We all know that saying, "You are what you eat", but how much does that really affect what we put in our mouths?
I had a friend share an article with me about the correlation of food to personal happiness: https://tinyurl.com/yxknufb2. I was so grateful to receive this article as it has been top of mind for me lately!
Think about it, how often do you really THINK about what you are consuming? Are you rushing to find something quick for lunch or dinner? Or maybe you are out to dinner and choose something to indulge in. Or maybe you are watching TV or your phone while you eat to pass the time.
Let's take five and really think about this process of eating. I like to colloquially call it "conscious eating". I tend to do this when I'm looking for specific results from my fitness, like lose body fat or gain muscle.
Lately, I am recovering from an injury and adjusted my eating to reflect this. I went from working out 6-7 days a week, sometimes twice a day, to working out with light weights 2-3 times a week. If I continued to eat like I was training when I WASN'T training, I would pack on the body fat. I wasn't using as much energy, therefore my machine didn't require as much food.
It really boils down to PLANNING your meals and snacks each and every day with your specific body in mind.
Here are some things to ask yourself when planning your foods:
1. What makes your stomach feel happy after you eat it? What about how you feel the next day? This is good to know, as you may have an allergy or sensitivity to an every day ingredient. Eating foods that just leaving you feeling tired or your joints painful isn't making you happy at all!
2. What doesn't leave you feeling bloated and icky? Same as above. If you feel like a balloon or just overall devoid of energy, rethink that last dish!
3. What can fill you up and give you the clean energy you need for your day and workouts? Maybe you require extra fruits or carbs to support your cardio activity. Look to increase your fresh vegetables as it gives your body a workout just to digest them, and the vitamins and minerals contribute to a healthy immune system.
4. What will help you lose body fat or gain muscle mass? Eat for what you want to achieve. Runners eat different than body builders, so document your activity levels, your meals, and how you feel to see how food affects you!
5. How much less to no processed foods are you consuming? There is no refuting this one! The less cooking you do to your food means it retains more vitamins and minerals. Also, the less chemicals in your foods means you would also consume less of said chemicals.
Now, does this process take some time to do? Yes, but by tailoring your diet for you, the outcome may find you feeling happier and achieving the goals you want to achieve! What a great outcome to have!
If you have questions about your workouts and some nutritional support for those workouts, give us a call 352-872-5373 and schedule a time to chat with one of our coaches!