Knowing what diet and exercise options are best for you

Moe Johnson Running with Moe

Reading fitness journals it seems that there is a slight conflict of the trend with the general population. On one side the percentage of overweight and obese people has been increasing with obesity being the majority of heavy people. Then you have the fitness industry that has been getting publicity with more people signing up to belong to a gym or buying fitness equipment to improve health and appearance. It seems the general population is heading in two different directions.

For the overweight and obese individuals there are three directions to follow. One is to accept being heavier than the health charts recommend and be comfortable with the image you portray. Another is to take some pills that will cause you to lose weight and hope the side effects are safe. Then the third method is to try eating a healthy diet designed to help lose those extra pounds and follow a program of exercise to help burn off those fat cells. Of the three methods the diet and exercise program is the better program to follow as the person generally will lose weight and increase their fitness at the same time. It is also the hardest to follow versus not doing anything and remaining overweight or taking a pill that may have some serious side effects.

When you talk about fitness the person has to ask themselves, “What do they want to be fit for?” Is it health, appearance, gaining strength, or being able to run a marathon? The problem with the diet and exercise choice is that there are so many options available to them. It seems there are way too many diet books to choose from. It seems learning to substitute lower calorie foods versus high calorie foods is the easiest to follow since the person still gets to eat a good meal that has fewer calories than previous choices. Lean meats, fish, and chicken versus the fatty end of a steak is an example.

The best option for an exercise program is one that you enjoy doing. For those with lower stamina swimming, weight lifting, or bike riding might be a better choice than running. Having run marathons at 155 pounds and then running after power lifting at 195 pounds, I made a resolution as a fitness trainer, “I will never tell an obese person to start a running program.” I was mostly muscle at 195 pounds but that three mile run was one of the hardest and most miserable runs I had ever done.

Even after the person selects a fitness program there are still many options and questions to answer. If the person thinks bike riding would be a good choice the next step is the best selection of a bike for your program. Road bike, mountain bike, recumbent bike, electric bike, three wheel model, or a standard bike you had as a kid years ago. A good question to ask yourself is, “How long has it been since you rode a bike?” It pays to go to a reputable bike shop and see what is available since you last rode a bike and ask the sales person what they recommend for the reason you want to buy a bike.

If you choose swimming the first question to ask is do you have access to a pool or lake or river. Here in San Marcos one of the most popular areas is the river and then the activity center has a pool to use. The choice then becomes do you want to swim laps or do a class of water aerobics for exercise.

If the choice is getting stronger and having better muscle tone the choices are many. Free weights, machine weights, isokinetic resistance, rubber cables or steel cables, body weight calisthenics, cross fit programs, or isometric resistance, are a few of the choices. Having worked out in weight gyms the one thing you notice is a beginner weight person does not know how to lift or use the machine and how much weight to use and now many times do you lift it? Doing a weight movement incorrectly can lead to an injury. Ask a manager or a qualified personal trainer for advice if you are new to this realm of fitness. I used to tell new weight lifters that if they can’t lift it 6 times, it is too heavy, and if you can lift it 12 times easy, it is too light. And using a longer lever with lighter weight will work the muscle just as well as a heavy weight with a short lever. Think of extending the arm full length versus bending it at an angle or a shorter lever. Lighter weights with a longer lever and correct form leads to less chance of a muscle strain or injury. And if you have gotten older, think about that age factor and how well you move now versus that younger self from years ago. While the diet and exercise program is the best choice it also has the most questions. Pick the one you enjoy and will continue for more than a few weeks.