Fitness Matters

By Dawn Gilday

Question: I keep hearing about the Mediterranean diet. Good, bad, or indifferent?

Answer:  The Mediterranean diet is actually more of a lifestyle, and does incorporate many healthy foods and behaviors. For many years, it has consisted of high levels of activity, low stress, and a highly-moderated earthy and nutritious diet. Living in the United States, we don’t often see the high activity and low stress combination very abundantly. But no matter where we are in the world or what our situation is, following a Mediterranean meal plan is never a bad idea. Their diet is centered on small portions and an abundance of plant sources: fruits, vegetables, potatoes, breads and grains, beans, nuts, and seeds. They strive to stay away from any processed foods and their main source of fat comes from olive oil. They promote fish a couple times a week and red meats a couple times a month. Fruit is the main option on their dessert platter. Their fitness guidelines are pretty broad, but they do recommend an amount of physical activity that promotes a healthy weight and well-being. In the end, the Mediterranean diet is thought to be one of the healthiest diets out there.

Question: I have a punching bag in my basement—could I be using that to workout?

Answer: Yes, absolutely! Using a punching bag, or boxing, is a very unique and useful way to workout. However, simply punching the bag with no routine or training can lead to injury. Boxing is a great way to improve the body’s speed, coordination, endurance, and strength. However, in order to properly utilize this type of workout, you must be educated on the different types of punches. I’m talking about the jab, uppercut, hook, body punch, and so on. You should also try and use a basic routine until you get the hang of things, such as jab, cross, hook, repeat. When you learn the basics of boxing, you can begin to reap the benefits, which include, most notably, stress relief. We all know there’s nothing better than relieving a day’s worth of stress on a punching bag. Boxers also develop great upper body muscle tone and excellent endurance levels. Also, learning the techniques of boxing is a great way to develop self-defense and could be applied in real-life situations if needed (though we hope it isn’t).

Question: Should I be eating my vegetables fresh or should I cook them?

Answer:  It truth, there are benefits to both. But onething is certain—eating vegetables, whether they’re grilled, roasted, baked, steamed, boiled, or raw, is always good. Regarding this particular question though, it really depends on the nutrients in the vegetables and how they react to temperature. For example, eating cooked carrots, spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, and cabbage, amongst others, supply more antioxidants to the body when they are cooked. Tomatoes have proven to supply more lycopene when cooked, which is thought to reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease. But when it comes to water-soluble vitamins like B-complex and C, eating raw vegetables may be the way to go.  Studies have shown that cooking vegetables with water-soluble nutrients can deplete the amount of these nutrients from the vegetables and transfer them to the water.
Unfortunately, there’s no simple answer to this question. The only way to ensure you’re getting the most out of your vegetables is to include a combination of both cooked and raw options.

About the author: Dawn Gilday is the club owner and a Certified Personal
Trainer at Anytime Fitness in Uncasville. To submit a question for
future articles, please contact the author at uncasvillect@anytimefitness.com.