Blog Post 4-17-17

My 20 time project is on Nutrition and Athletic Performance. For this project, I was asked to find a mentor. The mentor I chose is Tyler Kadolph. Talking to Tyler Kadolph really helped me get a better understanding of the impact of proper nutrition and it’s effect on athletic performance.  As a runner, having this knowledge will help me become a better athlete. Tyler is a sales representative at GNC and has worked here for over a year.  In a short amount of time, he has become knowledgable and is willing to share his expertise with customers. As an athlete with a strong desire to be faster and better,  I believe he was the perfect person to interview. Tyler is easy to talk to; is a non-competing bodybuilder, and passionate about health and fitness.  He provided me insight on the best protein drinks to build muscle. In addition we discussed topics that I was already aware of but it was always time well spent.  He always enhanced my knowledge by adding extra information or facts to things I thought I already knew. One of the most important discussions we had was on “fat”.  Tyler explained that the body needs fat but It has to come from foods that are made of good quality fats. I was shocked to learn that you really don’t need supplements. Supplements are just substitutes for food. When you eat healthy, real food that is not processed, the body gets the nutrients it needs to function properly. This experience changed the way I present information to the class because I learned new, exciting information that benefits everyone. As the result of this project, I gained a mentor, a friend, valuable information and a new commitment to my personal health and fitness. I think about and apply the information I gained from Tyler to my training plan. I have a deeper understanding of supplements, proper lifting to build muscles and the pros and cons of dieting.  The next step for this project is to encourage others to develop and apply healthy eating and fitness based on the new information I learned. The key take-away is to start with baby steps because small changes can have huge rewards.