Will Protein Shakes make you fat? Red wine has so many health benefits that it's bad for your health... Yep, no typo.

The following excerpt is taken from the Coach Seán Weekly Newsletter. Click HERE to subscribe for FREE

"Believe half of what you see and nothing that you hear."
- Edgar Allan Poe

It's a quote, I'm sure most of you have heard of before. I had to google the quote to make sure I credited it right (I mostly remember it from a Jay-Z song instead of an American author from the 1800s. But it's a quote that I can definitely relate to when it comes to the fitness industry. 

I had a little rant in a Facebook post this week when I saw an article about research that claimed that social media influencers gave bad advice "8 out of 9 times" on diet and fitness. 

Unfortunately, it's not surprising. With apps like Facetune, there are people out there using it to appear in better shape than they are to gain more likes and follows. We tend to listen more to those with increased followers because the more popular they are, the more knowledgable they must be? Photoshop has become so easy to use for people that someone actually photoshopped a trip to Coachella to prove a point. 

And it's not just social media where we hear misleading information. It's newspapers too. 

'PROTEIN SHAKES STOP WEIGHT LOSS AND MAKE YOU FAT, WARNS EXPERTS' 

That was a heading this week in The Sun newspaper. A speedy summary of the article can be found in the following line from it:

"Scientists from the University of Sydney's Charles Perkins Centre have found that too many protein shakes and snacks may reduce our lifespan, make us moodier and lead to weight gain."

Newsflash: Too much of ANYTHING can lead to weight gain. The study was also done on overdosing BCAAs (Branch Chain Amino Acids) in mice. We don't know the long term effects on humans and a calorific deficit can 'avert the health costs of a high BCAA diet. 

So having a protein shake is not going to be bad for you. But having just protein shakes are. Too much and only one type of food source usually is. 

My point in all of this is that there is a lot of crap in the fitness industry with influencers having bad advice, click bait newspaper articles with titles that glorify the actual study, TV personalities selling fat loss supplements based on zero scientific studies and all financial gain etc. 

So where do we go from here? Unfortunately, it's a cop-out answer, and that answer is... 'it depends'.

We can find articles on how the carnivore diet increases energy as well as cure autism while a vegan diet can cure cancer. We can read stories on huge fat loss through a low carb diet, as a substantial fat loss on a low-fat diet and other ways including intermittent fasting and going vegan. 

It's effortless to confirm your way of thinking by backing up your claim through Google. Think red wine is healthy. Type 'red wine good for you' in google and you will find support for having that glass of red wine (or two...) every evening and all the health benefits that go with it. 

But red wine can't be good for you, right? Can't alcohol be healthy for you? (Or maybe it can and I'm going to feel a lot healthier this bank holiday weekend?). Well, let's find out with google...

According to the Telegraph, 'Red wine is bad for you, say experts'. Well, I hope the folks over at the Telegraph, in the first picture who wrote about the 'unexpected health benefits' don't read the article from the Telegraph to say that experts say that it bad for you. While my old English teacher would probably hate how that last sentence is worded, there is no typo in the Telegraph posting both articles. 

So the conclusion is that it depends. It depends on what suits you and your goals. What you find works for you. Finding the training that's not only beneficial but that you don't dread each and every session. The diet that makes you feel better. Your fitness and nutrition plan that you implement based on what your goals (as long as they are realistic and measurable and not based on a photoshopped Instagram image). 

I have changed my views on training, diet and nutrition over the years because I try to keep an open mind and practice what I preach in the gym and learn through the progress of my clients and classes and what works for them. Because no one perfect answer that will fit everybody.

I've had my week filled with workouts and protein shakes. It's a Friday morning as I type this because I'm off the Budapest with a few friends for the weekend that will no doubt be filled with some beer, wine and food. But everything in moderation, overall and adjust to how you feel from there. 

One last thing, the quote at the start of the newsletter, the one we've all heard before, is of course, seemingly wrong. 

“Believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see.”  - Poe

Seán

#LetsGoGetEmAgain