Here's an important factor that has a huge impact on your overall fitness level and general wellness: your diet.
What is a "diet?"
The word "diet" means "a collection of food items that a person regularly eats."
Every
person has a current diet. If you know someone who eats cheesy potatoes
and cheeseburgers six days a week, that's still considered a diet
(admittedly, a very unhealthy one).
If you want to slim down and
tone up, start by examining the composition of your present diet to
determine how many calories you are consuming per day. Analyzing your
current diet can also reveal if you are getting enough essential
nutrients, water and dietary fiber.
What is a quality diet?
A
quality diet provides a balanced mix of macronutrients and
micronutrients in the right amounts. Here is a quick recap of the
essential nutrients that our bodies need to function normally:
Macronutrients
Protein
- Protein repairs and builds muscle tissues. People who regularly
perform cardio and weight training need sufficient protein to build lean
muscle mass.
Both male and female bodybuilders consume large
quantities of protein-rich food to ensure that fat stores are kept to a
minimum and that muscle size and strength are maintained.
Carbohydrates -
Carbohydrates are the main fuel of the body. Our bodies transform
carbohydrates into glucose, a usable form of sugar. The body can also
store glucose in the muscles.
When glucose is stored in the muscles, it's transformed into a substance called glycogen.
It
may be more difficult to lose weight if you completely remove
carbohydrates from your diet because the body needs carbs as its primary
energy source.
Fat - Fat performs numerous important functions in the body, including vitamin absorption, transport and storage.
It
also creates a padding around the muscles that acts as a shock
absorber. Fat also improves a person's thermoregulation and prevents too
much heat from escaping the body especially during cold weather.
Excess
calories from food are stored in our fat tissues. When we lose weight,
we don't actually "burn off" fat cells. Our fat cells simply shrink as
the excess fat is burned off through exercise and other physical
activities.
Water - Keeping your body hydrated is
easy! All you will ever need is pure water. My personal rule for
hydration is equally easy to remember. If you're thirsty, reach for
water 99% of the time.
If you drink soda, start reducing your
daily consumption and replace it with water. You'll soon feel more
energized because your body is not under the constant influence of
diuretics found in soda.
Dietary Fiber - Dietary fiber plays a crucial role in maintaining cardiovascular and digestive health.
Fiber has the ability to block some of the lipids or "bad cholesterol" from being absorbed by the body.
Insoluble
fiber on the other hand (fiber that cannot be digested by the body)
acts as a cleaning machine inside the colon and helps you clear your
colon effortlessly.
Micronutrients
Vitamins -
Vitamins are used by the body to maintain normal growth and
development. Vitamins also enhance major and minor functions within the
body such as eyesight and skin growth.
Minerals - Minerals are inorganic substances derived from the food we eat. The body cannot naturally create minerals.
You
have to make sure that you are getting enough minerals from your diet.
Essential minerals include calcium, iron, potassium and zinc. Minerals
naturally occur in meats, vegetables and fruits.
How do you know if you are getting enough nutrients?
Losing
weight does not mean you have to sacrifice your nutrition. Weight loss
actually comes naturally when you modify your diet and add more of the
best food on the planet like beans, legumes, green leafy vegetables,
cruciferous vegetables, etc.
Superfoods like spinach and broccoli
provide only a modest amount of calories in every serving so it would be
challenging to "overeat" when your diet is comprised of at least 85%
healthy, whole food. Usually, it's the nutrient-deficient food items
like candy bars and hamburgers that are responsible for caloric overload
in a person's diet.
Be mindful of what you eat (even when you're
just snacking) and you just might discover the food items that are
making you gain weight!
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