2020 nutrition and fitness challenge
Dear Donovan,
My girlfriends and I want to challenge ourselves to do the right thing for our bodies in 2020. Could you give some general guidelines and steps on what to eat and what not to eat, how much exercise we need, what habits we need to drop, and what we need to do to be our best selves, both on the fitness and nutrition fronts? We’re all in our late 20s/early 30s with sit-down jobs, and we party a lot. Some of us will exercise if we have an event or something, but none of us are very overweight, or have any illnesses.
It is awesome that you and your girlfriends have decided to embark on a fitness journey for 2020. Several studies have shown that by keeping healthy the risk of several lifestyle diseases/ disorders such as diabetes, hypertension, etc can be drastically reduced. The effect of feeling better and looking better is always a big factor in commencing a fitness journey. Outside of great health, participation in this shared goal can also do wonders for your friendship.
I want you all to sit down and think about what fitness results you would like to achieve if you had a successful fitness journey for 2020. In other words, what would you like the results of your fitness journey to look like? I suspect that you would like to keep healthy overall — maintaining the right weight without any extra abdominal fat, maintaining proper energy, as well as mental focus and peace. So I am happy that you are starting your fitness journey now, because as you get older it is quite easy to gain weight. The fact that all of you have sit-down jobs and are not exercising is a red flag.
As far as your fitness journey goes, I am going to make some general suggestions in terms of food intake and exercise which you should find helpful. First off, I would suggest that your intake of vegetables and fruits be increased. Fruits and vegetables are packed with vitamins and minerals which will help to boost the immune system. In addition, fruits and vegetables can also help to maintain a healthy weight. I would also suggest that fried and oily, cooked foods be reduced or eliminated from your diet. For example, if you are eating chicken it is better to eat baked or roasted chicken instead of fried chicken. The extra oil and grease is mucus-forming and it also interferes with your immune system. In addition, it might also be better to eat ground provisions such as yam, potatoes, banana, etc, instead of white rice, white flour, pasta and white bread. These are usually high in calories, which can cause weight gain.
High-calorie foods also include sugary drinks, foods and pastries. The intake of such foods should be reduced. The fact that you party means there is always the chance of extra food and alcohol being introduced into your diet. It might not be a bad idea to reduce alcohol consumption when partying, and drink enough water. This is very important for flushing the body of toxins.
As far as exercise goes, it is very important that you try and get in some structured exercise. Since you are not exercising now, half an hour three to four days per week is a good start. Exercise will help with your heart health, weight management and stress reduction.
We will answer your weight-related questions
Are you struggling to lose weight or just need some advice on living a healthier life? Tell us about your health issues and we’ll have nutritionist and wellness coach Donovan Grant answer them for you. Grant has over 12 years’ experience in the fitness industry and is the owner of DG’s Nutrition and Wellness Centre, 39 Lady Musgrave Road. Call him at 876-286-1363. E-mail questions to clarkep@jamaicaobserver.com.
