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Episode #1906
Physical Fitness
Brown: Natalie Bullock Brown,
host
Scruggs: Kia Scruggs, BIF production assistant
Wilson: Darrin Wilson, N-Shape Personal Fitness
Sullivan: Selena Sullivan, Durham County Health Department
Harris: Wade Harris, Phase II Personal Fitness Center
Davis: Antonio Davis, head coach, women’s basketball,
Saint Augustine’s College
Tittle: Felicia Tittle, assistant coach, women’s basketball,
Saint Augustine’s College
Brown:
It’s
well-documented that the incidence of excessive weight gain,
heart disease, and diabetes is greater in the African-American
community than in any other, yet African-Americans are less
likely to incorporate healthy habits of eating and exercise
into their lifestyles. This has got to change, and we’ll
talk about what to do to overcome common excuses, real-life
barriers, and get physically fit—next on Black Issues
Forum.
Voiceover:
This program was made possible by contributions to UNC-TV
from viewers like you. Thank you.
[THEME
MUSIC]
Brown:
Good evening and welcome to Black Issues Forum. I’m
Natalie Bullock Brown, and tonight we hope to address questions
and concerns you may have about getting into better physical
condition and nourishing your body along the way. Please note,
information in our program is for informational purposes and
is not intended for use as diagnosis or treatment of a health
problem or as a substitute for consulting a licensed health
care professional for medical advice, instruction, diagnosis
or treatment. If you have specific questions or concerns,
please consult your physician or appropriate licensed health
care professional. Now here to talk to us about how we can
cultivate physical fitness, both inside and out, are our guests—Selena
Sullivan, community nutritionist with the Durham County Health
Department, and Darrin Wilson, general manager of Triangle-area
health club N-Shape Personal Fitness. Welcome to both of you.
Wilson:
Thank you.
Sullivan:
Thank you.
Brown:
Now, let’s start out by just understanding some
basic things about what people need to know before they seek
to get physically fit. Darrin, since you work at a fitness
center, what do people need to do, particularly in terms of
consulting with a physician before they begin a fitness regimen?
Wilson:
Well, number one, if they’ve had any health concerns—i.e.
heart conditions, high blood pressure, diabetes, what have
you—or if they have not done anything physically active
for the last three, five, ten years, you’ll want to
consult your physician before you start any strenuous activity,
just for your own safety.
Brown:
Why is that? What could a physician tell you?
Wilson:
A physician could let us know and let you know whether
you have an elevated heart rate or if your blood sugar levels
are okay or if you have any physical problems, such as a joint
injury or what have you, that has not been taken care of that
you need to have addressed beforehand, and that way you could
transfer the information to your trainer and they could help
you out. As opposed to just guessing, we’ll know things
that can help you.
Brown:
Okay. Selena, you are a nutritionist, and I would figure
that there are things that someone would need to change in
their diet, as well as change in their physical activity,
in order to become physically fit. What sort of things would
you recommend?
Sullivan:
I think total physical fitness has to include both active
lifestyle and, generally, a healthy diet. What we try to do
is to encourage people to make healthy food choices, which
might include increasing the fruits and vegetables in their
diet. It might also include eating the right type of fat and,
perhaps, a lower-fat diet to moderate their calories, and
I think it could help be more successful in either losing
or maintaining fitness if they look at both.
Brown:
Now, you know, in the African-American community we like
to eat our Southern cuisine, our soul food and what have you.
So how do you get black people to feel comfortable with making
diet changes in their lifestyle when food is such a big part
of our heritage?
Sullivan:
Well, it is. And that’s one reason why we don’t
want to eliminate some of these foods. We can take some of
our traditional foods and modify the recipes so that people
actually can come up with a lower-fat product and can still
eat that. For instance, collard greens—that’s
a food that people tend to put fatback or other types of high-fatty
meats in for flavoring. What we encourage people to do is
to cut back on that and to include herbs, spices, a little
vegetable oil, and perhaps cook their greens in chicken stock—perhaps
low-sodium chicken stock—and they will come up with
an acceptable product. We offer suggestions for modifying
some of these favorite recipes so that they can still be included.
Now, there are some foods that would have to be eaten far
less frequently that people have been used to eating. And
frying foods—we might look at other ways to braise or
bake and to cut back on the amount of calories that would
be introduced by deep frying.
Brown:
Well, Darrin, tell me—for a fitness regimen, I figure
that there’s a certain amount of calories that you do
want to intake in order to be able to maintain a certain level
of rigorousness, I guess, in your routine. Speak to that.
Wilson:
When it comes to any type of eating plan or altering someone’s
plan, the first thing you want to look at is the amount of
calories they’re going to take in versus the amount
of activity they do. If they are going to start a fitness
program, they’re going to burn additional calories.
They actually will. And if they do not increase their caloric
intake, yes, the appetite will go up. So we encourage them
to have healthy meals or healthy snacks around them, because
they’re going to want to eat more. The calories are
not the big issue; it’s where those calories are coming
from that we try to address. We don’t want to have them
not enjoy their lives. They’re working out so they can
enjoy their lives—enjoy them more fully.
Brown:
And for a longer period of time.
Wilson:
Exactly. And for them to not do some of the things that
they like to do is not really the reason they’re doing
it. So we want to be sure they understand “Your activity
level will increase. You caloric increase will probably increase,
but be aware of where your calories are coming from. Are they
coming from good healthy servings of food, or are they coming
from two scoops of ice cream and three cheeseburgers?”
So that’s what they really want to look at.
Brown:
Tell me, Darrin, what is the most effective weight loss
or weight maintenance that you could recommend, especially
to someone who may be struggling with being overweight or
other health concerns?
Wilson:
The number one thing they want to do is modify their lifestyle.
There are three major components. They want to work on their
cardiovascular fitness, which is the things that get you breathing—walking,
riding a bike, things that of that nature, your activity.
Their caloric intake, their nutrition, and that’s really
the baseline—what you put in equals what comes out.
And, thirdly, we also want to work their strength training—weightlifting—and
that doesn’t necessarily mean getting big, but it means
doing things to strengthen your body, strengthen your joints,
strengthen your bones.
Brown:
Now, there’s all kinds of excuses that all of us
might come with about “I don’t have the time to
start working on my weight or doing physical activity every
day.” But, Selena, what sort of things have you heard
from your clients that keep them from getting on the road
to becoming healthier?
Sullivan:
We do get excuses, but before I cover that, I’d
like to say that it’s always important for people who
are embarking on an exercise program and are concerned about
what they should be eating—they might want to seek the
advice of a registered dietician who can look very specifically
at what their needs are, how many calories they’re taking
in, what their activity level is at that point, and may be
able to help them better target how many calories they need
to take in, based on how much weight they would like to lose.
Brown:
Let me just cut in real quick. With a dietician, and even
with your services, is there a cost? Is there some sort of
cost that people might have to consider that might keep them
from feeling like they can go to you or a dietician?
Sullivan:
No, at the Durham County Health Department we have a clinical
team who see clients on a one-to-one basis, and they provide
medical nutrition therapy, in particular for someone who may
have an overweight problem or other health risks. Fortunately,
it is a sliding fee scale, so that for those with limited
resources they are able to call the Health Department and,
if they wish, to request to see someone—a nutritionist.
Brown:
And they don’t have to pay?
Sullivan:
If they can afford to pay, I believe that’s what
the sliding fee scale is for. It will allow them to pay according
to the level of their income. So for someone who has very
little income, they may not pay anything for the services.
And also there are home visits that are made by some of the
nutritionists for clients who may not be able to come in,
and they can go into the home and work with a family and help
come up with appropriate nutrition guidelines.
Brown:
Okay. Tell me about excuses. And then, Darrin, I’d
like to hear from you, because I know you get some doozies,
I’m sure.
Sullivan:
Well, we hear excuses, but I think what it boils down
to is people have to be ready to make changes in their diet,
and sometimes there may be other issues that will prevent
them from embarking on a physical activity program or making
changes in their diet. And so there is a readiness and sometimes
there’s a period of pre-contemplation, but I think sometimes
people have very busy lifestyles and they work. And children
and school and homework… So it’s easy, really,
in fact, to kind of put it off. But what we try to encourage
people to do is that any activity, any movement, is good.
And maybe they won’t be able to join a facility such
as you have, Darrin, and drive there. Some people may not
have the time for that, but we encourage them to walk around
the block, to do other activities with the family—go
to the park, do mall-walking, gardening and yard work. All
of that would count. Just try to get more movement into their
lives. So, yes, it’s sometimes that the motivation is
not there, and we try to work with people to help them start
small and build on successes.
Brown:
And how do you do that—work with people to start
small and build on successes?
Wilson:
Well, the number one thing we do is, the first thing is
we sit with someone and assess what their goals are. If their
goal is just to be able to take their groceries upstairs without
being winded, that’s what their program will be designed
for. If they’re trying to become a high-level Olympic
athlete, that’s what it’s designed for. So first,
we take down a goal sheet and see what a person really wants
out of a fitness program, and then from there we sit down
with them and address any injuries and what have you. As far
as excuses go, they come along with that. There are the “I
don’t have time.” For us it’s simply “How
much time would you be willing to give to yourself?”
When it comes down to it, if you’re not taking care
of yourself, you can’t take care of anyone else.
Brown:
Well, this issue of time is actually quite appropriate,
because I’ve heard that there’s a certain amount
of time that you need to work out in order to get any sort
of benefit. What is that?
Wilson:
Right. It depends on what you’re looking for. If
you’re looking for cardiovascular fitness—in excess
of 30 minutes. Normally we tell people 30 to 55 minutes of
cardiovascular activity—walking, running, jogging, what
have you.
Brown:
Would aerobics fall into that?
Wilson:
Yes, aerobics would fall into that. Anything that you
can sustain at a moderate to high rate for in excess of 30
minutes. When it comes to strength training, a strength training
program does not have to be two hours in the gym. If you’re
working on specific things, your workout program can be anywhere
from 35 minutes to an hour. And within an hour, you could
do the majority of things you need to do to develop a basic
fitness program and maintain a physical activity lifestyle
and not be so stressed and sore that you can’t do your
regular things during the day.
Brown:
But do you need a combination of cardiovascular and strength
training in order to…?
Wilson:
Yes, if you’re looking for inch loss and weight
loss, we do want to have a combination. You do need to get
your cardiovascular activity; you do need to do your strength
training. The strength training will increase lean muscle
fiber, which increases your body’s metabolism rate.
The cardiovascular portion will tend to burn off additional
calories. So, with your body working while resting, if your
metabolism rate goes up, then you can, while you’re
sitting there watching TV at night, know your body’s
doing its part as well as you did your part earlier today.
Brown:
Selena, are there certain foods that people can eat in
order to increase their metabolism rate and help with this
process of losing weight, or at least maintaining a physically-fit
body?
Sullivan:
I don’t know that there are any foods, per se, that
I am aware of that will increase their metabolism. What we
do is to recognize that as people age, the metabolism slows
and that, apparently, exercise does help to increase that.
But, in combination with that, what we encourage them to do
is eat healthy foods. We’re suggesting that they try
to increase their fruits and vegetables, perhaps whole grains—don’t
leave out any one food group—to choose leaner meats,
and perhaps low-fat dairy products. Now, one thing that we’ve
found is that having adequate calcium may, in fact, help maintain
or control body weight. So there’s some relationship
between that, although we are not quite sure how that works.
But it’s important that people have a balanced nutrition
that includes all of the food groups, that is adequate in
calcium, fruits and vegetables. And the type of fat is important—perhaps
more polyunsaturated or vegetable fats, but, in general, lower
fat content within the diet. Also to have more fiber.
Brown:
Let me just cut in again and ask you to define some terms.
When you say “polyunsaturated” fat, where are
we getting that from?
Sullivan:
We’re getting that primarily from vegetable sources,
and those will be the ones that would be lower in cholesterol—would
not contain saturated fat or cholesterol—vegetable fats.
Brown:
Are we talking about olive oil?
Sullivan:
Yes, olive oil and canola oil are two very good examples.
And so what we want to encourage people to do is—and
trans fats would be another one that is related to saturated
fats, and that should be lowered, to lower the risks for high
cholesterol and heart disease.
Brown:
Where are those found?
Sullivan:
Saturated fat is found only in foods of animal origin,
and that’s why it’s important to increase the
vegetable oils in the diet. And the trans fats apparently
are found in many—what it is is they are taking vegetable
fats and adding hydrogen to them so that they are dehydrogenated,
and it changes the type of fat and it increases the shelf
life of the fats and makes it harder. So those are usually
found in crackers, pies, baked products. And so people have
to be mindful of reading labels, and now it is required that
trans fats will be listed, as well as cholesterol, saturated
fats on labels, and that it’s incumbent upon them to
read labels and compare the type and amounts of fats in food,
including calories, so that they can make better choices for
themselves when they’re limiting their calorie intake.
Brown:
Darrin, I know that, fortunately, water doesn’t need
a label. We know it doesn’t have any calories and there’s
not really much wrong with water. How important is it to an
exercise regimen?
Wilson:
Hydration is extremely important. The human body is composed
of over 70% water, so when you start deleting water from your
body or from your diet, then your body has to start depending
on other sources for fuel and to maintain itself. Lean muscle
is predominantly water. You don’t want to do anything
that will decrease your lean muscle, because that is your
metabolism base. You’ll look at cramping, lack of energy.
Your appetite will be suppressed to an extent. Your body does
not function well without water, but hydrating yourself, period,
is the number one thing, and certain things that we drink
don’t necessarily count as water, but if someone is
in a fitness facility and they’re using one of the standard
nutritional drinks, we’ll say…
Brown:
Are we talking protein drinks?
Wilson:
No, the thirst quenchers—several different ones.
They have different flavors—lemon-lime, raspberry, what
have you—but these are the “sports drinks.”
Brown:
Gatorade.
Wilson:
Exactly. They have different ingredients and different
minerals in them, more so than a glass of water would have,
but they’re still no replacement for just a good old
glass of water.
Brown:
Let’s talk about protein drinks, since I brought
that up. Would you recommend them to your clients, and what
are they good for?
Wilson:
I don’t necessarily recommend any of them for anyone,
but what I do tell a client is “If you find a protein
drink or something of that nature that works for your system,
as long as you’re comfortable using it feel free to.”
If someone does not take in a lot of protein, if they’re
a vegetarian or what have you, or if, for some reason, they
can’t eat meat as it is, then sure, they may want to
invest in one, but “Find the one that works best for
you. Check the label. Check the ingredients. Where’s
the protein coming from?”—things of that nature—because
your body does have to have a primary building block of muscle.
So you do need a protein supplement if you don’t take
in any naturally. But the best protein, of course, comes from
your diet, whether it be eating red meat, eating chicken,
eating fish. If it works for a person’s system, eat
meat. If you don’t choose to, look into a protein supplement.
Brown:
Selena, I’m going to give you the last word before
we go to our piece. I want to ask you—black people probably
are feeling, if they’re watching right now, that “It’s
a little expensive to change my lifestyle. I buy what I have
access to and what I can afford.” What would you say
to them?
Sullivan:
Well, you know what? I think some recent data has shown
that a healthy diet is no more expensive than an unhealthy
one, and that, in fact, many of our snack foods, including
soft drinks and other things, are pretty expensive when you
look at the cost, and that, indeed, people need to look at—and
it takes more advanced planning—I think a good strategy
to follow would be to try to plan meals and do more home preparation
of meals and have healthy snacks available in your environment
there in the home. And it takes advance planning. It may mean
that you’ll do some cooking on weekends and then freeze
portions for later on in the week, because 40% of our population,
just in the US, just eat out. So oftentimes, in fast food
outlets, other restaurants, cafeterias, you’re getting
more calories and there is always the large-portion sizes
that we have to deal with.
Brown:
We’ve been talking with our guests about taking responsibility
for your own health, whether that means motivating yourself
or drawing on family and community support. No matter what
your circumstance, even if you’re an athlete, you may
need to reassess your physical condition. That’s what
one college president realized, and production assistant Kia
Scruggs has this story.
[BEGIN
SEGMENT]
Scruggs:
Here at Phase II Personal Training Center in Raleigh,
fitness trainer Wade Harris works out with the St. Augustine’s
College girls’ basketball team. It’s a partnership
initiated by the school’s president and its coaches.
Harris:
We had the opportunity to begin working out with the president
of the University, Dr. Suber, and she expressed an interest
in improving the quality of health for all students on campus,
as well as faculty and staff, and we began some conversations
about the athletic team being a good place to start. But really,
this particular group, the coaches, are the ones that kind
of took the lead and came to us and said, “We really
understand the value of having them get in better shape and
want to know if you guys would be willing to put together
a program for us and come over and work with our team.”
You know, they felt like they had a team with a lot of desire
and a lot of heart and that they had the right teachers, that
they could take their game to another level, and so that’s
how it really began.
Scruggs:
Phase II offers more than an education in physical training.
The students are also educated on nutrition and held accountable.
Tittle:
Phase II has talked to us about how to eat, as far as
nutrition, and there’s consequences for eating fast
food, if you get caught eating fast food. They’re a
real disciplined group.
Davis:
I’m totally satisfied. Actually, it’s been
great. Wade’s a great guy and he’s getting our
team prepared. I see the difference just in day one to today,
and we definitely plan on continuing with this partnership
throughout the future.
Brown:
Hopefully you’ve heard something tonight to inspire
you to get moving and improve your health. I’d like
to thank tonight’s guests, Selena Sullivan and Darrin
Wilson, for sharing with us their expertise on physical fitness.
Thank you very much. Information in our program, again, is
for informational purposes and is not intended for use as
diagnosis or treatment of a health problem or as a substitute
for consulting a licensed health care professional for medical
advice, instruction, diagnosis or treatment. If you have specific
questions or concerns, please consult your physician or appropriate
licensed health care professional. If you’d like to
learn more about how to be physically fit or about the work
of our guests, please visit the Black Issues Forum
website at www.unctv.org/bif.
We would also like to hear your feedback and suggestions,
so send us an e-mail or call us at 919-549-7167. Tonight’s
show is the third in a series of three that we brought to
you as part of UNC-TV’s health initiative. Be sure to
join Black Issues Forum each Friday night at 9:30.
I’m Natalie Bullock Brown reminding you to be encouraged,
no matter what. Good night.
[THEME
MUSIC]
Voiceover:
This program was made possible by contributions to UNC-TV
from viewers like you. Thank you.
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