WE ARE WHAT WE EAT!
Here's the truth: what you put in your body is what you will get out of your body. Our body's performance is directly related to the food that we consume daily. What our body looks like is 80% determined by what and how much we eat. No matter how much exercise one does, if you consume inadequate nutrition all of your time spent exercising will be absolutely futile. Properly nourishing your body is the key to increased energy and living a fit and healthy life. Here are my top nutrition tips I suggest to look, feel, and perform optimally.
1. REMEMBER FOOD IS FUEL: To reiterate, what you put in your body is what you will get out of your body. The consumption of nutrient dense foods will enable your body to move, function, and perform at it's highest potential. If you eat high processed, low nutrient food you will fall below par and suffer not only from malnourishment, but you will also struggle daily with fatigue, low energy, mood swings, poor self-esteem, and insufficient body function and performance.
2. EAT BREAKFAST EVERY SINGLE DAY: Not eating breakfast - in my opinion - is one of the top reasons why you will not see results with your exercise game plan. Breakfast breaks the fast after 7-9 hours of slumber. When you awake, your body needs nutrients- not just coffee- to prepare itself for the daily grind that will push and pull each of us in several different directions. Too often do I hear my lunch time clients admit that they have not had anything to eat all day! How do you expect to lose weight and be more energetic through out the day if you are not feeding your body? Honestly, I think this is irresponsible. And not all breakfast is treated equally. A doughnut will not suffice, nor will greasy fried food, or even that energy bar that has more than 12g of sugar.
TRAINER'S SUGGESTION: Consume 60% LEAN PROTEIN, 40% COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES, 10% HEALTHY FAT at each meal, especially breakfast. (This is an average formula that needs to be individualized according to nutrient/calorie needs)
*1 cup oatmeal, 1 cup berries, 1/8 cup slivered almonds, 8oz 2% milk
* 1 whole egg, 5 egg whites, 1 cup vegetables, 1 whole wheat tortilla, 1/2 cup grapes
* 2 scrambled eggs, 1/2 sweet potato, 1/2 cup veggies, 1 piece of whole grain dry toast
* 1 cup 0% fat Greek Yogurt, 1 cup berries, 1 piece of whole grain toast with 1 tsp of almond butter
* 1 apple with 1 tbsp of almond butter, 1 8oz glass of 2% milk
* 4 oz of lean steak, 6 egg whites, 1 cup of veggies, 1/2 orange
*Almond flour pancakes, 1 cup berries, 6 scrambled egg whites
3. EAT AS CLOSE TO THE SOURCE AS POSSIBLE: Eating foods that are fresh and from their natural source will help you feel better, look better, and give you more energy than high processed, salty, sugar latent, nutrient depleted foods. You also will decrease the risk of developing chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. My #1 suggestion to my clients is to think of food not only as fuel but as power - the amount of energy the food will give you. The more processed a food item is the more energy your body uses to under go the process of digestion. The more energy your body uses for digestion the less energy you will have to perform your daily activities.
4. Prep, prepare, and pack 75% of your weekly meals: Eating out versus meals prepared at home increases the percent of daily calories consumed from fat and added sugar. Though one can make healthy choices when dining out, on average you will consume 100-500 more calories at each meal and snack. When you prep, prepare, and pack your daily snacks and meals you will not find yourself hungry and giving into the snacks in the office break room or at the Starbucks counter. The lack of time is the #1 excuse I hear from my clientele as to why they do not prep and prepare their own meals. I do understand this but do not except this, nor should you. In one hour you can: bake 8 chicken breasts, 4 sweet potatoes, and 1 spaghetti squash in the oven and saute a veggie stir-fry and steam a pot of broccoli, carrots and new potatoes. Crock pot meals are also a time efficient, healthy and easy way to ensure you have meals for the week. TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR WHAT ENTERS YOUR MOUTH! GET PREPARED!
5. Replenish your energy and repair your muscles with a post-workout snack consumed no more than 30 minutes after exercise: A post-workout snack within 30 minutes will help repair muscle tissues and replenish glycogen stores (one of the main source of energy in a workout.) If you do not consume protein and carbohydrates shortly after your workout not only will the effectiveness of your workout decrease but your chances of consuming less than adequate nutrition increases. I suggest carrying an 8oz chocolate milk in your gym bag and drink this right before your shower. In my opinion this is one of the easiest ways to ensure you replenish your energy and repair your muscles after a workout.
6. IF YOU CANNOT PRONOUNCE THE INGREDIENTS, THEN DO NOT EAT IT: If packaged food is part of your nutrition plan then I recommend no more than 7 ingredients and each ingredient should be recognizable and pronounceable. Also, become a food label expert and learn how to read labels, decipher each ingredient, and verify the nutrient content. Though convenient, protein and meal replacement bars will absolutely break this rule unless it's a whole food bar that contains nuts and dried fruit only. Again, as close to the source as possible is the best approach to the food you CHOOSE to consume.
7.TRACK YOUR NUTRITION FOR 2 WEEKS: Nutrition is a science. Several factors specific to the individual ought to be considered when determining how many calories a day you need to consume and how many grams of carbohydrates, protein, and fat should be part of your diet. Download an app on your phone to make tracking your nutrition convenient and assessable. After each meal, snack, and drink log it for the day, completely unedited. At the end of the day you will not only have a clear outlook on your total calorie consumption but you also will know just how many grams of carbohydrates, protein, and fat the food you consume consists of. The objective of nutritional tracking is to see absolutely clearly what you are putting in your mouth so do not fool yourself by editing. Track exactly what you eat and how much you eat to begin seeing clearly what areas of your nutrition need improvement and what foods you consume daily may be derailing your effort in the gym. My favorite apps are: Livestrong, Daily Plate, and Calorie King.
