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What are your unpopular opinions about health / fitness?
Replies
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You do what you gotta do, but there are lots of bodybuilders out there who do everything they can to add mass to a body part and have trouble even with "help". Genetics does matter to an extent.stevencloser wrote: »stevencloser wrote: »
You don't need much mind/muscle connection to run. It's a natural movement that needs absolutely minimal training if any at all. You're thinking in terms of perfecting how people workout and many people just don't go that deep into it. Lots of great athletes do well with just reaction and pure talent and don't lift weights or anything else.
But not all people lift to make the mind/muscle connection a part of the goal. Some do it just to be active and keep basic strength up. Not all people are looking to increase mass nor have prominent body parts.The whole notion of 'functional strength' and that compound lifts are the be all and end all.
Newb's concentrating on only compound lifts and not doing enough to build whats most important...mind muscle connection.
Dedicating whole workouts to just abs....fkn LOL.
The notion that a calorie is a calorie, no if one causes me to hold more water then they're not equal when it comes to my goals...which leads me to another...
Water has just as much as a detrimental effect on the appearance of a physique than fat.
The stigma attached to PED's...yet it's socially acceptable to take something that literally disables you (alcohol). People wasting time chasing ever dwindling results when they could transform their life, yet they're too scared of the social stigma to do what should be seen as normal.
People being too reliant on what hey read rather than walking the walk. I will nearly always put more value on the advice of someone who's actually where I want to be, than some skinny fat MFPer clutching a science paper.
I don't do "accessory" lifts...waste of time IMO...what's the point they don't help me achieve my goals...notice how that can be turned around using your logic
Calories are a unit of measure and if a carb impacts "YOUR" goal that's one thing but for the majority of people it is a fact...and a calorie is just that...a calorie...but not sure that this is "unpopular" just debated a lot...
PED's are a personal choice IMO...if you want to pump your body full of those things go ahead...but they are just as dangerous when abused as any other drug...including alcohol...again not that unpopular just those who want to use them vs those who don't are sure they are right.
As for your last statement...are you saying that you wouldn't heed the advice of someone like oh..Arnold? he's not where you want to be...but probably was at some point...
regardless of if someone now doesn't "look" how you think they should be doesn't mean they don't have good advice...
I mean I know people who look good...and I wouldn't listen to their drivel ever...
If creating a stronger mind muscle connection isn't part of your goals when you lift then I don't really know what to say to you, regardless, isolation exercises will achieve just that. Note how I don't say omit compounds.
But that doesn't change the fact that a calorie is a calorie. A liter of gas is different than a liter of water, but they are both still a liter. WHAT they do for someone is entirely different.Why do you mention a carb? Could be anything that causes the water retention. My point is 500 calories of McDonalds will have a more detrimental effect on the appearance of my physique than 500 calories of chicken and rice, regardless if the macro's are the same. IDC that they will both have the same effect on fat levels, I care about water retention too.
I won't disagree here. The REAL issue with them is when KIDS are illegally taking them just to enhance their sports performance with no actual medical advice.The point I'm making about PED's has gone completely over your head. Yes I realise they can be just as dangerous as almost any drug, it's the fact there is a huge social stigma attached to taking them that I take issue with.
Well there are lots and lots of coaches out there who may not have played at a high level in a sport, but intricately know how to coach it. Look at coaching specialists like Hany Rambod. NEVER competed on the professional stage and I would hardly thought he was nothing more than a bro gym lifter based on his physique. You can actually figure out if someone really knows what they are talking about or not on here though.It isn't about someone looking how 'I think' they should look. People can look however they want but if you're going to be doling out lifting advice AND telling other people they're wrong then yes, look the part. I'm interested in someone who's put the practical work in and actually lived it rather than geeked out on the theory but not actually gone and put the work in. This forum is a meme at this point for that one. Also again...note how I said I nearly always, not always because of course there are exceptions to the rule but I didn't think I need to put that so clearly...
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
I'm saying though...if you lift, if you do yoga, if you run, basically if you do anything physical with the need to control your body then mind muscle connection SHOULD be an aim. Isolation work will help you achieve that and I feel like on this forum it's seen as the devil and a waste of time...which is entirely wrong.
But how do you know that general forum member is wrong? There's a biochemical engineers on the forum who denounce how supplements actually work. They may not train like an athlete, but they damn sure know how chemistry actually works. And the reality is if they know how it works in the body, why wouldn't you believe them just because they haven't walked the walk?Yes I take your point about Hany, hence why I said in nearly all cases plus I'm not talking about coaches because let's face it Hany HAS walked the walk. His yardstick is champions he's produced, not his own physique. It's the general forum member with limited experience, telling a seasoned gym goer they're wrong using parroted information, that's what i have a problem with.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
And you're a trainer genuinely implying that the mind muscle connection is not very important for every movement? Every movement is a "natural movement". The primal movements being push, pull, squat, bend, lunge, twist and yes gait. Just because it's a "natural movement" doesn't mean that it doesn't need to be using the correct muscles to be done most efficiently to prevent injuries.
You learn using the correct muscles for a movement by doing the movement, not by using each of the involved muscles on its own.
Thanks bud, I wasn't the one that said that.
You're the one saying isolation exercises are important for the mind/muscle connection.
No, I'm the one saying that.
In fact what I originally said is I don't agree with the notion that compounds are the be all and end all and that I think isolation work is important.
From my own experience I spent my formative years buying into the compounds only meme. I've spent the last 2 years trying to bring my arms up as they'd become disproportionately small to my torso. Had I incorporated some isolation work in from the beginning I would of had a much more balanced physique. The amount of people I see that REALLY need to do some isolation work on rear delts...well I'd say most people in the gym do.
Isolation work is not the devil, it's necessary, your shoulders will thank you and that's one of my seemingly unpopular opinions!
Hahah I am in the same boat! Arms will not grow proportionaly, still working on that contraction, back and chest, no problem, bi's and sometimes tri's, majorrrrr struggle.
Might be from being and athlete and being more concerned with power and strength, never learned how to contract specific muscles until trying now when it's disproportionate. No clue though, still don't just think it's genetics though, I just feel like there's some mental piece I am missing.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
I suppose I agree that genetics have a role to some degree, I just think WAYYYYYYY too many people use that as a cop out to quit or make an excuse. I will not use that excuse ever even if I am not "genetically" able to grow huge arms, whatever that means. I agree that muscle insertions and bone structure, things like that, can make it hard, but I still think genetics is a terrible excuse, unless you have TRULY done everything you can, and until the day you die, you always have another day to work.2 -
Penthesilea514 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »
Everyone's balance is going to look a little different. I personally don't think there is a wrong way to do it as long as you're liking what you eat, meeting your goals, and have enough time for the things you need to do and want to do.
I love cooking, I make time for it virtually every day. But as a result, I do less of some other things that other people might find important. It would be easy for someone to look at my life and say that I'm lazy because I'm spending "too much" time on a fun hobby that just happens to result in cooked food.
I hope to come to be more comfortable with cooking over time. That would be an awesome. If not (or until then), then I will be glad I know how to pace/portion myself with convenience foods when we (inevitably) have them.
They're a little pricey but I've known a couple of people who have used meal delivery services like Blue Apron or Hello Fresh as way to learn cooking. They used the service for a while to learn techniques and then were more comfortable cooking on their own.3 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Penthesilea514 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »
Everyone's balance is going to look a little different. I personally don't think there is a wrong way to do it as long as you're liking what you eat, meeting your goals, and have enough time for the things you need to do and want to do.
I love cooking, I make time for it virtually every day. But as a result, I do less of some other things that other people might find important. It would be easy for someone to look at my life and say that I'm lazy because I'm spending "too much" time on a fun hobby that just happens to result in cooked food.
I hope to come to be more comfortable with cooking over time. That would be an awesome. If not (or until then), then I will be glad I know how to pace/portion myself with convenience foods when we (inevitably) have them.
They're a little pricey but I've known a couple of people who have used meal delivery services like Blue Apron or Hello Fresh as way to learn cooking. They used the service for a while to learn techniques and then were more comfortable cooking on their own.
That is actually a great idea--I checked out Blue Apron and apparently they have some step-by-step recipes online, such as this for rhubarb chicken. I like how it focuses on pulling the whole meal together at the same time, which would be very helpful for a beginner.
https://www.blueapron.com/recipes/honey-rhubarb-chicken-with-asparagus-fingerling-potatoes
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Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Chef_Barbell wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Alatariel75 wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »@WinoGelato I will admit that my first thought when i see diaries over run with packet/convenience/take away meals is they are either lazy and/or cant cook :blushing:
Awesome. Let me tell you about my typical weekday. Wake at 5:30 am. Spend about 30 minutes with morning routine. 6-6:15 am I check emails that came in overnight from Europe and Asia for work and answer any which are critical. Work out from 6;15 -7:15 am. 7:15-7:30 get my kids (6 and 8 year old boys) up and get them ready for the day (breakfast, make sure they got dressed, brushed teeth, etc, pack lunches for them). 7:30-8am I get ready for work. 8-8:30 I gather everything up for myself (computer, breakfast, lunch) and the kids (backpacks, water bottles, lunches, and the stuff they need for evening activities as well), drive to drop them off at school and then get myself to work by 8:30 or 8:45. I heat my breakfast up (if hot breakfast like a breakfast sandwich or bowl) or eat the yogurt, granola, and fruit I brought from home while I am getting situated in the office. I am in meetings most of the day, and when I do break for lunch, I either have leftovers from a meal that I cooked myself the night before, or I have a frozen meal that I can heat up. I eat at my desk and go for a 30 minute walk at lunch. I work till 5:30 and leave to get my kids by 5:45 or 6pm, then take them to soccer or baseball practice, tutoring, scouts. Sometimes multiple activities in the same night. The whole time I am trying to walk, as well as check more emails on my phone, sometimes calls with Asia while I am at the ball field. We usually get home from the activities by 7:30, at which point I help them with homework (15-30 min) and then have to figure out dinner. Yes, I like to cook and am not bad at it - but on nights like this often hamburger helper with a salad, or a skillet meal, or grilled cheese and tomato soup wins. I get that together while the kids are in the bath, we try to eat around 8pm, and then I spend about an hour putting them to bed and reading to them. By the time I get them in bed it is after 9pm and I have to clean up the kitchen, lay out clothes for the next day, - sometimes if I do want to cook myself a nice meal I do it after they have gone to bed and I eat around 9:30 pm. I spend about an hour just vegging out, watching TV, before getting ready for bed around 10:30, reading for a half hour or so, and finally go to sleep around 11 pm so I can get up and do it all over again.
I can see how that makes me sound lazy.
But thank you for making the point about why my opinion that these foods are a helpful addition to my life is unpopular.
BRA-*kitten*-VO.
Perhaps before assuming someone is lazy, you may consider they may have less time on their hands than you perhaps do.
I don't tend to think people lazy for choosing convenience foods except for cases where I know it's true. But I do think they are often using lack of time as an excuse to eat convenience foods instead of something that might be a little healthier. It doesn't take any longer to bake frozen fish and precut broccoli in the oven than it does a frozen pizza. It doesn't take any longer to make an omelet or stir fry using precut vegetables than it does to make Hamburger Helper.
I'm not suggesting anyone shouldn't eat whatever they want, just saying I rarely buy the "I don't have time" excuse.
Or people have different priorities.
Not sure what priorities has to do with it. Feeding the family seems the priority, but certainly people have different preferences. And nothing wrong with that, as I noted in the last sentence of my post.
K.0 -
That you don't need ungodly amounts of protein. Yes, it's important...but a lot of people take it way over the top IMO.17
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I think many of you are way more afraid of salt than you need to be.
I think chewing food so much that it turns to paste and pausing between each bite ruins a meal experience. This does not mean I inhale my food.
I think that the way many of you cook home cooked meals makes those meals just as unhealthy as take out and you need to get over yourselves.
I think that people need to stop clearing their plates at restaurants because portion controlling that delicious food solves the problem of it's evilness entirely.
I don't enjoy multiple small meals and am happy to sacrifice and eat once a day on weekends if it frees up my choices.
I don't care what anyone thinks about my dietary choices because whatever they currently are - they are way better than they were and I choose to celebrate this. My improvement gradient is none of your business unless I have asked for your recipe tips.
I get annoyed when fat people claim thin people have it easy. I have been both fat and thin and the easiest I have had it was when I was stuffing my face and not worried about it. The toughest was being thin and keeping it off under the constant assault of "have a slice! YOU can afford it!"
I don't think fat is beautiful and I am mystified by the movement to pretend it is so. A person can be beautiful and have other things we can admire without us needing to believe flesh rolls are sexy.
American vanity clothes sizing is ridiculous.24 -
Whenever I suggest to newbies to try to pick low calorie n high nutrient foods n everyone YELLS "you can eat whatever u want as long as u r in a caloric deficit" as if I don't understand that. It's like who cares about the long term health, just lose the damn weight! I cheat n eat out regularly but I try to use the 80/20 rule n picking the healthier choice most of the time because I care about my quality of life. I think it's plain irresponsible for people to keep telling newbies to eat whatever they want as long as they can lose the weight.15
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I consume on average 200g of sugar per day. I'm 118, 5'4", with measurements of 33x23x34. I also wear a 00 in ladies and can fit into 14 and 16s in girls. But I am VERY VERY active. Run, I do t have a car, I take stairs, have a job that keeps me on my feet moving, and I enjoy things like swimming, golf, tennis. Coworkers ask if I ever eat and are shocked when I show them my food diary and what it contains. Sugar has not made me fat. Keeping my calories in check and staying active keeps me at a very healthy and manageable weight. This especially ticks off all my friends on Facebook who are Beachbody "coaches".13
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Whenever I suggest to newbies to try to pick low calorie n high nutrient foods n everyone YELLS "you can eat whatever u want as long as u r in a caloric deficit" as if I don't understand that. It's like who cares about the long term health, just lose the damn weight! I cheat n eat out regularly but I try to use the 80/20 rule n picking the healthier choice most of the time because I care about my quality of life. I think it's plain irresponsible for people to keep telling newbies to eat whatever they want as long as they can lose the weight.
The reason people preach CICO and eating what you want, just at a reduced level, is that eating kale and blanched green beans for every meal is boring and most would give up on that kind of diet before they see any real results.
It's not about a "diet" it's about a lifestyle change and eating less of the things you love is more realistic than eating a crap ton of things you hate.9 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Chef_Barbell wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Alatariel75 wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »@WinoGelato I will admit that my first thought when i see diaries over run with packet/convenience/take away meals is they are either lazy and/or cant cook :blushing:
Awesome. Let me tell you about my typical weekday. Wake at 5:30 am. Spend about 30 minutes with morning routine. 6-6:15 am I check emails that came in overnight from Europe and Asia for work and answer any which are critical. Work out from 6;15 -7:15 am. 7:15-7:30 get my kids (6 and 8 year old boys) up and get them ready for the day (breakfast, make sure they got dressed, brushed teeth, etc, pack lunches for them). 7:30-8am I get ready for work. 8-8:30 I gather everything up for myself (computer, breakfast, lunch) and the kids (backpacks, water bottles, lunches, and the stuff they need for evening activities as well), drive to drop them off at school and then get myself to work by 8:30 or 8:45. I heat my breakfast up (if hot breakfast like a breakfast sandwich or bowl) or eat the yogurt, granola, and fruit I brought from home while I am getting situated in the office. I am in meetings most of the day, and when I do break for lunch, I either have leftovers from a meal that I cooked myself the night before, or I have a frozen meal that I can heat up. I eat at my desk and go for a 30 minute walk at lunch. I work till 5:30 and leave to get my kids by 5:45 or 6pm, then take them to soccer or baseball practice, tutoring, scouts. Sometimes multiple activities in the same night. The whole time I am trying to walk, as well as check more emails on my phone, sometimes calls with Asia while I am at the ball field. We usually get home from the activities by 7:30, at which point I help them with homework (15-30 min) and then have to figure out dinner. Yes, I like to cook and am not bad at it - but on nights like this often hamburger helper with a salad, or a skillet meal, or grilled cheese and tomato soup wins. I get that together while the kids are in the bath, we try to eat around 8pm, and then I spend about an hour putting them to bed and reading to them. By the time I get them in bed it is after 9pm and I have to clean up the kitchen, lay out clothes for the next day, - sometimes if I do want to cook myself a nice meal I do it after they have gone to bed and I eat around 9:30 pm. I spend about an hour just vegging out, watching TV, before getting ready for bed around 10:30, reading for a half hour or so, and finally go to sleep around 11 pm so I can get up and do it all over again.
I can see how that makes me sound lazy.
But thank you for making the point about why my opinion that these foods are a helpful addition to my life is unpopular.
BRA-*kitten*-VO.
Perhaps before assuming someone is lazy, you may consider they may have less time on their hands than you perhaps do.
I don't tend to think people lazy for choosing convenience foods except for cases where I know it's true. But I do think they are often using lack of time as an excuse to eat convenience foods instead of something that might be a little healthier. It doesn't take any longer to bake frozen fish and precut broccoli in the oven than it does a frozen pizza. It doesn't take any longer to make an omelet or stir fry using precut vegetables than it does to make Hamburger Helper.
I'm not suggesting anyone shouldn't eat whatever they want, just saying I rarely buy the "I don't have time" excuse.
Or people have different priorities.
Not sure what priorities has to do with it. Feeding the family seems the priority, but certainly people have different preferences. And nothing wrong with that, as I noted in the last sentence of my post.
Whose family isn't getting fed? I think everyone in this thread is making sure that the minors they are responsible for (and the adults they choose to cook for) are getting food to eat.5 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »My unpopular opinion is that calorie counting is a temporary learning tool, not a "lifestyle." It's like training wheels on a bike...they can get you comfortable, but eventually one should just be able to ride.
By that logic, carpenter, plumbers, etc shouldn't measure the wood and pipes before they cut it. Just eyeball it. It all depends on the tolerances you're willing to live with.13 -
That Health at Every Size is bull****. This comes from my own experience as being someone who was formerly considered medically obese.5
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richardgavel wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »My unpopular opinion is that calorie counting is a temporary learning tool, not a "lifestyle." It's like training wheels on a bike...they can get you comfortable, but eventually one should just be able to ride.
By that logic, carpenter, plumbers, etc shouldn't measure the wood and pipes before they cut it. Just eyeball it. It all depends on the tolerances you're willing to live with.
Measure once, cut twice.8 -
Charlene_Marie_723 wrote: »I consume on average 200g of sugar per day. I'm 118, 5'4", with measurements of 33x23x34. I also wear a 00 in ladies and can fit into 14 and 16s in girls. But I am VERY VERY active. Run, I do t have a car, I take stairs, have a job that keeps me on my feet moving, and I enjoy things like swimming, golf, tennis. Coworkers ask if I ever eat and are shocked when I show them my food diary and what it contains. Sugar has not made me fat. Keeping my calories in check and staying active keeps me at a very healthy and manageable weight. This especially ticks off all my friends on Facebook who are Beachbody "coaches".
Where is the unpopular opinion?2 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »My unpopular opinion is that calorie counting is a temporary learning tool, not a "lifestyle." It's like training wheels on a bike...they can get you comfortable, but eventually one should just be able to ride.
I agree with this, and our bodies are equipped with ALL the right things to allow us to just ride and feel our hunger. But I think it takes a lot to really be able to listen to your body in that aspect at this point in human life for many different lifestyle reasons, which makes it a little unrealistic for most people now.
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richardgavel wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »My unpopular opinion is that calorie counting is a temporary learning tool, not a "lifestyle." It's like training wheels on a bike...they can get you comfortable, but eventually one should just be able to ride.
By that logic, carpenter, plumbers, etc shouldn't measure the wood and pipes before they cut it. Just eyeball it. It all depends on the tolerances you're willing to live with.
I agree - I've been counting calories for 4 years and I'm exactly where I want to be fitness-wise; why would I abandon something that is working? It only takes me 10-15 minutes a day11 -
Bry_Lander wrote: »richardgavel wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »My unpopular opinion is that calorie counting is a temporary learning tool, not a "lifestyle." It's like training wheels on a bike...they can get you comfortable, but eventually one should just be able to ride.
By that logic, carpenter, plumbers, etc shouldn't measure the wood and pipes before they cut it. Just eyeball it. It all depends on the tolerances you're willing to live with.
I agree - I've been counting calories for 4 years and I'm exactly where I want to be fitness-wise; why would I abandon something that is working? It only takes me 10-15 minutes a day
This is my thought as well (halfway through my third year of counting calories). I'm where I want to be, I eat the foods I love, it only takes a few minutes, and it frees my mind to deal with other things.
If I had to, I'm sure I could transition to not counting calories. But given how easy it is for me to count calories, it's really not worth the effort to me right now.4 -
Counting calories each day for a few years is one thing. But for those that do it, do you really envision doing it for 25+ years to come?3
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It's not hard to do. I have enough time to waste on Instagram and Facebook (and I don't see that stopping) I have no excuse not to measure and log food.ForecasterJason wrote: »Counting calories each day for a few years is one thing. But for those that do it, do you really envision doing it for 25+ years to come?
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ForecasterJason wrote: »Counting calories each day for a few years is one thing. But for those that do it, do you really envision doing it for 25+ years to come?
I've been doing the same with my finances for over 25 years. As stated this takes 10-15 mins/day.
Over the next 25 years I'm sure to experience variance in my calories needed based on my activity. Continuing to eat as if I run 6mi/day, but not running 6mi/day is what got me overweight. To make the same mistake twice? Not something I do often.9
This discussion has been closed.
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