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A Weight Taken Off Me

Before we dive into this paper and you start reading about me, I will give you a brief

definition of what good health is. Good health is a state of complete physical, mental and social

well-being alongside with the complete and total absence of disease or infirmity (UC Davis).

Now, I am going to take you back to my 8th grade year. You may have known me, you may not

have even had a clue that I existed. I was a “short little potato”, or at least that is what most

people's first impression of me was. I did not have many friends but I was happy… to a degree.

My mom always told me that I was not fat and I knew that if my weight ever got out of hand she

would tell me. All my life, she told me I was fine at the weight I was at, but for the first time my

mom told me, "Mijo te ves más llenito, ¿cuánto estás comiendo?", which basically means, “You

look bigger. How much have you been eating?” I felt a bit of me die when she told me that. I

thought,“Is she serious right now?” In that moment I recalled my Grandmother telling me, “You

look like your about to pop because you look so big [FAT].” This was a momentous reality

check for me. All this time my mom was telling me I looked healthy, but really she was just

trying to make me feel better about myself, because I really did look fat. I was 4’10” and 145

pounds, but the whole time I thought I was fine.

Time passed, and the same old chubby me was still around. One night a commercial

came on TV for workout videos that guaranteed getting shredded and rock-hard abs. Of course, I

bought one; I was desperate for a way out, and this commercial was pretty convincing. Once the

videos finally arrived, I put one in the DVD player, and started working out. This continued for a

couple weeks, but eventually I just got tired of dancing all day. After a while, I started to

workout again, but ultimately, nothing seemed to work. My mom gave me the advice to “just eat
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less”. I didn’t know at the time, but his was actually great advice. In 2015, a study found that

controlling calorie intake is much more successful in weight loss, for several reasons including

that frequent exercise increases appetite (Loyola University Health System). When I took her

advice, I suddenly started losing all the weight. I had no muscle yet, so even then I was what they

call skinny-fat. This means I lost a lot of weight, but I still had much more fat than muscle than is

healthy. I hadn’t solved my problem but I began my journey; this was a start to something

bigger.

Freshman year was coming up and I needed to look good for my first day of high school.

I was more naive back then, and actually cared about what people thought of me. Nobody really

said anything about my weight in high school, but I still did not feel like I looked good, because I

did not have muscles. I joined the freshman football team in hopes of getting in shape. I

remember busting my butt in and out of practice to be able to just play 5th quarter during the

games. I didn’t even know 5th quarter was a thing! I did not let this stop me from chasing my

goal; it only gave me more reason to try harder. I started getting fit and I had built up my

stamina. After football season I joined lacrosse, which I picked up pretty fast, and to my surprise

I was actually good at it. I already had built stamina and started to get in shape from football

season. By the end of the year I was at 125 pounds, and for the first time in a long time I actually

felt okay with my body. Unfortunately, soon after my sophomore year I started eating

excessively again, and just as I had feared I had gained 40 pounds since I stopped playing

lacrosse. I was 5’5” and 160 lbs. Was all this a waste of time? I was angry, because to me, it

seemed that I had taken one step forward and two steps back. I was not sure on what to do at this

point. I felt like my weight-loss journey was now a lost cause. To my pleasant surprise,

somewhere between the end of sophomore year and the beginning of this school year I did
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something right. I started losing weight and gaining muscle, even though it was not a lot. Now

that I’m here, I would also like to continue to find out how to get more fit, treat my body right,

and subsequently feel good. Through this project, I hope to find out what the long term health

benefits of having a healthy lifestyle: being active/working out and making healthy food choices

and help others feel good about themselves by showing them how to get fit too.

Over the course of these past few months, I have learned that there are four essentials you

will need in order to succeed. Currently, my weekly workout routine is chest on Sunday, legs on

Monday, back on Tuesday, chest again on Wednesday, deltoids on Thursday, and finally a rest

day on Saturday. “Strength training...leads to damage within the muscular fibers. Like any other

trauma, the body responds by rebuilding the damaged tissue. Instead of regenerating it as before,

however, the body thickens these fibers to help meet the demands of the increased workload,

thereby increasing both strength and mass” (Severson). The reason I work out one muscle group

each day is to focus on causing more trauma on one muscle group rather than spreading it out,

therefore requiring more healing and creating more muscle mass. This will show you much faster

results than full-body workouts, which are better for beginners. I'll start my workout off by

stretching, so I don't cramp or pull a muscle. Then I start lifting. It's important to remember to

always warm up the muscle group you will work out beforehand by lifting light weights. My

most recent workout was arms on Friday, I did 15 reps of curls on my left arm and then 15 curls

on my right arm. Immediately after I did 15 reps of hammer curls on my right arm and 15 on my

left arm. So 60 total with no rest in between, these are called supersets. If you don't know what Commented [1]: its not a good idea to introduce
working out with supersets. you should start with a
basic routine and state that low reps/heavy weight will
supersets are at its very core, a superset is simple: alternating sets of two different exercises with increase physical muscle mass. if you are going to
introduce supersets at least explain what they are and
no rest in between. For example, doing a set of biceps curls and a set of triceps dips, alternating why you do them rather than a normal workout.
Commented [2]: This is also a good place to insert
until you've completed all the sets (Lauren Mazzo) . Then what I did were seated dumbbell more facts. find info online and insert quotes(don't
forget in-text citations)
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overhead triceps, 5 sets and 12 reps. The last exercise I did was tricep rope pulldown with 5 sets

and 12 reps. As mentioned before, diet is much more important in making change than exercise.

I have been using an app called MyFitnessPal, that recommends to you how many calories to eat

per day to reach your personal goal and tracks the calories, macronutrients, and micronutrients

you consume. This helps you stay on track to achieve your goal of either gaining weight or

losing weight by diet.

There are a few things I have learned during my journey. Firstly that it is very important

to work with a spotters (someone who is able to critique what you're doing), especially if you're

using free weights, in order to stay safe. Incorporating a warm-up, cooldown, and stretching in

your routine is crucial. I learned that you should do compound movements first(workouts that

target more than one muscle such as squats), and continue to isolated movements. Lastly I

learned to lift the weight fast and lower the weights slowly in order to put the most strain on

muscles and gain mass faster. I also learned what not to do. I learned not to use machines that

cannot be adjusted to your size, especially if your not very tall. I learned not to be tempted to

build muscle by using steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs, because they are linked to

serious health problems including cancer and heart disease. Lastly, don't forget to rest. Always

take time between exercise sets and allow sufficient healing time between training sessions. The

way your body builds muscle is through microtearing, after your muscles tear they heal and a

way to speed up the process is having sufficient protein in your body. That's why people will

often have a protein shake after a workout. The micro tearing is also the cause of your muscles

feeling sore the next day. This sensation of pain and uncomfortableness is due to lactic acid build

up in muscles and is completely normal. This means your body is properly healing. You should
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rest at least one day a week to allow your body time to fully heal. This is why I don't work out 7

days a week.

Physical fitness not only helps you in the long run but it also helps you in the moment

and how you feel. In an interview with Garrett he said, “when I feel bad about my physical form

I rus and use that “shame” as fuel to make me feel better about myself when I see myself getting

out of shape or changes in my track times.” A major factor of getting fit is the nutrients you

provide for your body to feed off of and recover. Nutrition plays a bigger role than the actual

exercise part, but exercise does have beneficial long term effects. In an article by Darren E.R.

Warburton he discusses the changes he made to his diet after discovering he had Type 2 diabetes.

Exercise helps a lot as well and not only for diabetes but for your mental health. For example

invariably I found that the foods I thought had been told to emphasize such as carbohydrates

were those that caused rapid and substantial rises in blood sugar (Bernstein K. Richard ) .At the

one year mark, researchers found that some 97% of patients had reduced or halted their insulin

use, and 58% no longer had a formal diagnosis of diabetes. In other words, these patients

successfully reversed their diabetes simply by restricting carbohydrates. There is strong

evidence that physical activity helps prevent major diseases include coronary heart disease

stroke, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, some cancers, obesity, and mental illness. Overall, Commented [3]: You need in-text citations, find what
source this came from
inactivity has been identified as the fourth leading risk factor for premature mortality, accounting

for 6% of deaths globally (Darren E.R. Warburton) . This is why doing exercise and staying fit Commented [4]: this quote has no front quotation
mark??
will help you in the long run. Not only will it make you feel better about yourself it will be Commented [5]: are they connected?
Commented [6]: You need in-text citations, find what
beneficial to your health and future. Studies shown in the UK show that community-based source this came from
Commented [7]: this quote has no front quotation
physical activity interventions have been identified representing a worthwhile investment in mark??
Commented [8]: are they connected?
terms of healthcare savings. In articular, mass participation events involving exercise have been
Commented [9]: What studies. your quotes mean
nothing without in-text citations, so add some to the
following quote so it is significant.
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suggested as a potential public health resource by motivating physical activity via social

engagement (Clare Stevinson) .

As I keep repeating, the food you consume is more important than exercise. This will

impact you hugely if you eat right. Some things you should stay away from if your trying to gain

mass is soy. Soy has estrogen in it which, if incorporated in your diet, will eventually slow down

the growth of your muscles and make it harder to see results. Soy protein is a very common

supplement and you may want to avoid it for this very reason. Whey protein is the best kind of

protein to consume when trying to grow muscle, although as my friend once told me, “protein is

protein.” What she meant by this was that your body will digest all proteins and as long as your

body breaks it down it will help grow your muscles. Another way of increasing your body mass

and weight is creatine and pre-workout. What I did not know was that taking both will counter

themselves and either minimal or no progress will be shown. "caffeine counteracts the effects of

a creatine loaded muscle" (1). This statement was shocking because the purpose of the study was

to see if the two agents could work together to increase exercise performance, not to see if they

would interfere with each other. Researchers and athletes have long known that caffeine and

creatine independently improve performance so a combination would be the next logical step.

The results were shocking. It turns out creatine and caffeine counteract because creatine absorbs

water and retains it while caffeine on the other hand dehydrates you and depleeds the water in

your body. So if you have something that need water and something that gets rid of water it

doesn't work.

It is important to drink a protein shake after your workouts or consume high protein food.

This will help you gain muscle because you create micro-tears in your muscles and protein helps

heal them bigger and stronger. I prefer to drinking whey protein. The reasoning behind this is
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because “Whey protein contains an incredible range of essential amino acids, which are absorbed

quickly. Numerous studies show that it can help you increase strength, gain muscle and lose

significant amounts of body fat . However... whey is more than just protein. There are tons of

other nutrients in there, some with potent biological effects. Whey protein has also been shown

to have benefits for depression, blood pressure, blood sugar and even helping to treat symptoms

of HIV and cancer. In fact, it is one of the best studied supplements in the world. This is a

detailed article about whey protein... what it is, how it works and how it can help you achieve

your fitness and health goals (Kris Gunnars) . Commented [10]: in text citation

I took a small group on a hike and asked them a few questions. The first question was

what motivates them to stay active or what doesn't motivate them. The first responder said,

“What motivates me is the feeling I get afterwards… it refreshes me and makes me feel healthy

and I love that feeling.” The second person said, “I do not like staying active because being lazy

is much easier and not as stressful.” these two in specific surprised me. There are two types of

people here, The first likes to go out and will probably have a healthier elderly life and the

second will probably have more health problems in later life. As stated earlier, staying active

helps your health in the long run. Before and after the hike I brought food to not only give out

and have something in our stomachs because being hungry while you work out is not ideal. The

first thing we ate was a fruit salad containing strawberries, papaya, bananas, apples, honeydew,

and cantaloupe. It's important to consume foods high in carbohydrates like this before a workout

to provide your body with energy. Everyone ate and we left to the hike. We finished and I

brought out the second dish. This one contained quinoa, bell peppers, tomatoes, lemons,

caramelized onions, cilantro, and parsley. Although it contained all these healthy ingredients, the

group liked it. I'm not going to lie, I usually do not like quinoa and will find other ways to have
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protein and fiber, but I loved this dish. It had a sour tang to it which made it more palatable for

me. I would highly recommend this dish and maybe if you want to add some more protein to

your dish you can add grilled chicken.

The second interview I had was with some track runners on a daily run. The first ones

name was Gerrit and the second was Thomas. I asked them the same question and got different

responses. I asked, “What motivates you to stay active and how does it affect you and when you

do not feel like your doing enough what motivates you to go out and strive for it more?” Garrit

said, “What motivates me is being able to go out and beat people in track and when I see myself

getting slower or weaker I go out and run until I get faster and do not stop until I achieve my

goal because I know when I get first place it motivates me for more.” I thought this was a great

mind set, and then I asked Thomas, he was a little less motivated but nonetheless got the job

done when it came down to business. Thomas said, “What motivates me is when I see myself

getting slower I feel bad about myself and go out and work harder so I can achieve my goals.”

Both of these guys were going out on a daily to run and improve themselves.

Most people think weight lifting, running, eating right, and staying active in general is

good for you. But not many people know about their long term benefits and how it will improve

your future. It may even extend your life and help you look and be healthier. Going out for at

least one hour a day could be all it takes to stay fit. I personally only work out for 45 min to one

hour a day. More than this for the average human is just a waste of time because the first hour of

you working out is the most effective. I have also enjoyed helping people in my community with

their fitness, because it's always nice to get to know your community and help each other out.

This is possible for anybody by simply going on runs or hikes with people in your community;

you will have fun and help contribute to their longer and healthier life.
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Works Cited

Electronic:

Berardi, John. “Creatine Combinations: What Works?” Bodybuilding.com,

Bodybuilding.com, 18 Apr. 2018, www.bodybuilding.com/content/creatine-

combinations-what-works.html.

Editors, shape.com. “News Flash: You've Been Doing Supersets Wrong Your Whole

Life.” Shape Magazine, Shape Magazine, 9 Dec. 2016,

www.shape.com/fitness/tips/superset-definition-superset-workout.

Globus, Sheila. “The Benefits of Being BUFF.” Current Health 2, vol. 27, no. 3, nov.

2000, p28. EBSCOhost,

Stmarys-ca.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

Direct=true&db=hxh&AN=3872193&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Gunnars, Kris. “Whey Protein 101: The Ultimate Beginner's Guide.” Healthline,

Healthline Media, 22 June 2017, www.healthline.com/nutrition/whey-protein-

101#section1.

“Jump Menu.” Social Wellness | Student Health and Counseling Services,

shcs.ucdavis.edu/wellness/what-is-wellness. Accessed 17 Jan. 2018.

Loyola University Health System. "Exercise alone does not help in losing weight."

ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 17 August 2015. Accessed 19 Mar.

2018.<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/08/150817142140.htm>.

Severson, Dana. “Is It Good to Work Out One Body Part a Day?” LIVESTRONG.COM,

Leaf Group, 11 Sept. 2017, Accessed 12 Jun. 2018.www.livestrong.com/article/455136-

is-it-good-to-work-out-one-body-part-a-day/.
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Stevinson, C., Wiltshire, G. & Hickson, M. Int.J. Behav. Med. (2015) 22: 170.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-014-9431-5. Accessed 9 Feb. 2018.

Books:

Bernstein, Richard K. The Diabetes Diet: Dr. Bernstein's Low-Carbohydrate Solution.

Electronic Sharing , 1976.

Dr. Jason, Fung. The Diabetes Code. Greystone Books Ltd., 2012.

Interviews:

Gerette. Personal interview. 5 May 2018