Connotation and Denotation in Fitness/Nutrition

de·no·ta·tion

/ˌdinoʊˈteɪʃən/ Show Spel[dee-noh-tey-shuhn]

–noun 1. the explicit or direct meaning or set of meanings of a word or expression, as distinguished from the ideas or meanings associated with it or suggested by it.

 

con·no·ta·tion

/ˌkɒnəˈteɪʃən/ Show Sp[kon-uh-tey-shuhn]

–noun\
2. the associated or secondary meaning of a word or expression in addition to its explicit or primary meaning: A possible connotation of “home” is “a place of warmth, comfort, and affection.” 


I have zero knowledge of advertising, but I think they are striving to connote their products to what consumers want. For example, body wash's main function is to clean our skin and make us smell good. They are denoting that body wash works improves cleanliness and positive odor. It certainly does. In a commercial, body wash connotes a "fresh sexy feeling". Who doesn't want to be sexy? Man, I sure do. The advertisement is playing on our emotions and try to elicit a  positive response. The secondary nature of body wash becomes an aphrodisiac. It is connoting sex, and hopefully attracting (or duping) the opposite sex into making babies with us. OK, I took it a little too far with the Freud reference, but you get the point. 

In today's fitness world, connotation is all around us. A couple examples:

When you hear the word "core", what do you think of?
When you hear the words "whole grain", what do you think of?
When you hear the word "cardio", what do you think of?
When you hear the words "bench press", what do you think of?
When you hear the word "squat", what do you think of?
When you hear the word "diet", what do you think of?
When you hear the words "low fat", what do you think of?


What was the initial image you visualized for each of those words?

Does "core" connote to you a flat stomach, hours of crunches, burning and soreness in the abs, or stability ball? The word core CAN denote each of the previous examples, but they are certainly made popular by the media, and not science. The core musculature has a much deeper function than having a six pack. As Mike Boyle once said, "to achieve a six pack, you are better off putting down a six-pack rather than doing crunches." The function of the core is to stabilize the spine and stop motion. The way we currently train the core does not help us with that function. Try planks making sure your abs are keeping your spine erect, and not letting your low back muscles take over and cave in.






Do "whole grains" connote to you fiber, natural or organic grains, cardboard like substance that we have to ENDURE to eat well, or a healthier option to white bread? Whole grains CAN denote these attributes, but not necessarily. I suggest you start reading labels of bread. Most bread is highly processed. When you shop, look for NO high fructose corn syrup, 2-5 g of fiber content, 3-5 g of protein content, and as little ingredients as possible. Remember, just because whole grains sound better than sugary carbs doesn't necessarily mean they are. Read labels.


Does the word "cardio" connote to you rows of elliptical machines and treadmills humming at a slow pace with the murmur of fat loss in the air, something that your trainer or magazine MAKES you do, or some group class with a theme? 

It is great to start moving again with the intentions of improving your cardiovascular fitness level and shed a few pounds. Nothing wrong with that. Cardiovascular work should not take you more than 30 minutes. People tend to think more is better. More time on the treadmill means more calories burned and nicer legs! Not really. Your body adapts very quickly to slow paced work. Also, long distance cardio promotes dysfunctions if they already exist for you (sore back, knees, ankles etc.). Putting in headphones and zoning out while you "move" for an hour is boring and I don't know how we came to doing that. The days of monotonously lugging through an hour of putting one foot in front of the other should be over. Mentally engage yourself in the workout. Try these intervals on an exercise bike, or even in your neighborhood:

3 min light warm up
30 sec sprint followed by 45 sec cruise (walk) x4
30 sec sprint followed by 1 min cruise x3
30 second sprint followed by 1:30 min cruise x 2
3 minute cool down


If these are too easy, just simply alter incline, rest time, or sprint time. That is less than 20 minutes and your metabolism will be going for hours after that. Slow paced work does not stoke the metabolism for nearly as long. Now you have no excuse about time!


I will cover the rest next!
To be continued... 


I encourage you to share ideas, comments, and suggestions! Thank you!