A Common Sense Approach to Fitness and Nutrition | pointe ...

Look for this article in the spring print issue of pointe! magazine

By: Brent Thacker

Ever-changing information coming from the fitness and nutrition industry these days can be very overwhelming. One day you?re told not to eat eggs because of cholesterol concerns; the next, it?s ok. (By the way, it is ok to eat eggs.) Some experts suggest working out three times per week for 30 minutes, while others say this approach is flawed. So what gives and to whom should you listen? Without getting too deep, let us consider a common sense approach to fitness and nutrition that can be backed by science.

There are three important factors when it comes to any fitness program.

First, be consistent. If you workout sporadically, you will not see change, regardless of what you do. Whatever program you choose, you must commit to it to see results.

Secondly, your workouts must be intense. Intensity has an inverse ratio with time. What this means is that if you are able to push yourself extremely hard in a workout, then your workouts don?t need to be very long. However, if you aren?t pushing very hard, you must work out for a long time.

Finally, all workout programs need variety. If you do the same exercise over and over in the same manner, your body will adapt and you will no longer see results. Choosing functional exercises that work many muscle groups at once is the best way to approach this. Which do you think is more beneficial: doing a bicep curl or doing a pull-up, which works many muscles at once? (Answer: the pull-up.) Changing exercises, the amount of weight you use, the amount of repetitions and time you spend working out consistently is the key.

Nutrition is often the most confusing when it comes to health and fitness. Simply put, we should approach nutrition how our ancestors did and the way God intended us to eat. I suggest beginning with three baby steps.

Drink lots of water. I suggest half your bodyweight in ounces. If I weigh 200 pounds, I would drink 100 ounces of water per day.

Secondly, increase the amount of protein in your diet. I have seen clients lose fat, weight and inches by changing this alone. Good sources of proteins are lean meats, fish and poultry.

Finally, cut out as many processed foods as possible. If food can sit on a shelf for six months without going bad, should we really be putting it in our body?

This isn?t rocket science, although some nutritionists and ?experts? would lead you to believe otherwise. Regardless of your goals, if you follow this common sense approach to fitness and nutrition, you will see a huge change in your life and health.

Brent Thacker has a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Chemistry and a Master of Science in Exercise Physiology. A NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist? (CSCS), he is also Crossfit Level 1 certified. He has 15 years of experience training groups and individuals ranging in ages from 7 to 86 years old.

Source: http://blog.pointemag.com/2012/a-common-sense-approach-to-fitness-and-nutrition/

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