Jay's Advice: Can you get in shape without exercise? #2

Question:

Hi Jay, Is it possible to get a 6 pack through diet alone?

Answer:

Absolutely. Diet is the most important influence on fat loss. Diet should be your main focus if fat loss is your goal.

You could wake up in the morning, go to work, sit at your desk, come home and watch TV, go to bed and repeat. And could still lose significant amounts of bodyfat with proper nutrition.

But. This is a terrible message to promote.

It's a lazy, unfit, nonathletic mind-set. Most people with this mind-set have forgotten what the word fitness actually means.

Fitness is about strength, stamina, endurance, to be able to move as you want, to enjoy yourself as you like, to enjoy sports, hikes, movements without worrying about injury or pain.

Having visible abdominal muscles doesn't mean you are fit. Being able to run, climb, swim, surf, ski, play basketball, yoga, makes you fit. If you can do these things, and have a low bodyfat whilst doing it, then you are truly fit!

Just because you can lose fat through diet and no exercise, doesn't mean you should!

If you want to get in shape quicker, then do sprints. Especially if you have high cortisol levels.

Sprinting is the best form of exercise you can do. Everyone should do it - whether up the stairs, outside in the garden or wherever! As the Nike advert says: "Just do it."

Get out and be active, enjoy yourself. Fitness  doesn’t have to be regimented.There are no perfect solutions. 

It's all about getting out there. Swim a length in the pool. Do a 100 yard dash. Push yourself for 400 yards next time you are on that bike. That's how you build fitness. That's how you get fit. When you are fit and enjoying it, you won't care about whether that 6 pack is showing or not. You'll realise fitness isn't about that.

Get out there and push yourself!

Jay

Hope you found this useful, please post below any questions you would like Jay to answer. Jay specialises in strength training and all things fitness related.

Here last weeks in case you missed it: Jay Issue #1