Paul Plakas Answers Your Questions
Jun 13, 2010
Dear Paul, I'd like to know your opinion on P90X and those insane types of programs.
Those types of work out are very aggressive and high intensity, using your own body weight with functional exercises. I like some of the exercises that they are doing, but the only thing they lack is the they don’t assess your body and whether these movements are appropriate for you.
When you are just mimicking what someone is doing in a video, you can't be sure that you are doing the exercises correctly. And because of this, there is a higher risk of you developing an injury if those exercises are not appropriate for your fitness level and posture.
These kinds of workout will be very tough for most people, but if you are relatively healthy, with no injuries or posture problems, it is a pretty good workout. If you have got those kinds of problems, and have been sedentary for a long time, P90X or similar programs are probably going to be too much for you.
Dear Paul, what do you think about the South Beach Diet? I've been following it for 4 months now and would like your opinion.
The South Beach diet is a terrible diet that is not appropriate for anybody. The reason I say that is that they restrict a lot of foods that are really quite healthy for you: they restrict your carbohydrates and slowly ease you back into them later on, this is not a sustainable diet plan.
The South Beach Diet doesn’t really teach you any skills that you can use later on to maintain. It restricts nutrients and doesn’t teach you any lessons on how to eat properly long-term.
Dear Paul, what do you think of Weight Watchers?
I would say that Weight Watchers is probably one of the better programs out there. They make it simple for people to keep track of their points, they have a support group where people can check in every week, and I think that they do try to teach people how to cook properly and give information on how to make healthy meals.
Dear Paul, would you consider leading a bootcamp in Southwestern Ontario at some point? We LOVE you around here!
If somebody was willing to set one up, I would definitely come out there and do one.
Dear Paul, can one effectively train for a half-marathon on a vegan diet?
Yes, you should have no problem with that. You should be out to get lots of carbohydrates, which is the primary fuel source for running, so that’s no problem. You should be out to get all the protein requirements you need to too. There are lots of professional athletes that play pro sports vegetarian and probably some vegan ones too.
Do you have a question for Paul? Email us your question and it may be featured in a future blog post.
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diets
Everything we eat is a diet, right? Even if it's not good for you. My "diet" inspiration is a friend who lost a pile of weight and kept it off by what she called choices. She learned enough to know what was a good choice, and then it was up to her to choose. It's become second nature to her now to make the right choices about diet and exercise, and I want to be like that.
Southwestern Ontario Bootcamp?
How would we go about setting something like this up for Paul to run? I notice on his website that he is conducting one in Edmonton.
Weight Watchers
I've used it in the past and had some success with it. I am a little bit surprised it passes the Plakas mustard, though, since the Points system allows people to eat whatever they want, regardless of nutritional value, so long as they track their points. I've eaten lots of refined sugars and processed foods on the program. They do encourage you to eat foods that are low in fat and high in fibre, in terms of how points are calculated, but I think in general the nutritional aspect of the program is a little bit lacking.
WW feedback
i think the WW does teach healthy eating habits that can last. .. but i see your point.
i have a friend who thought she was cheating the system: she would hike just so she could earn the extra points to eat badly .. but it all catches up to you .. she eventually clued it that she can eat the refined sugar foods for her points .. or eat well and actually see results. so the lessons are there .. it just takes some people ... like this friend .. a longer time to learn them.
and i guess the number of people that keep going back year after year after year is a testament to the shortcomings of the program.
vegan athletes
Regarding marathon training on a vegan diet: Brendan Brazier has written a book called Thrive Diet. He is a professional Iron Man athlete who is vegan.
Vega!
isn't he also the guy behind Vega - the meal replacement that has like 110% of RDA of like every nutrient your body needs ... or so they claim.
i actually like the stuff because it doesn't taste awful and its good to grab on the go.
does anyone else use this product? i'm going to get his book and read it.
Very cool.
Thanks for sharing the info.