" shaping up " | herald sun b+s liftout | february 3 2002

they look good, but how fit and healthy are our tv presenters? bronwen gora asked our experts to put toby, karina, paul and erika to the test.

our experts:
dr. clare collins
lecturer in nutrition and dietics at the university of newcastle.
donna jones
body + soul personal trainer
stephen wayne-smith
holistic practitioner who runs 'zen living natural health clinic' in sydney.

toby allen:

diet:
what he eats...'i have no routine with my eating. i love sushi and thai food, but nothing beats an ice-cream. i start the day with a skim caffe latte. for lunch, it's usually a sandwhich or foccacia. for dinner, it's thai takeaway or home stir-fries. for snacks, i love rice crackers - but if i see a piece of caramel slice, i find it hard to go past.'
clare says...'toby needs to keep a closer check on his eating. he should start the day with breakfast cereal and milk. toast, fruit and yoghurt would also be fine. people who eat breakfast concentrate better at work. toby probably runs shoert on complex carbohydrates and therefore will lack energy some days. he should aim for at least two serves of fruit and five serves of salad or veges per day, and at least six serves of carbohydrates [bread, cereal, rice or pasta]. toby should also eat more fat-reduced dairy products.'

excercise:
how he stays fit...'running on the beach for a couple of kilometres and gonig to the gym. i mix cardio with weights to keep toned. i do that a couple of times a week and i always stretch before and after. i walk the dogs for 45 minutes a couple of times a day.'
donna says...'toby has a great balance of cardio, resistance and flexibility. he could challenge himself by stretching his weight load or repititions and by trying to run further or faster.'

chilling out:
how he relaxes...'i get massages occaisionally, but i'm now getting into scuba diving. i find it really relaxing.'
stephen says...'toby mixes times alone with group activities, which is fine. however, he should also do some yoga, meditation or tai chi to connect with his spiritual side.'

[note : there are reviews of a similar nature on the other hosts, but this is a toby site so i'm only going to post toby's interview.]