GROVE CITY — Grove City College’s second exercise science symposium included presentations from professionals that can help everyone from athletes to the average person get the most out of their workouts.

The symposium, held March 3, focused on current research and new findings and development in fields related to exercise science with this year’s theme being “Everyday Fitness.”

Amanda Mercer, an alumna of Grove City College, recently opened her own business as a personal trainer, focusing on extending fitness outside of the typical gym setting, she said.

Mercer’s business, called THRIVEfitt, inspired her presentation, featuring the word “thrive” as an acronym for improving fitness.

“We tend to think just within a gym setting (about fitness),” she said. “We’re coming to find that fitness is so much more than that. There’s so much more to it than just the work out.”

While the ‘t’ of “thrive” stands for training, the ‘h,’ stands for holistic, Mercer said.

“We’re looking for balance,” she said. “It’s looking at, ‘how do I balance my gym time, my athlete time with my friend time, my study time, with my spiritual or faith time and balancing all of that together. They all need to be in balance for your total fitness and health to be at its finest.”

Next is restoration.

“Our physical activity takes a toll on our bodies,” Mercer said. “If you don’t take the time to restore your body, you won’t be able to perform at full capacity.”

Restoration relies on getting adequate amounts of rest, including logging enough hours of sleep, taking a vacation once in a while and setting aside time in the day to relax.

“This is not just (applicable) in an athletic setting, it’s in life,” she said.

‘I’ focuses on inspiration, and Mercer said that everybody should take pride in knowing that they can be somebody else’s inspiration.

“Your journey is an inspiration to somebody else,” she said. “You never know who might be watching you.”

Vision also is part of Mercer’s suggestions for improving fitness from a holistic approach.

People should write down what they want to accomplish, she said. But then, rewrite those goals as if they had already accomplished them.

“There’s research that says your brain can’t actually distinguish between something that has actually happened and something you tell it has already happened,” Mercer said. “If you write down your goals as if they have already happened, as if you already accomplished them, you’re more likely to accomplish them.”

Finally, Mercer used a quotation from Aristotle about excellence, representing the ‘e’ in “thrive.” According to Aristotle, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”

By focusing on excellence and repeatedly striving to be their best, Mercer believes everybody can reach new heights.

“Rome wasn’t built in a day, but they worked on it every day,” she said.

Another presentation by Paige Whitmire, a registered dietitian with One-on-One Fitness Consultants, aimed to make sure that everyone from regular athletes to beginners get the most of their workout with proper pre- and post-workout nutrition.

“Exercise and nutrition go hand-in-hand,” Whitmire said.

Without proper nutrition, individuals may experience loss of muscle mass and bone density, increased fatigue and longer recovery periods, she said.

While many people might believe that peanut butter is the perfect snack before a workout, it’s actually not, according to Whitmire.

“Ideally, you want to be eating a carbohydrate snack an hour before your workout,” she said.

If a person is eating an hour or two before the workout, at least 75 percent of the calories should come from carbs, with 15 percent from protein and the final 10 percent from fats.

However, complex carbs, which break down slower and typically have more fiber, are better than simple carbs that can be found in foods like candy.

Simple carbs tend to give the consumer a quick burst of energy that will not be sustained throughout the workout, Whitmire said.

Refueling after a workout is just as important since this is part of the recovery process. There is a specific “window of opportunity” that Whitmire says is about 30 to 45 minutes after the end of the workout.

Typically, any snacks or meals after a workout should have more carbs than protein, with a 2:1 ratio up to a 4:1 ratio. The 4:1 ratio is especially important for those people who eat lower-carb diets, Whitmire said.

In addition, Whitmire stresses that protein from a food source rather than protein shakes are always preferred.

While protein shakes can be decent options, some brands have unsafe chemical ingredients, she said.

Finally, hydration is key to a decent workout.

For every 15 minutes of exercise, a person should drink four ounces of water, she said. In the hour after the workout, a person should drink another eight to 16 ounces, she said.

But unless a person’s workout is more than 90 minutes, sports drinks are not the way to go, she stressed.

“Not a good choice. Stick to water,” she said.

Regardless of skill level, nutrition can help maximize anybody’s workout and help them reach higher levels of fitness and accomplishment at the gym.

“Your fitness looks different from everybody else’s,” Mercer said.