Tracking Food and Activity - Is It Always Harmful? with Erin O'Loughlin and Maryam Marashi

Consilience Podcast

We're diving into a topic that's frequently debated in the fitness world: tracking food intake and physical activity. Is it always harmful, or can it be a helpful tool?

While tracking can enhance accountability and awareness, it might also lead to obsessive behaviours and a strained relationship with food and exercise. We'll unpack these aspects to help you make an informed decision.

I am joined by Erin O'Loughlin and Maryam Marashi.

Dr. Erin O’Loughlin, a researcher and coach, combines her expertise to foster healthy lives through evidence-based practices. With a holistic approach, she guides individuals in shaping habits that impact physical activity, nutrition, sleep, body image and confidence, relationship with food, and mental health. Currently, she collaborates on the Connect for Exercise study, addressing women beyond breast cancer and physical activity, and the PromeSS study, uncovering health promotion inequalities in schools. She's also a post-doc at the University of Toronto, researching youth physical activity, exergaming and body image. Outside work, she volunteers with Girl Guides, coaches her kids basketball and ringette teams, enjoys weightlifting, running and ringette, and organizes a women's annual Stronglifting competition to encourage everyday women to lift heavy.

Maryam Marashi is a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on exercise and health psychology, with a particular interest in understanding the psychosocial factors that influence and are influenced by exercise and other lifestyle behaviors. Her doctoral work revolves around women's body image and strength training. Maryam also works as a fitness and nutrition coach, helping individuals in the general population to enact lasting lifestyle changes that enhance their overall well-being.

We discuss:

• What are the pros and cons of food and activity tracking?
• Is there a difference in outcomes between tracking with social support (e.g. a coach) vs doing it unguided?
• What’s the alternative? (e.g. intuitive eating/compassionate movement)
• Rather than blanket recommendations, what should we be taking into account to determine whether tracking is useful?
• What would you like to see more exploration of in the research?

Find out more about Erin and Maryam:

• Erin's Instagram and research
• Maryam's Instagram and research

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