Getting Fitness & Nutrition Back On Track

Take a vacation from your fitness efforts this winter? Well, if you’re like most there’s a good chance you did. Now that your kids are back at school, we know you're pumped to get back in your spring exercise groove and strive towards your weight loss and fitness goals.

From nutrition nonsense to exercise and protein intake, I’ve got the tips to get your quarantine fitness regimen on point fast so you can see tangible results before warm weather hits. So, here’s how to get going in the right direction…(Hint: good things come in 3’s)…

Streamline Your Exercise Routine for Optimal Results

Short of cloning yourself, how can you make the time to take your “better than nothing” style of workouts to the next level?

Whether at home or at the local gym, here’s 3 timesaving, turbo-charged tips to getting it done right…

1. Plan your exercise routine ahead of training. Standing in front of your equipment scratching your head as to what to do first won’t do you much good where results are concerned. This saves you time.
2. Intensify your training. Determine the correct intensity that you need to train at for your level and ability. That means you’ll be pushing yourself along at a rate that challenges you, with short rest periods to keep your heart rate up and maximize calorie burning. This is how your body will feel the need to make positive changes while also saving you time. Plus, you’ll have some reassurance that you gave it your best effort, which translates to being on track with hitting your goals.
3.  Perform the RIGHT exercises. Determine a well-rounded program with goal-specific exercises needed to make progress.

Why You Shouldn’t Eat Immediately Before Training

If you’re the type of person that crams in a quick snack literally just before you’re about to hit your workout, you may want to re-think your nutrition strategy.

Here’s 3 reasons why …

1. Tug-Of-War Scenario. On one hand you are asking your body to digest food, and on the other you are expending energy for exercise. The outcome? Both can occur simultaneously, but at a limited capacity – slower digestion and lower energy output. 
2. Digestion Issues. A build-up of gas can occur, making your fitness outing much less comfortable.
3. It takes energy (and blood) to digest the food. So when you eat shortly before exercising, you need the energy at two places. Blood is pooled to the stomach for digestion, and it’s also being pulled to working muscles to supply nutrients via the bloodstream. The outcome is that the muscles win and efficient digestions lags.

Pump Up Your Protein

Protein is one of the basic building blocks of the human body, yet most people don’t consume enough to meet daily requirements, let alone exercise.

Here’s 3 quick tips that answer common question I get asked on a regular…

1. How much do I need? Our protein needs depend on our age, size, and activity level. Professional nutritionists and fitness consultants use a standard method to estimate our minimum daily protein requirement where body weight is multiplied in kilograms by .8, or weight in pounds by .37. Your end number is the number of grams of protein that should be the daily minimum. Therefore, a person weighing 150 lbs. should eat 55 grams of protein per day.
2. Do I need more protein if I exercise? There is strong evidence that people engaging in endurance exercise (such as long distance running) or medium to high intensity resistance exercise (such as fitness training or body building) can benefit from additional protein in their diets. Research suggests 1.2 to 1.4 grams per kilogram of body weight per day for endurance exercisers and 1.7 to 1.8 grams per kg per day for medium to heavy strength training.
3. What happens if I don’t eat enough protein? Unlike fat and glucose, our body has little capacity to store protein. If we were to stop eating protein, our body would start to break down muscle for its needs within a day or so. So, keep your protein intake in check and you’ll greatly enhance the rate in which you meet your weight loss and muscle building goals. You’ll be creating a proper rate of muscle repair and general maintenance which leads to increased body strength, revved up metabolism and a positive overall physical appearance!