A personal health and fitness "truth" tends to be a probable health and fitness truth for many other people. That's why I can write about my way of eating or working out and suggest you do so, too.

Even when I recognize my habit is too hardcore for most others, I often still share it with you. I simply filter out the over-the-top elements and tailor the advice to you.But the use of "you" to address all readers has its shortcomings. While some of you run in marathons, others walk in parks. While some can't wait to drive to school, others can't wait to retire from work.As a result, addressing certain topics creates a few problems. An 800-word column quite often can't cover all the possibilities, running a follow-up column one week later requires a ton of repetition, and devoting a single column to a specific group of readers alienates the others. So in certain situations, there's only one thing for me to do.Forget the filter.In other words, write down what I do and what I believe and give the job of tailoring the advice to you.When the topic is fast food and I forget the filter, there's a ton of tailoring to do. That's because my belief is: "Don't eat it. Ever."Doing what's best for my mind and body - instead of what's convenient and commonplace - is my number-one priority, and based on my personal experience that leaves no room for fast food in my diet.I will still drink an occasional sugar-free soda, I will still eat a serving of Reese's Puffs cereal as part of my after-supper snack if I'm in caloric debt, but as far as going to a fast food establishment and eating something, I haven't done that in a rather long time.In the summer of 2001, I treated myself to a large fat-free cappuccino from Wawa on Mondays in the summer when I planned to ride hard following two hard weekend rides. That habit ended, however, after I emailed Wawa for nutritional info and found out the drink contained 42 grams of sugar.And - surprise, surprise - those Monday rides that seemed so tough because of a weekend of racing or 150 miles of training suddenly became easier. Why? I was no longer experiencing the inevitable power outage 90 minutes into the ride from my body producing an insulin overload to counteract the sugar overload.In August of 1996, I ate a slice of plain pizza-shop pizza. My brother was visiting and I knew he wouldn't eat my sort of supper, so I got him a pie. Since I had ridden long and hard that day, I figured eating one slice couldn't hurt.And as part of the third meal after strenuous exercise, it probably didn't.But, man, was I ever disappointed in the taste. The slice was swimming in fat, which seemed to drown out the sauce, and the crust - which used to be my favorite part - could've passed for the cardboard box.I apologized to my brother for picking up such a poor pizza and he made a face. "What are you talking about?" he asked.That's when I knew my taste buds had totally changed.Just before I began teaching, I started listening to Dr. Jim Corea's health and fitness radio show. He consistently gave good nutritional advice and he definitely never sugar-coated it. (Unintentional pun provided at no extra charge.)He often explained why early morning was the best time to work out, but that your body needed about 21 days to fully adjust to it. He was right. The first week or so I tried that, getting up at 4:15 a.m. was a struggle and I felt as if enveloped in cotton as I exercised. By the three-week mark, however, my body had adjusted to the point where I wouldn't sleep more than an extra hour on weekends.As a result, any time I tighten my diet, I abide by the 21-day rule. Sometimes I miss a food for a while,but so far, it's been a success.After fracturing my funny bone in May of 2002, for instance, I feared I'd gain weight during the eight weeks that I had to ride inside. To compensate, I decided certain treats needed to be eliminated.Cereals with added sugars - seemingly healthy ones like Frosted Mini-Wheats - were replaced by cereals that had none. The occasional small batch of Rice Krispies treats I'd eat after an especially long ride gave way to puffed whole wheat eaten with a a tablespoon or two of reduced-fat peanut butter.Eight weeks later, I was riding outside and seven pounds lighter. Soon afterwards, I did a hilly race and finished fourth, the first Pennsylvania rider in a field of the best masters riders in the Mid-Atlantic region - even though I had done no hill training whatsoever since the injury.There are three or four other instances where I've tightened my already rigid diet, and each improved the way I feel during the work day and the way I perform when I work out.That's why I can say with total sincerity, "Don't eat fast food. Ever."What you do with my belief is a matter of what you want.