Amy Riolo's Blog: Culinary Medicine and Fitness for Men's Health

In honor of Men's Health Week and Fathers' Day, my last #WellnessWednesday Q & A series with Dr. Sam Pappas was dedicated to "Fitness and Culinary Medicine for Men's Health." Last week we were joined by Masters Health Coach Chris Mattice of Cypress Fitness and Physical Therapy.

Dr. Pappas addressed medical concerns of his male patients and how he collaborates with Chris to help them achieve optimal health. I shared some of my nutrition tips along with recipes and Mediterranean lifestyle strategies to help men meet their health goals. According to Dr. Pappas, "sitting is the new smoking." He feels that we have become couch potatoes both at home and at work and that as a culture, we've chosen the wrong Homer to pattern ourselves after. We should be following in the footsteps of the ancient Homer, not Homer Simpson.

Watch the video here:

In review, here are 15 great takeaway tips from the session were:

You never put something in your mouth by accident- choose your foods wisely.

Don't look only at future fitness goals. Look at why previous goals failed.

When starting a new fitness plan, you need to decide if you want to put on muscle or lose weight - choose one and plan accordingly.

If you exercise more, you need to eat more. If you exercise less, you need to eat less.

Water, exercise, leafy green vegetables and sleep contribute to good health.

If your urine is dark, you are not drinking enough water.

Start new habits one at a time.

Cardio "interval based training can raise and drop your heart rate. If you work out a minute, your rest is 30 seconds.

1000 mg of omega 3 is a good supplement dosage unless you have high triglycerides.

Enjoy workouts and don't overdue it.

Your calories should be lower on the days you don't work out.

Intermittent fasting is very beneficial to many.

Meal planning is important, choose recipes, make a list, shop, and plan accordingly.

Stairs and resistance bands are a great way to start a fitness regimes.

Eat plenty of beans and greens but be sure to incorporate animal-based proteins regularly as well.

Below are 5 of my favorite recipes featuring lean-protein and/or legumes for losing weight and building muscle as well as complex carbs for energy. Visit my YouTube channel for more ideas.