In this episode, I reflect on the reactions and comments on my recent posts regarding the fact that appearance does NOT correlate to knowledge. 

Throughout the episode, I discuss why appearance should be taken out of the equation and what qualities actually matter when looking for a coach to help you. 

It can be tricky to know who’s advice to follow in the fitness industry and it often leads to people blindly following coaches or influencers solely based on what they look like, so hopefully, this episode will guide you in the right direction! 

References and links discussed can be found at www.Martin-MacDonald.com/Ep71

TOPICS

01:04 - Why it is idiotic to blindly follow someone's advice based solely on their appearance

07:30 - How I am trying to stop you from being misled!

14:12 - What you should be looking for when hiring a coach

21:15 - The level of knowledge and application I do expect from coaches

23:35 - What is more important - Qualifications or Experience?

In this episode I talk about coaches who are now anti diet but are still, in the eyes of societal norms, in amazing shape; following years of restriction & disordered eating. I often see the anti diet movement being pedalled without any critical thinking, so hopefully this stimulates some deeper thoughts for you & helps prevent more people from being misled!

References and links discussed in the podcast can be found at www.Martin-MacDonald.com/ep70

TOPICS

02:43 - Feminism & social justice warriors (tangent)

05:51 - Why it's important to consider someones journey to becoming anti diet

10:33 - The long term physiological effects of extreme dieting

12:52 - Are the anti diet crowd narrow-minded when it comes to weight stigma?

17:54 - Weighing up the mental and physiological consequences of intuitive eating

In this episode, I discuss some of the problems caused by the mantra that 'salt is bad' and highlight which people may actually benefit from increasing their salt intake.

References and links can be found at www.Martin-MacDonald.com/Ep69

TOPICS

00:48 - Has my opinion on salt changed in the last 10 years?

04:02 - Is salt really bad for your health?

11:29 - Who should consider increasing their salt intake

13:58 - How relevant is salt consumption in determining health

In this episode, I explain how as emotional and irrational humans we can benefit from the scientific method!

I discuss the relevance of scientific findings to everyday life and how they can help us to make more informed decisions while avoiding whatever the latest nutrition zealots are shouting about! I also shed some light on my experience of the unsurprising biases in the food industry and why my opinion didn’t always suit their priorities.

The links to the studies referenced in the podcast can be found at www.Martin-MacDonald.com/Ep68

TOPICS

01:32 - How science can help you not be an idiot

09:16 - What my dream physique would be…..

11:05 - Why science is the only way to debunk myths

13:26 - My experience of the biases that exist in the food industry

16:12 - My take on artificial sweeteners, sugar & more

This new episode is recorded with the 'Flex Success' team & is packed full of valuable content. 

We discuss hormones (and the myths that need to die!), whether anybody should personalise their diets based on their DNA, and establish the FACTS behind whether diets are damaging.

I also share how to can make better, more informed decisions and give my valuable advice on 'how to be less sh**!’

References and links discussed can be found at www.Martin-MacDonald.com/Ep67

TOPICS

13:04 -  Can you control your hormones?

24:00 -  Should we ALWAYS believe in calorie deficits?

31:08 - What our DNA can tell us about how to eat

43:17 - Should we ever intentionally lose weight?

49:35 -  The things most people don't realise about dieting

57:48 - My advice on how to live & do better

Motivational interviewing (MI) is a valuable tool for health-care practitioners, but could you apply it to your own life? In this episode I discuss what MI is and how it could help you.

References and links discussed can be found at www.Martin-MacDonald.com/Ep66

TOPICS

01:35 - True dietary flexibility for guaranteed adherence 

03:25 - Using motivational interviewing for your own benefit

07:28 - Accepting your shortfalls

10:02 - Should we aim to change everything at once? 

After the release of my aggressive diet calculator I have received some questions on how best to use it and some issues (not actually issues) with the calorie outputs, so I have recorded this podcast to help solve these problems.

In the episode I explain what to do if the calculator output is giving you negative daily calories and also why your suggested daily calories may be more than you were expecting for an aggressive fat loss diet!

References and links discussed can be found at www.Martin-MacDonald.com/Ep65

TOPICS

00:36 - The relevance of having an individualised fat loss calculator

04:00 - What to do if the calculator is giving you ‘negative' calories

06:00 - Why your calories may be higher than you expected for an aggressive diet

Personal trainers are positioned to give us nutrition advice - but often that advice isn’t as helpful, or in perspective, as it should be. In this episode I explore the common pitfalls that PT’s make when advising clients, and discuss what action you should take if you find yourself receiving bad advice

References and links discussed can be found at www.Martin-MacDonald.com/Ep64

TOPICS

00:16 -  What makes a BAD practitioner? 

05:21 - How to spot a good PT amongst the bad

07:23 - What you should do if your PT gives bad advice?

11:15 - Applying a sense of perspective to your practice

In this episode I reveal why I have taken up jogging…… believe it or not the reason is not for fat loss! I discuss exercise beyond fat loss and why as a society we often overlook the "non sexy” health benefits that come with exercising and generally being more active.

I also talk on how societal weight stigma has led us to be constantly striving for fat loss and how anything less is labelled as a failure.

References for the studies discussed can be found at www.Martin-MacDonald.com/Ep63

TOPICS

01:02 - Why I have started jogging…

04:45 - What are the benefits of exercise beyond fat loss

07:00 - How societal weight stigma is manipulating our exercise goals

In this episode I answer some listener questions on very popular topic, Collagen Supplements.

I discuss muscle gain, tendon repair, hair, skin & nail health!  I also talk on whether collagen supplements are really worth the expense and some cheaper alternatives that have the same effect!

The links to the studies referenced in the podcast and the recipe discussed within the episode can be found at www.Martin-MacDonald.com/Ep62 

TOPICS

01:46 - Are collagen supplements just expensive jelly?

06:10 - How jelly cubes could help your joint health...

09:55 - Collagen supplements for wrinkles & skin health

14:34 - How to increase your collagen intake the Martin MacDonald way…