Question: Mat, I have exercised on and off most of my adult life; as well as “trying” near to every “fad” Diet ever written. Now, approaching 40 years of age I am finding it harder to figure out the “how to’s” of staying in shape?
This article is a continuation from last month’s question re stated above. In closing the last article I promised to address the most important component of getting well, healthy and FIT!
A QUALITY NUTRITION PROGRAM
Too many times someone that is new to resistance training will assume that so long as they are in the weight room performing some type of resistance based routines, or just doing cardiovascular work that they will just be ok. In order to achieve a maximum result one must understand that when they are in the gym they are doing the work that breaks the body down. YES, EMPHATICALLY, this step is important, but from there, and once out of the gym and at home the process cannot stop.
I understand the confusion when one is looking at all the “diets” that exist in this day and age. This being the reason that I explain to all new clients, affectionately called, “little machines”, that it requires a complete change of lifestyle. What is the first thing one must avoid? Carbohydrates? NO! Protein? NO! The American Medical Association finally labeled what we should first avoid, EXCESS SODIUM.
Too many Americans today are consuming a daily intake of way too much sodium. One may be eating a lean cut of meat, fish or even chicken, but then they proceed to cover that healthy food with a high sodium based sauce. Then, of course there are those that resort to the good ole’ salt shaker! It may take as long as 4-5 days, but once a client, (little machine) is off of excess sodium, they will get past the “withdrawal” of not having those sauces and salt based products that are silently killing them. Those with questions about sodium and daily intake may of course email me, but in a spare moment, google© request (www.google.com), “sodium, the silent killer”. You will be amazed at the blogs, articles and nutritional studies pointing to sodium as the element most to blame for a host of medical problems, most of which is heart disease.
So what do you do? First, let’s continue to “crawl” and address the three most important aspects of starting a nutrition program:
1. How many meals a day am I consuming?
2. How much time is between each of these meals?
3. How much of the following am I consuming?
o Protein
o Carbohydrates
o Fats
It is not always just what one is eating when getting them to the starting line with a nutrition program; it is in most cases how much that new client is NOT EATING!
When starting out clients tend to completely miss breakfast, opting for the “office breakfast” of coffee and a bagel, or the “drive thru” breakfast which I do not even want to talk about this month! Breakfast, a quality breakfast is the most important meal of the day! How can we expect to “start” the day with no fuel or quality fuel to run on? In an effort to speed up the metabolism one should follow that breakfast with several more quality meals throughout the day.
Once you have committed to eating those meals that are necessary to feed your metabolism, you must establish when you are supposed to eat them. Timing is everything in this process. One must train the metabolism to feed them through the day; not only at times or points during the day.
The “how much” questions is what most puzzles a lot of clients. Yes, you must consume the key nutrients that your body must have. Too many of one, or not enough of another will either keep you from your goal, or at a minimum slow the process down a lot. The tricky part is that all of us are different, with different strengths and limitations. This is again where I point to that need for a guide in your reaching your health and fitness goals.
Ok, we have reached the end of another article, but I encourage you to continue sending your questions! I enjoy hearing from each of you and love hearing your success stories in regard to your personal health and fitness goals! Next month we will continue our journey and explanation of “balancing” out our lives as we work toward a happier, healthier YOU!
Remember, each and every day to CREATE A POWERFUL DAY!
*Mat DuVall is a Professional Athlete and member of the International federation of bodybuilding. Mat’s articles have been published both nationally and internationally. Mat is tHE Chief operating officer of Ultra FIT LLC; Recently having partnered exclusively with American Bodyworks. You may email your questions to MAT.DUVALL@ULTRAFITTRAINER.COM!
Tags: American Bodyworks, Douglasville, Fitness, Mat DuVall, Ultra Fit, Villa Rica
