Dish-Houston

BY DISH CONTRIBUTOR SAMIR BECIC:

DISH'S own Health and Fitness Guru Samir Becic sat down with his client and one of Houston's favorite television news anchors Dominque Sachse. Here are her perspectives on health, wellness, Houston and how she maintains her gorgeous figure! After all, she is one of Houston's most beautiful!

SB:   Houston is the fattest city in America, how do you think it got to be the fattest city?

DS:           Dining out in Houston is considered a pastime!  We have the most wonderful restaurants here, and our portions are Texas-sized.  Also, there are fast food restaurants practically on every corner. In tough economic times, for many, that's considered the only choice.

SB:    How do you think we can help Houston become one of the fittest cities in America instead of the fattest?

DS:          It starts with education on nutrition and exercise.  If people saw food as a drug, then it might alter their choices.  It's been proven that through drastic dietary changes, along with increasing exercise, you can reverse diabetes, which is plaguing our youth in record numbers now.  Food has the potential to heal, and it has the potential to harm, depending on how we use it.   Also, human beings were designed to move.  Our lifestyles are counterintuitive to the way we're made.  It's imperative that we do something to work our heart muscle, so that it can continue to work for us.

SB:    Over the course of your career, you have been supporting and promoting healthy lifestyle, in your opinion, what are the most important steps someone should take to becoming healthier?   

DS:        I've always believed that diet is 90% of the equation.  We have so many wonderful resources at our fingertips now when it comes to learning about nutrition.  The internet is a vastly useful tool to research and gain a basic understanding of optimal nutrition.  I've learned over the years that when I eliminate the "whites" from my diet, I look and feel my best.  That includes white bread, sugar, flour and dairy.  I find these foods have an addictive quality to them.  If you eat them, you want and crave more.  For me, it seems to take about 7 days to lose that craving once you cut them from your diet.  After that, you're home free..  Alongside nutritional adjustments, a regular fitness routine that's both attainable and challenging are a must.  The simplest thing is to walk out your front door and go for a jog or power walk with some sprints.  It doesn't cost you a thing and gets you out and breathing some fresh air.

SB:    What is your weekly workout routine?  What do you eat on a daily basis?

SB:    Is it difficult for a career woman to have a healthy lifestyle?  How do you work around it?

SB:    What is your biggest obstacle when it comes to healthy lifestyle?

SB:    Name some of your favorite exercises.

DS:         I like using my own body weight for strength training.  I'll do moves with Samir where I'm pushing or pulling him across the room.  The plank position is one of the best core moves around, and of course there's the good, old fashioned push up.  Again, you don't have to have a gym membership to get fit, just the knowledge of what to do and the desire to do it.

SB:    I know that your husband, Nick works out and is also in great shape, how important do you feel being active as a couple is to a marriage?

DS:         I believe it's critical to have a life partner who's like minded when it comes to a healthy lifestyle. Nick and I compliment each other well.  When we met, he exercised religiously, but his diet wasn't ideal.  My diet was clean, but I would let my fatigue get in the way of exercising.  So now, he eats better, and I move more.  We motivate each other to do our best because we want to be around for each other and our children for a long time to come.