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Proper Nutrition
- Steady meals-This is vitally important to keeping you
blood sugar level. If you skip meals or go too long without eating your blood
sugar drops and your body will cannibalize itself and eat up the muscle for
energy rather than the fat. This leads to a lower metabolism, as muscle burns
calories. Also, eating really large meals gives your body more calories than
it can deal with at once so excess calories are stored as fat. This is why we
eat 3 balanced meals per day with 2 small snacks in between, this avoid peaks
and crashes in the blood sugar.
- Food Choices-This is also extremely important, your
meals should be a balance of Protein, Carbs, and Fat, your body needs all
three. Every time you eat you should have a balance of these macronutrients
as it slows the digestion process allowing blood sugar levels to rise steadily
rather than with drastic spikes and drops. There is a large debate on proper
proportions of PCF. But a good general rule is 2 clenched fists for your
Carbs, 1 palm size for your protein, and your thumb for your fats. This works
because a persons hand is in a direct relation to the size of their stomach.
- Proteins-Most of your body is made of proteins and
water. This is why protein is so essential to muscle growth. Your protein
choices should consist of lean meats such as boneless skinless chicken breast,
lean steak or ground beef, fish, turkey, or any lean cut of meat. Also low or
non fat dairy is a great choice if your not lactose intolerant. Whey protein
is also amazing and should always be consumed after every workout. Many beans
and vegetables also provide some protein, but they are often not “complete”
proteins, meaning they do not have all 21 amino acids. It is preferable to
get your proteins from complete sources as I have mentioned above. Also, soy
protein has become very popular lately and I suggest taking it in moderation.
This is especially true for men, as too much soy creates and excess of
estrogen in men, which produces things most men do not want.
- Carbohydrates-Carbs have gotten a very bad reputation
lately, but they are essential to proper health and growth. You need to know
the difference between “good” carbs and “bad” carbs. Good carbs are natural
and unprocessed like, veggies, fruit, and unprocessed grains. Bad carbs is
generally anything processed, bleached wheat flour, high fructose corn syrup,
candy, cookies, most baked goods, and almost anything that is pre-packaged is
pretty much a bad carb and should be generally avoided.
- Fats-Again, we have good fat and bad fat. Good fats are
of the UN-saturated kind, olive oil, flax, canola oil, avocado, nuts and
seeds. You MUST have good fats in your diet for proper brain and body
function. Try to get these fats in your diet in an unprocessed way, and avoid
heating them excessively as it changes the chemical balance for the worse.
Bad fats are the Trans and saturated kind found in fast food, animal fat,
baked goods, potato chips, and other junk food. Avoid these as much as
possible
- Following these general guidelines as much as you can
will provide great results, but you don’t have to go crazy with it, you can
cheat a little, but do so in moderation. Also many people will disagree
with these statements, particularly vegetarians, but you must think about your
ancestors. What were they eating? Meats, nuts, veggies and fruit.
That is still in your genetics, and obesity hasn’t become a problem until we
started getting away from this type of eating.
Sample menu
Breakfast-In blender, 1 cup frozen berries, 1 cup raw
oatmeal, 1 tbsp flaxseed oil, 1 scoop whey protein powder, 1 cup skim milk or
water. Blend together and drink on way to work.
Mid-morning snack-Handful of almonds, remainder of
breakfast shake, or a portion of your lunch.
Lunch-Lean meat such as chicken breast, spinach salad with
tomatoes, avocado, and other veggies, and natural dressing such as Newman’s, or
olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Mid-afternoon snack-Good protein bar with a proper PCF
balance, or a portion of your lunch or dinner.
Dinner-Lean meat like top sirloin, salmon, etc. lots of
steamed veggies, such as asparagus, broccoli, green beans, etc. and small salad
as mentioned above, also brown rice is a good carb choice as well.
I have seen countless people reach their goals by following
this diet. If you stick with it and commit to making a change in your life it
will work for you too. Commitment is the key to change.
For more information please feel free to call the studio at
305-905-7444
or email at
Justin@ReformingPilates.com
NUTRITION
BENEFITS OF PILATES
JUSTIN'S BIO
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