Staying Fit For Men Over 50 With Steven Jay - Stop Putting These Things In Your Mouth

This is the second hub in the series - Staying Fit For Men Over 50 With Steven Jay. As I mentioned in the first hub (and I'll repeat at the beginning of each hub in this series) - I am not a doctor, trainer, dietician, or exercise physiologist. Everything in this and similar hubs is advice and tips that I've picked up during the last 20+ years.

In the first hub of this series, I discussed, at length, how to determine your daily caloric needs. If you haven't read that hub, I recommend checking out that hub before continuing in the series. In this hub, I'll take an in-depth look at, what I believe to be, the three worse things that you can put into your mouth (you're going to be surprised at the first two).

And, although this series is aimed at men over 50 years old, essentially everything in this hub applies to men and women of all ages.

The Number 1 worse thing that you can put into your mouth - TOBACCO

Let me say right up front, I used to smoke - and I used to smoke a lot of cigarettes. I routinely smoked an entire package of cigarettes, and sometimes started a second pack, during a six hour watch at sea. I quit smoking in 1986. I am not one of those reformed smokers who will nag you into submission - tobacco use, like other similar vices, is a legal activity for those over 18 years old. However, you can't be fit over 50 (or at any age) and still use tobacco.

Every one of you out there reading this paragraph knows the dangers of tobacco use - I'm not going to bore you with nagging statistics. And keep in mind that tobacco in any form is unhealthy to use - chewing tobacco, snuff, cigars, pipes, cigarettes, snuff in the nose, hookah, etc. They all contribute to ill health. Additionally, tobacco's cost deprives you of another 'over 50 fitness' - it saps your financial health too.

The Number 2 worse thing that you can put into your mouth - YOUR FINGERS

That's right - your fingers. Again, let me say right up front, I used to bite my nails. I started biting my nails when I was about 8 years old and it took me 40 years to stop - and it was harder to stop biting my nails than it was to quit smoking. In everything we do, all day, everyday, we use our hands - and they touch things.

Stop for a moment and think about all of the things your hands touch everyday - and then think of the nastier things that they touch - the door knob or handle on the bathroom, the toilet seat, the flushing lever (I use my foot when out), the stall door handle, the sink faucet in the bathroom at work, the telephone, the tv remote (perhaps the worse offender in an hotel room), the raw chicken, the egg for breakfast, little Tommy's diaper, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera (sorry Yul). You get the idea.

And when you mindlessly put your fingers into your mouth, you risk the transfer of viruses and bacteria directly into your gut. So, what's the solution - wash your hands frequently and don't put your fingers into your mouth.

The Number 3 worse thing that you can put into your mouth - SODA

All soda - and that includes 'diet' soda.

Let's take a closer look at soda (not diet soda). A 12 ounce can of Coke has about 140 calories in it. If you're a 55 year old man maintaining 150 pounds (your total caloric intake in a day without exercise is 1657.5 calories) a 12 ounce can of Coke uses 8.5% of your total daily calories. And it provides you with absolutely no nutritional value - there's no protein in it; there's no 'good' fat in it; there's only sugar and caffeine and calories. If you're trying to stay within your daily caloric needs, wasting 8.5% of your calories on a Coke is neither fit nor smart. And, all that sugar is bad for your teeth! And, soda is expensive - it, too, saps your financial fitness.

And if you take a look at simple body chemistry ,without getting too technical, that sugar surge from a can of Coke, spikes insulin from your pancreas. The insulin causes the body to remove sugar from the blood. And once that insulin is released, your fat burning ability slows way down - the release of your fat burning hormone is prevented and your body can't burn fat for fuel.

And diet soda does exactly the same thing. That fake sweetness fools the brain into thinking it's drinking a sugar-laden soda. And guess what happens? The exact same thing as if you were drinking a full sugar Coke. Your body is tricked and even though you're drinking a zero calorie beverage, your fat burning ability is inhibited. Additionally, that sweet taste you put in your mouth also tricks your ability to count calories correctly. You eat more because you think you're not. How many times have you had a diet Coke with that Snickers bar?

The bottom line with soda is - don't drink it. In any form. It's just no good for you and does not contribute one bit to being fit.

In the next hub in the series, I'll take a look at fast food and its calories. Thanks for reading. Should you have any questions on this or other hubs in the series, please contact me through hubpages.

Good luck!

Steven Jay