Infact,exerciseonlyaccountsfora
measly 10 percentofyourdailycalorie
expenditure.Togetsomeperspective
onthis,theenergyyouburnatrest
accountsforawhopping 70 percent.
“Peopleneedtounderstandthisso
they’renotbeatingthemselvesupso
much,”saysJames.“Ifyouneedtolose
fat,that’sadietaryfocus;acaloriefocus.
Thebeliefthattheonlybadworkoutis
theoneyoumissisjustrubbish!”
Ondaysthatyou’refeelingexhausted
andaredreadingtheideaofdoinga
workout,youwillbemuchbetteroff
goinghomeandhavinganearlynight.
Evenifitwasafalsesenseoffatigue,
you’restillgoingtowakeuprejuvenated
andabletoperformbetterthenextday.
“Ifsomeonegoestothegymand
forcesit,theymakethemselves
moretiredandwhenyou’refatigued,
you’remoreinclinedtomakepoor
foodchoices.”
Therearesomanyreasonstomove
yourbodythathavenothingtodo
withweightloss–endorphins,bettercardiovascular
health,astronger
bodyandconfidence
justscratchthesurface.
“Weshouldn’tbe
lookingtoexerciseforfat
loss;weshouldbedoingitto
complementit.It’stheretoassist,but
fundamentally,ifyou’regoingtothe
gym,don’tgotoburncalories.Goto
thegymtogetstronger.Gotothegym
tochallengeyourself.Ithinkthose
thingsarealotmorerewardingfrom
amentalstandpointtoo,thangettingon
atreadmillandnotbeingallowedtoget
offuntilyou’veburnedacertainamount
ofcalories.”We’reall unique
Anothercompellingargumenthe
presentstoquitcomparingyourself
tootherpeopleistheuniquenessof
eachwoman’sbody.Andtobeclear,he
meansthisinastrictlyscientificsense.
Someyearsintohiscareerasa
personaltrainerwithahugebaseoffemale clients, he was stumped by a
question he had never been asked. How
does the menstrual cycle affect weight
loss? He undertook some research
into how the female body functions,
and bingo – there was the answer toso
many of the problems and unexplained
fluctuations his clients were having.
Week to week, what a woman’s
reproductive system is doing can havea
noticeable impact on her energy levels,
hormones, metabolism, moods, athletic
performance and hunger; it’s why
sticking to a food plan can feel easyone
day, and impossible the next.
“I’m not going to lie to you, I was
worried that I would be heavily
criticised by women for talking about
women’s issues and the menstrual cycle.
I worry that I’m about to get labelledfor
mansplaining,” he laughs, but says the
morewomen he helps, themore
heknows it’s a message
worthspreading.Beyourself
“Witheverything
Ido,I’mtryingto
educatepeople,”
saysJames.
Havingsucha
no-holds-barred
approachtohealthand
fitness,Jamesisfully
awarethatherunstherisk
ofrufflingafewfeathers,butas
hetellsme,worryingaboutwhatother
peoplethinkiswastedenergy,notjust
forhimbutforallofus.
“It’slikeowningabutcher’sshopand
worryingaboutwhatveganswillthink,”
hegrins.
“Bottomline:beyourself,”itsaysin
hisbook.“It’sexhaustingifyou’renot.”‘go to the
gym to get
stronger. go
to the gym to
challenge
yourself’Not A Diet Book:Lose
Fat. Gain Confidence.
Transform Your Life.
by James Smith
(HarperCollins
Publishers, $32.99)
is avaiable fromall
PHOTOGRAPHY good bookshops.
GETTY IMAGES AND SUPPLIED
be informed