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Roy Schestowitz

Health & Nutrition

A few notes on my more physical life

Diet

I advocate the three daily meals basis. For me, the typical interval between these three would be 4-6 hours. Meals consumed a short period of time prior to sleep are believed to be poorly digested so I attempt to avoid this by incorporating supper into the early evening. I try to increase the intake of carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, minerals, fibre, iron and calcium while avoiding the more malignant elements such as fat, cholesterol and salt.

In 2002 I compiled myself a somewhat repetitive diet which comprised:

  • (Breakfast) 1 boiled egg, 2-3 ounces mild cheese, toast, full bran cereal.
  • (Lunch) Lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, tuna chunks and an apple.
  • (Supper) 10 ounces turkey, salad, toast and yoghurt.

Since then many changed have been made and my diet is no longer as repetitive as it used to be. As it stands, fish are my most favourable dietary choice. Nutritional values of fish are summarised very well here. I quite seldom choose to eat red meat due to the abundance of saturated fat and cholesterol in them (worst of all are the cheaper choices such as burgers, kebabs and sausages). Fruit and vegetables remain a major part of my diet and I tend to favour apples, pears, oranges, carrots and lettuce.




Health

By health, I generally refer to the aspects that are not concerned with diet and exercise. Needless to say, I cannot bear smoking and any smoker reading this has certainly followed the wrong link. At my young age, I am still very undereducated with respect to physical disadvantage that incurs as people age. I have recently, however, come across the following useful sources:

My current lifestyle appears to result in good health in all aspects. At the age of 22, my teeth are still in mint condition, I have a sharp eyesight, I have not been seriuosly ill for 7 years and my blood test results are immaculate. My most recent typical diet is also available.




Exercise

This is one of the things that I am most reluctant to do (probably as I have done it consistently for nearly 7 years). I am working out on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays and possibly Wednesdays. My workout plan has a 6 day span that is as follows:

  • Biceps, back and legs
  • Triceps, chest and abdominals
  • Biceps, back and shoulders
  • Triceps, chest and legs
  • Biceps, back and abdominals
  • Triceps, chest and shoulders




Exercise Tips

This one section is intended to outline some tips and suggestion that I frequently happen to point out to my friends. The following is by far more relevant to males.

  • For most exercises, to the exclusion of abdominal muscles, 8-12 repetitions are recommended. Low number of repetitions with the appropriate use of high intensity or weight can cause injury. I have seen people suffering injuries for long months, mostly ones involving the spine and the forearms. If you encounter cumbersome pain throughout any part of the exercise, stop. You may continue performing other types of exercise instead.
  • Do not make use of your lower back when performing an exercise. Try to concentrate on the primary muscles instead.
  • Perform a repetition for the duration of approx. 3 seconds. Do not use the momentum of movement.
  • Make use of the full range of motion. Do not attempt to cut yourself some slack to the benefit of more repetitions.
  • Do not perform exercise when ill or tired. Allow your body to fully recuperate.
  • Consume a generous amount of carbohydrates prior to exercise. This will provide you with more energy to endure exercise for a longer period of time.
  • Nine daily hours of sleep are ideal. This, however, depends on the age and the lifestyle of a person.
  • Regular and long breaks between each session of exercise is required.
  • A two week break, e.g. due to vacation, is considered reasonable, but a longer time than this with the lack of exerice should become worrying.
  • Most importantly, listen to your body and do not work mechanically. Allow your body to rest for the interval that seems to get you most comfortable. That interval appears to exceed 2 minutes in my case.

More Sources


This page was last modified on August 18th, 2003 Maintained by Roy Schestowitz