As the spring season is coming around, people are constantly working towards getting that perfect “beach bod” for spring break and for when school gets out. What people do not know, though, is how to maintain a perfectly healthy lifestyle while still eating the correct foods. Jared Fleurent, owner of personal training and nutritional studio Sault Fitness in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, gives some insight as to how he can help prepare a healthy lifestyle for everyone who walks through his front door.
HC: What is a balanced diet?
JF: A balanced diet is a combination of nutrient dense foods, which include proteins, fruits, vegetables, complex carbohydrates (sweet potatoes, brown rice, quinoa to name a few) and healthy fats.
HC: Would you say having a balanced diet is important? Why/Why not?
JF: Having a balanced diet is very important for your health and overall wellbeing. From a health perspective, a well-balanced diet will help an individual maintain a healthy weight which, in return, lowers all the risk factors for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and early onset of type two diabetes. On top of the health benefits, a nutrient dense well-balanced diet will give a person a better night’s sleep and more sustained energy throughout the day. When we eat unhealthy heavy foods our digestive system has to work harder to process and breakdown the food which takes up energy within our body making us feel tired. When most people feel tired they may relate it to having a bad night’s sleep but when you look at what they ate most times it can be related to what they are eating. Another food group that can make people tired is sugars and processed sugars. For example, when an individual has something high in sugar, say a candy bar, they will get energy from the sugar. However, shortly after they will start to “crash,” feel tired and start craving more sugar which leads to a rollercoaster effect throughout the day.
HC: For your customers, do you usually recommend what foods to eat? If so, what foods?
JF: With my customers or clients I recommend more nutrient dense foods. Proteins (chicken, fish, red meats) fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, beans, legumes. They are allowed to have whatever types of food that they want, but it is important to keep most of your daily calories to more nutritious foods.
HC: In your opinion, is working out essential to a healthy lifestyle?
JF: In my opinion, working out is definitely important for a healthy lifestyle. Your body moves in all different planes with different ranges of motion and we need to learn how to control those movement patterns. With proper form, working out will increase your balance and range of motion. I like to call it functional resistance training. When done properly, it will create a better movement pattern that will carry over into your everyday life.
HC: As a personal trainer, why do you think it is important for someone to have a healthy lifestyle?
JF: When you live a healthy lifestyle, your overall well-being is better. Knowing you are eating a well-balanced diet and engaging in some sort of resistance based training is not only good for weight management and aesthetic reasons, but also for internal health. As we age, our metabolism starts to naturally slow down. By weight training, you are building or maintaining lean muscle which helps keep your metabolism from slowing down.
For more questions or if you are interested in getting a personal trainer, visit:
Website: saultfitness.com
Instagram: saultfitness