he's back and ready to fight fat
from the sevenoaks chronicle on 10th april 2008
Jason Crow, fitness expert, came back to Britain three years ago to set up his Better Body Shop in Sevenoaks. He left behind the sunshine of California and a glossy client list. Why? In response he said: “There’s more to do here.”
As I suck in my stomach and strain to look less like someone who needs “work”, he explains what he means. “There’s far less awareness of health and fitness issues in the UK than in the US. “The science behind exercise and diet programmes is complex, and without a real understanding, you can do more damage than good.”
If anyone understands the science behind health, it’s Jason, originally from Dartford. He has an Honours degree in Sports Science, and is currently setting out to do a PhD on strength conditioning.
He’s also built like Arnold Schwarzenegger (who, incidentally, trained at Jason’s gym in California). He’s been power-lifting since he was 12; his grandfather, who lifted weights till he was 86, got him started. “My granddad was a real tough guy,” he says, laughing. “He’d been a Colour Sergeant in the Grenadier Guards. He’d do his lifting in the shed, and take the cushions off the living room sofa to protect his chest in case he dropped the weights. “My gran used to be furious. We’d have to go out and check on him from time to time, in case he’d killed himself.”
It would be fair to say that Jason is evangelical about physical health. (Within minutes he has our photographer Paul on the mat, as they discuss something technical to do with knees and running.) He’s passionate about “giving something back.”
“I’ve been working with people in hospital,” he says. “Because that doesn’t involve running around, I’ve been finding that I have to exercise more to keep my weight down. It’s given me an insight into the problems people have when their bodies aren’t in the perfect shape for exercise.”
The Better Body Shop – three packed rooms – are busy with people whose bodies are rather more like mine that Jason’s. “People sometimes plunge into intense exercise,” says Jason. “They’ll sign up to do the London Marathon, and then want to get fit quick. “But bodies aren’t always up to that kind of activity. Cartilage only lasts so long; it’ll break down as you get older, and you can’t do as much. “I try to point out that there are other things you can aim for – five km runs, cycling – that are better for your body.”
Jason works with a lot of youngsters and children. “For example, kids who were born premature are often behind in physical development," he explains. “They get to about six or seven years old and they’re falling behind their peers in school. Part of the problem is that the brain pathways haven’t developed. Working with them to build up their bodies and co-ordination gets them from “far behind” to “in the pack”, which can make all the difference. We had one girl who came reluctantly at first, and had to be constantly encouraged. After a while, we couldn’t stop her.”
Why are so many of us so unfit, despite our best efforts? “People often do fitness training ‘wrong’,” says Jason. “They do little bursts, and then eat rubbish and undo the good work in between.” “After a while they get discouraged and end up going on a crash diet, getting ketonic and burning protein and muscle. For example, carbohydrates store water.” “Stop eating carbs, and you stop storing water, and you lose ‘weight’. “You also get dehydrated, and as soon as you eat normally again, the water and the weight come back.”
This is news to me, I mentally cross several crash diets of my spring list. “The Golden Balls of personal fitness,” add Peter Appleyard. The staff – Lucy Curtis and Paul Jordan all roar with laughter. “You know, for years I honestly thought my granddad was Tarzan,” says Jason. He convinced me he was Johnny Weissmuller. “He had a handshake that used to bring you to your knees. When he died, we joked that he’d shake hands with St. Peter and have him in tears.” We shake hands as I leave. I’m delighted to report that he’s very gentle with me.
