Derek Cutting, owner of Latte Built gym, speaks to his fellow Rotarians about nutrition and fitness on Tuesday at Crowne Plaza Resort.
ROTARIAN and Latte Built gym owner Derek Cutting shared personal strategies for making health and fitness a part of everyday living.
In his remarks during the Rotary Club of Saipan’s meeting at Crowne Plaza Resort on Tuesday, Cutting said 75% of health efforts should be spent on nutrition. Individuals should be more concerned with consuming healthy, lean foods than they are with maximizing their workouts, he added.
Cutting recommended keeping a food log, which he said can help adjust one’s eating behavior.
“A lot of times we try to lie to ourselves [saying] ‘I’ve been eating really well, but I’m not seeing results.’ You look back at your log, you’re probably not eating as good as you think you are,” he said.
Cutting said “extra drinks” and “snacks between good meals” could sabotage one’s health goals.
He said a “cheat meal” is a nice way to reward oneself for working hard, but that it is supposed to be limited to one meal.
“Make sure it’s only a scheduled meal each week,” he said. “For example, I’ll do every Saturday evening as my cheat meal. I’ll look forward to it.”
He said individuals can change their eating habits little by little.
His suggestions include getting used to eating healthy food, and then removing bad foods gradually.
“As you start to have confidence in yourself and you’re realizing that these good habits that you’re adding are showing results, you’re naturally going to want to start cutting back on the bad habits,” Cutting said.
He also recommends 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week — walking, swimming or light workouts that are not too strenuous.
As an individual becomes stronger, s/he can perform weightlifting or high intensity interval training for 75 minutes a week, he added.
He also advocated for building strength through added muscle mass, but said that not everyone needs to be a bodybuilder.
“Just building muscle doesn’t mean you have to go to a large size,” Cutting said. “It just means working on strengthening muscle. That alone is going to change your lifespan drastically.”
Cutting said those interested in adding muscle need to keep “progressive overload” in mind. Meaning, that as time passes and they increase in strength, they need to continue to increase their workout intensity.
He said achieving good health is a “marathon” and not a “sprint.”
“Don’t expect that after three days of workout or eating healthy you’ll suddenly have a booty like Beyoncé or abs like The Rock. It’s going to take time. And don’t get frustrated,” Cutting said. “Just stick to the plan. If it’s not working, then talk to someone like us [at Latte Built] who can help you out and adjust your plan accordingly.”
