FASTER Fat Loss: The Tortoise & The Hare Continued…

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about The Tortoise and The Hare.

To cut a long story short the tortoise won the race, but the hare looked better in a bikini. My point being if you want to get in shape you should not exercise at a slow and steady intensity but work at faster more vigorous intervals of slightly more intense exercise interspersed with periods of rest.

My usual banter of ‘trust me I’m a personal trainer’ can only get me so far with you the avid reader so I’m back with a follow up and I’m bringing hard evidence…

To prove my point that fat loss is about intensity NOT duration I have found a brilliant research paper.

In somewhat of a landmark study Tremblay et al. (1994) compared endurance training (ET) with high-intensity intermittent-training (HIIT) similar to the sort you will find at bootcamp or during one of my PT sessions.

They compared a variety of different factors including energy expenditure, bodyweight and body-fat.

The endurance training group followed a 20-week program in which the participant maintained a heart rate of between 60-85% (or a comfortable pace to you or I) for between 30-45 minutes.

The HIIT group followed 15-week program in which the participant maintained a heart rate of in excess of 70% (or slightly less comfortable pace to you and I) for up to 30 minutes.

The researchers actually found no significant difference between the groups in weight when tested at the end of each program. However, the difference in terms of energy expenditure and body fat proved to be incredibly interesting.

To quote the researchers… “Despite the fact that the energy cost of the ET program was twice that of the HIIT program, it impact on subcutaneous adiposity was lower than the HIIT program” Pretty damning, don’t you think? But this was not all. The researchers went on to compare relative energy expenditure with fat loss and concluded that HIIT was NINE TIMES more efficient!

So what does this mean?

When corrected for energy costs, subjects working at a higher-intensity lost NINE TIMES more body fat!

It is for this reason that the hare looks leaner than the tortoise.

What does this mean for you?

In essence, to make best use of your time choose more vigorous interval based exercise rather than the slower steady stuff and you may not lose more weight, or burn more calories BUT you will burn more body fat.

Don’t believe me? Check out the research for yourself here.

I exercise, I do Pilates.

I’m not the biggest fan of Pilates. I realise I go against the common belief of many doctors, physiotherapists, osteopaths and chiropractors on this one, but in my experience I have not seen the incredible results that Pilates promises.

Part of my issue with Pilates is the way it’s taught. Perhaps I haven’t found the right teacher or class for my clients, but in my experience Pilates is practised lying on your back in a dark room listening to soft music. I realise the need for relaxing exercise, but this invariably leads to poor form, minimal transference to day-to-day activities and a class full of lazy people that would probably get greater benefit on their feet learning how to move properly (i.e. doing a good squat, deadlift or inverted row).

However, adopting the Bruce Lee approach to training I tend to use what works and disregard what doesn’t. One thing that I have found that does work is the fundamental principles Pilates follows.

The Pilates principles include:

Concentration – visualisation and mental focus are essential to gain muscle control.

Control – quality movement is most beneficial and less harmful to joints and muscles.

Centring – stabilising the abdomen, lower back, hips and buttocks or ‘the powerhouse’, is the focus of strength, stability and ‘core’ control.

Fluidity – graceful flowing motion is required in the early days of most exercise programs, with no static, jerky or rushed movements.

Precision – purposeful movement with good body alignment develops better muscle patterns for everyday movements.

Breathing – applying breathing pattern assists movement rhythm and control.


I integrate all the principles day-to-day with the people train. Applying the concept of torso stability and coordination is not restricted to those that lie on the floor in dark rooms – it can be applied to bigger compound movements in just the same way and, if correctly taught in a progressive and intelligent manner, can develop the same smaller stabilising muscles just the same as Pilates.

By integrating the Pilates principles into your training program – regardless of whether you are bootcamping, PTing or god forbid Body Pumping – you will see your progress double, and all this without having to lie on the floor in the dark for an hour and calling it exercise!

A Beautiful Mind

This weekend I watched the film A Beautiful Mind. I know what you’re thinking ‘that came out ages ago!’ and I’ll admit I am a bit slow on the uptake with this one.

The film tells the story of troubled genius John Nash. Without wishing to spoil the film, although I’m sure most people have already seen it, John Nash has schizophrenia. Like most mental illness it is somewhat unknown and misunderstood, especially in the 1950’s when this film was set. Despite his difficulty, with the help and support of his peers he goes on to counter his demons and win a nobel prize.

Anyway… What does this have to do with fitness? I hear you ask.

Well… In my opinion the most important aspect a person needs to address when starting a fat-loss or fitness plan is not nutrition or exercise (they are both REALLY important), it’s not sleep, stress, digestion or even hydration (although they are important too). It doesn’t matter about flexibility, posture, range of motion, strength, metabolic type, hormone imbalances, medication, time to train or anything else…

It’s all about mindset.

When a person makes a true decision to change all of the above will not matter. When a person makes a true decision to change they will forget all other options – the leftovers from there children’s dinner, the chocolate or wine when the kids have gone to bed, the beer with workmates on a Friday night, the peer pressure from friends on a Saturday night when you decide not to drink, the coffee and cake just to fit in with the mums from school – it will all disappear.

It is all to do with making a true decision. Deciding what you want, why you want it makes all the difference. If you value you goals enough and have a really powerful reason why, then, and only then, will taking action towards your goal be the right path.

If for whatever reason you don’t have a big enough reason to do it then you probably shouldn’t waste your time. I use the example of slimming clubs up and down the country. I was invited to sit in on a slimming world meeting a couple of years ago (as a fitness consultant NOT as a client!!!) and sat in disgust as they went around the room listening to excuse after excuse as to why these people hadn’t stuck to the plan. I found it kind of embarrassing.

There is nothing worse than someone who is on a permanent diet. Not only do they not achieve their goals BUT they never enjoy themselves either!

Make a true decision and stick to your plans.

The reason that mindset is so important is because physiology follows psychology. You can quite simply change the physiological processes of your body by changing your mindset.

Don’t believe me? Is it not true that you first become embarrassed (psychological) and then you go red (physical)? Do you first become scared (psychological) and the get goose bumps (physical)?

If you change your mind, the rest becomes easy.

What does this have to do with the film? John Nash knew what he wanted and worked hard everyday to get it. Sure, it drove him to mental illness but arguably with his personality he was vulnerable to it anyway (a different discussion!!)

Nevertheless, later in the film John Nash was able to temper his demons and received recognition for it. Now you don’t need to watch the film. Ha. More time for exercise…

FIVE supplements for supersonic Fat Loss

So, you’re eating a good clean diet and drinking lots of water, you’re doing some good exercise (not Zumba or Pilates!), and you’re getting to bed on time. You wanna speed up your results and you want to feel even more awesome…

To get you that last 10% I’d suggest you start to supplement.

Now, anyone who knows me knows that I’m a HUGE advocate of eating natural, nourishing food BUT we all live in the real world, right?

After the stresses and strains take their toll even fresh food can be found wanting. This being said the following suggestions are SUPPLEMENTARY to a healthy lifestyle (as noted above!)

I have spunked loads of cash on supplements over the years and these are the ones that I have found work the best and are research-based.

Green Drinks
Over the last year I have made the transition from a multivitamin to a green drink. Green drinks are ace because they contain tons of nutrients, aid with regeneration of the liver (a major fat-burning detoxifying organ) and go some way to improving a persons acid/alkaline balance.

Coming in powder form, for some it can be a little hard to swallow, but it’s not full of any fillers that you might find in a pill form. I prefer to use Garden of Life Perfect Food Super Green Formula.

Fish Oils
There is a substantial body of evidence for supplementing with fish oil these days. With a high omega-3 content fish oils improve brain function, improve cellular health, stimulate fat-loss and reduce the rate of fat-storage.

I recommend taking 2-3 tablespoons per day in liquid form (rather than capsule). One brand that I have found particularly good is Carlson Fish Oil. With its lemony taste it seems to go down far better than expected.

It can’t be that bad as even EJ takes it – that’s saying something!!

Magnesium
Magnesium is a mineral that is largely deficient in many people today. Vital to many bodily functions, magnesium assists with synthesis of proteins, transmission of nerve signals and transportation of energy from food.

I tend to go with Solgar’s Magnesium Citrate and supplement anywhere up to 400mg. It’s best taken 60 minutes before bed and can give you the most fantastic nights sleep.

Zinc
Similar to magnesium, zinc is a mineral many people are deficient in. Zinc can improve liver function, detoxification and improve insulin synthesis. I take Zinc Picolinate (by Solgar) up to 20mg per day 60 minutes before I go to bed (with my magnesium).

Ashwaghanda
I’ve also found adaptagenic herbs to be a useful supplement. Coming from Ayurvedic medicine, Ashwaghanda has been found useful in stress management and reducing anxiety therefore can help balance hormones.

Try taking 20-30 drops three-times per day and feel this ancient herb help you relax. It is also implicated in a reduction in abdominal fat.


I have also found many other supplements useful such as digestive enzymes, vitamin D and amino acids. However, it is I stress the point that these are SUPPLEMENTS. If you eat crap these will not help you!!

WARNING: You can waste lots of your hard-earned cash on supplements. The supplement industry (like many others) is poorly regulated and so I’d advise buying reputable brands (not found in supermarkets!) It might cost you a little bit more but you get what you pay for…