Fitness Wrap: Josh Swickard
Diet
“When I hit 29 or 30, I definitely noticed, ‘Oh, my metabolism is different than when I was 15!’ I’ve learned that, for myself, whole foods are the way to go — wild-caught fish, grass-fed beef, fruits, vegetables. My diet is usually really high in meat protein and good fats like olive oil and avocado. I start the day with a smoothie packed with tons of fruits and vegetables and a bit of protein powder or a high-protein breakfast like eggs or ground beef or a steak with avocado. Lunch is usually a salad with protein on it, like chicken or smoked salmon, with cheese and nuts. Dinner is something like a salad, meat or fish, and a sweet potato. I have to do the grocery-shopping because if [wife] Lauren does it and comes home with five pints of Ben & Jerry’s, I do not have the willpower to let it live in the freezer for more than 24 hours! I don’t want to make it sound like I always eat perfectly; I do struggle with eating right, but I try to eat healthy 70 percent of the time. I would say that if you’re trying to lose weight, don’t eat for about three hours before you go to bed, so your body is focused on sleep and repair while you’re sleeping, not digesting your dinner. Taking a brisk 15-minute walk after each meal is also a great idea.”
Fitness:
“My goal was always to work out 45 minutes a day, five days a week, but now that I have two babies at home, that doesn’t always happen. Now my goal is three-to-four five-minute workouts a day, where I’ll sit down and do 50 sit-ups, 50 push-ups and 50 squats and then I’ll go on with my day. At our house, we have a Peloton bike and some free weights, but I haven’t been to a traditional gym in maybe four years. I’m not focused on my chest or my abs, I just want to keep moving my body. I want to have a good body, but my first goal is to stay without aches and pains for as long as possible and focus on health span over a life span. It’s all about mobility and flexibility. My dream isn’t to have a perfect six-pack, it’s to be able to downhill ski with my great-grandkids! I try to play that backwards and say, ‘Okay, so what can I do at 31 to [achieve that]?’ When I have time, I box with a friend, I go for runs around my neighborhood and on hikes, and I use my friend’s boot-camp-meets-training-camp app, AARMY, which always lays me out. But if I can get in one Peloton bike and a run and two weight-lifting things in a week, I’m pretty happy. If you’re new to exercise, don’t get discouraged. Do your best each day. Anyone can attempt a push-up on their knees, and then all of a sudden, you can do two push-ups. Whatever you can do today, do it, and celebrate it. Try a 20-minute walk once a day, then after a couple of weeks, do it twice a day. Another tip is jumping rope; it’s a wonderful full-body workout.”
Conversation
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