When the 2008 Olympic Games open in Beijing, millions will be marveling at all the athletes' bodies. Muscled legs, backs, abs, and arms - sure signs of the Olympic body, carefully sculpted for power, speed, and endurance.

But what does it take to get that Olympic body? And could the average Joe (or Joelle) ever hope to look like an Olympic athlete?

"Sure," says Sam Callan, an exercise physiologist and the coaching education manager for USA Cycling. "If you're willing to spend the time."

Of course, few people have the kind of time that Olympic athletes devote to their training. But even if your best "event" revolves around the remote, not all is lost. After all, when it comes to the competition for a healthy body, it's often enough to join the game.

So if you're ready to shape up, here are some cues from the pros to get you started:

1. Know your body type.

Some of us are built for speed, some for endurance, says Callan. Figuring out what feels natural -- and what you're best at -- will help you determine which type of exercise will work for you.

Do you like to jump? Sprint? Spend time on the treadmill? Everyone has a unique body composition, and which composition of muscle fiber type you have will determine whether you will have more endurance or speed and power.

"We're all born somewhere on that continuum, but all the training in the world can only move you a little bit," he explains. That's why Arnold Schwarzenegger probably couldn't have been a long-distance runner, he says.

2. Determine your goals.

You're bound to be better at some kinds of physical events than others, so choose one or two that feel natural and that you enjoy. You'll be much more likely to stick with it -- and see success.

Do you want to slim down? Focus on nutrition and a routine of steady cardiovascular endurance exercise, with short bursts of speed called interval training. Do you want to build up your cardiovascular endurance? Try swimming, running, or cycling. If it's speed you're after, try adding sprints to your routine. And if you only have a short time to work out, try circuit training, which consists of a series of resistance training exercises performed one after the other, with minimal rest.

But if you have weak areas, says Callan, don't hesitate to address them with specific training.

3. Eat healthfully.

Brooke Bennett, three-time Olympic gold medalist in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics -- and the current world record holder for the 800-meter freestyle swim -- says that diet should be the first focus for anyone hoping to improve physical well-being.

"Nutrition is key in anybody's life, whether we're professional athletes or working at a desk," says Bennett, now a certified personal trainer and nutritionist and a consultant to USA Swimming. "It's about 80% of our lifestyle."

The former Olympic athlete believes that content, not calories, should be the focus of any "Olympic body" regimen. Besides the obvious -- fruit, vegetables, lean proteins, and slow carbohydrates like brown rice and sweet potatoes -- Callan also recommends watching the sugar content of the foods you
eat.

"People stress about [the calorie content of protein], but they should be stressing about sugar," Bennett says." Sugar has a high-calorie count but it's metabolized quickly. And if you're not burning the sugars while working out, you're going to put on weight."

4. Eat frequently, with a mixture of protein and carbohydrates at every meal.

Your body needs a steady supply of fuel if it's going to function at maximum efficiency. Eating frequently also increases your body's metabolism, which means it will burn more calories.

Olympic athletes eat five to six meals a day, with protein at each, to increase lean muscle mass and maintain maximum efficiency. So plan to eat smaller meals, ideally two and one-half to three hours between each.

"You want to keep your body running so efficiently that everything you're using is converted to energy and your body doesn't store anything," Bennett explains.

Star shot-putter and two-time Olympic silver medalist Adam Nelson, who is competing in Beijing, follows this advice religiously. In order to maintain his muscled physique, Nelson eats protein every three hours -- a total of 300 grams per day.

A typical day for him begins at 6:30 a.m. with six to eight eggs, a cup or two of berries, and coffee. At 9:30 a.m., he'll have an apple and protein shake. For lunch, he'll eat a turkey sandwich packed with spinach and green and red peppers, along with a glass of milk.

For his afternoon snack, Nelson will grab leftovers from the night before. Then, for dinner, he often consumes up to 2 pounds of salmon, along with grilled vegetables and a cup of rice. Just before bed, he downs yet another protein shake.

Of course, unless you are a world-class athlete in training, you should not follow Nelson's diet. But the idea of eating every few hours -- with a mixture of protein and carbs at every meal -- is an important one.

5. Watch the mirror, not the scale.

Bennett says that even if your goal is weight loss, the healthiest of regimens focus on decreasing body fat and increasing lean muscle mass, not a particular number on the scale.

When she swam her record-setting race in Sydney, the 5-foot-6-inch swimmer weighed between 120 and 125 pounds, with 18% body fat. Now, she weighs between 135 and 138 pounds, but her body fat is down to 12%.

"If your clothes fit great and you like the way you look in the mirror, does it matter what the scale says?" she asks. "It's like age. You could be 45 but feel 30. Age and weight are just numbers that we get obsessed with, but they don't mean we're healthy."

Instead of weighing, Bennett recommends having someone measure you every two weeks and check your body fat once a month, which will provide a yardstick for how much fat you're actually losing.

6. Drink plenty of water.

The body is made up of 60% water, which means it needs a regular supply to survive. According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), a fluid loss of even 2% body weight will affect circulatory functions and decrease performance.

The amount of water each person needs will vary depending on many factors such as underlying medical condition, physical activity level, and environment. The Institute of Medicine generally recommends about 91 ounces of total water (from drinks and food) on average per day for women and 125 ounces for men. Most water that we consume comes from beverages, but about 20% comes from food. Too much water can be harmful.

7. Ease into new exercises.

If you are going from cyclist to runner or runner to cyclist, you may be pretty fit, but your muscles or skeletal system might not be ready for the new sport. Think of Lance Armstrong's painful New York City Marathon debut last year.

So take it easy at first, and don't overdo it.

8. Vary your activity, but include the weight room.

Olympic athletes spend a lot of time on their primary activity (a cyclist will ride, a runner will run), but for most folks, varying the activity reduces boredom and uses a variety of muscles which may otherwise not get worked.

Also, says Callan, strength and power -- which come from resistance training -- are important components of any sport. Working out with weights will also reduce the loss of muscle mass that often occurs with aging. Even men in their 70s and 80s have put on lean mass in a relatively basic strength-training program.

Also, the NASM says that studies have shown no difference between those who do resistance training three times a week vs. those who train five times a week. So you really don't have to train like an Olympian in the weight room. A little goes a long way.

9. Train regularly and consistently.

"The more intense the training is, the more you're going to reach your potential," Callan says. "You will not find an Olympic athlete who is not highly, highly trained. They don't roll out of bed and win the 100-meter sprint or the 50 freestyle. They spend hours and hours of training of all sorts."

Of course, people also respond at different rates and in different ways, which means that Callan is hesitant to say just how much training someone needs to really get into shape. Another factor is how a program is designed. If you really want to get in shape, it's safe to say that three workouts a day will go a long way. But anything is better than working out with that remote.

10. Consider hiring a personal trainer.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), personal training jumped from the seventh most important trend in 2007 to the third most important in 2008.

There's a reason for that, says Bennett. In addition to an individually tailored program, personal trainers provide accountability.

"People are hesitant at the beginning to spend the money with a personal trainer, but after a month, when they're tightening their waistband and their shorts are loose, they really see the results," she says. "After a while, you adjust to the expense and it becomes part of your lifestyle."

If you can't afford a trainer, seek out someone who is as dedicated as you are to getting healthy, and train together. "Even personal trainers need workout partners for accountability," she says. "It helps to have someone there to push you."

Above all, say the experts, enjoy the journey. And don't forget to indulge. After all, even Olympic athlete Nelson enjoys the occasional trip to Dairy Queen. His favorite? The Oreo Blizzard.

當(dāng)2008年奧林匹克運(yùn)動會在北京舉行的時候，數(shù)百萬的人將會驚訝于所有運(yùn)動員的身體：肌肉發(fā)達(dá)的雙腿、背部以及胳膊---這無疑是奧林匹克身體的標(biāo)志，為力量、速度和耐力而生。

但是怎么能造就這樣的奧林匹克身體呢？那么一個普通的身體有希望變成奧林匹克運(yùn)動員的身體嗎？

“當(dāng)然有希望，只要你愿意花費(fèi)時間”，Sam Callan如是說。他是一個鍛煉生理學(xué)家同時也是美國自行車教練教育的總教練。

當(dāng)然，很少有人能夠投入像運(yùn)動員一樣多的時間來訓(xùn)練。然而，即使這樣，也并不會一無所獲。畢竟，當(dāng)參加健康身體比賽的時候，已經(jīng)足夠參加比賽了。

因此，如果你準(zhǔn)備行動，一下是行動之前的幾點建議：

1. 了解你的體型

Callan說，我們中間有人追求速度，有人追求耐力。找出最自然和你最擅長的將會幫助你決定對你有小的鍛煉類型。

你喜歡跳躍嗎，短跑嗎？會在跑步機(jī)上花費(fèi)時間嗎？每個人都有一個獨(dú)一無二的身體組成。 你所擁有的肌纖維組成類型將決定你是否會擁有很好的耐力，速度和力量。

他說：“我們每個人生來都是持續(xù)發(fā)展的，然而訓(xùn)練只能使你提高一點點。這就是為什么Arnold Schwarzenegger幾乎不可能成為長跑運(yùn)動員的原因。”

2. 制定你的目標(biāo)

在某些體育活動上，你注定要比其他人優(yōu)秀。因此，選擇一到兩項自己感覺自然的，喜歡的運(yùn)動，這樣你就容易堅持，也會比較容易成功。

想要減肥嗎？注意營養(yǎng)和心血管耐力的鍛煉，同時注意間歇訓(xùn)練。 想要增強(qiáng)自己的心血管耐力嗎？那么請選擇游泳、跑步或者自行車運(yùn)動。如果你的速度跟不上，那么請在每天的訓(xùn)練中增加短跑訓(xùn)練項目。如果時間有限，則采用循環(huán)訓(xùn)練。循環(huán)訓(xùn)練包括一系列一個接一個的強(qiáng)度訓(xùn)練，中間的休息時間很少。

Callan還說：“如果你有弱項，應(yīng)該毫不猶豫地用特效訓(xùn)練加強(qiáng)你的弱項。”

3. 健康飲食

Brooke Bennett，從1996年到2000年間的三次奧林匹克金牌得主，目前世界上的800米自由泳紀(jì)錄保持者，說：“任何一個想要提高身體健康程度的人都應(yīng)該注意飲食。”

Bennett說“營養(yǎng)是任何人生活中的一個重要因素，無論是一個專業(yè)運(yùn)動員還是一個辦公室的工作者。營養(yǎng)在我們的生活中所占的比例大約是80%”他現(xiàn)在是一個認(rèn)證的私人教練同時還是營養(yǎng)師和美國游泳隊的顧問。 

這位前奧林匹克運(yùn)動員相信：營養(yǎng)而絕非能量應(yīng)該成為奧林匹克身體養(yǎng)生法的焦點。 除過效果明顯的水果、蔬菜、精益蛋白質(zhì)和慢碳水化合物比如大米和白薯之外，Callan也建議我們關(guān)注所吃食物中的糖含量。

Bennett說：“人們強(qiáng)調(diào)蛋白質(zhì)中的卡路里含量，但是他們應(yīng)該強(qiáng)調(diào)糖的含量。 糖的卡路里含量高但是也消化的快。如果在工作中你的糖分沒有被燃燒掉，你將會增肥。”

4. 經(jīng)常在每頓飯的時候都吃蛋白質(zhì)和碳水化合物的混合物。

如果你的身體在高效運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)，它將需要燃料的穩(wěn)定供應(yīng)。頻繁用餐也可以加快身體的新陳代謝，燃燒更多的熱量。

一個奧林匹克運(yùn)動員每天要吃5到6頓飯，每餐都有蛋白質(zhì)，為了增強(qiáng)肌肉組織保持高效運(yùn)作。所以，應(yīng)該計劃少食多餐，理想的狀態(tài)是2.5小時或者3小時一頓飯。

Bennett解釋到：“為了你的身體保持高效運(yùn)作的狀態(tài)，你所吃的所有的東西都被轉(zhuǎn)化為能量，而你的身體并沒有儲藏任何東西。”

正在北京參加比賽的鉛球名將，兩次奧林匹克銀牌得主Adam Nelson嚴(yán)格遵照此建議。為了保持他的肌肉體格，Nelson每三個小時就補(bǔ)充一次蛋白質(zhì)-每天300克的量。

他的典型的一天這樣安排的：6：30用早餐：6到8個雞蛋、2到兩杯果醬還有咖啡；9：30的時候他會吃一個蘋果喝一點蛋白混合飲料；午餐的時候，他會吃一個由菠菜包著的并且有青紅椒的火雞三明治還要喝一杯牛奶。

Nelson還會在下午的時候吃一些前天晚上的剩余東西作為他的下午茶點心。 到了晚餐的時候，他經(jīng)常會吃2英鎊的大馬哈魚和一些烤蔬菜，還有一碗米飯。睡覺前，他還要和一杯蛋白質(zhì)混合飲料。

當(dāng)然，除非你是一個正在訓(xùn)練的世界級的運(yùn)動員，否則你不會采用Nelson的食譜。然而，少食多餐-蛋白質(zhì)和碳水化合物是非常重要的飲食建議。

5. 用鏡子判斷。而不要用尺度來判斷。

Bennett 說，即使你的目標(biāo)的減肥，最好的養(yǎng)生法也應(yīng)該關(guān)注你的日益減輕的脂肪和日益增加的肌肉，而絕對不是體重表上的數(shù)字。

當(dāng)她在悉尼參加她的創(chuàng)紀(jì)錄比賽時，這位身高5.6英寸的游泳運(yùn)動員的體重是120到125英鎊之間，其中18%是脂肪�，F(xiàn)在她的體重在135到138英鎊之間，但是她的脂肪下降到了12%。

“如果你的衣服有點大，然而你喜歡自己在鏡子中的樣子，那么尺寸又有什么關(guān)系呢？”她問到，“這有點像年齡問題。你可能已經(jīng)45歲了，但是看起來卻是30歲的樣子。年齡和體重只是困擾著我們的數(shù)字，但是他們并不意味著我們是健康的。”

Bennett建議我們不要去稱體重，而是 安排人每兩周測量一下你并每月檢查你的脂肪含量，這將會我你實際上減少了多少脂肪提供一個標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。

6. 多喝水。

根據(jù)美國運(yùn)動醫(yī)學(xué)學(xué)會的統(tǒng)計，即使是體重的2%的體液損失也會影響身體的循環(huán)功能并且會降低性能。

每個人所需要的水量是不同的。眾多因素比如潛在健康狀況、體育活動程度以及環(huán)境因素都會影響到需水量的不同。醫(yī)學(xué)院建議一般情況下，女性身體每天平均需要91盎司水量（叢飲料和食物中獲得），而男性則需要125盎司水量。我們所消耗的大多數(shù)水都來自飲料，然而還有20%是來自食物的。飲水太多也于健康不利。

7. 慢慢轉(zhuǎn)向新的鍛煉。

如果你正從自行車運(yùn)動改為跑步運(yùn)動，或者正從一個自行車手變成一個跑步運(yùn)動員，你將會非常健康。想想去年在紐約城市馬拉松比賽現(xiàn)場Lance Armstrong那痛苦的初次亮相吧。

所以起初的時候做一些簡單的，不要太夸張了。

8. 改變你的活動，包括健身房，

奧林匹克運(yùn)動員在他們最初的項目上花費(fèi)了大量的時間（一個自行車手會把時間花費(fèi)在騎車上，一個跑步運(yùn)動員會把時間花費(fèi)在跑步上），但是對大多數(shù)人來講，改變項目會使訓(xùn)練變得有趣并且增加很多原本不可能有的肌肉。

Callan也說來自堅持不懈地訓(xùn)練的力量是任何運(yùn)動的重要組成部分。每天用力訓(xùn)練也會減少隨著年齡而減少的肌肉。即使是70和80來歲的男性也有可能通過基本的力量訓(xùn)練項目來相對的增加自己的肌肉。

美國運(yùn)動醫(yī)學(xué)學(xué)會也表示，研究證明那些每周做三次阻力訓(xùn)練的人們和那些每周做5次的人沒有什么區(qū)別。所以，你沒有必要向運(yùn)動員一樣在健身房里邊訓(xùn)練。積少成多。

9. 始終如一的有規(guī)律地訓(xùn)練。

Callan表示“你的訓(xùn)練強(qiáng)度越大，你的潛力就會把挖掘出來越多。沒有一個奧林匹克運(yùn)動員沒有接受高強(qiáng)度的訓(xùn)練。他們不可能不經(jīng)訓(xùn)練就可以獲得100米短跑或者50米自由泳的冠軍。他們在各式各樣的訓(xùn)練上花費(fèi)了大量的時間。”

當(dāng)然，每個人的反應(yīng)程度和反應(yīng)方式不一樣，這就意味著Callan并不能確定一個人到底需要多少訓(xùn)練才能足夠健康。另外一個因素是關(guān)于項目的設(shè)置。如果你真的想要健康，那么一天三次鍛煉將會奏效。然而，千里之行始于足下。

10. 考慮聘用一個私人教練。

根據(jù)美國醫(yī)學(xué)學(xué)會，私人教練服務(wù)已經(jīng)有2007年的位居第七，爬升為2008年的位居第三了。

Bennett說這是有原因的。除過一套量身定做的個人項目外，私人教練服務(wù)還具有負(fù)責(zé)任的優(yōu)勢。

她說：“開始的時候，人們還在猶豫是否要花錢來雇傭一個私人教練，但是一個月以后，當(dāng)他們開始緊收皮帶，當(dāng)他們的短褲開始變得寬松時，他們看到了效果。過一陣子，你就會接受這筆花費(fèi)，而它夜成為你生活中的一部分。”

如果你不能負(fù)擔(dān)得起一個私人教練，那么找一個和你一樣勤奮，一樣想要健康的人一起訓(xùn)練。她說：“即使是個人訓(xùn)練者也需要伙伴，這樣就有人給你壓力了。”

專家們表示，首先要享受全過程。畢竟，即使奧林匹克運(yùn)動員Nelson 也享受的馬拉松之旅。他的最愛是什么？ Oreo Blizzard.