As a health coach and sports nutritionist, I’ve experimented with many different dietary fads and ways of eating. I love to try new things before recommending them to clients. But, over the last year I’ve decided to go back to some basics and focus on fueling my body with a proper balance of real, whole foods.
Understanding how much food my body needs to fuel my active lifestyle and the proper balance of macronutrients to support my training and physique goals as I get older, has been a catalyst to improve my endurance, strength and my relationship with food and my body.
The media and diet industry often promote ways of eating that work for a group of people. But it is important to determine what works for YOU and not get caught in the trap of influence from the media or those around us. I take an individualized approach when working with clients and create a nutrition plan to fit their unique lifestyle allowing them to reach their goals.
A few of my main points of focus when fueling and nourishing my body on a daily basis:
Protein helps to build and maintain muscle mass. Muscle is our metabolic fuel. As we age, our metabolism declines so it's important to maintain muscle mass in order to keep our metabolism active.
Protein = Muscle Mass = Increased Metabolism
Carbohydrates are the body's preferred fuel source for our brains, they fuel high intensity training and improve performance for workouts longer than 45 minutes. Carbs will not make you fat! Your muscles rely on carbs for power and energy!
Carbs = Energy = Improved Performance
Fat is the hormone whisperer! Fat helps to balance our hormones and help us feel satiated. However, it's easy to over-eat fat and the extra calories add up fast! When eating fats, pay attention to the serving size. Example: 23 almonds = 1 serving or 1 oz = 14 g of fat. ⅓ avocado = 1 serving = 8 g of fat
**as you can see it's easy to over-eat fats and the calories will quickly add up leaving you in a calorie surplus over time.
Calore restriction + excessive exercise will NOT help with weight loss or muscle tone. Over time, it will cause your body think it's starving and hold onto everything you eat while drastically decreasing your metabolism. Furthermore, it will increase cortisol, the stress hormone, which can cause inflammation in the body and increase belly fat!
I encourage you to ditch the diet mindset and focus on these things as you fuel and nourish your body! If you're looking for help in determining the correct balance of protein, carbs and fats for your individual goals and needs, I would love the opportunity to talk with you!
