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William Sells

Proper Nutrition and Exercise

URWT1104

William Sells
3/26
Background Information/ Introduction
Although many professional athletes and health and fitness models have the body of a
Greek god, anyone can have the body they want. The percentage of Americans that look as
shredded and lean as fitness models and professional athletes is extremely small. But, the real
question to consider: Is the dream body you have a vision for attainable with proper eating and
exercise? Or how about a quick fix? What if you dont have hours to spend in the gym or
kitchen? Companies like Slimfast, Weight Watchers, Atkins, Jenny Craig and Nutrisystem have
revolutionized the weight loss industry answering these questions. Weight-loss companies claim
that users can lose up to nine pounds in a month--they are not lying; yet, what consumers do not
recognize is that there is no magic pill or food that will shed unwanted body fat from their body.
In actually, most people are considered overweight, but that does not mean most people are
unhealthy. Extended research indicates that supplementation, proper nutrition, and sculpting can
allow a person to attain his/her ideal physique.
Given my own interest on the topic of nutrition and exercise I may be biased. From
my experience on this topic, I have found that changing my workout routines every two to
three weeks helps me get stronger, bigger and leaner over just continuing to lift the same
amount of weight, the same amount of reps and in the same form. Proper form is essential
to healthy muscle growth and also helps to prevent possible injuries. This technique of
changing the type of workouts I preform prevents plateaus because in doing so, changing
routines does not allow muscle fibers to get used to and expect what lift will be done on that

William Sells

Proper Nutrition and Exercise

URWT1104

day. Muscles have memories and in those memories each muscle group wants to expect one
movement whether that be a push or a pull and so when you change up your routine this
action is a shock to the muscles. Changing my diet in the past has done great wonders for
me as well. My body is used to me bulking every two to three months, followed by a two to
three month cutting period. Within each phase of body sculpting I intake more or less
calories. A low carb diet has helped me lose weight and tightened up my muscles. My
favorite diet that has given me the most positive results would be a fat-free or low-fat diet.
If you did not know, one gram of fat contains 9 calories while one gram of carbs and one
gram of protein contains 4 calories each. So by taking away the most densely caloric
ingredient out my diet decreases my daily caloric intake rapidly. I believe that although I
feel confident in my knowledge and understanding about nutrition and the science behind
exercise, I still have much to learn. That is one of the main reasons I chose to conduct research
on the topic of losing weight and or gaining muscle in order to achieve the body of my dreams,
because this topic is something that is not only very important to me but is interesting and close
to my heart.

This paper considers how one person can shape his/her body in terms of how they eat and
workout in order to reach their full potential. More specifically, I am researching how proper diet
and nutrition techniques have been and can be used to help someone reach his or her physique
goals. Discussing these concepts in theory is great, but practice is another issue. In order to
make a healthy lifestyle more of a reality, I will be introducing a two-part Health and Wellness
course during freshmen and junior year of high school that would educate students on how to eat
healthier and exercise more. The one year gap between freshmen and junior year allows for

William Sells

Proper Nutrition and Exercise

URWT1104

students to change and hopefully fix their lifestyles before once again taking a higher level health
and wellness class.
The past six years I focused my research on gaining muscle and losing fat. I did this
because I have never been quite satisfied with how my body looks and especially how it
feels. Many people have this same issue. Most people dream to lose the flabby love handles
on their stomach; however, others may have the issue of not being able to put on muscle
and weight. And although not all people have the same metabolism, all people share the
same issue. This issue is that everyones metabolism slows down as they age. When a man is
shirtless at age 55, does he have a six pack like when he was 17? My new research will develop
very similar to the past research. The only difference this time is that the diets, workout trends,
supplements and accessories available to consumers are completely different than they use to be.
(Talk about why and how I got interested in health and his cancer).

Literature Review
Factors which cause obesity/health risks
Why fad diets dont work
Why a balanced diet and exercise does work

With so many options available for attaining the ideal or perfect body, it is sometimes
difficult to decide which option is the best to pursue. However, before deciding how and what to
do, we need to consider three major issues with regards to health and fitness: 1. Factors which

William Sells

Proper Nutrition and Exercise

URWT1104

cause obesity and other obesity related health risks, 2. Why fad diets ultimately dont work, and
3. Why a balanced diet and regular exercise does work. Each of these concepts are equally
important and have real impacts on how we develop a healthy lifestyle. As of the fall of 2015,
the US Dietary Guidelines (2015) in conjunction with Congress, released new dietary guidelines
which still included well above the recommended amount of red meat. Perhaps more
shockingly, the average Americans diet is much worse than the proposed guidelines released
by the Federal Government.

The reason why people, especially Americans, struggle with not only losing weight but
maintaining a healthy lifestyle is because of the normal American lifestyle. In recent years,
about 36 percent of adults were found to be obese, which is more than one-third of adult
Americans (Audrey, 2015).When you get off of work at 5pm after an eight or nine hour shift the
last thing an adult wants to worry about is running three miles and eating a healthy spinach salad.
Meanwhile there are two kids needing to be fed, bathed and put to bed by 7pm. The time
schedule and added stress from work, relationships, money and family can tack on extra pounds
and take time away from daily workout routines.
People who lived hundreds of years ago did not understand the science behind
health, metabolism, and exercise because they did not have the resources and experience
that we do today. More relevant and factual information has been presented publicly by
professionals such as Sandra Aamodt. Sandra Aamodt says in her TED talk, Even if youve
managed to keep the weight you lost off for seven years, your brain keeps working to make you
gain that weight back. The opposite happens when you gain a lot of weight quickly. That
temporary weight gain can permanently linger on your body for years. When unhealthy food is
more available than it was five hundred years ago, the eating environment we have today makes

William Sells

Proper Nutrition and Exercise

URWT1104

staying healthy more difficult. In a study Sandra presented on a slide, the results showed that the
relative risk of death was seven times higher in obese people than the healthiest people that were
surveyed (Aamodt, 2013). With statistics like that America should be motivated to get up off the
couch, put down the bag of potato chips and just go for a walk, or indulge in a grilled chicken
salad. I know from experience that when I am stressed the last thing I focus on is eating healthy
or doing sit ups. That being said working out is an extremely healthy outlet for stressed people.
Exercise and physical activity helps deliver oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and also allows
your cardiovascular system to perform more efficiently. When your heart and lungs work more
efficiently, you have more energy to go about your daily chores (Mayo, 2014).
Another three sources of mine(CITE THEM HERE) focused on the genetics of human
obesities, dieting and supplementation. Supplements used in order to enhance a persons
physique and or physical ability. Caffeine for instance, and ingredient commonly found in
many weight-loss supplements will give you lots of energy, intense focus and endurance.
Caffeine can even help boost your metabolism, but at what cost? Tachycardia and nausea can
come from the over consumption of caffeinated substances, so moderation is key and depends
on a persons tolerance. The TED talks that I watched and observed were focusing on diets and
exercise and their effectiveness.
The world of supplementation does not just pertain to protein powders and muscle
shakes, but continues to cover granola bars that have added protein and fiber to them. Fat
burning pills and testosterone boosters are also two very common performance enhancing
supplements. The financial cost is not the only expenditure of supplements and dieting. Data
collected from 2004 -2013 showed the public that nearly 71.8% of Emergency Room visits were
due to the use of energy-boosting and weight-loss supplements. Take me as an example, I was

William Sells

Proper Nutrition and Exercise

URWT1104

rushed to the emergency room my first semester of college due to a reaction that my body had
with this fat burner supplement called Hell Fire. This fat burner I was using contained large
amounts of Ephedra, 1,3 Dimethylamine, and caffeine. Ephedra is an illegal substance no longer
allowed in supplement or food products. 1,3 Dimethylamine is a stimulant like both caffeine and
ephedra that also has addictive properties . A quick rush of energy is followed by a devastating
stimulant crash that can make someone feel so bad that they choose to consume more of the
supplement in order to chase the high it provides. Engaging in behavior as such is an easy way to
end up in the hospital or even worse, injured or dead.
For instance if you look at losing weight and Dieting advertisements, the actor/model
that is shown is often a female. Why is it that society portrays or assumes that dieting and eating
healthy is a feminine activity to take part in? In the US, 80% of girls have been on a diet by the
time they're 10 years old (Sandra, 2013). If you lose a lot of weight your brain reacts to this
change in calories and exercise as a form of starvation.

Entering the Conversation


The problem is not only that unhealthy food choices are more available than not, but that
Americans as a whole are extremely uneducated about the science behind losing weight, gaining
muscle and benefiting their bodies internally. Like many of us have heard before, Its not all
about what is on the outside, but what is on the inside that truly matters. With development in
food regulations, the quality, quantity, cleanliness and healthiness of the food consumers buy, it
is a small step towards fixing an enormous problem. I believe that by educating the public about

William Sells

Proper Nutrition and Exercise

URWT1104

proper nutrition and physical fitness, together America can become a healthier, more successful,
happier and overall better country. In order to accomplish this our school system needs to enforce
a mandatory health class that focuses solely on fitness and nutrition. What I want to do is to
propose a class that would include a syllabus and topics of study.
Men above the age of twenty years old are a prime example of the issue Americans have
with eating healthy and exercising regularly. In 2010, 74% of men were considered to be obese
or overweight (Flegal, 2010; Ogden, 2012; CDC, 2012). Children today take 90 seconds longer
to run a mile than kids did 30 years ago, according to data from 28 countries. Children's aerobic
fitness has declined by 5 percent since 1975 (Shute, 2013). To help overcome the issues
surrounding uneducated and underrepresented population of persons who are overweight, I had
the idea to incorporate mandatory courses in exercise, nutrition and supplementation into public
and private schools from grades 2-12. I chose the grades 2-12 because even now as a freshmen in
college I have so much to learn about exercise and nutrition and the supplement products that
were created not only for profit, but for the bettering of consumers. And any educational
instructions enforced before the 2nd grade will be long forgotten and kids will roll their eyes at
the subject matter. When I turned 14 years old my body went through a drastic change in Fat
levels, blood pressure, metabolism, height, and muscle volume. At the age of 14 I was 185
pounds, 5 feet 8 inches and I sadly enough had love handles and a double chin to accompany my
horrible haircut. One day I woke up and said enough is enough. I then began to buy bodybuilding
and health fitness magazines. Meanwhile, every tab on my mothers computer was about food,
nutrition, special workouts, burning fat while gaining muscle, which supplements to buy, etc. I
devoted the next four months of my life to running more and more every single day, pushing
heavier weight for increasing amounts of repetitions, and most importantly changing what I ate. I

William Sells

Proper Nutrition and Exercise

URWT1104

swapped out potato chips, ice cream and cheeseburgers for grilled chicken, spinach salads and an
endless amount of fruits and vegetables. I then began properly hydrating my body so that my
metabolism, blood flow and digestive system would be working at optimal levels. The baby fat I
had in my face, legs and stomach fell off faster than I could ever imagine. By the end of the
fourth month I had lost 48 pounds and was down from 185 to 137.
The sad truth to the successful diet that engaged in when I was 14 was that I never quite
felt good. I never had any energy, I starved myself, made myself into thinking I was ugly or I had
not worked out enough the day before so I needed to murder my body and burn even more
calories. I felt this way for more than four months and that is when I realized I had an eating
disorder. I was diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa.
High school is an extremely hard time for most people due to the intense pressure to
make the grades and join the clubs and sports teams that will get you into the college you wish to
attend. As a student we put so much excess pressure on ourselves that is unnecessary and not
healthy. I really think that our school system needs to try much harder to incorporate health
education classes into students daily class schedule. If you sit down and think about it kids are
the future. What kids now learn and choose to indulge in will affect the next generation and so
waiting to attack this problem of people being overweight and or uneducated about diet and
exercise is only going to hurt the people we care most about.
Conclusion
Throughout this paper I researched how supplementation, proper nutrition, and sculpting
can allow a person to attain his/her ideal physique. This paper considers how one person can
shape his/her body in terms of how they eat and workout in order to reach their full potential.

William Sells

Proper Nutrition and Exercise

URWT1104

More specifically, this paper is a prime example of how proper diet and nutrition techniques have
been and can be used to help someone reach his or her physique goals. Although at the beginning
of my planning before I had even begun my research I felt hopeless and overwhelmed with
homework, I have finally collected enough quality information to present in this paper.
My results were that Americans are less active and eat less healthy than they did decades
ago. Lower levels of physical activity, both in organized sports and at play, account for a lot of
the rest, they say. U.S. health authorities say children should be getting 60 minutes of active play
a day, but only one-third are getting that (Shute, 2013). Most Americans are not knowledgeable
about proper eating and exercise habits. For example a freshmen college student that lives on
campus can go out and drink anytime they wish. Add those alcoholic empty calories to a greasy,
high-fat diet from the dining hall and every college student is at an increased risk for weight
gain, acne, and lack of energy. Most people do not put too much thought into what they eat. For
example my father when he was in his early twenties ate pretty healthy and ran five miles five
mornings a week. Now at age 63, he has metastatic bone cancer, he weighs around 315 pounds
and has degenerative disc issues. I asked my father if he would be willing to lose some weight
for me, just so I could be more at ease with him being sick. His response was, Honestly son, the
cancer is going to end up killing me one day and so I would rather just not care about what I eat
and enjoy what little time I have left. At first it made sense. I thought oh well like my dad said
he has every reason to not care about his weight considering he physically cannot exercise and
his internal health was already so poor. But the more I thought about it and as time went on I
became disappointed. I was disappointed that my dad had lost all hope. The hope to live not only
a longer life, but a better quality life. I believe that this is an issue for most people especially
busy adults.

William Sells

Proper Nutrition and Exercise

URWT1104

The sentence above about people losing hope does not just pertain to cancer patients.
Everyone feels like giving up at least once in his/her lifetime. The people who overcome
diversity and rise above others are the real heroes of society. My goal is to give the opportunity
for everyone not just in America but in the world, to become educated on proper eating
techniques and proper exercise workouts. As far-fetched and impossible as this dream may seem,
all it takes is one person to start a fire. I want this research paper to mean something to the
reader. I like to think that maybe my store and my research sparks some inspiration in people that
read this paper.

William Sells

Proper Nutrition and Exercise

URWT1104

Citations

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<http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/9781137346629_4>.

2016.

William Sells

Proper Nutrition and Exercise

URWT1104

Stein, R. (2015, October 14). Dietary Supplements Send Thousands To ERs Yearly. Retrieved
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William Sells

Proper Nutrition and Exercise

URWT1104

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U.S. Adults. Retrieved March 15, 2016, from http://www.npr.org/2015/11/13/455862562/despiteencouragement-to-eat-better-obesity-still-rises-among-u-s-adults

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William Sells

Proper Nutrition and Exercise

URWT1104

(n.d.). Retrieved March 21, 2016, from http://health.usnews.com/best-diet/best-weight-loss-diets

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