http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64A_AJjj8M4&feature=related

It’s hard to believe we are coming to the end of our blog-a-thon.  I’ve done 28 blogs in 30 days and it’s been fun.  I look forward to continuing to blog every week or so to bring you the latest health and fitness information. It’s given me the opportunity to learn more as well.  In the years I have been a health educator, I have changed many opinions I held about diet and exercise.  I have learned to read, write and evaluate scholarly research in my post-graduate education and have definitely been shaped by the experience.

I tell you all of that to tell you this:  If there is one thing that I have learned that I would like to pass on to you, it is that you are wonderfully made.  No matter what the media, your friends or some salesman tells you, you are a beautiful work of art.  Please don’t fall into the trap that you somehow need to improve the way you look.  I do what I do because I want people to be strong and healthy.  It helps you to remain independent.  It helps you to live longer.  It helps you to have the energy to reach whatever goals you might have in life.

When we place a strong focus on looking good, we are doing our bodies a disservice.  We will over-exercise or under-eat, yo-yo diet and take unproven or even dangerous supplements to reach that kind of goal.  Placing so much vain focus on how others see us takes us away from the health-focused paradigm that I believe is vitally important. 

For me it is part of my faith to be a guardian of the gift of life I have been given.  Whatever your reason for eating right and exercising, I hope you will see that your health is a gift to cherish.  It is a gift to your family and friends when you take care of it.  If your family and friends actually want you to have a “perfect figure”, no wrinkles, no cellulite, just the right skin tone, a certain bust size or hip size then…well, I think I’d be looking for new friends.  So as I sign off from our 28 day blog-venture, I wish you strength, endurance and the very best of health.  Now go Fit-it-in!

Although many trainers and exercise specialists will try to sell you vitamins, protein supplements and the like, I do not make a living selling these products.  Therefore, I will give you my honest opinion about such things without having any “skin in the game.” 

As many busy people search for ways to fit in a healthy diet, they opt to substitute food for vitamin supplements.  There are certainly better ways to fit-it-in when it comes to eating right; but let’s take a look at the “supplemental” pro’s and con’s.

Are supplements necessary?  The answer to that is: it depends.  When there are nutritional deficiencies or the doctor has recommended them for some reason, supplements are most definitely important.  However, for the general healthy population, supplements are not necessary and may at worst be dangerous.  At the very least they may be a waste of money.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine:  “A balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, and grains will give the body all the vitamins required for optimal health.  In addition, there is little scientific evidence to prove that vitamin supplements or protein supplements help athletes perform better.”  The American Dietetic Association warns against taking vitamin supplements without first determining if there is a nutritional gap not being met from food.  They also confirm that supplements can be a valuable tool when there is a nutritional gap.  See their position statement at http://www.eatright.org/search.aspx?search=vitamin+supplements&type=Site

By the way, it is possible to experience symptoms of vitamin overdose for both fat-soluble (A,D,E,& K) and water-soluble vitamins (C,B…this is primarily the case with Niacin), some of which can be dangerous. Don’t mess with Mother Nature.  Here is a list of people who may need to consider supplementation (talk with your doctor): alcoholics, pregnant or lactating women, people on certain medications that inhibit nutrient absorption, strict vegetarians, the elderly, females with severe menstrual loss, people who eat poorly or are on very low calorie diets and those who are lactose intolerant or avoid food groups for medical reasons.

For more information about vitamins or other supplements, seek the advice of a Registered Dietitian.  You can find one in your area at www.eatright.org

The question is not “what motivates people to exercise?”  It is: “what motivates YOU to exercise.”  We are all individuals and there is nothing that motivates me that will be exactly the same for you.  What drives us to take care of our bodies is not some self-adoration that keeps us looking in the mirror at our beautiful form.  It is love of the gift of life and wanting to enjoy it to the fullest.  It is a desire to “die young” at an advanced age.  How we get to the point where we treat our bodies as well as we do our dog or our car is unique to each one of us. 

The common thread of motivation is this:  An awareness that certain sacrifices, while somewhat difficult at first, yield great energy, strength and endurance.  That soon becomes a motor that powers us through life (what some may call habit).  But habits don’t keep us going.  Habits are things that get in the way and become difficulties.  Motivation is what plows us through the difficulties.  It is a mind-set.  It is a determination.  It is an appreciation of the gift of life.

Where will you get your motivation today?

Fitwise is growing in all kinds of new directions.  Watch the website and follow my blog over the coming months to find out about new programs, incentives and best of all, the “I am Fitwise” campaign for 2011.  We look forward to hearing from you because your input is important to us.