LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMP Fitness |
by Rick Moore |
I kept telling one of my personal training clients that he eats too many calories when he dines out. Then I discovered that this client dines out for both lunch and dinner every day. He says he just doesn't have the time to cook and he doesn't really know what to fix, anyway. It's so much easier to pick food off a menu. Viola, it's presented to you and whisked away when you're done. How convenient. But then again, how expensive! I asked my client to total up the amount he spends on a week's worth of restaurant meals and tips, then multiply that by four to get his monthly expenses. "Cha-ching," big time. It's a lot. He put himself on a high-protein diet with very low carbs when he dines out. But little does he realize that he's eating high fat, high salt, and high-calorie meals. Now, I'm not one for condemning somebody for going out once in a while to dine. Dave and I make it a point to go out once a week, but we're very careful what we choose to eatusually. Believe it or not, now that the weather has turned colder, people generally tend to eat more. With the holidays just around the corner, some of us will have a weight gain of 5 to 15 pounds by the time the new year arrives. Whoa! I've come to the conclusion that many people don't know that much about proper nutrition, and also don't know what's in their food. For example, just ask someone if they know how many teaspoons of sugar are in a 12-ounce can of regular soda. They usually don't realize that there are 9 teaspoons of sugar in thereplenty of calories with a nutrition value of zero. Several years ago, one of the big soft drink companies started advertising that you should drink cola for breakfast to start off your day. There was a nationwide outrage in the health profession. They said there is no nutritional value in soda to merit a recommendation for breakfast. Think about it! A soft drink and a bag of chips to start off your day? I think there are a lot of people out there who do just that. I've said it before, but it's still true. According to the facts released this year, the people of the United States are the fattest they've ever been. Statistics are as recent as 1999. It seems that close to 60% of us are obese. Do we actually stop and think about what we put in our bodies? Many of us do not. A combination of inactivity and bad diet has turned many of us into fat slobs. Harsh words? Maybe, but take a good look at the people around you and at the mirror. Am I happy with the way I look? How do other people view me? Do I have energy left over at the end of the day? Do my clothes fit? Do they look good on me? When was the last time someone complimented me on my looks? Do I consider myself healthy in mind and body? It might be time to make some significant changes. In-shape people are in-shape for a reason. They enjoy their lifestyle of fitness and looking good. Just ask them. Look at them. What do you find attractive? A fit, tight body with muscles? Or a blubbery, out of shape blob? Gee, that's a tough one. Dave and I were at a little party this past weekend where several people asked me what the secret is to looking fit. The answer is, there is no secret. It's a combination of proper diet and exercise. And a big desire to keep doing it. Fitness won't happen overnight, but the benefits do come with time. Now, getting back to that client of mine who eats out every day. Strolling through the aisles in my Flashdance outfit, I saw him at the supermarket. I heard a loud "hey hon" from across the store. It was very crowded at that time, but his waving caught my attention. I was really surprised and pleasantly so. It seems he was grocery shoppingsomething he doesn't normally doand in his basket was good nutritious food. Lean-cut steaks, boneless skinless chicken breasts, an eye roast, skim milk, tuna, eggs, frozen veggies, and no junk food. No candy, cookies, greasy fatty twisty curls with sprinkle toppings, none of that. He did have diet Pepsi, but that's OK. My client says he's trying to eat more at home now. He's trying to buy a house and that extra money saved by not eating out will give him a larger down-payment. And a smaller waistline. So off we went to the checkout. He was in one line with his roommates, and I was in the next. Just then a gentleman walked over to me and said, "I've always wondered what you big guys buy to eat." Then he started looking at my basket (the one that I put the groceries in, silly!) Steaks, chicken, skim milk, eggs, veggies. "Looks good to me," he said. He did notice the peanut brittle ice cream, but that seemed OK to him. I glanced over to his shopping cart, where he had potato chips, soda, packaged TV dinners, cookies, a steak, and several boxes of Fruit Loops cereal. I didn't say anything. I didn't get on my soap box. I was biting my tongue the whole time. But suffice it to say, he was about half my age and twice my weight. Rick Moore is a personal trainer certified by American Fitness Professionals & Associates. Visit his club, Rick's Fitness & Health in Milton. He's on the Internet at http://www.ricksfitness.net, or cal 302-684-3669. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 10, No. 14, Oct. 20, 2000 |