Tag: calories

Tuesday Tip: Pilates to build muscle? 💪

Pilates is elegant, challenging, and amazing for mobility and core control but can it replace traditional strength training for muscle growth and strength? Social media says yes but let’s see what the evidence says.

#1 How Pilates Builds Strength

Pilates uses bodyweight, springs, and controlled movement to improve balance, stability, and endurance. You’ll definitely feel it especially in your core and smaller stabilizing muscles. But feeling the burn doesn’t always equal muscle growth. Research shows Pilates improves functional strength and posture, but not maximal strength (how much weight you can lift). Without heavier resistance or progressive overload, the larger muscle groups (glutes, quads, lats) don’t get the same challenge.

#2 What About Muscle Growth (Hypertrophy)?

To build muscle, your body needs enough tension and load to trigger adaptation. Traditional resistance training (using weights, bands, or machines) creates that through progressive overload (gradually lifting more over time). Pilates, while great for endurance, doesn’t generate the same muscle stimulus. You might see small changes if you’re new to exercise, but not the same growth or metabolic boost that comes from lifting. When we look at research on strength, lean muscle gain, cardiovascular improvements, and bone density, Pilates falls short compared to traditional resistance training and conditioning.

#3 The Best of Both Worlds

Does that mean ditch Pilates? Not at all. Think of Pilates as the side salad, not the main course. It’s perfect for improving mobility, posture, core control which are all vital. But if your goals include muscle gain, bone strength, or boosting metabolism (and these should be everyone’s goals to age well)make resistance training your foundation and let Pilates complement it.

Pilates is fantastic for core strength and movement quality but for real gains in muscle and strength, weights still win. So don’t listen to social media and think you can rely solely on Pilates. If you love Pilates then combine both, and you’ll have a balanced, powerful body for life.

Happy Tuesday 🤗xx

Tuesday Tip: Are Seed Oils Really Toxic? 🌻

You may have seen social media wellness influencers decrying the evils of seed oils (canola, corn, cottonseed, grapeseed, rice bran, soybean, sunflower, and safflower oils), calling them inflammatory or toxic. But what does the actual evidence say?

The main argument is that seed oils are high in omega-6 fatty acids, which supposedly cause inflammation and chronic disease. It sounds scary, but it’s not that simple.

#1 What Omega-6s Actually Do
Omega-6 fats, like linoleic acid, are essential, our bodies need them for cell structure and function. Most people get about 6% of their calories from them, and research shows this intake is linked with lower risk of heart disease, not higher. When people replace saturated fats (like butter or coconut oil) with seed oils, LDL (“bad”) cholesterol tends to drop.

#2 The Inflammation Myth
Yes, linoleic acid can be metabolised into arachidonic acid, a compound involved in inflammation, but only a tiny fraction (0.3–0.6%) actually does. Large studies show no link between omega-6 intake and inflammation, heart disease, or cancer. Inflammation is a complex process driven by stress, sleep, illness, smoking, and environment, not by a drizzle of oil.

#3 Processing and ‘Toxins’
Seed oils are refined with a solvent called hexane. That sounds alarming, but residual amounts are negligible and far below safety limits. Refining actually makes oils more stable, less rancid, and more affordable.

#4 The Bigger Picture
Health isn’t just about one ingredient. Social media fearmongering about seed oils distracts from real issues such as limited access to fresh food, chronic stress, inequities in healthcare, and disordered eating habits which cause far more harm.

So, can you have seed oils?
Yes, they’re safe, evidence-based, and heart-healthy when used instead of saturated fats. So instead of cutting them out, focus on adding more omega-3s (salmon, flaxseed, walnuts) for balance.

Don’t let fear-based social media nutrition trends dictate your diet. Eat a variety of foods, that you enjoy, and remember balance always wins.

Happy Tuesday 🤗xx

Tuesday Tip: Ultra-Processed Foods 🍟

With all the social media attention around Joe Wicks and ultra processed foods it’s worth looking at the actual research. You’ve probably heard that ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are toxic but let’s look at what the evidence actually says. Yes higher UPF intake is linked with greater risk of heart disease and metabolic problems etc but why?

The reasons are not as dramatic as social media makes it sound and it’s all about quantity and context.

#1 Energy balance

UPFs are easy to overeat because they’re tastier, quicker to eat, calorie dense and often lower in fibre and protein. One study showed people given UPF-based diets ate around 500 extra calories per day

compared to those eating minimally processed meals. So they’re very easy to overconsume.

#2 Diet quality

When you eat more UPFs, you naturally eat fewer whole foods. That means less fibre, fewer vitamins and minerals, and less protein from real food sources. Over time, that shift alone can explain a lot of the health differences seen in studies. It’s not that one snack bar causes disease, it’s that a diet built mostly on them means you eat less of the good stuff your body needs.

#3 Direct impact of Additives

This is the part that gets the most online attention and yet it’s probably the least important. While some research suggests certain additives might affect gut bacteria or inflammation, these effects are small, short-lived, and not shown to cause disease in humans.

The main reason UPFs are harmful isn’t because they’re toxic

or unnatural. It’s because they make it easier to eat too much and to eat fewer nutritious foods. Being overweight is biggest predictor of heart and metabolic disease, depression and early death. Over consuming anything can lead to that and UPFs make it easier to do that. The science here isn’t new.

So don’t panic, don’t stress about removing all UPF’s from your diet. Eat mostly whole foods, enjoy treats in moderation, and don’t fall for fear-based nutrition trends.

A balanced, evidence-based approach isn’t very social media worth, but it’s the truth

Happy Tuesday 🤗xx