Next Level Personal Training: February 2020

Monday, February 24, 2020

Life Is Chemicals. Should you spend the extra money for organic foods?

For a few years I fell prey to the fear mongering of chemicals and organic foods. The arguments were compelling and sparked concern about what I was eating. Chemicals are bad! Look at these ingredients! You can’t even pronounce these, think about what they are doing to you!

So we spent extra money on mostly organic foods and ran from anything “chemical”, but over time and with some investigation, a different story began to emerge.

Something that started to help was a simple phrase, “life is chemicals.” Everything that we interact with is chemical: the water we drink, the air we breathe, our homes, and our food. So what does the word chemical really tell us? Not much. You have to dig into what the actual chemical is and does.

From here we started looking at food. What differences are there between organic and non-organic foods? Nothing other than the word(s) organic. The same chemicals were there, just prefaced with the word organic. Well maybe the organic version of this chemical is better than the synthetic? Turns out, it's not. Whether a chemical is man-made or naturally occurring does nothing in telling us if it’s safe to consume; our body doesn't know the difference. It responds to the chemical structure and does what needs to be done.

When looking at the research, there appears to be no discernible difference in organic versus non-organic foods. Most differences can be attributed to things such as ripeness, or weather during growing, and these differences are extremely small.

What about pesticides?

@foodsciencebabe said it best. “Well first a pesticide is a chemical, whether it’s natural or manmade, that is designed to kill another organism. So plants produce insecticides, like caffeine and nicotine, to keep those obnoxious, six-legged vegetarians away. We also produce pesticides to keep the furry four legged vegetarians away, too.”

Again we have a word that does nothing to convey safety or lack thereof but rather function. With that said, pesticides are also used on organic foods, and organic foods have shown the same level of pesticides as non-organic foods. The levels on both are 100s to 1000s of times below the no-observable-adverse-effect level. These levels are tested regularly and held to strict regulations. Year after year, the USDA has demonstrated that our food is safe.

Now all of this isn't to discourage you from purchasing organic food if you want to, but it does demonstrate that organic food is not superior to conventional food. You don’t have to spend the extra money or live in fear that the food you can afford may be harming you.

Resources:

Chemistry Facts Everyone Should Understand Before Talking Science

DPR Scientists Say Most Fresh California Produce Has Little/No Detectable Pesticide Residues

Study Finds Little Evidence of Health Benefits From Organic Foods

Pesticide Residue Calculator

Article by,
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Michael Bolick B.S., A.C.E, PN1

Next Level Personal Training

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(704) 933-3000 Mike@nextlevelptstudio.com

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Wednesday, February 12, 2020

What Happens When you Diet?

When someone begins a diet, the main goal is usually weight loss.

But if weight loss is achieved, and the healthy diet gives way to normal eating patterns, the weight is often regained. With the plethora of diets broadcasted daily in the news and social media, it’s hard to determine what is accurate and what isn’t. The truth is that most diets work in the short term. Some people are more successful than others in the long term, but that is because they were able to individualize a lifestyle change they could maintain.

For weight loss to happen, a calorie deficit has to be achieved; you must burn more calories than you take in. While the formula is simple, the practice rarely is. There are many factors at play with each individual that may make this easier or harder. The biggest factor for success is adherence to the diet. If the diet is difficult for you to maintain, then chances are it’s not the best option for you. So when determining how you want to diet, make sure it’s a program you can stick to.

After you have been dieting for some time, your body is going to adapt to this new calorie intake and activity level. What was once your deficit is now your new maintenance. Your body will lower your metabolism to this level. This is when dieters hit a “plateau". It can be a frustrating time as all the hard work has only gotten you so far.

We can’t just keep dieting ourselves further and further down. It's miserable and not sustainable. There are other tools to aid results. Make sure to fuel your body with adequate protein, as well as having the appropriate amount of carbs and fats. This differs from person to person, so it will take some experimenting to find what works for you. Next, make sure that you are staying active. The second highest contributor to your calories burned is how much you move during the day, not just at the gym.

Finally, make sure that you are tracking accurately. Those who track their intake find greater success than those who do not. There are many ways to track. You don’t have to count calories, but it does help. If you're tracking and appear to be in a calorie deficit, but you're not losing weight, then you're not in fact in a calorie deficit. It's difficult to be accurate, and it’s natural for us to miss things or record incorrect amounts. If things aren’t going your way, then it’s time to be honest and take a closer look at calorie intake.

PS: If you feel like you can no longer maintain your diet, then you need to carefully back out of it. This isn’t a cold turkey situation. Your body is primed to quickly store an excess amount of fat while dieting. Returning to normal eating habits after a diet can land you heavier than when you began. So approach slowly with slight increases in calories over the course of several weeks until you are at a maintenance level. This maintenance level should not be drastically higher than your diet level. This is where good habits really come in to play, and why we focus a lot on creating good nutritional habits at Next Level. Our approach is focused on the long term and geared toward helping you succeed no matter where you are at.