Chad Anderson, CSCS » exercise

Should you track caloric expenditure of exercise?

Chad — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:11:02 +0000

As part of my boot camp program, I recommend all my clients track their nutrition intake using an online tracker or mobile app. Aside from the obvious benefits of knowing how many calories you’re consuming etc., the knowledge and understanding of nutrition you gain from doing so is invaluable. It’s a tedious thing to do, no doubt. But it is well worth the effort.

So what about tracking caloric expenditure of exercise?

Most online diet logs that I’ve seen also give you the ability to track your exercise and provide you some estimate of caloric expenditure of the exercise performed. In a lot of cases, they will figure these calories into your daily recommendations and allow you to eat more on the days you exercise. While I think the intentions behind this are good, I think the end result will be counter productive.

The more variables you enter into an equation to more likely you are to make a mistake. Given the fact that diet weighs more than exercise when it comes to producing body composition changes, I like to treat exercise as a constant. Also, people tend to overestimate the intensity of exercise which results in an inflated caloric expenditure numbers. Combine this with the fact that people tend to underestimate their food consumption and you can easily see the issues that arise.

I recommend ignoring the expenditure side of the equation of focusing solely on diet. It’s usually the more difficult aspect of a program to get right and the one people struggle with the most. If you are able to fine-tune your diet you will more than likely will experience the results you are seeking.

Don’t Blame Genetics for Our Weight Issues

Chad — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:27:08 +0000

One thing that comes up quite frequently when discussing obesity and weight loss is the role our genetics plays. Most people are quick to point the finger and say, “It’s my genetics” or “it’s in the genes” when figuring out the determining factor in our weight issues. While some people may disagree with me, I’m telling you it’s not our genetics!

While genetic makeup may predispose you to being overweight, it is not the determining factor of whether or not you will become overweight. Genetics are heavily influenced by environmental factors (ie. diet & exercise). I think we can all agree that genetics have changed very little since the early 1900′s, yet incidence of obesity/overweight, and the chronic diseases which accompany it (ie. heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc.), has skyrocketed! Why? Our nutrition (mainly) and exercise habits.

Since we have migrated from whole foods to processed foods, coupled with the food industry’s love of inexpensive high fructose corn syrup (check the labels, it’s in EVERYTHING!), our waistlines have expanded out of control. And any study that says we’re just as active today as we were 50 years ago should give back the money they used to fund it.

If our own epidemic isn’t evidence enough, just look to other countries who are now allowing McDonald’s to set up shop on their street corners and see how their body weight, and health, has changed. Should we point the finger at their genetics, also? Nope.

While I’m not claiming that genetics has nothing to do with our obesity epidemic, I am saying it is not the determining factor of whether you will become obese/overweight or not. This should give you hope that no matter what hand you’ve been dealt by your genetics, there is something you can do about it. Just keep pushing forward and don’t give up!

#1 Cause of Fitness Failure…

Chad — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:52:40 +0000

Many people believe that their lack of knowledge is what holds them back from reaching their fitness goals. While this is true to some extent, I find the number one reason for failure is the lack of consistent effort. You can have the most profound fitness plan at your disposal, but without putting forth a … Read more →