Why Nutrition Is a Crucial Part of Your CrossFit Routine

Mathew Fraser is the Fittest Man on Earth, and his CrossFit routine is obviously a
big reason why. But there’s an aspect to Fraser’s routine that’s just as important:
nutrition. Speaking to GQ back in July, the 28-year-old Tennessean credits
nutrition for helping him maintain his apex-level fitness. And for the three-time
(2016, 2017, and 2018) CrossFit Games champion, it’s as simple as eating well.

“I just try to eat well,” Fraser tells GQ. “No junk food. No soda. Very little that
comes in wrappers. It’s mostly meat, vegetables, and fruit. If I’m hungry, I eat. If
I’m not hungry, I don’t. There’s not too much of a science behind it.”

VIDEO
Mathew Fraser clinches a third straight CrossFit Games title

Of course, there’s a science to why nutrition is important to any CrossFit routine.
It is one of the building blocks to fitness. It allows your body to receive all the
nutrients it needs to function optimally. Your body needs micronutrients and
macronutrients. The former ensures good health and overall growth, while the
latter provides the energy you need. However, macronutrients can only be used
by the body for energy if it gets enough micronutrients. In turn, a healthy,
optimally functioning body will allow you to train consistently. This equation, plus
adequate recovery, then equals fitness. Training, as pointed out HERE,
is a stressor to the body. It can only adapt to this stress
through recovery. Once it does, though, the results can be beautiful.

To this end, Fraser’s eating philosophy is a good start. Eating lots of meat,
vegetables, and fruits lets you get the nutrients your body needs. Vegetables and
fruits are rich in vitamins and minerals. Some of these nutrients listed by
SFGATE are potassium (good for counteracting the adverse effects of sodium),
vitamin C (an antioxidant), and vitamin A (essential for immune function). Meat,
on the other hand, provides proteins, which are important for muscle growth and
repair. However, it is critical that you too, do not consume anything that harms
the body, like junk food and soda.

In other words, good nutrition will allow you to do CrossFit, which Brickhouse
considers one of the best exercise programs for sustainable results. It is
movement-focused, fun, and habit-forming. As CrossFit requires lots of
movement, it is therefore energy demanding. This is why good nutrition is so
important as it will give you the energy to attack your workouts and help repair
and recover muscle tissue. It will also provide the necessary building blocks to
transform your body and enhance your overall fitness. It will even help your body
recover after every session.

With this combination, you will soon find out that CrossFit actually works to keep
you fit in the same way it helps elite athletes. Keeping fit was the reason why
tennis superstar Serena Williams turned to CrossFit while she was pregnant (see
video clip below). Williams is the highest earning female tennis player of all-
time and the most successful in the women’s game. A combination of a balanced
vegan diet during tennis season complemented by CrossFit arguably kept her in
shape, and that allowed her to return to peak form much faster.

Small wonder then that NFL coach Sean Payton resolved to include CrossFit-style
workouts in the New Orleans Saints’ preseason training regimen, which was
tailored to each athlete. In turn, team nutritionist Jamie Meeks keeps the
properly fueled during CrossFit training and game days with protein and carb rich
foods for their pre-game meals and special post-game smoothies which aid in
recovery.

So, go on and train as hard as you can. But just make sure you pay attention to
your nutrition; eat lots of fruits and vegetables, along with animal and plant
based protein sources. In the same vein, avoid unhealthy food as much as
possible. Otherwise, your CrossFit training will go for naught. That is, if you have
even have the energy to train in the first place.

Feature post for brickhousecrossfit.com
Prepared by Ava Sanders

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