Being Fit AND Happy (originally published Dec 2010)

(This was the first article I had written upon the request of a dear friend for her e-magazine. It is really what started my writing. )

Being Fit AND Happy!

As a certified personal trainer and group exercise instructor I have worked with many types of people, each with different goals and backgrounds. So many times people ask me the "secret" for losing weight. Not only have I researched different methods and supplements, but I have also tried quite a few of them myself. As someone who has competed in Bikini and Figure competitions, I have seen many things that are used and pushed to be used, but believe that the best trainers will not try to sell those things. While supplementation and overly strict diets may work temporarily, they are not sustainable nor do they make you feel good. Supplements usually only help while you are taking them so unless you want a life-long commitment, its better to train your body to do the work naturally. Any strict diet is hard to adhere to as it creates a barrier to normal social gatherings with friends and family. Also when you eliminate food groups or macronutrients (such as fat, carbs or meat) it creates an imbalance which can lead to fatigue, moodiness or anemia. In the end, anything done to an extreme will fail.

            Exercise is crucial in any fitness or health plan. I like to avoid the use of the word “diet” as it has built up a negative connotation over the years, and triggers a response in people of something that is restrictive and painful. No matter what your body type and goal, a combination of strength, cardio and flexibility training is crucial. I find that people tend to gravitate to either strength training (usually men) or cardio (usually women). Cardiovascular activity is crucial for heart health for both sexes. The better trained you are cardiovascularly, the better able to process oxygen and ‘energy’ your body will be. The body will be able to pump blood more effectively, and able to extract oxygen from that blood more efficiently. Strength training keeps the body strong. Women especially need to do strength training to fend off osteopenia/osteoporosis which is a weakening of the bones. If you challenge your body, it will adapt, by having stronger muscles and bones. Also, posture is one of my great concerns with clients as we tend to sit all day and sometimes night in front of a computer monitor or TV. So many young people walk into the gym already slouching, and it pains me to think of what they will look like 20 years from now. I make sure to get in lots of back exercises, such as rows and reverse flies to help this. Flexibility is the third component for any fitness regimen. You want to keep your muscles as flexible as possible to prevent injury and keep your range of movement as much as possible throughout your lifespan. Many back injuries and pain are caused by tight hamstrings or hip flexors, and also weak abdominal muscles. General guidelines for healthy adults less than 65 years of age set forth by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Heart Association (AHA) in 2007 are as follows:

Do moderately intense cardio 30 minutes a day, five days a week
Or
Do vigorously intense cardio 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week
And
Do eight to 10 strength-training exercises, eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise twice a week.

            The other key aspect of any program is nutrition. Many people look up a ‘diet’ online, or in a magazine. These are general concepts and each person is very different in their requirements. You should not cut out a food group completely. Many fad diets say to cut out carbs, bread, or dairy. Carbohydrates are the main fuel for your body. They are the first energy source your body looks for as it is easily broken down for activity. They also are the main energy source for you brain and heart. When there is no carbohydrate/glycogen in the muscles to serve as fuel, the body must then break down the secondary source of fuel, which is a much slower and more complicated process. They body also must break down protein and this results in some loss in muscle tissue. Also, high protein/low carbohydrate ketogenic diets are not good for the bone systems and can quicken osteopenia. 

 You can have a balance in life and in your nutrition. I usually ask people what they normally eat, what they can’t eat and what they can’t live without, and then create an outline of something that is similar to that. Portion size and food matching is a great way to make your food make sense without feeling like you ‘can’t eat something’. Also, there are definitely healthier options to a lot of foods. A big situation I see is people not eating enough when they are trying to lose weight. A female should never eat less than 1200 calories a day, and men should never go under 1500 calories. This is to cover basic body function. You then need to add more for being a functional person, and that also depends on your level of activity in your job.  

            With these general concepts out of the way, I would like to say that this is completely attainable to any person. You do not need to go to a gym, or ride a cardio machine 30 minutes a day. It definitely would be easier to do the more intense cardio option to save time, but if you can’t do that, you can choose something that fits you. You can do 10 minutes, three times a day. Riding your bike to the store, walking to lunch on you lunch break, walking your dog are all easy ways to get your activity in without having to dread a “workout at the gym”. For a lot of people it’s mental, and I see this in myself. There are days I don’t want to do anything, so I do an intense 15 minute workout, and I feel great afterwards. Strength training can also be done at home, with a quick full body workout. Squats, lunges, pushups, chair dips, crunches and planks can easily be done anywhere and without equipment. If you add just one piece of equipment to that such as weights, resistance tubes, ball, bosu, etc. you can do a lot. So many activities are great to do with groups of people and can fit into your social calendar. Examples of more social fitness activities are trampolining, hiking, biking, white water rafting, skiing/snowboarding, wakeboarding, kayaking and surfing. All of these count as great activity, but are even better because it is real life work for your body, and a break for your mind.

            If you get your activity in, and eat well-balanced proportioned meals, keeping fit and healthy becomes easy. You will start doing more active things without thinking about it. It is especially good if you have a group of friends that like to do these things as well as you can reinforce each other in your healthy lifestyle.

So go out, round up some fun people, join a group, get active and enjoy your world!

Nicole M. Thompson, MA 
UCSB, Sociology, minor Group Ex & Personal Training
SJSU, Kinesiology: Exercise Physiology, minor Sports Nutrition,
specializing in Exercise & Pregnancy
NPC Figure & Bikini America competitor