Are you working out and making an effort to eat clean, but feel like you aren’t in the ‘shape’ that you think you should be in?
You should know that when it comes to your health and fitness goals, in order to unlock your true results, you need to put your focus in three areas:
80% nutrition + 20% exercise + 100% mindset
Often times clients switch up the ratio of nutrition to fitness and my favourite response to this is:
“It’s great that you’re working out for at least an hour a day, but what really matters is what you do for the other 23 hours in the day”.
Working out does not cancel the need to practice proper nutrition. We have to create a healthy balance through a lifestyle change: eat clean, sweat daily and be positive. There really can be a simple solution to getting closer to your health and fitness goals each day, but of course everything sounds good in theory – sometimes trying to take action on what you may already know, can be challenging.
There is no ‘one right way’ for everyone, but instead of complicating things lets start with the basics. First, you should know that when you spend time each week working on your fitness by taking classes, weight training, doing cardio, or yoga sessions (like with the Asana Rebel App) – you are without doubt increasing your strength, endurance & flexibility along with supporting your cardiovascular health and metabolism.
While you may feel like you’ve got the exercise part down-packed, in order to really claim your long-term results (with a bonus of long-term health), the nutrition + fitness + mindset connection must be made and practiced!
Let’s start with the basics; how you take care of yourself pre, during and post workout. These are my 4 tips to practice for reaching your health and fitness goals faster by ensuring you are pairing the correct nutrition approach with your fitness routine.
#1 Your Pre-Workout Meal
Large meals should be consumed 3-4 hours before your workout, and for smaller meals, 2-3 hours. Fuel up with easy-to-digest fats and proteins along with slow release carbohydrates. Smoothies with low-glycemic fruits such as berries, low-fibre microgreens and easy to digest fats such as coconut milk and Brain Octane makes for an excellent option, or an apple with almond butter. Avoid high-fibre foods (leafy greens, chia seeds, avocado, grains) and heavy animal proteins right before a workout.
#2 Naturally Energize
Don’t reach for highly caffeinated beverages that come with unnecessary amounts of sugar or artificial sweeteners. Ideally your energy levels SHOULD remain high for the entire day (increased energy will be the first thing you notice with a lifestyle change). If you lack energy before a workout, try the Vega Sport Sugar-Free Energizer which is natural, and therefore free from synthetic colours, sweeteners and flavourings. Another option is to take 1-2 tbsp of Brain Octane to rev up your metabolism and get you pumped for your workout.
#3 You Need to Keep Hydrated
Your body is comprised of over 70% water! Keeping hydrated is essential, especially during a workout. Every 15-minutes of exercise, aim to get in at least 8 oz of pure water from a REUSABLE water bottle (save the planet). When you keep yourself hydrated you can decrease fatigue, support your heart and prevent muscle cramping. Add 10-20 drops on Concentrace Trace Mineral Drops to your water bottle and consume during your workout to prevent dehydration and replenish your body with healing & energizing minerals. Drinking more water is often the first protocol in my practice, resolving just dehydration alone is a game changer for so many areas of your life!
#4 Your Recovery Meal
After your workout is when the healthy animal based fats and proteins can be enjoyed. Remember that you do not need an excessively large meal after a workout, you just need one that is nutrient dense and filled with WHOLE FOODS. Ensure you have a source of clean protein, healthy fat and low-glycemic carbohydrates. An example would be scrambled eggs with avocado and spinach, or sweet potato noodles with roasted brussels sprouts and toasted pumpkin seeds with some coconut aminos to season, or a serving of chicken with steamed broccoli and grass-fed butter. Aim to have this meal within 1-hour of completing your workout!
Nutrition goes beyond what you are doing pre and post workout. Your health is a 7-day a week commitment. These 4 tips will help you along the way to ensure that you are nourishing your body at every stage of your workout, but your true key to health is when you create a LIFESTYLE, not diet, that is balanced, fulfilling and nourished. Check out my Recipe Index for whole-food meal ideas to get started on your journey, and learn more about meal planning and ‘creating’ your success, check out this post!
If your goal is weight loss and you regularly exercise and do put forth the effort in eating clean but the extra ‘fluff’ isn’t budging check out this post on the Reasons Why You Aren’t Losing Weight, and for the mind, check out Recovering from a Negative Body Image Mindset.
