Where did you get that body?

Philip Alberti
33, epidemiologist, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn

What is your diet?
I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, especially brussels sprouts, Swiss chard, spinach and broccoli. I also eat lean protein and not many carbs. Last night for dinner, I had salmon, brown rice and kale.

What is your exercise regimen?
I lift five days a week for 45 minutes each time and switch off days. So on Monday, I’ll do my back; Tuesday, chest; Wednesday, off. But life happens, so days are skipped or switched pretty regularly. I like to do a lot of pull-ups, sit-ups, push-ups and dips, and I mix machines with barbells and dumbbells. And I’ll usually do about 30 minutes of cardio on the elliptical machine, too, or take a bike ride around the park.

What is your fitness philosophy?
I think that modern-day humans would benefit from adopting a lifestyle like early man, who ate fruits, vegetables, nuts, meat when he was lucky, very little grains and no processed foods. Eating healthier was a slower process for me, but in some ways, it’s more important than the gym in terms of making me feel healthier.

How do you balance work and exercise?
I work pretty early days, so I have time in the afternoon. I’m not one of those people who loves going to the gym, but I love feeling healthy, so it’s a means to an end. It’s a struggle getting there half the time, but I make myself and once I’m there, I usually get into it. Besides feeling better and looking better, it makes me feel less guilty about all the time I spend watching crappy TV.

What is your favorite body part?
Well, the one that gets commented on the most is my chest. Let’s leave it at that. My least favorite is easy: I wish I had bigger arms.

THE EXPERTS WEIGH IN

On diet…
“Fruits and vegetables are low in calories, fiber rich, and you get filled up quickly,” says Elisa Zied, author of So What Can I Eat?! “Fish is a great source of protein, but also of omega-3s, which are very important for neurological function and heart health.” Zied is a big fan of whole grains, like brown rice, but thinks that refined grains (the white bread and pasta we’ve all been warned against) don’t have to be eliminated entirely. “If you like sugar cereal in the morning, mix in a whole-grain, high-fiber cereal. Small substitutions can make a big difference.”

On regimen…
“You don’t want to do the same thing over and over again,” says Jason Machowsky, a trainer at Equinox. “If you use the same movements and devices, you will stop improving.” Assigning a day to each body part works if you spend five days a week in the gym. For the rest of us, Machowsky suggests a full-body exercise only three days a week. “You don’t necessarily have to be in the gym,” he adds. “Swimming is a great full-body workout.”

—Nicole Tourtelot

Want to lift weights? Hit Club H Fitness (various locations; clubhfitness.com).

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Where did you get that body? | Getting the shaft | Playa fields
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