I was pleased to have attended the Young Men’s Success Series seminar on “Fitness and Nutrition” held at the Mattapan Public Library on Saturday, January 14th. Yvel Joseph of Fitness Performance kicked off the session by sharing what motivated him to pursue a career in personal fitness. During his informative presentation on how vital exercise is to our overall health and wellness, I had the opportunity to participate in a “1 Minute Boot Camp,” which called on participants to complete 4 different exercises ( jogging in place, push-ups, sit-ups, and burpees) without stopping for an interval of 1 minute each. I am happy to say that I completed this activity successfully, but it was no easy feat!
Immediately following Yvel was a presentation on nutrition, which I found to be extremely informative. It was great to learn how easy it is to establish and maintain healthy eating habits. I also learned how to calculate my BMI (Body Mass Index), which for a guy as skinny as myself is easily done!
I walked away from this refreshing Saturday morning session feeling satisfied that it was time well spent especially given that I walked away with a deeper understanding of how being knowledgeable about fitness and nutrition enables you to make healthy life decisions.
As a designer I know how important it is to keep your mind focused, fueled and fervent. By making smarter choices about the foods you eat and getting regular exercise you will be able to establish and maintain a healthy lifestyle that will support peak performance at school and work. Fueling your mind and body so that you are able to live your life to the fullest while reducing your risk of diseases often associated with unhealthy diets and sedentary lifestyles; like diabetes and hypertension is the key to living a well balanced and healthy lifestyle.
Starting is easier than you may think! You can make a difference by simply taking a 30-minute walk around your neighborhood (3x a week) and by cutting back on your daily intake of foods, which are high in fat, sodium or sugar.
Take “baby-steps,” we all know that in most cases drastic changes never stick! As a designer, when I am presenting a client with a new idea or approach, I will often get them comfortable with a new idea by showing them a little bit of the concept at a time. This ensures that they are not confronted with such a drastic alternative to what they are accustomed to, ultimately scaring them into retreating to their old or familiar way of doing things.
The same can be said for your body. Instead of setting unrealistic goals that you are sure to fall short of meeting, take smaller more manageable steps. You can start by simply cutting back on your bad habits and slowly inserting those healthy habits we have discussed into your new lifestyle.
So don’t delay, get up and get moving and on the road toward a healthy tomorrow – today!
Until Next Time,
Ivan Richiez- Youth Design Class of 2010
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