Fitness: Interviews from Three Very Different People

A few days ago, I interviewed three different people about their opinion of health and fitness as related to their personal lifestyles. I tried to find three totally different opinions of fitness. Here are the people I found: a physical therapy major, and culinary arts graduate, and a high school basketball player. They may not seem very different, but they kinda are. Take a look at their answers to my questions.
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The first person I interviewed is the physical therapy major; his name is Cameron.

Me: How long have you been interested in physical therapy?
Cameron: it's been a fascination of mine for quite a long time now. I used to play lots of sports, including basketball and football. But when I was a high school freshman I was playing a football game and my knee was injured. It took a physical therapist to get me back on my feet. I was never able to get back into the game, but I'm able to walk now. That's what really got me into physical therapy.
Me: Do you think health and fitness is important in a person's everyday lifestyle?
Cameron: Yes. If I hadn't been healthy and physically fit, my physical therapist says I would've never healed as quickly as I did. I think it's really important for people to eat right and exercise.
Me: What does you diet consist of?
Cameron: I have to admit, it's not perfect, especially living on a college student's salary! So sometimes I throw some bad stuff in there. But I eat a lot of cereal and plenty of lean meats for protein. Drink a lot of milk. Stuff like that.
Me: Do you exercise?
Cameron: Yes! In fact, every night before I go to bed, I do crunches and push ups regardless of whether or not I'm not able to work out during the day. I also play intramural basketball to keep me in shape.
Me: Would you recommend playing sports to stay in shape?
Cameron: Not necessarily. I think people can stay in shape without doing sports. It all depends on what your exercise preference is. Whatever you do to stay in shape, do what you gotta do! As long as you're doing something!
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The next person that I interviewed is the culinary arts graduate; her name is Giovanni. I decided to interview her to get a feel for how contemporary culinary artists felt about incorporating health into their dishes.

Me: How long have you been cooking?
Giovanni: I have been cooking ever since I ca remember. My father is a cook, so he brought me into the "family business".
Me: Before you studies culinary art, did you think about health when cooking?
Giovanni: Not really! I was a lot more worried about taste to be honest with you. In fact, I still am! But back then, I never even thought about it. I was brought up cooking Soul Food, which is notorious for being unhealthy! Nonetheless, I love it and it was hard to consider health issues when I began tostudy culinary arts because it meant cutting most of this food out!
Me: How did things change when you began to study culinary arts?
Giovanni: It changed a lot. It made me think about the effects of continuing to eat unhealthy food- high blood pressure, diabetes, and even death. I was happy to learn though that I can still cook a lot of my food without sacrificing the tase. For example, using Splanda instead of sugar. It still tastes pretty much the same! Just more expensive...
Me: Have you changed the proportions of food that you serve after studying culinary arts?
Giovanni: Definitely. I have learned that sometimes you don't have to take your facorte foods altogether out of your diet. Sometimes it's just about eating them in moderation. Like instead of eating a whole piece of steak, I'll cut it in half. If I'm still hungry I can always come back. But if I have the whole piece of steak on my plate I feel compelled to eat it. So cutting it in half helps me take better control of my hunger.
Me: How much Soul Food have you cut out of your cooking?
Giovanni: I'll be honest, not much! I still cook a lot of the old faves, but I'm a lot more conscious about the ingredients. I cook a lot for family and friends, and I would hate for my food to be the reason they have health issues later.
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The last person I interviewed plays JV high school basketball; his name is Shelton. What makes hi interesting is that this is his first year playing a sport in about five years. So he's kinds going from 0 to 60 pretty quickly. Let's see what he had to say:

Me: What made you wanna play basketball for your high school?
Shelton: Well, I've been dating someone for about a year now, and she plays basketball. She kinda inspired me to get back into the game.
Me: Has it been hard getting back into basketball?
Shelton: Yeah. I used to play whan I was younger; I played football and baseball too. All rec. But I stopped for a long time, so to come back into it randomly was a little hard.I gained weight and wasn't eating too healthy. So it was pretty tough.
Me: What hurdles did you have to overcome getting back into sports?
Shelton: I had to start eating healthier and exercising a lot more. When you play ball it's constant running up and down the court. So if you're not eating right and in shape, you'll get tired immediately.
Me: How did you change your exercise and diet plans?
Shelton: I have to work out with the team and everything, that's not an option! But I also try to do some running and weight lifting on my own. I also try to eat a lot of chicken and fish, vegetables... More protein than just a lot of fat.
Me: Do you think playing basketball again has helped you to become more healthy?
Shelton: You have to become more healthy to play. End of story. Otherwise, you'll never get in the game. Since it's my first year, I haven't got in much but I still gotta be ready at any time to get in. Can't be huffing and puffing up and down the court. Gotta change your lifestyle if you wanna play.
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Three different people, three different backgrounds. Somehow, though, they all agree that health and fitness is important. Hmm, something to think about.

Ash:-)