Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Healthy Lifestyle Propels Steier


Jake Recker | Editor for The Mount

“I just don’t let it bug me. People are usually not teasing me to be mean, they are just more  curious as to why I do it,” senior Jimmy Steier said. Steier has made it his lifestyle to stay in the best physical shape possible. Most teenagers today ?nd it impossible to stay dedicated to a certain task whether that be school work or a healthy lifestyle. The dedication Steier has to staying healthy shows how he is unlike most teens.

“I want to live long and staying in shape is the key to that,” Steier said. Steier has been an avid soccer player for most of his life and that is what ?rst got him interested in staying so healthy.  Since his sophomore year in highschool, Steier has been exercising for four hours a day on average. A typical afternoon for Steier consists of two hours of lifting and cardio exercises after school then a two hour soccer practice in the evening. When lifting he concentrates mostly on compound lifts such as bench press, deadlift, and squatting. After his heavy lifting, Steier does cardio exercises to help with his speed and stamina. In the fall, Steier plays on his club soccer team Omaha Football Club and has been on the varsity soccer team for Mount Michael since he was a freshman. “I have always been in pretty good shape from playing soccer but it was not until high school that I realized there is more to staying in shape than just the physical aspects,” Steier said.

The fear of becoming out of shape and unhealthy motivated Steier to start eating healthy on top of all his physical activities. “I read online that the proper nutrition can help in sports,” Steier said. “After reading that, I decided to only eat healthy and stay away from foods that can harm my body.” The only food Steier eats now includes any type of lean meat like chicken, any type of vegetable, any type of whole grain carbohydrates, brown rice, and natural peanut butter for protein. Steier also takes supplements to enhance his workout abilities. “I take creatine to help with my general lifting ability as well as occasional pre-workout to get me energized for my workouts,” Steier said. However, the most essential tool for building bigger muscles faster according to Steier is protein. “For me, protein is the key supplement I take and I think that anyone who works out should take some form of protein.”

 Steier’s lifestyle is well known around Mount Michael. He inspires some students to work out while others just think he is too dedicated tostaying healthy. Senior Hunter Hottovy is one who was motivated by Steier to start working out almost as regularly as Steier. “My freshman year,I would work out on occasion, but after seeing the drive Jimmy had to stay in such great shape, I was motivated to work out harder,” Hottovy said. “Now I try to work out every day and am eating healthier than I used to.” Although there are some who can appreciate what Steier does every day, there are others around Mount Michael who cannot comprehend why Steier has the drive to stay so healthy. “Other students around the school often come up and ask me why am I so crazy about staying so healthy,” Steier said. “I just tell them that this is my choice and that this is extremely important to me. This is my lifestyle and I don’t force mine on them, and likewise they don’t force theirs on me.”