Fuel for performance
Nutrition and training are the dynamic duo behind your training.
Similar to low-octane gas leaving a car knocking and pinging, junk food lowers your body’s performance. Switching to high-octane fuel can mean the difference between passing or failing a vehicle smog test. Likewise, the foods you choose can make or break your fitness goals.
Switching to high-octane fuel can mean the difference between passing or failing a vehicle smog test. Likewise, the foods you choose can make or break your fitness goals.
Let’s look at:
• Ways nutrition impacts exercise.
• Smart pre- and post-workout food choices.
• How consistent carb and protein intake quells hunger and readies you for training.
Fueling before exercise
If you prefer to work out on an empty stomach, your blood sugar level will be lower and you may notice reduced performance.
Eating nutritious starches such as corn, peas, potatoes, squash, or whole grains as part of a balanced meal will stock up your muscles’ energy supply.
You may find that eating a small snack such as a banana or a few nuts before your workout improves your energy.
Fueling during exercise
Should you eat during extended workouts? According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, the answer is yes, if you:
• Last ate 4 or more hours prior to exercise.
• Are an endurance athlete training for more than an hour.
Refueling after exercise
Once you’re finished training, replenish your body with a healthy meal or snack to enhance your recovery from exertion.
Looking to build muscle or keep your weight from dropping? Include protein and calories at least equal to those you expended.
Regarding timing:
• If you can eat within 30 minutes of completing your workout, great!
• Otherwise, aim for a post-workout window of 2 hours.
Carbs are key
Your body converts carbohydrate into glycogen, for use as cellular energy to fuel your workouts.
Think of carbs this way:
• Your muscles are a bank.
• Exercise is a loan you take out from the bank.
• To pay back the loan, you eat a post-workout meal to remain debt free.
What will 3 of your go-to healthy carbohydrate sources be?
A deeper dive
Nutrient timing and quality is especially important if you burn more than 1,000 calories doing intense training such as (for a 150 lb person):
• Running (9 min/mile), swimming, or vigorous weight lifting for 1¼ hours
• Bicycling (20 mph) for 1 hour
• Walking (17 min/mile) for 3 hours
• High-impact step aerobics or rock climbing for 2 hours
Check the Harvard Health calories burned chart for a comprehensive list of activities broken out by body weight.
For optimal recovery, eat a small snack with carbs and protein, such as plain yogurt with some berries.
One last thing: Hydrate!
To gauge how much water to drink during and after your workouts, weigh yourself before and after. The difference is how much water to drink to replenish.
If you need help with your goals, message your coach in Chat.
Go all out
Change is a continuum. You’re more likely to stay on track with your transformation if you make a point of noticing and celebrating your incremental accomplishments.
Pause and plan
Bring your brain and body on board with your goals to cultivate more self-control and curb your impulses. Pausing and planning helps you:
• Notice your habitual reactions.
• Consciously choose an empowering replacement action.
Today we’ll look at some big-picture strategies that will serve you beyond this program.
1. Weigh in
Stepping on the scale regularly is essential to weight-loss success.
According to the National Weight Control Registry, 75% of dieters who maintain a 66-pound average loss weigh in at least weekly.
Set yourself weekly reminders to check your maintenance.
2. Log food
Tracking your eating is handy if you’re feeling like something’s off.
Keeping a food diary can double your weight loss.
Log your food occasionally to see where you stand within your macro ranges, and make adjustments.
3. Control portions
Learn to distinguish serving sizes from stated portions. They’re not always the same.
Portion sizes have ballooned in recent decades. In 1985, adults ate 300 fewer calories daily.
Weigh, measure, and compare. Avoid portion drift.
4. Eat real food
Remember that proper nutrition energizes your workouts and reinforces weight control.
Sticking with unprocessed foods helps you:
• Feel better.
• Lose weight.
• Improve health.
• Save money.
Opt for whole foods to support your body and performance.
5. Include protein with meals
Adding protein with meals leaves you feeling full longer, and fuels muscle growth.
Eat at least 15% of your daily calories as protein.
Choose protein, in addition to fiber and healthy fat, to satisfy your mind and belly.
Experiencing setbacks is expected. Don’t let a lapse derail your results.
Practice rebounding from lapses to prevent slip-ups from sabotaging your progress.
Plan ahead for dealing with slip-ups:
• Optimize your environment.
• Use lapses as lessons.
Take notes, assessing your direction and reviewing your achievements.
To realize how far you’ve come, look back at your journey. Track your progress in a journal or calendar to reflect on your successes.
Set calendar reminders to reflect on your accomplishments.
Minimize overindulgence using mindful eating practices:
• Take your time.
• Keep your goals in mind.
• Be present.
Mindful eating is an effective wellness strategy: Savor your food and follow hunger cues.
Slow down and chew! Taste what’s on your plate.
Create consistent evidence that you will prevail, by reminding yourself of your health and performance ambitions.
Even when Harvard research participants experienced only minor steps forward, they often reported outsize positive reactions.
Celebrate even small wins as the accomplishments they are along your journey!
What maintenance questions do you have for your coach as you conclude this program?
