The Fitness and Sports Nutrition Industry Never Ends!

Meeks Fitness and Sports Training, LLC  will operate in the fitness and sports nutrition industry.  The fitness and sports nutrition industry is ever changing.  There is always a big push in the industry to find athletes that are bigger, faster, and fitter than what we currently see in sports today.  For example, when the Olympics start, the goal of the Olympians is to beat the fastest record in about 24 events; even if it’s their own.  During the 2012 Olympics games, six men’s and five women’s records were broken.  

In order for records to be continuously being broken, the Olympians must be in tip top shape.  He or she must put in extra hours away from the game building muscles and endurance.  In Tallahassee there is a large market of athletes at Tallahassee Community College, Florida A&M University, and Florida State University.  My objective is to help as many people as possible, especially to help athletes, to get in the best shape possible. Tallahassee, like any place else in the United States has a problem with obesity in adults and adolescents. 

According to Euromonitor, sports nutrition in the United States is expected is expected to increase as more consumers seek to mitigate health issues, such as diabetes and obesity, by becoming more physically active. This is not limited to just services but also extends to products such as supplements and exercise equipment.  As these statistics increase, my services will be in greater demand.

Gregory Hickey, the Director of Sports with the Tallahassee Sports Council, said that there are more sporting events coming to Tallahassee that include international, national, regional and state competitions.  This will provide a great opportunity to us as partners with them.  In addition to the normal clients we receive from the colleges and community, this will open many doors for my company to become more involvement in providing fitness opportunities.  

Commercial Weight-Loss Programs

Commercial weight-loss programs are programs like Jenny Craig and Weight-Watchers that charge their clients to participate and provide products or guidance in what weight-loss products to buy. They also provide a buddy type system so that there is always support to help the client stay committed.

Wee conducted a study of 323 programs.  However, only11 programs responded to the survey questions.  The study lasted about 12 months.  Modest weight loss was noted by Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig and NutriSystem.

The commercial programs that seemed to be most effective were Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers.  Even though patients/client achieved a little success on  these programs, most people quit because they had unrealistic expectations of how quickly they could accomplish their desired goals.

Patients that incorporate counseling with their program achieved about a 1% more success rate and have a tendency to stay in the program longer.

The major limitations to a structured weight-loss system are “cost, sales, promotions that encourage on-the-spot commitment to prepaid contracts, and the cost of program food and additional vitamins.”  As you can see in the chart below, the cost of these programs vary tremendously.  Not too many people are able or willing to spend $1,964 on a weight-loss program without any guarantee.

According to Witherspoon, structured programs should include “daily exercise, face-to-face sessions and self-monitoring techniques."

The topic of commercial weight-loss programs is important because it helps to see what systems are available on the market, if people are using them and if they are affordable.  Therefore, the weaknesses of these programs can become the strength of my program.    Also, a modified version of these programs can help me build my credibility faster.  

Nutrition for Sports Athletes

Sports nutrition has a new face compared to what it looked like approximately 10-15 years ago.  With more nutritional options, pre-work supplements, and vitamin enriched foods it is easier to maintain a healthy diet with less consumption.  I remember seeing athletes  on television talking about the massive amounts of food they ate per day: a dozen raw eggs, 2 chickens, a gallon of milk, and the list went on. 

According to Clark, there are several things we need to know about healthy choices for sports athletes: 

• Female athletes that aren’t getting enough nutrients may experience missed menstruation.  This is usually because they are not giving their bodies enough nutrients to perform all the normal body functions.  They may have endurance for the game, but the body is compensating by neglecting other functions of the body.

• All fat is not bad!  So, stop frowning every time you hear the word FAT!  There are lots of good fats such as olive oil, nuts,  and avocados.   Fats help the body to absorb vital vitamins and fuel muscles.  According to Clark, fat will help you have more endurance if you have it in moderation.

• Diets don’t work if you want to lose weight. What works best is lifestyle changes.  It is better to substitute poor eating habits for healthier ones.  Instead of eating fast foods and processed foods it is better to have fresh fruits and vegetables.  Dried fruits will work just as well as fresh fruits.  Also, inadequate amounts of sleep will cause your body not to perform at its peak level.  Lack of sleep also contributes to weight gain according to Clark. 

• Don’t overdo the protein!  Athletes have a tendency to think they need to increase their protein due to being more active.  This is not true.  You need the same amount of protein under all circumstances.  The recommended daily allowance for protein is .8g/kg; but for athletes the recommended amount is 1.2 to 1.8g/kg.  The most beneficial thing to do is distribute your protein equally throughout the day so it can be most efficiently used by the body.

• Eat proper amounts of protein.  The body can’t utilize more than about 20grams of protein at a time.  Therefore, consuming massive doses at one time is useless.  It is better as stated above, to distribute protein evenly throughout the day in smaller portions.  Healthy carbohydrates help your muscles to grow. 

• Drinking a cup of coffee before a workout may be beneficial.  Coffee or the caffeine in it, will help boost endurance and alertness. 

• Energy drinks don’t have any magical benefits that help you work out longer and harder.  What they do have in them is caffeine and sugar to give you that boost. 

• It’s important to fuel your body before, during and after exercising.   A small snack such as a banana, granola bar, or fruit like orange slices would be great to help you keep endurance during the work out.

 According to Shiver and Belts, colleges are experiencing an increase in female athletes.  They conducted a study of 52 female athletes to determine if they were getting the proper amount of nutrients needed to maintain endurance while playing sports.   

Unfortunately, the findings were that females do not get the proper nutrients and they need intervention to help them monitor the foods and nutrients they are getting in their diet.  The majority of the participants only had three (3) meals per day.  Only 9% were getting the proper nutrients to maintain their energy levels during peak performance.  The worse thing of all is that the participants thought they had good nutritional habits.  Athletes, like all people, that are concerned about meeting the daily recommended allowance of nutrients dislike tracking food consumption and believe capturing the quantity and time of meal is just too time consuming.

However, “sports nutrition guidelines have been established for meal/snack frequency, breakfast consumption, hydration, and other nutrition=related behaviors.” 

These guidelines are in place for a reason and are designed to protect the physical and mental health of the athletes.  The body needs to always have the fuel available to supply to the muscles that are being called to action.  

This topic is valuable for my research because it is important to know the truth about what works and what doesn't work for the masses when helping clients establish steps towards a healthier nutritional lifestyle. Also, since more women are playing professional sports it is important that we know how to address their individual concerns.

Do Diets Work?

Are you on a diet?  

If your answer is no then relax, you are in the majority.  Even though it seems like everywhere you go someone is talking about their diet.  According to Picchi, only about 19% of American adults are dieting.  In 1991, about 33% of Americans were dieting.  Today, people have adopted a more nutritious and health conscious lifestyle.  Instead of first popping a pill, Americans are choosing to eat more vegetables and fruits to replace fattier empty calorie foods.  Almost every food you can imagine has a healthy alternative.  Even when someone says they are dieting, what they really are doing is consuming healthier foods.  Making better choices is more economical and creates longer lasting results without some of the typical side affects one may encounter from taking pills and potions.

Picchi’s said in his survey, only 22% of people agree that slimmer people are more attractive.  This tells us that the perception of being overweight is changing and being a little "thicker" is becoming more acceptable.

So, if fewer people are dieting, why are there so many new diet pills popping up on the shelf?  Do these pills work?  Diet pills come in numerous forms: prescription drugs, over-the-counter and herbal supplements.  
  
Prescription drugs are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and must be prescribed by doctor and gotten from a pharmacist.  These drugs are only given to those that are obese or that may have severe health issues.

Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are regulated and can be purchased without a doctor’s approval.  Watson says these pills normally contain a substance containing PPA (phenylpropanolamine).  PPA can be harmful and potentially cause strokes and other heart related problems.  Examples of OTCs are Xenodine, Dexatrim and  Hydroxycut. 

Unlike the other pills, herbal supplements “are not regulated by the FDA because they are considered foods.”  Common ingredients used in supplements are caffeine, green tea, and guar gum and psyllium.” 

These diet drugs make-up a multibillion dollar industry in the US alone.  Now, the operative question is does these drugs work?  That is a hard question because not all drugs are designed to do the same thing.  Some drugs will help you to lose weight but very few will help you to keep the weight off.”

Virtually all diet pills will work for a short time.  No pills can be taken for extensive periods of time and in most cases 6 months is the maximum time to take pills.  Diet pills will work, but they do not always give lasting results.

This information will help develop my industry research because often people want a quick fix for their diet problems.   The diet pill industry is a multibillion dollar industry and some businesses are more concerned about the money than they are about the individual.  The dieter has the responsibility to be as knowledgeable as possible about the pills they are taking --- if they chose that route for better health.

Exercise is good. . .but

“Sure, weight is lost in the kitchen,” says Dr. Freedhoff. “But health is gained in the gyms.”

I have been involved in the fitness industry for over thirty (30) years and one thing I find to be true and that people have a tendency to overlook:  A good exercise program without a sound nutritional plan is counterproductive.  I’m not saying you should eat less and exercise more.  What I am saying is that with any exercise plan you should incorporate a good sound nutritional plan for your exercise level and weight loss goals.

I work in a college atmosphere and many students come into the gym to workout.  They spend hours and hours per week on the treadmill, in aerobic classes and even participating in some of our intramural sports.  Later those same students can be seen ordering pizza and soda in the student union.  Some will share with me their disappointment in their inability to accomplish their health goals.  They believe that their exercises will compensate for the bad foods they are eating. 

According to Campbell, the food and drink industry has misled people into thinking that physical activity and sports will prevent them from being overweight. The primary cause of obesity is not lack of exercise. “A healthy lifestyle will include both a balanced diet and exercise.”  If either one of those elements are missing, health issues are sure to develop. 

One could safely say that weight loss is primarily dependent on calories consumed and used over a period of time.  It takes about 3,500 calorie burned to lose one pound of fat.  It doesn’t matter whether or not you lose those calories by eating less or buy exercising more.  In a study referenced by Talens, participants had to exercise 77 hours to lose 1kg of fat.  Not many people I know can sustain that much of exercise to lose such a small amount of fat.

There are several reasons why exercise is relatively ineffective when it comes to weight loss efforts:

• Calories burned through exercise are small when viewed through the overall process
• People do not properly estimate calories burned and calories consumed.

We fail to consider how many calories are required just to stay alive.  We need about 30% of the calories we consume just for the body to function.  An additional 10% is needed to make the food we eat usable by the body for digestion and 10% for simple movement.  That means 50% of our calories are consumed before we even get out of bed.  Exercise as we saw above doesn’t burn that much fat.

Also, even with calorie counters and diet bands, people have a tendency to underestimate how many calories they consume or burn.  They often forget that extra slice of cheese or toasted bun they had in the office meeting. They usually err on the side that’s most favorable to them.

We don’t realize how much more effective it would be to pack a healthy lunch and to eat one less bite than to exercise for 10 more minutes.  Parking further away from the building isn’t going to help you lose that much weight, if weight loss is your goal.  

A good exercise program should also start in the kitchen.  Talens stated that a third of the time that you are willing to spend on exercising should be spent in the kitchen preparing healthy meals and snacks.   There’s no standard amount of time to state as enough exercise for everyone.  Each person must base that on his or her desired lifestyle and start building from there.  Often we want to start at the end instead of the beginning.

This information is important for my career because it is extremely important to help clients realize that even though they are exercising, they may not see the results they desire unless they adopt healthy nutritional habits.  Exercise and nutrition should always go together if you want optimum performance.