In March we were lucky enough to have Gary Slater, Senior Lecture (Masters of Sports Nutrition) University of Sunshine Coast and National Performance Coordinator for the Australian Rugby Union come to visit and present two education sessions around nutrition performance and results for our members and staff. This highly respected health professional, who is on the cutting edge of his profession, provided common-sense, entertaining information that could be easily implemented into everyday life.
In fielding the many questions participants had regarding myths and information around diet and supplement intake, Gary asked the source of their information and many answered from friends, sales people, people who train a lot and also (my favourite) “the biggest person in the gym because surely they must know all there is to know about supplements and diet”.
It is interesting where people feel comfortable getting information from when it comes to nutrition and exercise. A lot of advice comes from unqualified sources which often offer a simple solution to whatever the weakness is to which they require a solution. (e.g. Increase in muscle mass, weight loss, increase in sports performance, etc.) These solutions may include cut out sugar; no carbs; no carbs after 3.00pm; more protein; less protein; more exercise; less exercise; Crossfit; Zumba; and the list of “solutions” goes on.
A great piece of advice from Gary put this type of approach in perspective:
“You can’t out-train a poor diet or a poor training program.”
Our health and fitness plans need to be built on a well-planned, balanced approach; thinking we can get the solution from one thing is a deceptive temptation to fast track the results we chase but will not provide the long-term answer. Concentrating on one area of our diet and expecting it to provide long-term sustainable results is not possible. Concentrating on one area of our training and expecting it to deliver results in all aspects of our health performance is simply impossible.
The message of balance may be a perceived as a boring message, but if we truly hear, understand and implement balance into our lives it will move us faster towards sustainable lifetime goals. The more side tracks we take by chasing fast, miracle results the longer we stay in a holding pattern of no real change.
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.”
– Albert Einstein
Which direction will you take today?
