From busy work weeks to crazy weekend activities, your performance and ability to get it all done is largely tied to how you eat… your diet. If you want be at your peak each and every week, you must be intentional about what you eat, taking care to feed your body what it needs.
Coming from the corporate world before becoming the new owner of Genesis, I can tell you firsthand that erratic eating and missing the essential nutrients only ends in frustration; and frustration eats away at your momentum and ability to truly enjoy life.
That’s why I wanted to take this time to review “the basics” in the components you need at each meal so you can fuel your body sensibly and be ready for all the challenges that come your way each week.
Genesis Nutrition 101: The Foundation
The big three nutrients that you need to be concerned with are carbohydrates, protein and fat. An eating strategy that balances these three macro-nutrients will skyrocket not only your fitness results, but how you’re able to keep the pace in both your work and family life.
CARBOHYDRATES: Over the past decade, there have been mixed ideas about how much carbohydrate to consume in your diet. Some have argued that carbohydrates are the most important nutrient that a person should consume, while others denounce carbohydrates as an unhealthy nutrient that leads to obesity and other health issues.
But, in reality, how much carbohydrate you should consume depends a lot on your physical activity throughout your week. If you are a Genesis Client and have embraced the importance of strength training in your “lifespan plan”, then eating a certain amount of carbohydrates each day is crucial because carbs fuel muscle. Every time you move one of your muscles, you are using carbohydrates. Your body breaks down carbs into sugars and then stores them in your muscles and liver. But if you eat more than can be stored in either of these two places, then the excess is stored as fat in your body.
At Genesis, we make a recommendation of how much carbohydrate you should eat based on proven science and testing of your metabolism… your body’s inner machinery. Because your daily usage of carbohydrates can shift, it is important to keep your body’s metrics up-to-date by getting your metabolism checked every 6 months. Adjustments made in your proper, metabolism-directed carb consumption can ensure you stay healthy and lean without having to perpetually starve your self through dieting.
Good sources of carbohydrates to include in your diet are whole grains, vegetables, fruits and beans.
PROTEIN: In order to build, rebuild, and even maintain muscle, you must have protein. Muscle is the foundation of every physical performance you take your body through, whether it’s exercising, doing chores around the house, and even walking in the park. Without a solid muscle base, you will be ineffective in any physical pursuit. Muscle also plays an important role in protecting you from diabetes. The more muscle you have, the more efficiently your body can uptake glucose from your bloodstream.
It is important to eat protein daily, because your body cannot store protein very easily. Protein from animal sources is the easiest way to get complete protein, but plant-based proteins can be combined to provide complete protein as well.
FAT: It is unfortunate that fat came under such fire during the last decade or so. Fat is essential and you need it when it is in balance with carbohydrates and protein. The key is to know what kind of fat to eat. Avoid anything that is hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated. These fats are also called trans-fats and are very unhealthy. Instead, try to get the majority of your fat from olive oil, coconut oil, nuts, seeds, avocado, wild-caught fish and free-range animal products such as butter, cheese, yogurt, beef and poultry.
Finding the balance
If you are like many people, you are often confused about how to balance out the different kinds of foods you eat. It seems as though there is a new diet promotion every day, promising all sorts of miracles.
The key, however, to fueling your body for peak performance and health is to go to the source FIRST to see EXACTLY what your body requires – your METABOLISM. This is why we always test a New Genesis Client’s resting and exercise metabolism so we can make the optimal recommendations to them for peak performance, whether it is to lose weight, overcome diet related health issues, play a sport better.
Until you get YOUR metabolism tested, remember: you must give your body what it needs to perform. If you don’t, you will end up tired, weak, and prone to frustration because you won’t have the energy or strength that you should. The better you fuel your body, the better it will serve you in your pursuit of fitness and health.
