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Diet & exercise | You
are what you eat
Diet & exercise
Lubricate
often
Exercise
is like WD-40 for the body. If you don't exercise the body, the muscles,
tendons, joints, heart and lungs will seize up from lack of lubrication.
They need lubrication to work optimally for a long life.
Some
of the best exercises are those that both get the heart pumping,
and the arms and legs moving, but without a lot of jarring to the
joints.
Competitive
individual sports
For
guys who get bored with the monotony of exercising for exercising's
sake, playing competitive aerobic sports can be stimulating and fun.
Golf
is a good sport for fitness, but only if you walk instead of taking
a cart. And don't use the excuse that playing with a cart allows
you to play faster. Fact: Before golf carts, it was unheard of to
play 18 holes in anything over four hours. Since the age of the golf
cart, the pace of the average round of golf has lengthened to five
hours. In truth, golf carts have been pushed on golfers because they
are a source of profit to the golf course. A round of golf is the
equivalent to a four-mile walk. Walk it and live longer. With the
health craze, every golf store has dozens of ultra light carry bags
for the growing number of walkers, or you can buy a pull cart.
Tennis
and racquetball are superb aerobic sports and work the entire body.
Racquetball, however, is perhaps the worst non-impact sport for the
back, because it forces you to twist and torque in a bent-over position.
Tennis, meanwhile, can be tough on the knees because of the impact
from a hard court. Playing on a clay court can soften the impact.
Non-competitive
individual sports
Running
puts heavy demands on the heart and lungs, which makes for a great
aerobic workout. It can cause some jarring to the knees or kidneys,
so run on soft surfaces—avoid concrete for grass.
Riding
a bike is great for legs, heart and lungs, and it creates less pounding
on the knees than running. Make sure your bike fits properly to avoid
discomfort after a ride—and know the rules of the road (or
trail).
Swimming
is considered one of the best total body workouts, and since it's
non-weight-bearing, the risk of injury is minimal. With team sports
such as baseball, soccer, volleyball and touch football, you can
get enough players together to play on a regular schedule of evenings,
and they are a great way to stay in shape, as well as provide camaraderie.
Use
the right fuel
Your
internal systems—such as the heart, lungs and digestive tract—can
be maintained by using the right fuel, that is, eating the right
nutritious foods and avoiding putting bad stuff in the tank. Just
as your car performs better with premium gas, your body performs
best with certain foods. Your body needs fiber, carbohydrates, and
protein—but in the right balance.
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You
are what you eat
Fueling
your body with carbohydrates
Our
immediate source of fuel is carbohydrates. Carbohydrates that aren't
immediately used by our body are stored in our muscles and liver as
glycogen. Once the body has filled its tanks with glycogen, the excess
carbohydrates are stored as fat. Between 60 to 65 percent of your diet
should consist of carbohydrates, mostly complex (whole grains, legumes,
potatoes, etc.) as opposed to simple (sugar, honey, corn syrup, etc.)
Protein
pumps you up
Protein
is what muscles are made of. It contains nutrients (amino acids) that
are absolutely necessary to form muscle, and it helps repair damage
to your body from illness or surgery. Your minimum need for protein
is related to your body size and your activity level. Protein levels
can vary from 1/3 of a gram to one gram per pound of body weight. Experiment
with what works for you, or consult a nutritionist who can help you
get it right.
Eating
fat makes you fat
Fat
packs more than twice as many calories as the other two main food forms
(nine versus four per gram of protein or carbohydrate). Since your
body uses less energy processing fat than the other food types, more
of its energy can be stored as fat. Some fat is absolutely essential
to good nutrition—but most people eat almost four times as much
as they really need. You actually only need about 10 percent of your
calories from fat to be healthy, but the typical American man's diet
is 35 to 40 percent fat.
Tips
for better nutrition
- Eat
less red meat.
- Avoid
prepared foods.
- Beware
of sauces.
- Opt
for broiled, baked, or steamed foods.
- Don't
eat traditional snack foods.
- Drink
at least eight glasses of water each day.
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