You can’t out exercise a bad diet
There is an old saying “you can’t out exercise a bad diet” and that is the truth.It is far easier to consume copious amounts of processed, convenient food then it is to burn 4000 calories a day in exercise.
People are consumed with the “perfect diet”, the one diet that will solve all their problems. Unfortunately we are inundated daily with a thousand fad diet and crazy food schemes that will make your head spin. The truth of the matter is most people look for the home run before they even know how to bat. Basic nutrition should be a must for everyone, considering the fact that we spend a very large majority of our lives based around food. Food is the social glue that attracts all walks of life to get together, communicate and interact. Food not only fuels our body, but in Western culture somewhat defines our lives. Where we go, how we look, how we feel, how we sleep and where we live. Food, although so vitally important is often eaten blindly and haphazardly based on your social circles, marketing and tastebuds.
In our crazy fast society food is often eaten out of convenience.
The birth of calorie dense and empty processed food has taken off due to out need for the quickest, easiest thing we can eat. It is important for the average person to have a basic understanding of what’s being put into their mouths.
Although I am not a nutritionist, here are 10 of the my most important points when it comes to eating:
1. Eat foods with one ingredient
I love, love this advice. Chris Haesman of F. I. T gave me this gem of advice. Simple yet covers pretty much everything. If you only to follow one piece of nutritional advice this should be your number 1. When looking for food choices all you need to remember is look for foods with one ingredient. Apple only has apple in it, sweet potato only has sweet potato in it, and chicken breast only has chicken breast in it. Whereas chocolate cake has dozens of ingredients in it. You get my point. Unprocessed foods will change your life, the Less is better.
2. Drinking lots of water won’t bloat you!
If I got a dollar for every time someone I trained said this. Water is the life essence and although seems clique in nutritional advice, only next to air, it’s the most important thing we need. The problem with water is that there is a self-regulating hormone in your body that controls your water. If you drink too little water the hormone increase and you start holding onto water out of fear of becoming too dehydrated. On the other hand if you drink way too much water your body decreases this hormone and you start drop water because your body doesn’t want to hold on to too much.
You can see that plenty of water will not only hydrate your body, but will also allow any excess water you to wash away.
3. Bars are bad
It’s easy to get caught up in the mad marketing schemes of ‘health food’ providers. The quick convenient health bars are becoming the current trend. They will promise you ‘all natural’ ‘high in protein’ and my favorite ’low in fat’. While these probably do have some nutritional value, bars are generally chocolate bars dressed up as health bars. More than likely to get that great rectangular appearance the bars will have a binder which usually sugar! Whilst it sometimes is better than eating nothing, your better off eating real fruit instead of a ‘fruit bar’ or nuts instead of a ‘nut bar’.
4. Watch what you eat when you’re not following your plan
Having the world’s greatest diet is one thing, following it is another. If you follow a particular diet routine, it is important to count the things you have that are not on your diet. Many time people live in denial about their extra circular eating activity: a coffee, a donut here and a few bits of bread with dinner, a bit of ice cream before bed. Although by themselves is probably harmless, added together will really start to affect you body fat levels. I’m not saying don’t relax on your food, but keep in mind that it all adds up.
5. Don’t lie to yourself
If I got a dollar for every time someone lied to me about their diet, I would be Donald Trump. One of the most important things you can do for yourself and your eating is to be completely honest with yourself. Take the time to either record, review and reflect on your eating habits. Good, bad or ugly being transparent with your trainer and yourself will do wonders for you achieving your goals. As they say ‘denial isn’t just a river in Egypt!’
6. It should sustainable not fashionable
Fad dieting has and always will be popular with the masses. This is because it is in human nature to find the ‘quick fix’ to our problems. From the Juice to the south beach diet there are a multitude of fads that hit the media every week. Some work, some don’t, but rarely will you find on that is sustainable. Let me put it this way: let’s say I have the greatest diet in the world that will get you shredded, hot and toned… But you hate it!! How long do you think you can maintain it for? Not very long. It’s important to keep a balanced diet of healthy foods you enjoy. Remember that you will eat every day for the rest of your life so you better make it sustainable.
7. Know your food
Simple as it sounds a lot of people are simply like sheep when it comes to diet. Most will follow what is easy, convenient and what is the latest fashion. Very few people know, I mean “really” know what they are putting into their bodies. As they say the pen is mightier than the sword.
Educate yourself and really get to know the meaning and function of food.
Going in blind to your diet is insane considering you eat continuously and need food like you need the air you breathe. Presently with the information age the world has never had so much instant access to information. There is no excuse in 2017 not to arm yourself with the best knowledge, instead of slaving away blindly on ill guided information and old wives tales!! Remember the old saying “give a man a fish and feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime”.
8. Moderation is key
In a world of excess it is of no surprise that diet is an often overused platform to take things to the extreme. I’m pretty sure that only eating “meal replacement shakes” or going to an all “juice” diet is not good for you in the long run. Unfortunately western society lives in an “all or nothing” attitude to food. This has paved the way for huge amount of Yo-Yo dieting and a lot of unhappy people. Eating to both ends of the spectrum will not only lead to failure but will in the long run lead to you going backwards towards a healthy lifestyle and body.
The key to long-term success is moderation. Easing into good eating and taking it slowly, despite all your early enthusiasm, is important to not burning out and reverting back to old ways. Eating with a large variety of foods will not only keep things interesting but allow your body to receive all the macronutrients, vitamins and minerals it requires. This in turn will give you more energy and vitality, which is important to maintaining a healthy lifestyle (because who feels like eating crap when you feel so good!!!).
9. Carbs are not the enemy
The last 15 to 20 years it has been the fashion to eliminate all carbs from your diet trying to be healthy and look good. Given that carbs are an essential part of maintaining energy levels, body function and fat metabolising you would be silly to cut them out of your diet. Carbs are not the enemy, overeating, processed foods, sedentary lifestyle are the enemy. The key to carbs is timing and choice. Eating a whole lot of processed white bread in the night is probably not the best idea before going to bed. But some simple sugars after an intense weights session will help the protein transport to the muscles. Or a slow burning fuel like oats is great in the morning to give you energy throughout the day.
10. Fuel yourself don’t feed it
The problem with most diet is perspective. The average Joes mindset is that they want feed the monster when it’s hungry. Waiting till the blood sugar level drop low and feed themselves with high sugar high fat processed foods to counteract it. This you chasing your tail, and endless cycle of sugar highs and lows. This leads to obesity and long-term issues such as diabetes.
On the other hand, the athlete treats its body like a machine: specifically timing their food to regulate blood sugar level, appropriate timing of protein to keep the body from going catabolic, training protocols for nutrients during the anabolic window, etc. These premeditated meals and nutrient timing will optimize fat loss, muscle gain, health and sports performance.
These are only 10 of my tips. The is an endless world of education and learning it is important that you arm yourself with an array of strategies. This can be done by consulting a qualified sports nutritionist or at the very least some advice off someone with a good knowledge of food and diet.
Remember knowledge is power.
Education is key and quality of life is everything!
