"What exercises can I do to ?? As fitness professional I hear these words often. It doesn't matter if the sentence ends with, "get bigger muscles", "firm up my butt" or "flatten my stomach". My initial response is always the same. "Well, what are you eating? In terms of physical fitness exercise is only part of the equation. Proper nutrition is vital regardless of the specific fitness goal.
If you want to maintain energy levels, achieve or maintain optimal weight and lower risk of disease, a healthy diet is imperative. It doesn't matter if your goal is fat loss, body shaping, mass building, improved athletic performance or just maintaining a healthy lifestyle; the following tips will help build healthy habits that will allow you to fine tune your body and feel great.
1. Eat 5 - 6 Smaller Meals a Day.
This practice will allow your body to utilize the food you eat more efficiently. More of your food will be used for providing energy, building muscle and maintaining healthy tissue, while less will be stored as fat. If your goal is weight loss, this is a great way to reduce calories without loosing energy or feeling hungry. If you are looking to gain lean muscle mass, eating more frequent meals will allow you to take in an increased number of calories without feeling stuffed. This will also insure that the vital muscle building nutrients will be available when your body needs them. Regardless of your fitness goal, eating 5 - 6 smaller meals a day will get your metabolism firing on all cylinders and give you the energy needed to reach your goals.
2. Do Not Skip Meals.
Skipping meals often leads to extreme hunger which can lead to "binge" type eating. The body can only process and utilize so much food at a time. It doesn't matter if you're only eating one or two meals a day. If you eat too much at any given meal, much of what the body doesn't use will be stored as fat. Here's another important reason not to skip meals. Depriving the body of vital nutrients often leaves one feeling tired and unmotivated (a real workout killer.)
3. Eat Real Food.
Our bodies are designed to metabolize food! Unfortunately the food industry has turned our bodies into chemical processing plants. Grocery store shelves are littered with food products containing non-food additives that are used to color, sweeten, stabilize, emulsify, bleach, flavor and preserve the food. The FDA lists approximately 2800 international food additives and about 3,000 chemicals, which are added to our food. Avoid foods that claim to be "enriched." The only reason processed foods are enriched in the first place is because their process has stripped them of virtually all their vital nutrients. Stick with whole foods including a good variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats.
4. Read Food Labels.
To be sure you're making good food choices, read food labels. Look at the ingredients, the main ingredients are listed first. If the first few ingredients on the label include processed sugar (i.e. high-fructose corn syrup.) or saturated fat or trans?fatty acids (coconut oil, palm kernel oil, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil, vegetable shortening), you may do well to make another food choice.
5. Pay Attention to Serving Sizes.
Pay attention to serving sizes, it's easy to over load. Weighing and measuring food is a good way to assure you are taking in the proper amount of calories and nutrients. This is especially important if you are on a weight loss or a weight gain program.
6. Eat Slowly and Chew Food Thoroughly.
Chewing food thoroughly aids in digestion, thus reducing the time it takes for vital nutrients to become available for use by your body. Eating slowly gives the stomach time it needs to tell the brain it's full. Taking your time to eat your meal is especially helpful if you are on a reduced calorie diet. It will allow you to eat less, yet still feel satiated.
7. Keep a Food Journal.
Write down everything you eat and drink. Initially include serving sizes along with the number of calories, as well as the amount of macronutrients (fats, proteins and carbohydrates). This will make you conscious of everything you eat while you become educated on the components of a healthy diet. If you are not making satisfactory progress towards your goals, your food journal can provide valuable information needed to make necessary adjustments.
Bill Scibetta, RN, NSCA-CPT
Bill is the founder and President of Precision Fitness ? Personal Training Centers in the Charlotte, NC area and co-author of the book Play Better Longer! ? Peak Performance and Injury Prevention for Golf. Bill is a licensed Registered Nurse as well as a National Strength and Conditioning Association ? Certified Personal Trainer. After spending years practicing in the specialty of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, Bill has dedicated his career to helping individuals identify and overcome obstacles that stand in the way of optimal wellness and peak physical performance.
For more information visit http://www.lakenormanfitness.com
house refresh service Morton Grove ..Unfortunately, it has been proved beyond doubt that a large... Read More
Did you know that much of our dry skin comes... Read More
Following these simple nutrition guidelines will allow you to lose... Read More
Since the beginning of time, everyday fruits have been known... Read More
AgingHow did aging appeared?If mechanism of Death was chosen by... Read More
Cholesterol has been around for thousands of years. It's a... Read More
Apart from eating many of the wonderful vegetables and fruits... Read More
Did you know that the food you eat when you... Read More
The benefits from eating healthy are endless. And, according to... Read More
Glucosamine is readily produced in the human body and is... Read More
Salt is vital for our health. Right now, you have... Read More
The subject of health care itself often seems plagued with... Read More
Bread is one of the oldest known recipes to man.... Read More
When I hear the word fat I usually think of... Read More
Most digestive disorders develop because of the bodys inability to... Read More
After we have eaten a meal -- and often we... Read More
The total calories that you should be consuming depend on... Read More
Recently I found the book : "Eating and health according... Read More
Hi Readers,My message today is simple short and perhaps blunt... Read More
It is shocking how many people are not taking advantage... Read More
New studies bring to our attention that high levels of... Read More
The above foods contain high antioxidant capacity. These foods were... Read More
Secretly we all want just a few things in life,... Read More
(ARA) - By now you probably think you've heard all... Read More
Being vegetarian is one of the greatest things in the... Read More
cleaning service near Mundelein ..You can start today - right now, even - on... Read More
It is amazing to be able to say I am... Read More
According to the Congress of the International Society on Thrombosis... Read More
Every day we are bombarded with information about food products... Read More
Eating healthy and taking care of yourself is essential to... Read More
Instead of Butter: Use top quality, cold pressed, extra virgin... Read More
Olive oil is a healthy choice over other fats such... Read More
I spent a few days at a resort in Mexico... Read More
America's focus on nutritious eating began to receive national attention... Read More
I would like to raise a question: Is Rejuvenation possible... Read More
We've heard it not only once or twice or even... Read More
We know we need to eat a minimum of 5... Read More
I read a lot about the topics of health and... Read More
It's really hard to believe that something could be worse... Read More
You are what you eat is a simple, time tested... Read More
The word 'homeostasis' is made up of two Greek words:... Read More
The key to better health is learning the difference between... Read More
A fictional overheard conversation at a Thelma's Fine Dining.Hi, I'm... Read More
What is Cholesterol?Before we go into how to reduce your... Read More
Your magnificent machine is, in fact, a symbiotic collection of... Read More
Having a personal wellness program has become a concern for... Read More
If you have a business trip tomorrow morning, you've probably... Read More
Recently I found the book : "Eating and health according... Read More
In large part, you're in control of your health, not... Read More
How Can... Read More
Nutrition |