"CHEAT" meals, "MIRACLE" diets and "FAD" exercise programs-Why they don't work. VARIETY & CONSISTENCY

I've addressed these subjects before, but with a new product, diet and exercise program popping up every 10 seconds, I think it's worth revisiting.  When I first opened my studio 12 years ago I knew I would never get rich from what I do for a living. In fact, I spend most of my money on continuing education to bring my clients the best quality workouts and factual information.  My job is my passion and vice versa. My clients know the authenticity of what I give them on a daily basis. One of my strongest passions is to shed light on current "trends", "diets", and workout programs that claim to burn 40 million calories in 30 minutes.  I'm sorry to be so blunt but I'm here to tell you-NOT!

Let's take it one subject at a time.

 First: "CHEAT MEALS"- Everyone who's on a "diet" and a mission to lose a certain amount of weight thinks they can cheat once in awhile.  Labeling something like this as a "cheat" meal can set you up for failure because your mindset is focused on short-term. "I'm going to lose umpteen pounds and then go back to eating ice cream and cake."  When in fact if you're adopting LIFE time, consistent, healthy eating habits that you think of as fueling your body for its' specific needs you can actually have your cake and eat it too.
 Determine your goals.  If you eat consistently with your long-term goals in mind, you'll develop a healthier relationship with food. Any so-called "diet" or new "miracle healthy" fat-loss program implies deprivation. And no one can survive under deprivation for a life-time.  So if you'd like to be at a certain weight and body-fat, determine what makes you happy and feel good. Not what someone else looks like or claims. Then you fit in whatever foods you like within reason from time to time without feeling guilty. 

Next: "BURN up to 1,000 calories in 30 minutes!" And, "It's all about the AFTER BURN!" Sound too good to be true? It is. And here's why. For one thing, everyone burns fat and calories differently at different rates depending on your height, weight and gender.  Secondly, if you're working at sub-level capacity for 30 minutes and Joe-Shmoe is working at his maximum capacity, you can bet your ass Joe Shmoe will burn a significant more amount of calories than you. 

30 minute HIIT workouts are great! I use them all the time in my classes but if we apply the same principles to those above like with the eating habits, it turns out to be the same thing.  You can't physically do challenging enough 30-minute workouts to continue to burn fat on a regular basis without injuring yourself at some point. And again, it can be difficult to work at your full capacity during these very intense workouts which means you're wasting your time and money!  You'll see results in the beginning just as anything else, then boredom, injury, and repetition will set in, causing your body to be UN challenged nd the workout well...stops working!
 That is why I change up my workouts for my clients continually.  If we spend a  certain amount of time doing HIIT workouts, you can bet I'm going to throw in some steady state routines for awhile too.  And building lean muscle from all different types of workouts is what really keeps you burning calories for a short time, after your workout.   And how long and how much you burn AFTER your workout is also subjective. Everyone is different and responds differently. So don't fall for these outrageous claims! 

When it comes to eating AND exercise there are 2 words you need to remember and live by: VARIETY and CONSISTENCY!VARIETY & CONSISTENCY