Let me start by stating that I am not a nutritionist. I'm just an average person with an above average desire to be healthy and in shape. In fact, I've been told quite a few times lately that I'm "crazy" for how much I work out. But the truth is, no matter how much you work out, what matters even more when trying to look and feel your best is how you treat your body outside the gym. You can do 200 crunches per day, but as they say, "abs are made in the kitchen."
Earlier this year, I joined a nutrition program (shout out to the Manayunk Athletics nutrition gang!) and it completely changed the way I feed and treat my body. This isn't about dieting, it's about creating a healthy lifestyle that you can sustain in order to have more energy, feel more positive, and generally be the best you that you can be.
Here are just a few tricks I've learned along the way.
1. Drink even more water than you think you need.
It may sound crazy, but go for drinking a whole gallon of water per day. It helps to get yourself a good 32 oz. bottle, and give yourself deadlines by when you need to finish four of those each day. You may be running to the bathroom a lot, but it flushes out all those nasty toxins.
2. Eat more than three times per day.
You've heard it before, but eating smaller, more frequent meals helps to keep you energized longer. (And it gives you more to look forward to throughout the day!)
3. Be wise about your carbs.
I often hear people say, "I'm giving up carbs to lose weight!" Then, the next thing you know, they're eating an apple. Carbs aren't just found in starchy foods - they're hidden in fruits, quinoa, beer, and more. Carbs should serve as fuel for energy when you need it most. Here's a good article that breaks it down.
4. Fats are your friend.
The good fats, that is---avocados, olive oil, nuts (peanut butter!), etc. Go for unsaturated as opposed to saturated, as explained here.
5. And "fat-free" is not necessarily better.
These foods are often replaced with sugars, flour, salt and more to replace the taste lost by the lack of fat. No bueno.
6. Experiment with spices, vinegars and lemon juice.
Healthy doesn't have to mean boring and tasteless. Lemon juice or red wine vinegar are easy ways to add flavor to a salad without all the calories from traditional dressing. Everything from meat to eggs to vegetables can be brought to life with different combinations of seasons or even sriracha. Check out Flavor God for some yummy options. Ranch is delicious!
7. Have healthy grab-and-go items handy.
Let's face it, as much as we'd love to meal prep 100 percent of the time, there are times when life gets in the way. In order to prevent the temptation of grabbing fast food, it helps to be stocked up on food that's quick and easy to grab, like tuna packets, protein shakes and bananas.
8. Put down the alcohol.
In addition to often carrying some extra carbs, drinking alcohol can slow your metabolism. It's okay to indulge in a glass of wine here and there, but cutting out the binge drinking on weekends will make a huge difference.
9. Keep it simple.
If you're meal prepping, keep things simple. Stick to two or three good recipes and make enough to last throughout the week. Then, switch up the recipes the following week. It's not quite long enough to get bored of the same food, and it certainly makes meal prepping less of a chore.
10. Have a support system.
Even the strongest willed people will have days where all they want is a case of beer and a large, cheesy pizza. It helps to have a support system in place - whether that's a significant other, a family member, or friends from the gym, who you can lean on when you don't feel like you can resist temptation, and they're right there to tell you that you can.
11. Embrace cheat days.
Because let's be honest — we all need that pizza and beer every once in a while.
