Food is the biggest component under our control to regulate our body weight. However, it’s usually the hardest
component to change – because most nutritional programs are complex and quite restrictive, requiring you to
alter and change your lifestyle in ways you can’t maintain. These programs rarely work long-term, because
you simply give them up and go back to your natural eating patterns. However, as many gTonnicks clients
and students have learned over the years – “You may workout religiously — but you’ll never achieve your
fitness goals without proper eating habits.” Healthy eating habits have to become a “natural part of your
daily routine.” Yes, you have to develop an eating “lifestyle” that you can maintain without any effort at all. It
has to be practical, knowledge-based, and easy to implement. This series of articles on food seeks to give you, an “easy to follow, practical guide to daily nutrition.”
Some of the information is elementary, but you have to “know why you are doing something,” to really fully
appreciate and get motivated to do it correctly. So, why do well need “good” nutrition:
- Energy – It’s fuel for one of the most complex machines the world has ever known: the body!
- Strength and Power – an overlooked aspect of general health and fitness.
- Lean Muscle – the kind that most of us want – and lean muscles to help burn fat!
- Decrease and Manage Body Fat – without proper diet, you can workout 4 hours a day, and
never see the best results of your training. - Better Healing – it has been proven that a good nutritional program will improve all body
functions, aid in the healing and recovery of injuries, stimulate mental concentration, build and
repair damaged tissues, speed recovery between workouts, and facilitate improved sleep and
physical rest.
For most people, eating poorly is simply not knowing what to
eat, rather than consciously making bad nutritional choices.
Of course no single food provides all the above benefits. The key is a good variety and balance of foods. What
are some of the things that affect your metabolism (how fast you burn food)?
Your current fitness level:
- Your fitness goals
- The type activity and exercise you are currently performing
- Your current physical condition (illness, pregnancy, injury, etc.)
- Your environment (hot or cold weather, dry or humid).
Here are four categories of foods you should be come familiar with:
- Carbohydrates
- Proteins
- Fats
- Vitamins & Minerals (Supplements)
Stay on the look out for the next article, which addresses the carbohydrates.