What Your Body NEEDS To Perform!
I recently bought a 2018 Camaro, I love it ;-). I treat it much better than I ever treated my 2007 Buick Lucerne lol. And that made me think…How are you fueling your body? Are you treating your body like a sports car or….an old beater? The fuel you put into your body is what is going to help you feel and look your best. So the question becomes, “What kind of fuel are you using?”
I highly recommend that you fuel your body for optimal performance even if you are trying to lose weight.
Believe it or not, it doesn’t matter if you are a weekend warrior or a Ironman competitor, how you feel and look directly correlates to what you eat. If you want to get the most out of your body, if you want to recover quickly, if you want to look and feel your best you must be intentional about what you eat.
You do this by feeding your body with what it needs.
Trying to work out with a body that is starving and depleted of essential nutrients will end only in frustration; and frustration eats at your momentum and resolve with a voracious appetite.
So…don’t waste a minute of all that hard work you put into the gym or studio, fuel you body sensibly. Here are some basics you need to know.
The BIG THREE:
The big three nutrients that you need to be concerned with are carbohydrates, protein and fat. An eating strategy that balances these three macronutrients will skyrocket your results.
Carbohydrates: It has been argued that carbohydrates are the most important nutrient that an athlete consumes, because carbs fuel muscle. In short, whenever you move a muscle, you are using carbs. Your body converts carbs into sugars and then stores them in your muscles and livers. The body news is If you eat more than can be stored in either your muscles or your livers, when this happens the excess carbs get stored as FAT…NOT COOL!
Which is why I recommend you consume your carbs from vegetables and fruits. It is hard to overeat vegetables and fruits compared to pasta or bread.
Protein: To build muscle, you must consume protein. So often this is the one thing my clients struggle with, they don’t eat enough protein. Muscle is what is going to make you fool and feel awesome! Without a solid muscle base, you will kind of spin your wheels and will feel stuck in pursuit of your goals. Plus, muscle helps protect you from diabetes. The more muscle you have, the more efficiently your body can deal with glucose from your bloodstream.
Trying to drive a car with fuel is like trying to work out with a body that is starving. Both need essential fuel or nutrients if you will.
So, please eat protein daily. The easiest way to consume it is from animal sources, however, you can also combine some plant-based proteins it’s just a lot harder to do.
Fat: Oh, boy so much controversy! Fat is essential and you need it. The key is to eat the rigth kind and amount. Avoid hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil…they are not bueno! Try to get the majority of your fat from olive oil, coconut oil, nuts, seeds, avocado, wild-caught fish and free-range animal products such as butter, cheese, yogurt, beef and poultry. All that being said, as long as you are eating enough animal protein, getting enough fat will not be a problem.
Lastly, you need to give your vehicle in life what it needs to perform. If you don’t, you will end up tired, weak, and prone to frustration because you won’t have the energy or strength to anything but watch TV. The better you fuel your body, the better it will serve you in whatever you do.
Go be awesome!
Kellen Lake – You are what you eat.
PS – The key to fueling your body for peak performance is balance and moderation. This is why I highly recommend you try Just 4 You Meals, go to this website on Monday at 9:00 AM and order your Trainer approved meals! This will take all the guesswork out of eating, as well as save you a ton of time and energy!
