********************

No single substance will maintain vibrant health.  Although specific nutrients are known to be more important in the functions of certain parts of the body, even these nutrients are totally dependent upon the presence of other nutrients for their best effects.  Every effort should therefore be made to attain and maintain an adequate, balanced daily intake of all the necessary nutrients throughout life.

Source of Calories:

Protein, Carbohydrates and Fats

Carbohydrates, fats and proteins are the primary sources of energy to the body because they supply fuel necessary for body heat and work.  Their fuel potential is expressed in calories, a term that signifies the amount of chemical energy that may be released as heat when food is metabolized.  Therefore foods that are high in energy value are high in calories, while foods that are low in energy value are low in calories.  Fats yield approximately 9 calories per gram, and carbohydrates and proteins yield approximately 4 calories per gram.

A.   Protein

Protein is responsible for growth, repair, maintenance and fuel.  Not only does it build and repair body tissue, but it also serves as a major component of enzymes, hormones and antibodies.  Every cell in your body contains protein.   There are literally thousands of different kinds of protein.  Hormones, enzymes, structural components, immune components and muscle contractile molecules are all proteins.  Amino acids are the building blocks from which protein molecules are constructed.  Of the twenty amino acids, eight are called essential.  Essential amino acids must be provided by your diet.  Eggs are a complete source of protein. They are high in the vitamins, A, B, D, E and choline.  Lecithin, which is the natural emulsifier of cholesterol, is also found in eggs.  Two other sources of protein are fish and chicken.  These, along with eggs, contain all the amino acids necessary for human survival.  One important factor in proper nutrition is proteins from grains, seeds and nuts.  They contain raw undenatured proteins, unsaturated fats, carbohydrates, calories, enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and high fiber content. 

B.   Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates provide a major source of energy for the body and are used to power muscular contraction and as a fuel for the central nervous system.  Carbohydrates spare protein from being synthesized into glucose, and they are a metabolic primer for fat metabolism.  There are three kinds of carbohydrates:  Monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides.  Monosaccharides and disaccharides are also called simple sugars or simple carbohydrates, and polysaccharides are called complex carbohydrates. The simple sugars are fructose (fruit sugar), sucrose (table sugar), lactose (milk sugar) and maltose (grain sugar).  Complex carbohydrates are starch, glycogen, and cellulose.  Regardless of the original form of a carbohydrate, the liver converts them into glucose, which is blood sugar.  Some glucose is stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen, some is used as energy, and some is converted into fat.

C.   Fats

Fats are the chief storage form of energy in the body.  Fat insulates and protects vital organs, and provides fat-soluble vitamins.  Fat molecules are made up of simpler units called fatty acids.  Fatty acids can be either saturated or unsaturated. Unsaturated fats can be either mono or polyunsaturated.  In general, the more liquid the fat or oil, the more unsaturated it is.  Unsaturated fat decreases blood cholesterol just as saturated fat increases cholesterol.

D.   Vitamins

All natural vitamins are organic food substances found only in living things, that is, plants and animals.  Less than twenty substances have been discovered so far that are believed to be active as vitamins in human nutrition.  Each of these vitamins is present in varying quantities in specific foods, and each is absolutely necessary for proper growth and maintenance of health.  With a few exceptions, the body cannot synthesize vitamins; they must be supplied in the diet or in dietary supplements. Whatever happened to people’s taste buds?  I’ll never know!  Instead of eating fruits that we have in great abundance in this country, people choose to eat artificial sweets such as cakes, candies, ice cream, etc.  These artificial sweets are one of the major causes of heart and bone disease.  Instead, if we just ate fruits such as bananas, oranges and apples in there natural form we could help prevent these and other illnesses.  Fruits help to keep the body’s colonic tract functioning properly.  They contain fructose (a natural sugar) which is easily assimilated within the body’s bloodstream.  They are also exceptionally high in vitamins and minerals.  These all help to keep a persons energy at an optimum level while keeping ones resistance strong against illnesses.  Fruits are truly one of nature’s pleasures.

E.   Minerals

Minerals are nutrients that exist in the body and in food in organic and inorganic combinations.  Approximately seventeen minerals are essential in human nutrition.  Although only for or five percent of the human body weight is mineral matter, minerals are vital to overall mental and physical well-being.  All tissues and internal fluids of living things contain varying quantities of minerals.  Minerals are constituents of the bones, feet, soft tissue, muscle, blood and nerve cells.  They are important factors in maintaining physiological processes, strengthening skeletal structures, and preserving the vigor of the heart and brain as well as all muscle and nerve systems. Vegetables are our main source of vitamins and minerals.  They contain the very substances that guard our health against sickness, disease and other illnesses.  When we cook them, some of their nutritional value is lost by changing the foods elemental compounds drastically.  We just couldn’t leave well enough alone!

F. Water

Water enables chemical reactions to occur.  It is about two thirds of the body’s composition, and is essential for life, as we cannot store it. Respiration, digestion, assimilation, metabolism, elimination, waste removal, and temperature regulation are bodily functions that can only be accomplished in the presence of water.  Water is essential in dissolving and transporting nutrients such as oxygen and minerals salts via the blood, lymph, and other bodily fluids.  Water also keeps the pressure, acidity, and composition of all chemical reactions in equilibrium. Only oxygen is more essential than water in sustaining the life of all organisms.  Human beings can live around five weeks without protein, carbohydrate, and fat, but just five days without water in a moderate climate.  

                     

Exercise

A.     Aerobics

The heart is a muscle.  Just like skeletal muscles, it needs to be exercised to become strong and healthy.  Aerobic exercise strengthens the heart and will help keep it healthy, but like other muscles, it will take time and effort to strengthen your heart.  However, heart functions, such as oxygen delivery, will improve almost immediately.  Aerobic exercise is an effective aid to weight loss and strengthens the heart and lungs.  Ideally, I recommend three 30 minutes aerobic sessions per week.  Your health will benefit, and you’ll find you have more stamina when you begin your strength training routines.  Since you are overweight, aerobic exercise can be particularly valuable.  The only way to get rid of fat is to burn it off, and aerobic exercise helps you do that more efficiently and faster and more enjoyably!  All you have to do in aerobic exercise is get your pulse rate up to 70-80 percent of maximum capacity and keep it there for at least 20 minutes.  (To determine your maximum pulse rate, just subtract your age from 220).  You can accomplish that with any number of activities – cycling, jogging, or running, walking briskly, aerobic dancing, swimming, etc.  Whatever activity you prefer is fine, as long as you sustain the elevated pulse rate for at least 20 minutes and do it at least 3 times a week.  Don’t try to jump to a whole 20 or 30 minutes of aerobics if you’re not accustomed to vigorous physical activity.  (And confer with your physician before starting a program of aerobics, especially if you have any health condition that may be affected).  Work up to a full aerobic routine slowly.  Do (3) five-minute sessions the first week, (3) ten-minute sessions for the next two weeks, and increase the time by five minutes every two weeks until you reach 30 minutes.  If it takes longer that’s all right also.

Exercises to stress the aerobic system:

Weight Reduction:

Walking

Treadmill Walking

Slow Paced Stationary Cycling

Cardiovascular Conditioning:

Running

Treadmill Running

Climber

Jogger

Jumping Rope

Elliptical Trainer

Rowing

Fast Paced Stepper

Fast Past Bike Riding

Fast Paced Stationary Riding

Most Fast Paced Sports similar to Basketball

B.     Flexibility

Flexibility is joint specific.  Some joints can be more or less flexible than average.  Flexibility in a joint depends upon the joint surface, the length and elasticity of ligaments, and the elasticity of muscles.  Flexibility can be improved upon by anyone and at any age.

Stretching is easy to learn and yields several benefits.  If you stretch regularly and correctly, stretching can benefit you tremendously.  Stretching allows for maximum muscle repair and decreases soreness resulting from exertion.  Most importantly, stretching regularly can help you prevent injuries.

Good forms of stretching are Tai Chi, Yoga, Pilates and various callisthenic exercises. 

C.   Strength Training

Regardless of one’s age, sex or present physical condition – provided the individual is in reasonably good health and there are no medical reasons why exercise cannot be undertaken – a well planned weight training program provides the safest, fastest and most efficient way to improve both the health and reproportion the body to ideal measurements to improve one’s personal appearance.  In addition to helping you to feel and look better, weight training improves coordination, balance and control of almost all of our skeletal muscles.  It is the fastest way known to build strength and almost all great athletes use some type of progressive resistance exercise to improve their speed and develop quicker reactions.  Strength training with weights is one of the best ways to prevent or overcome injuries and physical deficiencies.  It makes the entire body more responsive to the will and helps to teach it to do the right thing at the right time when danger or unusual stress occurs.  Trained muscles often prevent accidents, possible fatal ones. .  A strength training exercise is a high intensity exercise in which an oxygen debt is created and glycogen stored in the muscle being worked is depleted.  When you do resistance type exercises, your body burns mainly glycogen, which is produced by the carbohydrates you consume. You could not lift weights for a half hour without at least 15-30 second rests between sets, because your body would run out of energy.  You can do aerobic exercises for 30 minutes without resting, however, because they are low intensity and there is an abundant supply of oxygen.  Instead of burning a great deal of glycogen, aerobic exercises burn fat.  They are not capable however, of reshaping the body.  Only intelligent strength training can do that.