The Basics of Nutrition
“They” say that a healthy lifestyle is 70% nutrition. With that being said, Robbie offers us some refreshingly simple do’s and don’t’s.
Don’t: “If it fits my macros…”
This mantra is one many have adopted as a way to feel better about the crap they eat. It’s called macro-dieting. You have set daily macronutrient goals that include specific amounts of protein, carbs, and fat. To macro-dieters, it doesn’t matter where the nutrients come from as long as you hit your numbers. While this way of dieting can be effective at getting results it might not actually be making you healthier. People who follow this type of diet would justify 4 poptarts and a bag of flamin hot cheetos “as long as it fits your macros.” So you can see how this might not be the best way to look at nutrition.
Do: Eat Real Food
Robbie suggests a more holistic approach. While having an idea of how many grams of protein, carbs, and fat you are consuming is a good idea, it’s arguably more important to worry about eating “real” foods. By “real” I mean a combination of meat and plants that contain only ingredients that you can pronounce. Getting in as much clean, whole foods as possible is a great place to start.
Don’t: Be Perfect From Day 1
The idea of changing everything about your lifestyle right out of the gate is crazy and kind of cruel. You set yourself up for failure when you expect perfection. Every time you slip up you feel more and more discouraged until eventually you want nothing to do with a healthier lifestyle. Which makes perfect sense; why would you continue something that offers no gratification but instead a daily dose of “you suck.”
Do: One Step at a time
Like we mentioned before, it’s important not to change too much at once. “Progress not perfection,” remember? If you want to makes steps toward a healthy LIFESTYLE then you should try to make changes that you feel you could sustain FOREVER. Habits that you can implement CONSISTENTLY. Not 100% of the time, no one is asking you do never eat pizza again. Just make good choices as often as you can. Try to focus on implementing rather that restricting. Think about adding a lean source of protein at one meal a day or getting in more veggies throughout your day or even something as simple as getting in more water. Baby steps.
Other Tips:
Correct deficiencies
Manage macros and portion sizes
Make time; to plan and prepare your meals
At meal time, eat slowly and stop eating at 80% full (it takes twenty minutes for your stomach to communicate with your brain that it’s full)
Hopefully this basics on nutrition helps you get moving in the right direction. Next time we will discuss Movement Training: Why and How to Strength Train.