It’s National Nutrition Month: Health Tips From Some the Fittest People Out There

Who: Michael Olajide, Jr., Co-Founder of <a title="AEROSPACE High Performance Center" href="http://www.aerospacenyc.com/home.html" target="_blank">AEROSPACE High Performance Center</a>. Before opening AEROSPACE in New York City, Olajide was a former champion boxer. He earned the nickname “Silk” for his smooth footwork, slick hand speed and head movements. His boxing record was 28 wins and 4 losses, with 20 wins by knockout. He had four championship titles and was the No. 1 ranked middleweight contender in the world. He suffered an injury from the sport, which caused him to go blind in his right eye, but Olajide remains an international fitness expert, teaching high-intensity classes built around boxing and jumping rope. He has worked with Victoria's Secret model Adriana Lima, singer Mary J Blige and actors Hugh Jackman, Josh Hartnett and Mark Wahlberg. Diet: Omnivore. Nothing is off the menu with the exception of fast foods and hormone injected food. Health Resolution: Do a one-arm push-up like I used to when I fought. I think in order to maintain your physicality, you must continue to do things with the same intensity you had as a youth. Most surprising thing in my fridge: Ben and Jerry's ice cream. I do have an affinity for sweet and sugary foods. I go weeks without eating it and then I can have it two to three days in a row. General thoughts on weight loss and healthy living: Have unconventional eating habits. Treat food as fuel, and don't eat out of habit. We generally, as a society, consume far more than we need. The body can subsist on very little, especially if you aren't in a profession that requires you to be physically active. I feel health and wellness is, and will continue to be, the biggest problem for many nations that are fully developed, where convenience and convenient food is king. The human body in its perfect oasis will prefer to eat and lay about digesting food all day, every day. How we fight that is a problem of significant proportions and one of the most pressing we will face. The length and quality of life in terms of personal health will begin to drop significantly unless we find a way to combat the disease called over eating. No doctor or pharmaceutical will have the answer. It lies within the individual. Fitness regimen: Jump rope, shadow box, run, pull-ups, sculpting exercises. Guilty pleasure: Ice cream and Coca-Cola. MORE: <a title="For Better Heart Health Exercise Harder, Not Longer" href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/10/10/for-better-heart-health-exercise-harder-not-longer/" target="_blank">For Better Heart Health Exercise Harder, Not Longer</a>asifferlin

Who: Jess Kolko, Registered Dietitian for Whole Foods Market. Formerly in the restaurant industry, Kolko joined the Whole Foods Market Healthy Eating team and serves as the grocery chain's culinary educator. Diet: 90% vegan, 10% sushi. Health resolution: Taking time to focus on exercise that is fun for me—it feels more like going outside to play than exercising. Currently, this means trail running and lots of yoga. Most surprising thing in your fridge: ½ gallon of local kombucha from the farmer’s market. General thoughts on weight loss and healthy living: Focusing on foods in their whole, natural forms and making it the norm and to cook simply with seasonal ingredients is the best way to stop battling your plate. Make friends with whole, minimally processed food like fruits and veggies, whole grains, beans and legumes and the rest will take care of itself. Fitness regimen: I’m an avid runner and long distance triathlete, but I also practice yoga and enjoy being active outside. Guilty pleasure: Super Dark Chocolate 80% is my favorite. MORE: <a href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/10/01/guide-the-31-healthiest-foods-of-all-time-with-recipes/">Guide: The 31 Healthiest Foods of All Time (with Recipes)</a>asifferlin

Each year, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics sponsors a month-long campaign to improve nutrition education.  Everyone has their own health mantra. Some swear by the vegan diet while others think indulging here and there will help you make better choices in the long run. And when it comes to fitness, there are the die-hard yogis and the committed marathon runners. But regardless of where you fall on the healthy lifestyle spectrum, most people agree that it's the small changes that count the most in the long run. To inspire you to start making some of these changes, we turned the tables and asked a wide variety of health experts about what they eat, how they exercise and what their guilty pleasures are. Some are stricter than others, but they all know what they're talking about--and there are some surprises too. Here's a peek at how those health nuts really live. MORE: <a title="'Healthy' Foods Nutritionists Won't Touch" href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/04/24/healthy-foods-that-really-arent-nutritionists-weigh-in/" target="_blank">'Healthy' Foods Nutritionists Won't Touch</a>asifferlin

Who: Neda Talebian Funk, FITiST Co-Founder and CEO Neda Talebian Funk's fitness concierge service is changing how people get fit. <a title="FITiST" href="https://fitist.com/" target="_blank">FITiST</a> is an online platform that allows users to book curated packages of classes with top fitness experts and studios. Members pick a plan, such as “Mom-To-Be” or “Slim” and receive a mix of expert-recommended classes to meet their fitness goals. Members then sign-up for their classes at their preferred studios through FITiST, instead of contacting individual gyms. “We started incubating the idea during the rise of the boutique studio,” Neda Talebian Funk <a title="told TIME" href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/10/18/gym-jeeves-yes-you-can-hire-a-fitness-concierge/" target="_blank">told TIME</a>. “Individuals are increasingly booking things and shopping online, so we created a one-stop-shop for the best-of-the best in boutique studios and fitness and wellness providers in New York City.” Diet: I follow a sensible diet that's high in fruits and vegetables and lean protein. I tend to be bit of a grazer--eating small meals with snacks throughout the day (healthy snacks, of course). Health resolution: I actually don't have a new health resolution. I try to eat healthy every day, every year. Its a daily resolution. Most surprising thing in your fridge: Chocolate of all shapes and forms. I eat it from morning to night. General thoughts on weight loss, and healthy living: I don't focus on weight loss, but rather on making sensible decisions that lead to a healthy life. Start small. They say it takes five days to create a routine. Once you have a routine and healthy eating habits, it's much easier to maintain it. Fitness regimen: I need to sweat every day. I run, spin, take barre and bootcamp classes, and mix in some yoga. It's all about mixing it up. It's good for the body and the mind. Guilty pleasure: Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. It’s a perfect addition to breakfast, a mid-afternoon pick-me-up, and a sweet fix in the evening. MORE: <a title="Gym Jeeves: Yes, You Can Hire a Fitness Concierge" href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/10/18/gym-jeeves-yes-you-can-hire-a-fitness-concierge/" target="_blank">Gym Jeeves: Yes, You Can Hire a Fitness Concierge</a>asifferlin

Who: Tricia Williams, executive chef and founder of <a title="Food Matters NYC" href="http://foodmattersnyc.com/" target="_blank">Food Matters NYC</a>. Williams cooks with fresh, whole, locally grown, organic and sustainable food and worked at New York City restaurants like The City Bakery, Home Restaurant, Isla and Olives before setting off on her own. Williams and her culinary team deliver gourmet, healthy meals to healthy eaters, and educate clients on how making better eating choices can lead to better lifestyles overall. Diet: No gluten, dairy, or sugar; and low grains and high greens. Health resolution: Spend more time working out. It’s when I feel my best. Most surprising thing in your fridge: Jarred salsa that’s not homemade. I get it from the Brooklyn Salsa Company. It’s amazing. General thoughts on weight loss and healthy living: I go by the 80/20 rule. 80% plant-based and 20% animal protein. I’ve seen a lot of clients have success following a paleo-based diet (which focuses on foods our ancestors ate, including fresh meats, fish, fruits, vegetables and nuts), particularly the more athletic clients who have specific goals in mind. Fitness regimen: I run 5 miles four times a week. Three days a week I do Mixed Martial Arts for one hour. Three days a week I do one hour of weight training. Whenever I can fit it in, I do one long run of eight to 10 miles. Guilty pleasure: Anything chocolate – chocolate anything. MORE: <a title="Ten Food Substitutions For Healthier Eating" href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/10/03/top-10-food-substitutions-for-healthier-cooking/" target="_blank">Ten Food Substitutions For Healthier Eating</a>asifferlin

David Kirchhoff WW CEO 2 photo JPEG 2012

Who: David Kirchhoff, CEO of <a title="Weight Watchers" href="http://www.weightwatchers.com/index.aspx" target="_blank">Weight Watchers</a> International As the CEO of one of the biggest weight-loss program in the world, Kirchhoff knows a thing or two about keeping off the pounds. Over 1 million people in about 25 countries attend WW meetings each week, and 2 million use the diet's online program. He may be fit now, but Kirchhoff struggled with his weight for years, a battle that he chronicles in his book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Weight-Loss-Boss-Losing-Control/dp/1609619013" target="_blank">Weight Loss Boss</a>. "Every single day, at mealtimes, in places where I’m surrounded by food, I’m actively working to make better choices. The reward for doing it is so huge that I’m totally great putting in that bit of effort every day," Kirchhoff <a title="told TIME" href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/05/21/qa-weight-watchers-ceo-describes-his-path-to-becoming-the-weight-loss-boss/" target="_blank">told TIME</a> in an earlier interview. Kirchhoff also doesn't believe willpower is a good strategy for dieting. "I actually think the notion of willpower can be destructive," he said. "The reason I say that is that there is a presumption that one simply needs to exert willpower to ward off temptation. Knowing how our brains work from science, it’s a false premise. It never works. Rather, my view is that this is one place where I get to stack the deck in my favor. By managing my environment so that I’m not tempted, I don’t have to exert nearly as much willpower." Diet: Vegetables, fruit (lots!), seafood, whole grains. Basically, <a href="http://www.choosemyplate.gov/" target="_blank">MyPlate</a>, the government's guidelines for healthy eating. Health resolution: Slow down and be more mindful! Put my fork down after every bite, and eat more meals at tables. Most surprising thing in your fridge: A human head. Kidding. I keep a stash of cheese (my idea of indulgence). General thoughts on weight loss, and healthy living: Focus on the end game: eating the smart foods as a matter of habit, not willpower. The key is to use the right tools and support to help you make healthy life automatic and easy, not a test of character and resolve. Fitness regimen: I try to exercise every day. Took me 10 years to work up to that point. Guilty pleasure: Ice cream, even though it's my kryptonite, I treat it carefully, with respect, and ultimately with love when I have it. MORE: <a title="Q&A: Weight Watchers CEO Describes His Path to ‘Weight Loss Boss’" href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/05/21/qa-weight-watchers-ceo-describes-his-path-to-becoming-the-weight-loss-boss/" target="_blank">Q&A: Weight Watchers CEO Describes His Path to ‘Weight Loss Boss’</a>asifferlin

Who: Tamal Dodge, owner and founder of the <a title="Tamal Yoga" href="http://www.tamalyoga.com/" target="_blank">Tamal Yoga</a> School Dodge was born and raised on his family's yoga ashram in Hawaii and has been teaching and practicing yoga since he was a child. Tamal co-founded The Yoga Collective in Santa Monica and tours the country conducting yoga workshops and training instructors. He also films a yoga DVD series, including "<a title="Element: Yoga for Energy & Relaxation" href="http://www.amazon.com/Element-Energy-Relax-Tamal-Dodge/dp/B008DL4HWU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362433086&sr=8-1&keywords=element+yoga+for+energy+&+relaxation" target="_blank">Element: Yoga for Energy & Relaxation</a>." Diet: I'm a vegan. I eat a plant-based yoga diet. Raised on an ashram, I've never eaten meat, fish or eggs. In my late teens I went completely vegan. Health resolution: I'm always trying to find more time and to also do less. That's a big weakness of mine; I tend to do too much. I need to consciously make time to restore myself with quiet time and take mini-vacations from myself. You can't go hard, hard, hard all the time. That's why there's always savasana at the end of every yoga class. Most surprising thing in your fridge: I eat extremely healthy. You'll find more green things than non-green things in my fridge. It looks like a garden exploded. I'll have four to five kinds of sprouts, spinach, kale, spirulina, Sun Warrior raw sprouted brown rice protein powder. My 4-year-old son has green drinks with me. General thoughts on weight loss and healthy living: Whatever you do, make sure it's a commitment you can follow. Don't over-commit. Then, when you're ready, make a slight upgrade. You'll see better results that way. In my experience, drastic changes don't work. Fitness regimen: I practice yoga every day, but I make sure it's a balance. If I do a hard vinyasa flow practice one day, I'll go more restorative the next. I'll do something every day. I ride my bike, I surf and swim. Whatever I'm doing, I try to do something that I enjoy. That gives me the motivation to stick with it. Guilty pleasure: I don't have any. My wife says I'm the extremist. She has the guilty pleasures. For my birthday, I may get a veggie burger or an agave-sweetened soda [while eating] out. MORE: <a title="We Tried This: Aerial Vinyasa (or Upside-Down) Yoga " href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/08/22/we-tried-this-aerial-vinyasa-or-upside-down-yoga/" target="_blank">We Tried This: Aerial Vinyasa (or Upside-Down) Yoga</a>asifferlin

Who: Dr. Sonu S. Ahluwalia, Clinical Chief, Division of Orthopedic Surgery at Cedars Sinai Medical Center Ahluwalia leads the sports medicine division of the department where he treats sports injuries of professional athletes. Abroad, he is the host of his own talk show, “All is Well with Dr. Ahluwalia,” which has earned him the title of the "Dr. Oz of India." As a fitness pro himself, Dr. Ahluwalia has climbed to the base camp of Mt. Everest and summitted Mt. Kilimanjaro. Diet: Omnivorous but preferentially a pescatarian. That means I eat very little red meat. I love the Mediterranean diet which is heavy on olive oil, nuts and fish. Health resolution: Get enough sleep. Less stress. Meditate. Most surprising thing in your fridge: Greek yoghurt with honey. I keep mostly all natural and healthy foods such as kale salad, which is surprisingly tasty. General thoughts on weight loss, and healthy living: Moderation is the key to healthy living. You can eat everything, but just not too much of anything. Eat multiple small meals a day, and work out regularly—even small things like walking up and down stairs instead of taking the elevator helps a lot. Fitness regimen: I do strength training and cardio which includes hiking in the outdoors approximately three days a week. It is nice to be able to exercise outdoors because it is a great way to de-stress and to see friends on the canyon trail. Guilty pleasure: Dark chocolate. MORE: <a title="The Perfect Playlist: How Your iPod Can Help You Run Faster and Harder" href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/08/06/the-perfect-playlist-how-your-ipod-can-help-you-run-faster-and-harder/" target="_blank">The Perfect Playlist: How Your iPod Can Help You Run Faster and Harder</a>asifferlin

Who: Will Gadd, pro-outdoor sports guru Gadd has participated in rock climbing, ice climbing, paragliding and kayaking events. Growing up in a family that hiked and climbed mountains whenever possible, Gadd's earliest memories include backpacking trips and windy summits. His list of accomplishments is long, and includes setting the world record for paragliding distance (twice), winning three gold medals at the X Games and, of course, surviving his exploits. Diet: I spent years trying every diet under the sun, and every single one failed not only for me but for everyone I knew. Stunningly, I kept trying another one. Eventually I realized that any form of "diet" was flat-out crazy, and I stopped doing that and started actually listening to what my body was saying. Today I eat food that makes me feel good long-term, I exercise a lot because it's fun, and I feel great. Most of us have completely disconnected what we "want" to eat with what we need to eat; Oreo ice cream is not actually what your body will run really well on and in fact will cause a severe blood sugar swing, but it tastes great. I'll eat some occasionally, but I've been eating basically the same way for ten years now: Simple, mostly unprocessed foods that fuel me up for being outside and active. Health Resolution: I try to do something, it doesn't matter what, every single day. Go for a walk with my daughter on my back. Climb a rock. Swim. Kayak. Paddle a canoe. Lift weights. Run. Just do something physical and outside if at all possible every single day. We are all athletes, and capable of amazing things. Yes, even those of us stuck in office chairs for way too long... Sometime in the not-so-distant past our ancestors hunted, fought, climbed, gathered, survived harsh conditions with little clothing and generally kicked ass. Those genes are in us or we wouldn't be alive today, we just have to find ways to express them. Getting outside and into the mountains feels good on so many levels that I think it must be a DNA-level response to what works for us as humans. Outdoor adventure sports, from kayaking to snowshoeing to surfing, are life-long activities that aren't just "cardio" or "exercise," they are communities, a lifestyle, a way of looking at the world. Once your friends are all going outside and hiking on Saturday then you want to as well, and doing a couple of mid-week walks to stay fit for the weekends comes naturally. We have to get back in touch with our ancestors who knew how to breathe hard and enjoy the sun on their faces because they did it every single day. We can too; the rewards are life long and so deep that they are truly soul-changing. But we have to commit to moving, to finding our inner athlete, and enjoying our time moving. Running on a treadmill is NOT sustainable. Hiking in the woods is. Simple. Most surprising thing in my fridge: Oreo ice cream. General thoughts on weight loss and healthy living: "Sustainability" is a big buzz word in politics these days, but it actually applies to exercise, diet and lifestyle really well. Can you see yourself doing what you're doing now for "exercise" day in, day out for the next 20 years? If not then you probably won't. Staring at a TV screen in a gym while running on a treadmill is NOT sustainable. Eating only "Paleo" or Primal or Atkins or every other "diet" is totally unsustainable as well. But eating good basic foods, going outside and hiking, and deciding to put a real priority on just doing something physical and fulfilling every single day is sustainable. I look at all the old hikers in the mountains, the Nordic skiers at my local ski area, the walkers in the mall—they have found something sustainable, and an occasional cookie isn't going to lead to fat thighs or some other crazy body-image problem. Live, breathe, give! Simple. Fitness regimen: I do four sports at a high level (Rock climbing, ice climbing, paragliding and kayaking), and again I've tried a lot of different training schemes over the years. Today I primarily train by doing my sports; my goals are performance based, not about looking good or dominating a barbell. I need to be actually good at my specific sports, and sports-specific training works for me. On top of that I layer a few really basic exercises that I do at least once or twice a week on average. These exercises keep me broadly "strong" in ways my sports don't. I do squats, pullups, bench press, front levers (body tension is far more important than "core" strength" in my sports, if you can do a front lever your "core" is plenty strong), and dead lifts. I'll throw in other stuff in the weight room, or substitute pushups or dips if that's what I have handy, but these basic exercises are all the "strength" training most adventure athletes are ever going to need. There are those who will argue that strength training is essential for outdoor performance, but I have the medals and they don't, enough said. Simple. Guilty pleasure: But if I need 3,000 calories to eat for fuel on a big climbing day I've got nothing against chocolate chip cookies at all; sugar is fuel for big days. Look at what the top athletes who WIN in sport are eating; generally good basic foods, and doing their sports a lot. Simple.asifferlin

Who: Dr. David Satcher, former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Satcher is an advocate for American public health. He is currently the director of the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine, focusing on improving public health policy and eliminating health disparities for underserved groups. He was a four star admiral in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and was the 16th Surgeon General of the United States. He is credited as the first physician to call on action for addressing the obesity epidemic in 2001. Diet: My diet begins with breakfast where I have a mixture of fresh fruits and vegetables that we keep cut up at home, low-fat milk with whole-grain cereal and one boiled egg. Occasionally when the grandchildren visit I fix whole-wheat pancakes, sometimes with turkey sausage. Lunch and dinner are primarily a lean protein such as chicken or fish with at least two servings of vegetables, and we also enjoy whole-wheat pasta with ground turkey meat sauce. After dinner, we have fresh fruit for dessert. I have one glass of red wine with dinner every night. Health resolution: I occasionally make health resolutions, but my weight has been the same for almost 30 years. So my resolutions are to continue to eat healthy and be physically active. The time that I set aside for physical activity is in the morning, for about 45 minutes before I have breakfast. Most surprising thing in your fridge: Right now, the very high calorie birthday cake that was given to me by my daughter and son-in-law. General thoughts on weight loss and healthy living: The most important thing is healthy living and for most people who get regular physical activity and follow good nutrition, including a healthy breakfast, they should not have a problem with gaining weight. I think as we get older we need fewer calories to maintain the same level of daily performance and weight. As U.S. Surgeon General, I communicated directly with the American people about the connection between good nutrition, physical activity and learning in children. With the <a href="http://www.genyouthfoundation.org/">GenYOUth Foundation</a>, we’re examining how eating breakfast and being active at school can help kids actually perform better academically. And with in-school wellness programs like <a href="http://www.fueluptoplay60.com/">Fuel Up to Play 60</a>, we’ve seen how giving students the ability to help choose their own school menus empowers kids to make more nutritious food choices. Fitness regimen: I follow my own prescription that I recommend for all Americans: at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day, five to seven days a week. Personally, I get active every day of the week, walking, jogging, rowing, and even gardening. Keeping up with my four grandchildren keeps me active as well! Guilty pleasure We have ice cream about once a week and I enjoy the occasional piece of dark chocolate. MORE: <a title="Five Unconventional Fitness Classes To Start Now" href="http://healthland.time.com/2012/05/18/five-unconventional-fitness-classes-to-try-now/#trampoline-workout-embrace-your-inner-child" target="_blank">Five Unconventional Fitness Classes To Start Now</a>asifferlin

It’s National Nutrition Month: Health Tips From Some the Fittest People Out There

The Fitness Trainer

The Dietitian

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The Fitness Entrepreneur

The Healthy Chef

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The Yogi

The Sports Medicine Expert

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