Fed up with silly, quick-fix diets and fitness regimes, Róisín Ingle tries out a few gadgets and courses that promise health and well-being
After trying almost every food plan ever invented I started 2005 swearing off diets. Last month, however, I found myself with a breathing problem, lethargy and difficulty sleeping. With these very clear symptoms of ill-health came a strong desire to become healthier. I decided to road-test a few different accessories, gadgets and programmes that gave a promise of increased well-being that I knew from experience fad diets do not achieve.
Earlier this year potato growers across the world rejoiced at the news that the low-carb Atkins empire had crumbled, with the high-profile US company filing for bankruptcy. A few months later one Yale University academic predicted the end of fad diets, saying the adults dabbling in such food regimes were now looking at the toll obesity is taking on their children.
"It starts to become downright unconscionable for adults to keep turning to silly, quick-fix diets for themselves while their children are developing chronic diseases," said Dr David Katz, associate director of nutrition science at Yale. "There may be some [adults] willing to eat nothing but bacon for two weeks, but I don't see many people doing that with their seven-year-old."
We may be living in a post-Atkins era, but the eternal quest for skinniness continues apace. And while fads may not be in vogue at the moment, there are plenty of people willing to sign up - which usually means shelling out - for the latest gadget, programme or accessory hyped as the holy grail of fat-busting, especially around New Year. Increasingly, though, say experts, the goal is general health and fitness rather than pure inch-loss.
"We still have a long way to go in this part of the world, but in America the trend is for general health and not just the body beautiful and hopefully that is the way it is going to go here, " says Dublin-based fitness consultant Helen Walsh.
MBTs
These unlikely looking shoes have become as covetable as Manolos in certain celebrity quarters, but don't let that put you off. They were invented by a Scottish engineer living in Kenya who suffered from back pain and bad posture, and noticed he walked more upright and with less pain on the uneven surfaces of his local paddy fields. The premise of these shoes is that the human foot is designed to walk on rough, bumpy surfaces and not the flat roads and floors we are now used to. MBT stands for Masai Barefoot Technology and the goal is to have us all walking as tall and proud as tribespeople while working the leg, feet and hip muscles.
They must be the only shoe in history to come complete with a DVD showing you how to wear them but it's less a novel marketing strategy and more an essential accompaniment to learning how to walk the MBT way. You might feel like one of those toy weebles when you first try them on but eventually you'll learn how to keep your balance while striding around.
For shorties like me, the extra height in the shoes proved an added bonus. Be warned, though, that they have to be broken in. The manufacturers advise wearing them for only one to two hours a day in the beginning. I loved bouncing around in them so much I broke this golden rule and ended up muscle-sore, blistered and unable to wear them for a few days. They are not cheap - the shoes start from around €200 - but they do exactly what they claim and they'll have you walking taller in no time.
For stockists call MBT-Ireland on 021-4821106 or see www.mbt-ireland.com
Slendertone Active
I've always loved the idea of these toning belts. Strap one on, crack open the family-sized tin of Quality Street and laze in front of the telly while the belt does the hard work for you. Those spoilsports at Slendertone have copped on to people like me, though, and have brought out a belt designed to be used - here's a revolutionary idea - while actually exercising.
The first problem I encountered was in trying to successfully strap it around my abdominal area; either the belt was too small or, more likely, I was not small enough. It's a pity Slendertone seems to think some people are too far gone to bother with, and hopefully the company might look at extending the belts to accommodate the people who really need help. When I did eventually get the thing on, though, I found it provided great motivation to go walking because it's less a belt, more a personal trainer.
As you walk, a dinky hand-held monitor gives you information about your heart rate, the number of calories burned and how many "active points" you are collecting. Never fond of exercising, I found myself wanting to reach my weekly target and was dragging my walking partner out in all weathers for half-hour walks.
I haven't used it long enough to see any noticeable difference but it's definitely got me out pounding the pavements with more regularity.
I found the "clinically proven electro muscle stimulation technology" which creates a light buzzing around the targeted area vaguely unsettling, to be honest. Cara, a slendertone active user in Galway, says that she found the point-collecting aspect useful when used in conjunction with the Weight Watchers programme, which also encourages collecting points for exercise.
Slendertone Active is available from selected sports shops and pharmacies, for €149.99. See www.slendertone.com
Novo Immogenics
Relaunched last month, the Novo nutrition programme is based in health clinics around the country. It combines a personalised nutrition plan with a sophisticated blood analysis that identifies your body's sensitivity to different foods. Here's the science bit: the scientists behind Novo argue that if you eat particular problem foods, these are not digested and can cause inflammation that directly interferes with the supply of energy to the muscles, resulting in tiredness, hunger and an increase in stored fat. By cutting out these foods they claim you gain more energy, feel fuller, burn more fat and store less.
When I went to get the results of my blood test I was given a laminated sheet which showed my "allowed" foods and my "banned foods". The latter included things such as duck, dates and cod, bizarrely enough. The results also showed I had candida, a yeast overgrowth, which I had to get rid of before starting the programme properly. My anti-candida plan meant no dairy, sugar or yeast. After a month without the likes of milk, fruit, alcohol, cheese, biscuits, chocolate and white bread or pasta I didn't know which development to be happier with - the fact that my clothes felt looser or that I was now bursting with energy.
Laura, a Dublin woman in her late 40s, has been on the programme for almost four months. She was shocked to find bananas and coffee on her banned list, both things she loved and consumed in hearty quantities.
"To be honest, I am not scientifically minded, so I will admit I don't understand how it works; all I know is that it does," she says. "After a few weeks I found I had more energy; I didn't have that terrible feeling getting up in the morning, and strangers started remarking on how well my skin looked." Laura has lost almost 19kg (3 stone) and says it's been easy. "I feel my insides are cleaner; I don't have the queasy or bloated feeling I used to get before," she says.
At first glance, this is not a cheap way to kick off the New Year, a time when many of us are strapped for cash. This programme costs €500, but the price includes the sending away of blood for testing, the lab results, programme materials and all the one-on-one consultations you require, which, if you have a lot of weight to lose, could go on for months. So, while it's pricey, the benefits, if you follow the programme to the letter, may be worth it.
For more information on Novo Immogenics tel: 01-2897669
The prop-free approach
For real, lasting health and fitness, according to fitness consultant Helen Walsh, no props, gadgets, blood tests or expensive shoes arerequired.
"The amount of people who walk into my clinic looking for a quick-fix approach is incredible. They have spent years blindly following the most ridiculous diets, not realising the toll it is taking on their health," she says. A particularly worrying development has been the number of clients she sees who are using slimming pills to combat weight gain.
"It's so dangerous. I have to explain to people looking for instant gratification that it's a long-term programme and there are no quick fixes," she says.
Walsh charges €120 for an hour-long session. "I look at motivational habits behind why someone is having to come to see me. I re-educate people about how they are eating and how their body is reacting to those foods," she says. "Most clients only ever need to see me once because I give them the information and support they need to follow their tailored programme which is designed to facilitate weight loss for life.
"What I pass on is just common sense. If you eat something and don't feel well afterwards you are not digesting it properly, so stop," she says. "Drink three half-pint glasses of water a day. Most importantly, get out and walk every single day. It's the best thing for you and it's free."
For more information see www.helenwalsh.ie
