LMV Workout Series: Nutrition Notes

Posted on: May 1st, 2013 by paul

If you are seriously considering changing your lifestyle and getting into great shape, it takes more than just working out. Nutrition, hydration and recovery are also important pieces of the puzzle. Today we will discuss the importance of nutrition and how it contributes to improving your training and getting better results.

One article is simply not enough to get in-depth with a step by step nutrition plan, but this will be a good stepping stone to get you started on the right foot. Generally speaking, it is important to change the way you look at food. Food must be seen as a resource to fuel your body. Start giving serious thought as to what goes into your grocery cart and what you order at restaurants.

Read Labels

Living in North America, we are constantly challenged with making healthy choices when it comes to eating. It takes a keen eye to decipher what is healthy compared with what appears to be healthy. For example, a salad is generally a healthy meal choice, but if you choose a salad at a place like McDonalds, the dressing will have almost as much fat as the burgers. So although you may think you are eating healthy, you really aren’t making any headway. The lesson here is to really do you digging. Read every label and look for ingredients that you know. If the food you are about to purchase has an ingredient list longer than your grocery list it most likely isn’t a healthy choice. Also, its smart to avoid foods with highly processed ingredients. You can usually tell this by looking at the ingredients and if there is something with a really long name that you don’t understand, it probably isn’t healthy. So stick to things with simple ingredients that aren’t processed.

Benefits of Eating Healthy:

More Energy

Once you start avoiding processed food and start eating lots of fresh food (such as fruits and vegetables) you will notice a change in your energy level. When you are training, you may need to eat more. It is essential that you are putting the right foods into your body so you will have the energy to get you through your next workout.

Balances Highs and Lows in Energy

After an intense workout, the body can go through a drop in energy if you are not nourished properly. Within 30-45 minutes of training, it is essential to get some sort of protein into your body (preferably a protein shake with 20-30 grams of protein). Protein will help your muscles rebuild. Remember you are always fueling your engine so be mindful to put in high octane fuel.

 

Next week’s installment will talk about which foods are the best high-octane fuel for your body. Until then, return to the Travel Fitness Blog for more great workouts.

About the author: Dave is the blog editor for www.lastminutevacations.ca . He has been training athletes for 10 years and has been a professional athlete for the past 5 years. 


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