EMBRACING THE TRUTH ABOUT FITNESS: AN INTERVIEW WITH RICHARD TARDIF
Here’s the deal: many of us are tired of the confusion when it comes to health and fitness claims.
A lot of people would love to have a “do this, not that, eat this, not that” method to follow. An easy solution. But the truth is, things aren’t always so black and white. Luckily, there’s people in this world who dedicate their lives to research, writing and demystifying complex topics.
One of these people is Richard Tardif, a personal trainer and journalist who’s been writing about health and fitness for over 20 years. I discovered his book Stop the Denial: Embracing the Truth About Fitness thanks to a common friend, Helen Neves, who also happens to be an amazing trainer and educator. Stop the Denial is all about demystifying some of the sleazy tactics used by the fitness industry to generate profit, and taking steps to find out what really works for YOU.
I had the opportunity to ask Richard a few questions about his latest book.
Here’s our exchange:
Q: YOU SAY THE CONVENTIONAL WISDOM OF “EATING LESS AND MOVING MORE” ISN’T NECESSARILY THE ANSWER. HOW SO?
Richard: This assumption is a crucial mistake. Calories-in and calories-out, or eat less, move more, is simple arithmetic, but our bodies are complex and the exchange of energy, or calories, as we call it, are intimately dependent and profoundly regulated by hormones, not arithmetic. Decreasing calories triggers a decrease in calories out. By eating 30 percent less, your body responds by outputting 30 percent less energy. It’s a survival code. By burning energy, the body does not have would lead to death.
Under this model, we assume that fat gain or loss is under our control, meaning we consciously regulate weight gain and loss. The fitness and diet industry would have us believe this is under our willpower. When we fail, it’s our fault. This should sound familiar? No system in the body is unregulated. Hormones tightly regulate every single system in the body and do what is necessary based on its needs, not those needs we think is outside the body, and certainly not our will. I always hear “calories-in, calories-out” is the only way to weight loss. This is a lazy answer. Consistent quality nutrition, activity, and a healthy mind leads to health.
HIP RAISES SEEM TO BE ONE OF YOUR FAVOURITE EXERCISES. LET’S SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT: WHY ARE HIP RAISES SO BENEFICIAL?
We don’t need to set the record straight. We sit longer than any generation before us. This means our large postural support muscles, such as the quadriceps and glutes, are inactive. The synergistic working of the hamstrings, gluteal, extensors and lower back muscles will literally be more supportive, and begin the process of alleviating back pain, when activated. Instead of introducing prolonged sitters to squats or lunges, the hip raise lights up the same muscles at a much easier load on the body, knees and back.
THE FITNESS INDUSTRY SEEMS TO BE OBSESSED WITH WEIGHT LOSS. TELL US MORE ABOUT THIS CONCEPT OF “FAT PHOBIA” THAT YOU EXPLORE IN YOUR BOOK, AND WHAT SHOULD WE DO ABOUT IT?
The fitness industry is obsessed with profit. We are obsessed with weight loss. This is a great supply and demand model. There is this stigmatization that you are less than you can be, you don’t fit in, and that being obese is your fault and you need more willpower. It purposely creates depression or “fat phobia” while profit skyrockets. We need to realize this and explore what works for us.
WHAT IS ONE BIG MISTAKE THAT PEOPLE MAKE WHEN THEY START THEIR FITNESS JOURNEY?
We make plenty of mistakes based on misinformation. Believing the media is independent of the health and fitness industry? The fitness industry is the king of fake news. Question what you read. People begin a return to their fitness and start too fast. My above example of easing into a fitness active lifestyle with hip raises instead of believing one can do deep squats right away is a recipe for injury.”
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD?
Yes, two things.
Too much insulin over time leads to obesity, not the fat we eat. For 60-years we’ve been conned by single-minded, tenure seeking scientists backed by lazy governments to believe that fat leads to heart disease and obesity, and we should increase the number of carbohydrates we consume. We did, and we consumed mostly sugar-packed processed crap spiking our insulin levels where our cells became resistant to insulin, thus storing energy we didn’t need as fat, while increasing the risk of Type 2 diabetes and having no positive affect on heart disease. It’s the greatest work of fiction in the history of humankind.
Today, people are tuning into their spirituality, psychology and their motivations as well as their nutrition and physical activity. This is the future of health and fitness. There will always be those circulating sharks wanting to take advantage of us, but we are learning that it’s about us, not them and this is our true strength.
