Six Nutrients for Better Recovery and Well-Being
When thinking about making changes to our diets, we often think about eating to gain muscle or to lose fat. However, there are many other reasons to alter our diets that don’t involve a change in weight at all. Current estimates state that about 70% of the standard American diet consists of processed foods (1). While frozen fruits and vegetables are included in this statistic, the majority of those foods are nutrient-poor choices that result in major vitamin and mineral deficiencies that can leave us with muscle cramps, fatigue, difficulty
The Fitness Puzzle – Which Piece Are You Missing?
When it comes to fitness goals, most people end up falling short of where they would like to be. Part of that is the lofty expectations that people have, and part of it is our “instant gratification” society where people want a quick fix. But take out the people who expect to lose 20 pounds in a month, and there are still plenty of others who make a commitment to diet or exercise and never see the results that they would like. It’s often something that the individual doesn’t realize
It Really Is A Lifestyle Change
"It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change". Sound familiar? That's what everyone that just started a new diet says because they've started to see results and like what they're seeing. Then they realize that it's taking away from their enjoyment of going out to dinner. Then they can't have what they want at a cookout. Then they want to have a few drinks while they're out playing golf. And soon enough they've given up on it and are heading back to the weight they started at. That's a diet,
Eating The Proper Foods Before Your Workout
We have all heard of the importance of a balanced diet, but what does that actually mean? Many of us tend to take the easy route when deciding what our next meal is. Whether that’s choosing something quick like take out, or throwing something into the microwave, sometimes we choose convenience over nutritional value. Poor nutrition and an unbalanced diet can affect our overall health and well being, our sleep, and lead to complications like heart disease and diabetes. Understanding the basics of nutrition is the first step you need
Three Protein Alternatives
Protein is a valuable source for all of us. It helps us build and sustain our muscles, which help us in everyday activities and are even more important for us if we’re athletes. Although for most of our lives we’ve been feed the idea that meat is the way to go to get all the protein we need, there are other options that are just as good that also highly nutritious. These alternative protein sources can work well with people who try to avoid eating meat in their diet but also
Rebuilding Our Relationships with Food
Food. Food is delicious. Food is comforting. Food is fuel. Food is needed. Food connects us to others. It helps us stay connected with people, whether it’s family dinners, holiday celebrations or even a good night out with friends. Just as these relationships have an impact on our health, our relationship with food also plays a major role in our overall wellness. How often do you stop and really think about your relationship with what you’re consuming? Are you eating to live? Or do you live to eat? It can be hard to face and may be ignored by
What Are Macronutrients and How Do You Count Them?
PART II – Calculating Your Daily Caloric Needs Calculating your unique macronutrient intake can be a challenging thing if you are not familiar with what to do and how to do it. It can be confusing, and it requires doing some math which a lot of people seem to dislike. But, don’t worry! I am going to walk you through it. The first step in counting your macronutrients is to find out how many calories you need to be consuming each day based on your activity level. Take a moment and write down your age, weight,
It’s more than a chore, it’s your life.
It’s more than a chore, it’s your life. It sounds super dramatic but movement and overall health are intertwined. Whether any of us like it or not, if we want to have a long and enjoyable life, we have to move. We all spend enough time in static seated positions like at our desks during work, behind the wheel while driving, or even on our couches watching Netflix. I bet if we calculated the time we spend sitting down all week we would all get a number that would scare us. Our
What Are Macronutrients & How Do You Count Them?
PART I If you are involved in the health or fitness community, chances are you have heard of the term “counting macros”. Counting your macronutrient intake can be beneficial in many ways. It can help promote weight loss or weight gain and can help you achieve your specific goals. Keep in mind that everyone is different and what works for you may not work for someone else. In order to be able to count your macronutrients, you first must understand what macronutrients are. Macronutrients are substances required in relatively large amounts in