By Jeff Harrison
PHC Director of Personal Training

By now we’re all familiar with Michael Phelps, who many are calling the greatest Olympian of all time. Well on his way to breaking the 36 year old mark of 7 Gold medals in one Olympics, many may wonder what it takes to feed an athlete of this caliber — and, really, he’s more than an athlete, Michael Phelps is a machine!  

Fueling the “Machine”

For Phelps to fuel his performance and maintain body weight, he reportedly consumes 12,000 calories each day! This is about 10,000 more than most individuals … but most individuals also aren’t putting in 30+ hours of training each week. Instead, most are hoping to be active for just a few hours each week. And this is fine for general health and disease prevention. But of course nutrition plays a major role in this picture as well. And scientists suggest it’s all about waist circumference — the size of your waist dictates how healthy (or unhealthy) you are.  

Waist Measurements

For a majority of the American population, there’s a major concern, with over 66% overweight or obese. To accurately measure your waist circumference, have a certified fitness professional measure you.  

Women 

• Waist circumference of over 31 inches (about 80cm) indicates slight health risk.
• Waist of over 35 inches (about 90cm) indicates substantially increased health risk.  

Men 

• Waist of over 37 inches (about 94cm) indicates slight health risk.
• Waist of over 40 inches (about 102cm) indicates substantially increased health risk.  

Do you want to know how many calories YOU need each day?  We can tell you, but I guarantee it’s not 12,000 calories!