The top obstacles to achieving a healthy weight, based on a national survey, are: not enough exercise (69%), slowing metabolism through ageing (62% – 35 years and older) and too much snacking (52%). The average American consumes about 4,000 calories per day. Even a large man at about six feet tall and 185 pounds should only consume half that much. Constant snacking gives you more energy than your body can use; that excess energy is stored as fat. While calories consumed are not a constant each day, some days more and some days less, just 10 extra calories per day in excess of what is needed adds about one pound of body weight per year!

Some of the reasons given for weight gain are more gender specific: Women often eat for emotional reasons (50%) while men find themselves overeating at mealtimes (44%). The My Health and Fitness 90-day program consists of two parts: (1) instructions on how to eat, what to eat, when to eat, including basic nutrition; and (2) the exercise program that includes workout programs, as well as restrictive weight loss (RWL) dietary menus that will help you achieve your weight loss goals. The RWL menus are often called by my client’s rapid weight loss. Why? Because these menus are restrictive in food items, but often yield an initial 10-20+ pounds weight loss during the first four weeks.

Will this program work for you? The answer is an emphatic yes! Follow the program as you would a recipe. It will however, require some effort on your part. Our goals are to: (1) help you lose initial pounds quickly to get you close to where you want to be; and (2) empower you to become your own fitness, training, and nutrition expert. Why this method instead of very intense programs such as ‘Insanity’, ‘Asylum’, ‘P90’, ‘CrossFit’, etc.? Because this program will help you lose weight quickly and then, put you on a good path that will help you change your health habits (especially eating habits) for nutrition and exercise. Also, while very intense exercise programs work, they are much more demanding than the average person, can or wants to do. Simply stated, this program will put you on a path that will allow you to choose any future direction. So, let’s have some fun.

You could just jump right into the workouts and the menus listed in our program, but because these programs can be difficult, it would be best to understand why you are doing them and what types of results to expect. Therefore, it is recommended that you obtain a base foundation, prior to beginning the actual 90-Day program so that you have some insight into what lies ahead. However, the sequential steps of the 90-Day program are relatively simple (you need to be persistent) and include:

(1) Measure your body fat;

(2) Calculate your calorie requirements (see our tools section);

(3) Determine your target heart rate for training (see our tools section);

(4) Follow the workout programs given (or fill out your personal fitness profile and use the ones we design for you that are accessible from your smart phone, iPad, etc.); and

(5) Follow the dietary program menus given.

The complete details for each of these steps are fully explained in our 90-Days to a New You book.

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For those interested in a complete guide to nutrition we recommend the book “Nutrition Made Simple” that is available on Amazon—it goes beyond the nutrition explained herein. Also, to rip a body so that it is completely lean with visible abs, the normal dietary plan does not work short-term thus, you are receiving that short-term plan herein. After you achieve your goal, it is important that you work into a good dietary plan that will change your eating habits to help you obtain and maintain the kind of body and health you desire to have.

A great many celebrities and other famous individuals have put forth volumes of information about how to shape up.  However, most of these people lack proper training in this area and the majority of their advice is actually based on comments from behind-the-scenes personal trainers that designed programs specific to them as individuals. Although some programs will work that are on the market, one must use caution in adopting them. A good program will have two major keys; it will be based on: (1) sound nutrition; and (2) sound fitness concepts. If the program does not suggest changes in eating habits, it is of little use.

Many people seeking health and fitness have simply succumbed to bad advice, but perhaps the greatest tragedy of all is that they blindly follow erring advisors down a path that will bring about only short-lived success and ultimately, personal failure, and finally and tragically, loss of self esteem. Following are articles from major news services that were selected at random from hundreds of similar ones. The second news clip truly captures what has been going on for the past decade in the area of nutrition fads and fitness scams.

[UK News] London: Exercising to celebrity fitness videos could be injurious to health, warn health experts and claim that as many as 14,000 people are treated in hospitals each year after working out at home. According to the article, millions prefer to work out at home guided by a famous celebrity, but they risk serious injuries, which include pulling muscles by skipping over warm-up routines, dizzy spells caused by over-exertion, and a high chance of tripping on objects scattered around living rooms.  While some individuals push themselves too hard to copy the celebrity instructor, others don’t even bother warming-down afterwards, which results in aches and pains. Unfit people doing some of these exercises at home risk causing serious injury to themselves.

Should we try this at home? With some gym fees sky high and the lack of will power to go to the gym regularly, it makes sense to buy an exercise video and sweat off those pounds in private. But celebrity workouts could do us more harm than good.  It’s February, it’s cold and you’re comfort eating. You want to shed those extra pounds that have been lurking since Christmas, but can’t be bothered to go to the gym. So, is a celebrity fitness DVD practiced in the comfort of your living room the answer? For one thing, while one Pilate’s session could leave you $65 out of pocket, you can buy a lifetime of video exercise routines for less than $25.

Experts have warned that people risked injuring themselves by exercising incorrectly or over-enthusiastically at home. Home exercise is often undertaken by people who are inexperienced and unfit, and don’t warm up properly before a session, leaving themselves vulnerable to pulled muscles and dizzy spells.  So, could these living-room workouts be doing you more harm than good?

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Figures show that 14,000 people per year are treated in hospitals following an exercise session at home. Meanwhile, experts say that some celebrity workouts are worse than useless. “People don’t think they’ll hurt themselves,” says Sammy Margo, a chartered physiotherapist. “But without guidance or proper knowledge, celebrity fitness videos have the potential to be dangerous. In the hands of people who are unfit, they can pose a real hazard. Exercise should be about looking and feeling good about yourself, however, lots of people do it thinking they will look like the celebrity they are following. They are so focused on looking like the celebrity that they don’t even think about whether or not [that person] is properly qualified.” And, generally, over 95% are not!

The ability to stop and pause videos is also seen by some experts as dangerous. Missing the beginning of the video or stopping before you reach the end will not improve your fitness and can be very hazardous. It is crucial to follow the whole program, including warm-ups, if you are to exercise safely and efficiently.

Dr. Tindall’s advice to you is to choose from among the thousands of qualified professionals in gyms across America and to stay away from celebrity and “want-to-be” experts! Why? Last year Americans spent about $60 billion on diet products and lost about one billion pounds. By the end of the year only 3% kept the weight off, the rest gained back about 970 million pounds.

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You must have a plan if you are to succeed at losing weight and keeping it off. I will show you how. Within 90 days there will be a new you—healthier, more invigorated, more fit, and better looking you in terms of body—a total body makeover that will surprise you. How do I know this? Because I have helped many others accomplish this goal; all of whom were successful.

Begin your path today and look like the person you envision yourself to be. If you are unfamiliar with the exercises in these programs find a local personal trainer or attend one of Dr. Tindall’s “LifeForce” camps for a more complete knowledge.

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Let’s now consider Tanya (photos below – used by permission). If she remained on the same course she had been on, she would continue to look like the picture on the left, perhaps worse. However, she chose to accept the 90-Day challenge and now looks like the picture on the right (both are untouched photos)! Ninety days after beginning our 90-day program, Tanya competed in a fitness contest and as you can see, did very well.

As part of our 30-day express programs on the main page of the My Health and Fitness website, we will begin phase 1 of a 90-Day program beginning in June so, stay tuned.

1. Muscle weighs more than fat!

This is generally misconstrued—muscle is denser than fat. In fact, a pound of fat is the same weight as a pound of muscle but, the volume that muscle takes up as a proportion of the body is much smaller than if that same portion is taken up by fat. This is good news for women who lift weights and may gain 3-4 pounds of muscle mass; despite the weight gain, your clothes will still fit looser, i.e., you will go down in clothing size. Another benefit of muscle—it is significantly more vascular. This means that more muscle provides better blood flow and therefore, more oxygen supply than body fat. This will help you stay more alert and less tired during the day.Having more lean muscle will help you burn more calories while at rest and will allow you to recover faster from soreness due to exercise and other activities. Thus, the more muscle you have, the less fat you’ll have and the easier it will be to maintain a constant, desired weight. This does not mean that you need to look like the “Incredible Hulk” or Ms. Olympia it simply implies that combining strength/resistance training with aerobic exercise is best for long term health maintenance and fighting the battle of the bulge.

2. Weight lifting will make me bulk up, especially if I’m a woman!

Women who lift weights will get bulky muscles, is something heard in every gym. Actually, most women generally do not have enough testosterone to develop large, bulky muscles without chemical help. Strength training alone will not cause women to build large muscles unless lifting extreme loads. Among men, there can be a preponderance to gain muscle mass by lifting weights. Again, this is usually for the short term unless the person is lifting very heavy weights. A long-term regimen of weight lifting will result normally, in a strong lean body. The key to less bulk is to use decreased weight loads during exercise. Perhaps the largest part of this myth is the claim that we gain weight when we lift weights. This is true but, the weight gain is associated with an increase in muscular density, not in general body size and then, only initially through increased density of your muscle mass. Many women who lift regularly actually gain a small amount of weight, but wear a reduced clothing size due a displacement of fat by lean muscle mass. So, don’t fret about lifting and have fun doing it. Does it matter if you gain 3-5 pounds due to increased muscle density but you look great and wear smaller sizes in clothes? Let’s look at my friend Ami who I trained for 2 years with the goal of building lean muscle mass. Despite her lifting heavy weights, 1/2 to over her body weight regularly for 5-days per week, Ami did not and has not developed large muscles and is the epitome of what many women want to look like. I remember when she competed in a regional Fitness and Figure competition in Boulder, Colorado. I have about 7 women sitting around me when Ami walked out in a royal blue, sequined outfit. There was a sigh as multiple women said, ‘that’s what I want to look like, we want her body.” Some of Ami’s photo’s are below – she never complains about lifting too much weight – her average squat was around 150 pounds and she could bench more than her body weight – she’s 5’7″ so you can guess what that may be.

Tip: If you think you look and feel okay, that is all that really matters.

3. Spot reducing for fat is possible!

If you believe this or succumb to ads that proclaim this, I have a great piece of real estate in New York City called the Empire State Building that I’d like to sell you for the price of $10 million. Guess again. It is not possible to “burn off” fat on one specific body part by exercising that area or other areas of the body. When exercising and using a good nutritional regimen, fat burns from various areas of the entire body. Let us separate the body into two zones: (1) from the shoulders, downward to waist; and (2) from the knees, upward to waist. Generally, fat will burn from the shoulders down toward the waist and from the knees up toward the waist. As a rule of thumb, we typically notice fat loss first in the upper shoulder area. The fat around the mid section will always be the ‘last’ to completely go. But, even if we look at these two zones, fat is burning from all over the body all the time—as long as you are losing weight, i.e., burning fat. Only regular exercise that includes both aerobic and strength-training exercises, combined with a sensible diet can melt body fat well. Aerobic exercises are those such as jogging, treadmill, walking, etc. The best fat burning exercises are high intensity, short duration such as speed sprint types of exercises.

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4. No pain, no gain!

Exercising to the point of pain can harm you. But, this does not mean you cannot push yourself a bit, to tax your heart, lungs, and muscles and bones, you just need to be sensible about it. Ideally, you should work out so that you have at least a mild sweat throughout the workout for about 30 minutes (this is 30 minutes of workout time not including resting time). Many people believe that exercising at lower intensity is best for burning fat. In reality you’ll burn a greater percentage of total calories, which includes fat calories, when you exercise at a higher intensity. However, don’t risk an injury; gradually increase your intensity level.

5. Exercise requires a huge time commitment!

This is simply not true. As a basic rule of thumb we should strive for about 30 minutes of continuous exercise each day for maintenance—to maintain your current weight. Sherry, one of my clients, lost all her weight (45 lbs) performing 3 workouts per week and a sensible nutrition plan. From personal experience training pro athletes and average people, “If you really want the body of your dreams, you’ll have to work out about 5 hours per week with a rigorous program that involves aerobic, anaerobic, and strength-training exercises.” However, a 20-30 minute walk each day will help deter the effects of obesity and heart disease. And, combined with a good nutrition plan, will keep you active, healthy, and feeling good about yourself.

6. If you exercise you can eat what you want!

Are you joking? No, absolutely not, you just need to make wise choices. First, if you have not already done so, begin a regular exercise program. Second, a healthy diet goes hand-in-hand with a sound exercise regimen. For weight loss, eat more fruits and vegetables. Limit your intake of carbohydrates to about 40-55 percent of your daily calories. Also, eat fewer sugary foods. Stay away from soda pop, candy, ice cream and such. These should serve as treats (once or twice per week only) for your hard work in the gym. To weigh less, eat less. Estimate the number of calories you should eat each day, check your body fat, and other factors to help you on your way to a healthy lifestyle. How many calories do you need? Again, multiply your desired body weight by 10 then, add 200 calories. This is the amount of calories needed for no exercise. For example, Susan wants to weigh 110 pounds thus, (110 x 10) + 200 = 1,300 calories per day, without exercise to maintain a body weight of 110 lbs. As a note, a Quarter Pounder with cheese, small fries and small coke at McDonald’s is 930 calories or, in Susan’s case, 82% of her daily calories. Thus, you can see why it is important to make wise food choices.

Tip: Several apples per day or other fruit is too much sugar. As an example, movie trivia stated that Mel Gibson gained 10 pounds during the filming of Braveheart, despite his daily diet of apples. News flash—the weight gain was because Mel ate so many apples—too much sugar despite it being from fruit! Sugar is the number 1 enemy of weight loss.

7. There is a Magic Pill for Weight Loss?

The only magic pill you will find for weight loss is from the advertising gimmicks of nutritional supplement companies, celebrities, and generally other famous persons that often use deceptive, misleading, or fraudulent advertising claims to sell their products. Good supplements are just that, a supplement for the body that will help provide additional nutrients after a workout or to help maintain good health. There is no quick fix to being lean and mean unless you have both a personal trainer at your beckon call and several chefs. The only way to achieve successful weight loss, long term, is to change your lifestyle and incorporate a good fitness program with a good nutritional regimen. But, there are always methods to drop a few pounds quickly—these methods are only for a temporary, short-term fix. Do not buy into the fads.

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Continue reading My Health Express and exploring the My Health and Fitness website to increase your foundation and expertise in this subject area.

Looking across the fitness and health world, you will find a great many kinds of exercises that you can do to feel better and become healthier as you get in better shape.

I often tell my students that exercising is a simple two-step process: (1) get started on a program of your choice and (2) slowly increase your intensity.

Choosing a good time to exercise and what to do can be well, a chore. Here’s a suggestion – if you have not exercised for a while begin by simply walking. Choose from 1-3 miles per day initially and just enjoy being outside. Once you’ve been walking for a week or so, slowly begin increasing your intensity. What is intensity? Simply put, it is the level at which you work out.

To increase your intensity in walking, you would want to walk the same distance in less time than the last time you walked. This is a way to judge your personal improvement. However, you do not need to walk fast the entire mile, you can walk faster for shorter distances. For example, suppose you’ve done your walking program for a couple of weeks. On the third week, walk the first half mile at your normal pace then, walk a quarter mile perhaps 30% faster then, slow back down to your normal pace for the remainder of the mile. You can repeat this process as your fitness level allows. So, what you’re doing is walk normal, speed up quite a bit for a short distance, slow back down to your normal pace, speed up again, and so forth.

As you speed up your walk you automatically increase your intensity. Speeding up and slowing down is called interval training and though applied to many aerobic exercises in the gym, as well as running, rowing, martial arts, speed-strength and more, it is especially beneficial as you begin to increase your cardiovascular endurance. And, beginning your first program, especially if you have not exercised for some time, it will give you greater control over your heart rate and breathing.

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A more proper definition of interval training is that it is a type of training that involves a series of low- to high-intensity exercise workouts. These workouts, as described for walking above, are interspersed with rest or relief periods, i.e., the slowing back down to a normal walk. The high-intensity periods generally approach a level that corresponds to anaerobic exercise or close to it, while the recovery periods (slowing down your walk or stopping the activity for a short period) involve activity of lower intensity. Why would we want to do interval training?

Interval training strengthens the heart and helps build cardiovascular fitness with shorter workouts

Almost anyone can do interval training. But, be sure to check with your physician to see if it is right for you. If you have a physical ailment or heart condition, because you are alternating between short bursts of intense exercise and brief periods of rest (or a different, less-intense activity), your exercises could affect you more than you may think. If you can perform interval training exercise, your reward will be improved cardiovascular fitness.

Often, we think of only aerobic exercises as cardiovascular training but, depending on how you perform your chosen exercise, almost any exercise you do will help build a healthier heart and improved circulatory system. However, no matter what kind of exercise you perform, if you are not already doing so, a good regimen of aerobic exercise combined with current exercise(s) is essential to good health. This means biking, jogging, rowing, etc.

Give interval training a trial run simply by altering your current workout routine as discussed in walking above or jogging or similar exercise (some tips are below). To get a good cardiac boost from interval training, you need to be willing to push yourself close to your limits—at least briefly. This means staying in a training zone and knowing what those limits are. Duration wise, three, 20-minute sessions per week of interval training could add gusto to your exercise regimen and enhance your cardiovascular fitness.

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Some Guidelines

General medical guidelines advise individuals to perform about 2 ½ hours (150 minutes) per week of moderate-intensity exercise. To do this, you need to find a time to exercise, which typically will include 5 days at 30 minutes per day. The walking explained above, to get started, is a good beginning, but you need to build up to a brisk pace, which would be considered moderate. A brisk walking pace is about 100 steps per minute or 17 minutes per mile – note the average mile pace is 20 minutes. I recommend a 15 minute per mile pace as a brisk pace. Regardless of the activity, if you raise your heart rate, that is what is important. Once you can walk then, you can begin jogging, swimming and so forth at a more rapid pace. In doing so, you will continually improve your cardiovascular fitness and likely your overall health as well. Research I’ve conducted with athletes suggest that instead of 2.5 hours per week, you can accomplish the same with 1.25 hours per week by utilizing higher-intensity exercise. However, this involves more than the beginning walking program described above.

You will likely have a seesaw relationship between exercise intensity and duration. This is good, because it is what makes interval training work; but make no mistake, for it to work properly you will need to work up a sweat. The rule of thumb for high-intensity implies being able to exercise at a higher intensity or velocity than you could otherwise sustain for five to 10 minutes before becoming exhausted – a good exercise example is roller blading. Thus, for interval training, you perform high-intensity exercise for a minute, then rest, then repeat. This often develops a love-hate relationship for interval training. While some will find such training invigorating as he or she pushes to individual limits, others will find the training unpleasant. Consequently, choose an exercise you really enjoy before trying it full steam. Personally, I’m a speed sprinter and I love it; it’s a perfect interval training exercise – anaerobic. In the end, however, you don’t need to stick to interval training all the time – just try it occasionally to shock your system. You can, for example, do interval training on one day and switch the next day to longer-duration, moderate-intensity exercise.

Tips to Adapt Interval Training to your Workout

Gym equipment/machines. Treadmills, elliptical trainers, and stationary bikes often have a built-in interval training function to put you through your paces – try some of the built-in programs to determine which suit you best.

Swimming. If using an Olympic size pool, swim one lap as fast as you can. Rest for about the same time as it took you to swim the lap. Repeat. If using a smaller pool, swim two laps as fast as you can, rest as above and repeat.

Walking. Walk as fast as you can for two minutes (this assumes you are in okay shape). Then, walk at your normal pace for 2 minutes. Repeat.

Jogging. Jog for 3 minutes at your normal pace then, double your speed for 1 minute. Repeat, alternating jogging and running until you complete your distance.

Speed Sprints. Choose a distance such as 40, 60 or 80 yards. Sprint full speed. Rest for 15, 20, and 30 seconds respective to distance. Repeat for 8, 6, or 4 reps respectively.

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The Benefits

Simply put, interval training allows you to accomplish the same amount of exercise or work performed in less time. Generally, interval training can reduce your required time of 30 minutes of exercise per day to 15-20 minutes. If you have a particularly busy day then, interval training can allow you to do your exercises without cramping your time. This can make workouts easier to fit into a busy day or open a time slot to add some extra resistance training. If you reduce your moderate 30-minute workout to 15 or 20 minutes of interval training, the cardiovascular benefit should be about the same. This is part of the appeal for speed-strength and cross-fit exercises.

With improved fitness comes an increased feeling of wellness. You should feel better, with greater endurance and, as the adage states, feel more get-up-and-go. Something important to remember however, is that cardiovascular training does not significantly boost muscle strength or power. For example, marathoners do not have the unusually strong leg muscles that track and field athletes have but, their hearts and lungs work together at peak performance. No matter what type of cardiovascular training you choose, you must do it regularly to notice the improvements. Further, three days per week is the minimum; greater performance ability requires more!

Safety First

If you’re generally healthy, interval training should not present major risks, if you do not begin too fast. So, if you have not done this before, begin slowly. As the exercise becomes easier, you can increase intensity. As always, the recommendation is to consult with your physician before beginning such exercises. This is important if you have heart disease or high blood pressure. Talk to your doctor before starting interval training or any other new exercise program—especially if you have been relatively inactive.

As with any exercise regimen, reduce the risk of straining a muscle or joint by starting each day with a gentle warm-up before your workout to loosen joints and increase blood flow. Generally, with such exercises you should be prepared to feel the burn and you may be slightly sore for a day or so after the first interval training challenge. If you are really sore, you overdid it so, slow down – the gym isn’t going anywhere. Also, after each day, perform some warm-down exercises; this will help to reduce soreness that may derive from your training, as well as help relax you before you leave the gym. Rest from exercise is also important – be sure to rest at least one day per week.

Avoid Over-stress: Get into your Aerobic Zone

Every aerobic exercise performed at moderate and higher intensity will get your lungs and heart pumping to deliver the oxygen to muscles, i.e., cells within your muscles. This oxygen is used to help produce energy. Use the following diagram (courtesy Wikidoc), determine your best heart rate to find the level of exercise that gets you in the aerobic zone and enhance your cardiovascular fitness. Generally, you would subtract your age from 220 to roughly approximate your maximum heart rate during exercise. As a rule of thumb, exercising at between 60% and 70% of your estimated maximum heart rate is sufficient to build cardiovascular fitness. If you can gradually condition your way up to 80%, the fitness gains will be even more noticeable. And, thanks to technology, using a wearable heart rate monitor can help you stay in the aerobic zone and show the benefits as your fitness level improves.

Despite his college education and intellect, he quickly discovered how easy it had become to make poor choices that hadn’t shown any bad effects health for years. In reality, he had spent a lifetime making poor nutritional choices. His choice not to eat vegetables, not to take supplemental vitamins, to constantly eat fast food while on-the-go, and to drink soft drinks by the six-pack on a daily basis finally took their toll. And, it was not just kidney stones, but a long list of health problems that followed, including reduced immune system health, asthma, and other serious symptoms. He learned as we all should, that about 90 percent of all of your personal health problems and diseases are related to poor nutrition!

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The following information is based upon sound scientific principles, not marketing hype. Our goal is to teach you the basic concepts about nutrition so that you can become your own nutritional expert; to teach you all you need to know about nutrition and the importance it has in your life, longevity, and well-being. Thus, this first article is to help you develop a basic nutritional foundation moving forward.

To look and feel your best, you must eat well; you must also exercise. Success in nutrition and exercise-based health, like success in other areas of your life, requires setting goals and being persistent in order to achieve them. If you want to lose 10 to 30 pounds or even more; if you want to make good nutrition part of your lifestyle; if you want to look and feel your best, you’ve chosen the best book to help you get there. Best of all, you don’t need a PhD to succeed because you are unique from all others. And, it’s much more simple than you think.

On a daily basis, we are constantly bombarded by would-be nutritionists and those that wish to sell the next gimmick, inferring that by taking some magic pill or using some dietary supplement, pounds will melt away quickly with little effort and you will look and feel 10 years younger.

Tip: There is no magic pill or elixir for your health that will make your body what you want it to be.

Hollywood stars release their own versions of diets that many begin to practice because of stardom status, disregarding the fact that such people usually have no background in nutrition. Instead, they actually succeeded because of a qualified professional working behind the scenes helping them with every step. Looking and feeling great or looking years younger is possible, but it takes a little effort.

Tip: The only way to look and feel your best is to eat a healthy diet combined with exercise!

By eating well and spending about 3-5 hours per week exercising, you can have the best body and energy level you need to succeed.

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As you read the articles in My Health Express and on the website each day and month, you will gain considerably more knowledge than the average person, many personal trainers, and even many doctors about the nutrition that is right for you. While we may not discuss in detail what each vitamin or mineral does within the body, we will discuss the relation between fuel sources, vitamins, minerals, water, and exercise that are crucial to great health and for good performance in any physical activity. You will gain insights about how nutrition works regarding the three-main fuel sources your body needs, i.e., carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, as well as sugar in the diet, and dispel nutrition myths that you have heard from many and varied sources, including well known magazines and celebrities.

We will show you what and when to eat, and how to develop a good menu. You will learn to recognize the falsehoods behind diets and their minimal value in an overall nutritional plan. The real facts about the ‘no-carb’ craze and its effect on the body will be revealed. Likewise, you will learn that a belief that skimping on meals and relying on vitamin and mineral supplements is detrimental to long-term health. While supplements can provide vitamins, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and dietary fiber (the primary fuel sources for energy used by the body for exercise and other activities), supply them best. The three main fuel sources  carbohydrates, fats, and proteins are called macro-nutrients. The dietary fiber gained from eating these macro-nutrients, especially from whole foods, provides bulk for a healthy digestive system that may prevent such diseases as colon cancer.

The ability to routinely engage in any physical activity requires good health. Whether you enjoy that weekend golf game or friendly tennis match at the local park, your performance in such activities depends on a nutritious diet that must supply needed nutrients. To have the best health, you also must have a good nutritional program, and for best performance, this program should also be linked with regular exercise. You cannot have one without the other. I will show you how to easily do this.

Following are some common nutrition questions. Do you believe you need vitamin and mineral supplements? Are you eating too much fat and cholesterol? Should you become a vegetarian? Are all junk foods bad? If you are confused about what to eat, then welcome to one of the largest clubs on the planet! Almost daily there are major headlines that trumpet what we should eat and why, only to discover later that this information was wrong. For example, will eating no or low-carbohydrate diets promote weight loss? Yes, for many it will, but after a few weeks your body will become accustomed to the new regimen and additional success will be very slow or be gone entirely. Also, for the long term, a deficiency of calcium and weakened bones can result. Research has shown that there is no better way to slow or even reverse the process of aging itself and all age-related degenerative conditions than through the combination of anaerobic, aerobic, and strength-building exercises combined with a balanced, nutritious diet. Best of all, it’s not rocket science.

7 Basic Principles of Nutrition
Following are seven nutritional concepts and basic principles that you need to be aware of:

1. About 93 percent of diseases that most Americans experience can be due to poor nutrition.
2. Good nutrition should include a diet that includes a variety of foods.
3. Nutrients are classified as carbohydrates, lipids (fats and oils), proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water. The most energy rich nutrients are fats and oils (lipids).
4. The major focus of your diet should be on food itself, not nutrient supplements. You should increase fruit and vegetable intake before relying on nutritional supplements. Add supplements for insurance, i.e., “just in case.” These include chelated multiple vitamins and other supplements such as additional vitamin C for the very active. Working with many athletes in rigorous competition, it is not unusually for them to consume 6-8 grams (6,000 to 8,000 mg) of vitamin C each day for 5-6 days of the week. You will note this is far higher than the 85 mg per day suggested as part of one’s dietary intake. The simple fact is, the harder you exercise, compete, and perform varied athletics, the more nutrition you need because your activities when doing so, are far above average.
5. Good health should place a greater emphasis on nutrition rather than merely the taste and texture of food. Unfortunately, the latter is how most of us choose the foods we like.
6. Focus on your total diet and be aware of the junk foods that you eat. It is okay to have some, but be sparing in their consumption. And, while you may like that bottle of beer or glass of wine, do not consume them every day because of the alcohol calories they provide.
7. Genetic inheritance influences our health; your family history of disease such as diabetes can be an important influence on what you eat. Also, your culture and upbringing, to a large extent, influence the types of foods you like.

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The goal is to be aware of what you eat, but do not be a calorie counter or scale watcher since some days you will consume more calories than others. But, how many calories do you need? An estimation of your daily calorie requirement is simple. Let us take the weight you wish to weigh as a goal. Suppose Ellen desires a body weight of 125 pounds. What is her daily calorie requirement? The basic calculation is body weight x 10 + 200. Thus, Ellen needs 125 x 10 for a total of 1,250 calories and then, add another 200 for average walking, sitting, and other basic activities for a total of 1,450 calories on an average day. However, if she exercises, she will need to add more calories to make up for energy (calories) expended during her workout.

Did you know that the average person in the U.S. consumes nearly 4,000 calories per day? This is an incredible amount and essentially twice the requirements needed for a six-foot-tall athlete, not considering exercise regimen. Stay tuned for future articles to further your nutritional knowledge and foundation. Have a happy and healthy day.