are on my website: BODYQUESTPT

Scaremongering

Too many people get caught up in the details, and lose sight of the big picture.

Recently I was told and then later saw) someone put out information about soya milk containing high levels of aluminium, and related it to taking 5 birth control pills a day. What an absolute load of garbage! Yes, soya milk does contain aluminium, but so do a lot of things. Human breast milk contains aluminium. Aluminium is the 3rd most abundant metal in the ground, so it can be found in almost any food. We put it into our water supplies to give the water a clearer 'clean' appearance. It is used as a raising agent in baking, tea has suprisingly high levels of aluminium, as does toothpaste, aspirin and antacids, the list goes on.

 Yes, soya milk has higher levels than cow milk, but the amounts and the effects have been greatly exaggerated. The UK's government Health Protection Agency states "Children exposed to aluminium are not expected to show greater sensitivity compared to adults" and "Little information is available regarding whether aluminium causes cancer in humans. Data from animals studies have shown that it is not thought to cause cancer in animals". The Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA, now called Food Standards Australia New Zealand, FSANZ), measured the aluminium intakes of Australian infants as part of the Australian Market Basket Survey (which is now known as the Total Diet Survey ).  It was found that although soy based infant formulas contained higher levels of aluminium than other formulas or breast milk, the estimated aluminium intake was still well below estimated safe levels. Interestingly enough in the past 2 years the UK has relaxed the laws and allowed a greater use of aluminium in products we consume. Basically because of the widespread distribution of aluminium compounds through food, drink and even the air we breathe, exposure is unavoidable. 

Sure, we should do our best to reduce the aluminium content in consumption as it is not an essential part of our diet, but it is also worth bearing in mind that there are no definitive links between aluminum exposure through infant formulas and immediate or delayed toxicity in healthy infants. Better safe than sorry - yes; but people tend to see correlations where there are none, and then draw conclusions based on bad science and logical fallacies.

But here is the bottom line - unless you are eating aluminium foil, you don't really have anything to worry about. However if you are still concerned, just make sure you are getting calcium & magnesium in your diet and you will be fine. They block the aluminium.

Challenge everything, Especially yourself.

 Alex Kay Grimmer

Kettlebell class special offers

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Classes are currently:

Monday evenings at 8pm

Tuesday & Thursday evenings at 7pm

Saturday mornings at 9.30am

Coming soon.... Tuesday & Thursday morning classes!

Challenge everything, especially yourself.

Alex Kay Grimmer

Contact me for Kettlebell classes and Personal Training in Southend-on-sea.

Contact & location details are on my website: BODYQUESTPT

BodyQuest Kettlebell Gym is officially open!

BodyQuest Kettlebell Gym has now officially opened! For the past few weeks I have been working day & night to turn a rubbish-filled derelict building into a full-time strength & conditioning facility. It was hard work but definitely worth it! 

Kettlebell classes are currently:

Tuesday & Thursday evenings at 7pm

Saturday mornings at 9:30am

Classes are open to all, but it is best to book a place to avoid disappointment.

I will be adding more classes to the timetable over the next few days - watch this space!

Challenge everything, especially yourself.

Alex Kay Grimmer

Contact me for Kettlebell classes and Personal Training in Southend-on-sea.

Contact & location details are on my website: BODYQUESTPT

Coming soon... BodyQuest Kettlebell Gym!

I am pleased to announce that within the next week or so, I will be opening my own dedicated training facility! 2010 ended on a sad note, when The Iron Den Studio I was working out of closed it's doors, forcing me to find a new venue for my classes & clients. However, sometimes being forced to take action is just the kick in the butt you need.

Initially BodyQuest will continue as a personal training and group session facility, but later this year will open an area for members to come in and train using BodyQuest tools such as kettlebells, Olympic lifting platforms, tractor tires, sledgehammers, ropes, jumping platforms, pull up and dipping bars... and more!

This is going to be a year of taking action, and I am really looking forward to the challenges it will bring. I will be pushing for everyone to achieve far more this year than they ever thought possible. If you are looking for functional fitness, strength, endurance, mobility and cardio that just won't quit then get in touch. I guarantee you twice the results in half the time!

Watch this space for details of the new gym!

Challenge everything, especially yourself.

Alex Kay Grimmer

Contact me for Kettlebell classes and Personal Training in Southend-on-sea.

Contact & location details are on my website: BODYQUESTPT

Simplify, and Improve

Many people struggle with motivation at this time of year. You feel as if you are not only no longer progressing, but actually losing ground as well, getting worse. One of the main reasons I have seen for this is too many goals. If you try to do too many things, you end up not being able to truly focus on any of them, and your training just goes nowhere.

If you find yourself in this predicament, make it simple again. Choose ONE goal. Don't be afraid that you'll lose everything else, because you won't. Pick one goal, something like deadlifting twice your bodyweight, performing a chest height standing jump, 10 minutes of kettlebell long cycle clean & jerk without stopping, anything really - but focus on only one of the physical goals you do want to achieve.

You will find that as you progress towards and eventually reach that one goal, not only will your motivation return, but your physicality will increase in other areas alongside your chosen goal.

Challenge everything, especially yourself.

Alex Kay Grimmer

Contact me for Kettlebell classes and Personal Training in Southend-on-sea.

Contact & location details are on my website: BODYQUESTPT

Diets

So many people out there want to lose 'weight', (really what they want is to lose fat, but let's not split hairs for now), so they go on a diet. I have lost count of how many people have told me that they are on a diet, and for every single one of them, it is not the first time that they are “on a diet”.

Now don't get me wrong, watching what you are eating and doing your best to maintain a healthy lifestyle with good nutrition is a great idea, I am all for it. What I am against is diets. Diets do not work. It is that simple. If you tell me they are, because you lost x amount of weight the last time you were on a diet, you are fooling yourself. Unless you have maintained and will continue to maintain your new size, shape,weight with ease, your diet failed. A diet will never work, because it is designed to be temporary. The minute you go back to your old habits, you will re-assume you old size, shape, weight, etc.

Think of diets as training wheels. They are an aid to help teach you how to do something on your own – without thinking about it; without having to draw up a complicated plan. You learn something by using them, then you go on and do it on your own, without the training wheels.

Challenge everything, especially yourself.

Alex Kay Grimmer

Contact me for Kettlebell classes and Personal Training in Southend-on-sea.

Contact & location details are on my website: BODYQUESTPT