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11. Knowledge is Power
20 Plays14 days ago
All movement has value, but knowledge is power and understanding what kind of movement is best for the goal(s) you are chasing will prevent you from feeling frustrated from investing time & effort without seeing the results you were hoping to see.
In this episode I'm discussing a specific example in how right now wearing weighted vests in an effort to build muscle are all the rage... but when we dig deeper to understand how we build muscle we can know that's not how we build muscle and shift our focus to movement that WILL help us achieve that result.
We're approaching the new year when many will fall for distractions like this & I hope this episode is a helpful resource for you to cut through the noise.
Was there something I said on the show that you want to know more about? Have a topic you'd like me to cover? Fill out the form below!
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Transcript
Introduction and Platform Engagement
00:00:00
Speaker
hey Hey, hey, what is going on, my friends? I'm really excited for today's topic, for today's conversation, and i feel like I say that before every single episode, but I'm really just enjoying having this platform to be a resource for you guys. And um there's just, again, there's so much information out there in the age of information, and so I'm With that being said, I hope that this is a helpful resource for you. And I have tons of stuff I can talk about because I have the privilege of helping um so many different people from so many different walks of life, um you know, find balance in their life, you know, find ways to... improve their health, reach their goals, things like that. But I also want to hear from you. Okay. So as this is hopefully a resource for you, don't forget there is a, uh, there's a form in the caption of every single, uh, one of these episodes where if there's anything that I say that maybe be sparks a question or, you know, you
00:00:58
Speaker
makes you think of a different topic that you want me to touch on or whatever the case is, just know, you know, open invitation. I'm always going to kind of open that up. I feel like i say that at the end of every episode, but just in case you never stick around, no judgment. um There is that, okay?
Holiday Season and Fitness Goals
00:01:14
Speaker
But today we're going to talk about, um so at the time that I'm recording this podcast, we are Thanksgiving was, was that already last week? Yes, that was last week. And so that means that we are in the holiday season.
00:01:28
Speaker
And right after the holiday season is when most people have ah a refocus, a regroup as it relates to their health and their fitness goals. And they're starting fresh with fresh energy, new year, new year. Okay, love it. I am here for it. um I've always been a big believer in my own personal journey of so sometimes just needing like a kickstart. You know what i mean? Like needing a push to get that momentum going to to continue, right?
00:01:55
Speaker
But with that being said, in my experience, the new year also comes with a ton of incorrect information. It's a lot of distractions of different companies and people and influencers and things like that, that of course want to get your attention so that you can purchase their product or follow what they're saying in an effort to purchase their product and so on and so forth, right?
Weighted Vests: Benefits and Misconceptions
00:02:20
Speaker
Um, and so with that being said, I've had a couple of conversations with somebody in my personal life regarding, um regarding wearing a weighted vest in an effort to build muscle in an effort to improve bone density. Um, and so that is kind of what I want to talk to you guys about today, but more so in an effort to, you know, kind of just again, shed light on how um the The information that is being given to us, the information that is being marketed to us is not always correct. And so knowledge is power.
00:02:55
Speaker
I want to provide some of that or I want to shed some light on how the more you understand knowledge, about what you're doing, the better able you're going to be able to show up for yourself, right? You're going to be able to decode and be able to um see if whatever is trying to get your attention is true or it's inaccurate, right? And so knowledge is power. Very big believer
Functional Medicine Success Story
00:03:20
Speaker
in that. Okay. That's why I really focus on educating my clients because they're It's all fun and dandy to have an honor of helping them with their journey, but eventually our time is going to come to an end, and I want you to continue to focus on what matters, okay? um Okay, so somebody in my life, they have um embarked on their own health and fitness journey over the last year, I will say, okay? And this is somebody who I have talked to in various different topics, such as, you know, ways that they can or little tiny changes they can make in their everyday life to improve their overall health. Right. And of course, everything I focus on is building muscle. Everything I focus on is making sure we're eating enough balanced food, healthy habits, getting enough sleep, things like that. Right. And so this person has started to have her own health issues, and that made her basically come to a crossroads in her health journey.
00:04:17
Speaker
And I think that's true for many of us, right? We don't see a need to make any changes until we come up to an obstacle in our life that kind of forces us to have to like pause, take a step back, and really determine, hey, I need to make some changes, right?
00:04:33
Speaker
um And so she was at that crossroad in her life. And as a result of those health issues, she chose to seek the help of um a functional medicine doctor here in the Nashville suburbs, okay? And I was so grateful for that because, um you know, she didn't take the approach of, you no offense to anybody listening, but Western medicine, she took the approach of functional medicine, um which is a little bit more of you know what you eat matters, right? Your habits matter, your exercise matters, like all of that, right? Like true health versus here is my symptom, give me a pill because she has gone down that road. um She has been told she's had high cholesterol all her life. She has followed
00:05:14
Speaker
all of the you know low cholesterol diets, no fat diets, on you know taking drugs, all of that stuff, but like it's never helped her. You know what i mean? And so I'm grateful that she has kind of like taken that approach. Anyways, all that to say, with her um with her seeking the help of a functional medicine doctor, that doctor you know helped her work closely with a nutritionist. um And they both basically were saying, okay, listen,
00:05:42
Speaker
this is what's going on. We need to focus on, you know, building up your body from a baseline foundational level, such as we need to make sure that we are preserving the muscle that you do have because you're losing muscle and that's causing issues. And with that being said, we also need to make sure that we are, um taking into consideration your bone density as an age, things like that.
00:06:04
Speaker
And this was like music to my ears. I'm like, oh my gosh, I am so grateful that somebody else is saying the exact same thing. You know what i mean? um And so all that to say, she's taking this information to heart and she's made some really positive, great changes. And she has noticed a really massive um difference in her overall quality of life and health as a result, right? Um, however, i was a little confused when she started telling me, Hey, you know, you'd be so proud of me. I'm going for a walk and I'm walking every day and I have my like eight pound weighted vest and I'm wearing that. And like, you'd be so proud of me. And here's the thing.
00:06:44
Speaker
We're about to talk about weighted vest, okay? So if this is triggering for anybody, you heard it here first. ah But here's the thing. This is somebody who does not normally exercise, okay? This is somebody who is, exercise is not a part of her everyday lifestyle and routine. And so wearing a weighted vest for her is getting her excited to exercise and it's helping her stay consistent and at least going for a walk, which is way more than she has ever done. Okay. Consistently, I will say.
00:07:14
Speaker
And so I am here for it. I am not going to rain on your parade because the value of you walking with a weighted vest way outweighs the value of me saying, okay, but listen, let's have a conversation. It's not doing what you think it's doing. You know what i mean? Nobody has time for that. Our society, our culture does not have an issue doing the perfect kind of exercise. Our culture does not have an issue with following the best workout program.
00:07:43
Speaker
Our society has an issue with being too sedentary. Our culture has a problem with not getting in enough regular consistent activity. And so wearing a weighted vest to her is super motivating to her. And I am all here for it. Okay. Pick and choose your battles, right?
00:07:58
Speaker
Anyways, so she's wearing this weighted vest, here for it, love it, but she has mentioned a few times, hey, you'd be so proud of me because it's eight pounds. And so in having a conversation, she is wearing a weighted vest, eight pound weight, because she is under the impression, based on information that she has gained over the course of the last several months online, um that wearing a weighted vest and walking is going to help her build muscle. It's ah also going to help improve her bone density, okay?
00:08:28
Speaker
That is what I have an issue with. That specifically is what I have an issue with because that is not true. Okay? So if you're wearing a weighted vest and that has you excited to go work out, I am here for it. Let's keep doing it. I will even like help you find some weighted vests. Okay? I will definitely support that. However, guys, wearing a weighted vest does not help you build muscle. Wearing a weighted vest does not help improve bone density. Actually speaking, wearing a weighted vest does a couple of things. Number one, the science is still completely out um on how wearing a weighted vest does negatively impact your
00:09:07
Speaker
um your joints and your spine specifically, okay? Because of the gravity that we are already living through throughout our every single day life, right? Number two, because most of us sit all day every single day. um I say us, I don't know why I'm saying us, but I'm sitting right now. So whatever. Anyways. um And when we are sitting all day, every day, we are loading our spine four times the amount that we would be loading if we were standing. That's not great. That's not great for your disc space. That's not great for your spinal cord to, you know, to send neurological signals to organs and things like that. Right. Right.
00:09:48
Speaker
Um, it's not great for, um arthritis, degenerative dis disease. It's not great for those things, right? So when we're wearing a weighted vest, we have to understand if wearing a weighted vest comes with w risk and it's also not doing what we think we're doing. Knowledge is power. Make that decision for yourself if you want to wear it.
00:10:08
Speaker
However, know what you're doing. You know what i mean? um wearing a weighted vest is going to make you feel like you are exerting more energy because you are. So if you were, as an example, let's say you were a 150-pound person, okay? um Now, that's a bad example. Let's say you're a 300-pound person, okay? and you are trying to lose some weight. You are walking 300 pounds. 300 pounds And it's you overweight. So it's more weight than you need to be carrying. And so therefore, it's putting unnecessary burden on your joints. It's putting a lot of tension, you know, pressure on your joints. And it's, you know, of course, tiring to walk because you're carrying around excess weight. Right. And so your body is working harder to to simply walk.
00:10:56
Speaker
Compared to if you lose 50 pounds, you are still walking, but it's easier for you to walk. Your body is not working as hard. You're not putting as much pressure on those joints, right? And that is basically the same idea as wearing a weighted vest. You are not necessarily building muscle as much as wearing a weighted vest makes that walk, that same activity, more physically demanding. It's making your heart have to work harder.
00:11:23
Speaker
because of the external weight that you are putting on your body. um And that's simply it. That's basically it. And so you feel like you are working harder. Your heart is working harder, right? And so we feel like, hey, I'm working harder in that. Therefore, exertion must mean building muscle. And that is where this person is coming from. Okay. That is where a lot of people are coming from as it relates to wearing a weighted vest.
00:11:49
Speaker
um Burning calories does not equal building muscle. Burning calories um and you know feeling like you are really pushing, that does not necessarily mean that you are building muscle.
00:12:04
Speaker
and Now, I talked on the very last episode about how it is required, if your goal is to build muscle, you have to lift enough heavy weight um in order to send a signal to your body to therefore break down that muscle fiber, right? Right.
00:12:20
Speaker
So working out technically damages our muscle fibers. Working out technically does not make us stronger. The only reason that we get stronger from that workout is by replenishing our fuel stores in the form of food, which means we are replenishing our, um were we're eating enough food, okay? So you work out, you damage the muscle,
00:12:42
Speaker
You work out hard enough, you damage the muscle. And then you go ahead and you eat enough food to repair the damage that that workout basically did. And that's how you get stronger, okay? So all exercise has value. I'm here for it, but not all exercise is created equal. And so if we are trying to build muscle, we don't walk. Just like if we are trying to get a suntan, we don't go to Antarctica and wear a snowsuit. Or I'm sorry, we don't go to Antarctica and wear snowsuit, okay?
00:13:11
Speaker
on And a lot of people basically are just under the interpretation that um you know burning calories is the end-all be-all, right? Burning calories is it feels like we are really putting forth that effort and that exertion, and therefore we're going to get the end result that we are after. And that's just not the case, okay?
00:13:33
Speaker
If we are trying to burn more calories, then yes, we are going to wear a weighted vest, okay? If it makes you feel good to exert a little bit more effort, if you feel like walking doesn't really do anything, then yes, you wear a weighted vest. But guys, walking doesn't necessarily have to raise your heart rate. You know what i mean? it's It's less about really pushing yourself and going like absolutely crazy when going for a walk or trying to um just stay more active in general, your neat activity, non-exercise activity thermogenesis, which is basically just like your everyday motions, me moving my hands, me blinking, things like that, right?
00:14:12
Speaker
The more active you are, the more healthy you are going to be. And so when we're looking at going for a walk in order to increase our step count, which is basically inadvertently increasing our overall activity, we don't have to go crazy. We're just looking for activity, which is a big reason why when I'm working with a client and we are trying to get them from being sedentary to active, hey, we have a step goal because having a goal gives you something to work towards. And it also helps you um kind of see where you stand in relation to that goal, compare what you're doing to be able to say, I'm only getting 4,000
Exercise vs Non-Exercise Activities
00:14:50
Speaker
steps. My goal is eight.
00:14:52
Speaker
Let me keep working to get to that goal, right? So having a step goal is great, but also at the end of the day, the The biggest reason to have a step goal is to simply help a very sedentary culture be more active. Okay. Any step counts, any activity counts. And so oftentimes, especially right now, we're in the winter season. It's not as conducive to like go outside. Right.
00:15:17
Speaker
And so oftentimes I'll suggest, okay, if you're not, if you can't go for a walk for whatever reason, clean it. you're moving your body. Organizing, you're moving your body. And also, arguably speaking, you are being productive, which is fantastic for your mental health rather than having like analysis paralysis, right? But anyways, um you know, that's kind of the goal as it relates to like going for walks. um You know, people might, you know, want to go for a walk and because they want to stay active, because they are trying to, let's say, lose weight, right?
00:15:52
Speaker
We also have to remember burning calories, any amount of calories, the hardest workout in your entire life is only going to make up for 5% to 10% of your daily total caloric expenditure, which means even if you worked out every single day and you burned a thousand calories every single day, it is only ever going to make up for five to 10% of your daily caloric expenditure. Okay. What matters more is something we just talked about, which is your meat activity, non-exercise activity, thermogenesis. That is your non-structured activity. So your workout burning calories, five to 10%, your meat activity, that
00:16:38
Speaker
matters more in the grand scheme of if your goal is to move more in and an effort to lose weight. See what I'm saying? Knowledge is power, okay? Which is a big reason why if you overeat, especially as we're in the holiday season and we're going to have lots of treats to hopefully enjoy and make room for, um burning calories, going going to do a workout after you overate one day, it's not having as much of an impact as you think it's having, okay? um And so all of that to say, that's why we have to understand how our metabolism works. That's why we have to understand what is really our biggest bang for our buck. And if we are wearing a weighted vest because we enjoy going for a walk and the alternative is or going for a walk with a weighted vest and the alternative is to not walk,
00:17:26
Speaker
wear it, let's go. But if the, if we're wearing a weighted vest because we are trying to build muscle, you need to follow a structured strength training program that focuses on progressive overload type principles. And also with that being said, you need to make sure that you're eating enough food and in that enough food, you're having enough protein, right? Um, so touching on that for just a second, we're going to go off on another sidebar.
00:17:52
Speaker
Um, is you know, she's very excited that she is, you know, wearing a weight of vest. She thinks she's building muscle, all of these things, but she has also mentioned over and over and over again, how she's trying to lose weight.
00:18:06
Speaker
Um, and she has mentioned over and over and over again, you know, she, she hasn't said the worth being in a caloric deficit, but what she is describing is she's trying to control how much she's eating, AKA a trying to be in a caloric deficit. Right.
00:18:22
Speaker
We are not going to be able to build muscle if you're not eating enough food. So when we are actively chasing fat loss, we are trying to preserve the muscle we have because your muscle is basically metabolism. um But we are not going to be able to add muscle if we are in a caloric deficit because one of the requirements to build muscle is eating enough food. um And so i'm I'm excited for the changes that she's making. And we're kind of still in that initial phase of she's making these changes. She's having more energy because she's exercising more.
00:18:56
Speaker
She's having more energy and feeling better because she is kind of cutting out some of the processed foods and having more real whole foods, right? But all of that to say, some of the pursuits, some of the intentions behind her actions are coming from some misinformation that she's getting from the internet. Okay. And we just can't believe everything that we listen to or see on the internet. And I'm well aware that this is going to go on the internet. Yeah. But all of that to say, um you know knowledge is power,
Aligning Fitness Actions with Goals
00:19:28
Speaker
okay? So if you are going to you know find, um you know if you're going to try to focus a little bit more on your physical goals, on your overall health in the new year, um what are your goals, okay? what you
00:19:43
Speaker
What you eat and how you move, that is going to 100% be dependent upon what you are chasing, what your overall goal is, okay? And every single person is different. And so if your overall goal is to build muscle, well, you're your strength training is going to matter so much, okay? Making sure you're eating enough food is going to matter so much, all right? And we have to understand that if we are constantly chasing fat loss, well, it's going to be really hard for you to build muscle, okay? We have to understand that burning calories by, you know, doing cardio workouts or wearing a weighted vest, just because we're burning calories doesn't necessarily mean that we are building muscle. We can feel like we're giving a little bit more effort, but that effort doesn't necessarily mean that we are sending a signal to our muscles and therefore asking them to change. That outcome is not going to ah be what we think it's going to be, right?
00:20:41
Speaker
um And so all of that to say, you know, as we kind of enter in the new year and we're going to get hit with so much, you know, misinformation out there, understand the goal that you're chasing, okay? Understand that not all exercise is going to produce the desired outcome that you might be after, all right? And that's not a negative thing, right? If your overall goal is to just, you know, be more active, awesome. Let's find any activity that you enjoy. Let's do it. Right. But if you have specific goals, um, let's make sure we understand what is required in order to reach those goals. Right. That's how we simplify the process. That's how we learn to cut through the noise. Um, that's not going anywhere. Everybody wants to, you know, um
00:21:29
Speaker
say, you know look over here, do what I'm doing, right? And what works for one person might not work for another person, but the basics work for every single person, okay? And honestly speaking, the only difference between trying to build muscle, right? Get stronger, build, grow, grow, grow, and lose weight and lose fat,
00:21:49
Speaker
really the only difference there is how much you're eating. Everything else is exactly the same, all right? Because again, number one, going back to our habits, which I've talked about so many times, um but number one, our sleep. um We are not going to be able to build muscle if we are not getting enough sleep. We're actually gonna promote further muscle breakdown if we're not getting enough sleep,
Foundation of Muscle Building
00:22:11
Speaker
right? And also, if we're trying to lose weight, when we don't get enough sleep, our hunger hormones never have an opportunity to recover and therefore we are hungrier the next day. um Our insulin levels never have an opportunity to basically regulate
00:22:26
Speaker
ah which means we're going to crave more the next day. And so therefore, it's going to be harder for us to control how much we're eating. And when the goal is to lose weight, we have to be in a caloric deficit. And so i'm sure you can appreciate how important it's going to be in order to sleep enough so that you can give yourself as much opportunity to control your appetite, right?
00:22:48
Speaker
ah Your hydration. Hydration is massively important. We have to hydrate our muscles in order for them to grow. We have to have enough water within our body so that our nutrients can get transported where they need to get transported. um We have to have enough hydration to regulate your cortisol levels,
00:23:05
Speaker
Very important, okay? But also at the same time, um you know, your Your exercise, that doesn't necessarily change. When we're trying to build, we focus on strength training. We, of course, want to make sure that we're staying active enough. That knee activity I've talked about, staying active, that matters no matter if you're bulking, maintaining, um or losing. And so we definitely want to make sure that we are sure getting our workouts in, but that doesn't mean just like sitting around all day, right? We just might move a little bit less when we're building compared to maybe moving a little bit more when we are
00:23:38
Speaker
ah cutting or trying to lose. Strength training is still the meat and potatoes. Strength training is going to help us preserve our muscle. And when we're in a deficit, we are at greater risk of losing muscle because again, we're not eating enough food intentionally, right? To chase that desired look. However,
00:23:58
Speaker
our muscles still need what they need. So in a way to preserve our muscle, we want to make sure we're eating enough protein. We want to make sure that we are strength training, um, in an effort to preserve our muscle, which is basically our metabolism to keep our metabolism super high. Um,
00:24:13
Speaker
And of course, sure, we might want to then therefore increase our activity, aka increase our steps, increase our need activity. That might also mean adding one or two cardio sessions, nothing crazy, 20 minute, you know, treadmill walk with a weighted vest or not. But I hope that that is is making sense. Nothing really changes if we are trying to build muscle or lose fat, except for how much we're eating. The basics still apply, which is why it's in our best interest to continue day and day and day and day
00:24:48
Speaker
to try to master the basics, to try to get enough sleep, stay hydrated, eat enough food within our targets, targets meaning our goals, what goal are we chasing? And we are strength training and we're trying to stay active.
00:25:01
Speaker
That's it. That's all we're trying to do, right? So anything outside of that, if we have not mastered those basics, why are we putting so much effort into anything outside of that? Master the basics first and then let's focus on the specifics, right? And so all of that to say, knowledge is power. All understand what we are doing, understand the goal that we are after and understand how our actions affect our ability to reach our goals or hinder our ability to reach our goals. Okay.
Muscle Building and Quality of Life
00:25:29
Speaker
um And so as we kind of enter into the new year, ah you know, let's, let's keep our head down. Let's keep our focus on really what's going to matter, right? Improving our overall quality of life, um you know, living a life of as few limitations as possible, right? And that is going to be the pursuit of building muscle. um That is going to help us not only be as healthy as possible, it's going to help us be strong as long as possible to have less limitations, right? And also it's going to help us feel our best every single day, okay? And so if there's anything that I've said, like I said at the beginning of the show, that kind of triggered some questions or you want to know more about,
00:26:07
Speaker
and Let's talk about it. All right. But otherwise, I hope this was super helpful for you guys. um I hope that this kind of like, you know, just gave you a little bit of knowledge as it relates to, you know, weighted vest and just kind of some of the the distractions out there.
00:26:21
Speaker
And you heard it here first. It's going to get real in the next couple of weeks. Okay. So have a wonderful rest of your day. And until next time, we'll talk to you later.