Fitness Wisdom: ‘What Should I Eat?’

Fitness WisdomEditor’s Note: This column is sponsored by FitnessWise (4801-B Montgomery Lane). Visit their Facebook page for more.

First, let me preface this discussion the same way I preface it when a client asks me, “What should I eat?”

I am not a registered dietitian and don’t hold a degree in nutrition. But there are certain basic rules of nutrition that you need to follow if you want to get the most out of the hard work that you do in the gym.

There is a popular saying in the fitness world that “You can’t out-train a bad diet.” While you may have five or 10 more pounds you’re trying to lose, what you eat is about far more than what the scale says.

Nutrition is the bedrock of our body’s physical and mental (yes, mental) capacity. Countless studies show how prenatal nutrition of mothers affects the development of infants’ bodies and brains. The connection between nutrients and development continues.

So, here are five basic nutrition guidelines to get the most out of your body (and mind):

1. Don’t get thirsty. Drink water. All the chemical reactions that occur in our bodies involve water. And our bodies should be 65 percent water. So, it would make sense that water should be one of the most important things you put in your body.

Being dehydrated leads to physical and mental performance deficits. You start to feel thirsty after losing about 2 to 3 percent of your body’s water. Mental performance and physical coordination start to become impaired after losing only 1 percent of your body’s water.

Chronic dehydration can cause or affect a myriad health issues, including asthma, allergies, blood pressure, cholesterol, flexibility, joint disorders, acid reflux, constipation, depression, mood disorders, weight gain and premature aging, just to name a few.

How much water should you drink? Half your body weight in ounces every day. So, if you weigh 180 pounds, you should be drinking 90 ounces of water daily. Your urine should be clear or faintly colored.

2. Don’t get hungry. Eat something every two or three hours. Many poor nutrition decisions happen because of hunger. When you get to dinner starving, you will be more likely to eat the bread before the meal, order an appetizer and then get dessert.

Hunger also triggers those ancient starvation genes in our body that allowed humans to survive during times of famine. When you go for long enough without food, your body shifts to a slower metabolic state and wants to store calories as fat instead of using calories to build muscle. Even if you have the willpower to skip the bread, appetizers and dessert and have just a healthy salad, it won’t matter if you didn’t eat for six or seven hours before dinner. Your body will want to store those “healthy” calories as fat.

Eating small, frequent meals throughout the day will keep your blood sugar levels more constant, your energy level up and your hunger at bay.

3. Eat carbohydrates, protein and fat every time you eat. Most people are pretty good at doing this for the major meals of the day. But many of the foods that are considered “snack” foods are primarily carbohydrates.

When you ingest carbohydrates by themselves, your body can digest them and convert them to energy fairly quickly. If there is not an immediate need for that energy, it will be stored as fat. Another problem with carbohydrate-only meals or snacks is that they cause more insulin to be released in the body. Insulin inhibits your body from using fat as an energy source. So, in essence, high-carbohydrate meals keep you from burning fat.

By eating protein, fat and carbs together, you slow down the digestion process and you won’t get hungry again as quickly. But, more importantly, you will keep your insulin levels from spiking, so your body can use fat for energy.

4. Eat before and after exercise. If you are starting a workout hungry or on an empty stomach, you can pretty much guarantee you will not workout as hard as you would if you had eaten.

Try to eat something 30 to 90 minutes before exercise. Of course, the closer you get to your workout, the less you should eat. Some examples: some yogurt or cottage cheese with fruit and almond slivers, a slice of multigrain bread with peanut butter, or oatmeal and granola.

After exercise, it is important to get carbohydrates back into your muscles and give your body the protein it needs to repair muscle tissue and build new muscle. This is a very time-sensitive process, so you should eat within 45 minutes of finishing your workout.

5. Enjoy food. As I said at the outset, food is about much more than what the scale says. Everything in moderation. Eating should be an enjoyable experience. Any good nutrition plan allows for “cheat” meals or days when you eat things you know aren’t good for you, but that you enjoy.

As often as you can, eat food with other people. Enjoy “breaking bread.” Enjoy the conversation that happens when you share food with others. Try a new restaurant with a friend or loved one. Try cooking a new recipe with your significant other or kids.

And make time to be present while you are eating. Many of our meals are ingested while we are doing other things (As I type this article, I am eating). But still try to eat mindfully. Be aware of the sight, the smell, the texture, the flavor, etc. Be conscious of how you feel as you start to reach satiety. Being keyed in to these feelings will not only make food more enjoyable; it will keep you aware of when you are overeating.

And finally, if following these five guidelines does not improve your health and overall fitness, than you may need to consult a registered dietician or nutritionist. Everyone’s body reacts to food differently, and your body changes how it reacts to nutrition as you age. Nutritionists specialize in dealing with unique scenarios and can be extremely helpful in outlining exactly what you should (and should not) be putting in your body throughout the day.

In Health,
The FitnessWise Team

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