In my last blog, we talked about the equation to get results. Results in terms of performance, aesthetics, or overall health and lifestyle. This equation involves three pieces: training, sleep and nutrition. One without the other two does not get you the results you desire. Today let’s assume training and sleep are on the right track so we can solely focus on the nutrition piece.
Nutrition SHOULD be your priority, but it is often overlooked or brushed aside. Eating in general is very socially-based and to some people, eating is “bad”. They are of the mindset that food is the enemy and they need to eat less to achieve their goals.
In these ways and many others, food has been devalued in terms of its importance to our bodies and how they FUNCTION.
Add to that the issue of highly-processed, inexpensive food choices out there today and we have a recipe for sub-optimal health, performance and aesthetics.
How can we change that?
It starts with awareness. Being aware of WHAT you’re putting into your body and HOW MUCH you’re putting into our body is the first step.
What do you do after each workout? If you’re an athlete at Brickhouse CrossFit or CrossFit Unify Roanoke, most of us walk over to the computer kiosk or use the app on our phones to log our workout results. We have created a habit and know that’s how we track progress and keep up with our fitness.
When we think in these terms, the idea of NOT tracking our food intake seems crazy if we truly value our health and fitness.
Great, Ryan, thanks for the lecture. Any helpful tips on what I can do?
-Download a food-tracking app like MyFitnessPal. Start playing around with its features and learn about entering food items. Here’s a simple tutorial.
-Track your food intake for 5 days. Don’t try to be “good” or “healthy”. Eat what you would normally eat so you can have an accurate look at what you’re taking in.
-Keep a log of how you felt each day – mood, energy, gym performance, soreness, sleep quality. All these things, when cross-referenced with the food you’re eating, can provide great insight into what you’re doing and if it’s optimal.
-Assess and adjust. If we’re not seeing the desired results, it’s time to change things up.
Ask yourself these questions often:
What is my goal right now?
What am I doing daily to move toward that goal?
What do I need to do differently to achieve that goal?
Start with the awareness of HOW MUCH and WHAT you’re eating and you’ve initiated the process toward achieving your goal.
Tell me what you find when you track your food intake. I’d love to hear from you!
Follow along on Instagram for more tips, techniques and ‘stories’!
