If you’ve ever wondered what you should eat to maximize results from your workouts, you’re not alone. While I am not a registered dietitian, I’ve picked up some tried-and-true, basic nutrition guidelines for fitness over the years. Following these foundational rules will help you get the most from the effort you put in at the gym.
There is a popular saying in the fitness world that “you can’t out train a bad diet”. While you may have that 5 or 10 or more pounds that you are trying to lose, what you eat is about far more than what the scale says.
Nutrition is the bed rock of our body’s physical and mental (yes, mental) capacity. Countless studies show how pre-natal nutrition of the mother affects the development of the body and brain of the infant. And that connection between nutrients and development continues long after you start feeding yourself.
So here are 5 basic nutrition guidelines to get the most out of your body (and mind):
- Stay Hydrated: Drink Water Regularly. Our species was designed primarily in water. All of the chemical reactions that happen in our bodies involve water. And our bodies should be 65% water. So it would make sense that water should be one of the most important things that you put in your body.
Being dehydrated leads to physical and mental performance deficits. You start to feel thirsty after losing about 2-3% of your body’s water. Mental performance and physical coordination start to become impaired after losing only 1% of your body’s water.
Chronic dehydration can cause or affect a myriad health issues, including asthma, allergies, blood pressure, cholesterol, flexibility, joint disorders, acid reflux, constipation, depression, mood disorders, weight gain, and premature aging, just to name a few.
How much water should you drink? Aim to drink about half your body weight in ounces every day—for example, 90 ounces if you weigh 180 pounds. Staying hydrated is essential for fitness and overall health: your urine should be light in color
- Prevent Hunger: Eat Every 2-3 Hours. Many poor nutrition decisions happen because of hunger. When you get to dinner starving, you will be more likely to eat the bread before the meal, order an appetizer, and then get dessert afterward.
Hunger also triggers those ancient starvation genes in our body that allowed humans to survive during times of famine. When you go for long enough without food, your body shifts to a slower metabolic state and wants to store calories as fat instead of using calories to build muscle. So even if you have the will power to skip the bread, appetizers and dessert and just have a healthy salad for dinner, it won’t matter if you didn’t eat for 6 or 7 hours before dinner. Your body will want to store those “healthy” calories as fat.
Eating small, frequent meals throughout the day will keep your blood sugar levels more constant, your energy level up, and your hunger at bay.
- Balance Each Meal: Carbs, Protein & Healthy Fats. Most people are pretty good at doing this for the major meals of the day. But many of the foods that are considered “snack” foods are primarily just carbohydrate.
When you ingest carbohydrates by themselves, your body can digest them and convert them to energy fairly quickly. If there is not an immediate need for that energy, it will be stored as fat. Another problem with just carbohydrate meals or snacks is that they cause more insulin to be released in the body. Insulin inhibits your body from using fat as an energy source. So, in essence, high carbohydrate meals keep you from burning fat.
By having some protein and fat with carbs, you slow down the digestion process. You won’t get hungry again as quickly. But, more importantly, you will keep your insulin levels from spiking, so that your body can use fat as an energy source.
- Fuel Your Workout: Eat Before and After Exercise. If you are starting a workout hungry or on an empty stomach, you can pretty much guarantee that you will not workout as hard as you would if you had eaten something.
Try to eat something 30-90 minutes before exercise. Of course, the closer you get to your workout, the less you should eat. But again, it should be carbs, protein, and a little fat.
Some examples might be: some yogurt or cottage cheese with fruit and some almond slivers, a slice of multi-grain bread with some peanut butter, some oatmeal and granola.
After exercise, it is important to get carbohydrates back into your muscles and give your body the protein that it needs to repair muscle tissue and build new muscle. This is a very time-sensitive process, so you should eat something within 45 minutes of finishing your workout.
- Enjoy Food Mindfully and Socially. As I said at the outset, food is about way more than what the scale says. Everything in moderation. Eating should be an enjoyable experience. Any good nutrition plan allows for “cheat” meals or days when you eat things that you know are not good for you, but that you enjoy.
As often as you can, eat food with other people. Enjoy “breaking bread”. Enjoy the conversation that happens when you share food with others. Try a new restaurant with a friend or loved one. Try cooking a new recipe with your significant other or kids.
And make time to enjoy and be present while you are eating. Many of our meals are ingested while we are doing other things (I am eating as I am typing this article). But still try to eat mindfully. Be aware of the sight, the smell, the texture, the flavor, etc. Be conscious of how you feel as you start to reach satiety. Being keyed in to these feelings will not only make food more enjoyable, but it will also keep you aware of whether or not you are over-eating.
And finally, if following these 5 guidelines does not improve your health and overall fitness, then you may need to consult a registered dietician or nutritionist. Everyone’s body reacts differently to nutrition, and your body reacts differently to nutrition as you age and your body changes. Nutritionists specialize in dealing with unique scenarios and can be extremely helpful in outlining exactly what you should (and should not) be putting in your body throughout the day.
Have questions about nutrition for fitness? Contact us at FitnessWise for personalized guidance or check with a certified nutritionist for individualized support.
In Health,
The FitnessWise Team