Personal Trainer Toronto

Diet (nutrition) is worth 80% of you success in your exercise program. If you are not eating properly your results will be drastically slowed if not reversed. We have control over every bite of food that passes through our lips and we need to be sure that we are making the right nutrition choices in order to get the most out of our bodies.

I want to clarify that dieting does not equal starving yourself. Not eating enough food is just as bad as eating too much food, if not worse. If we aren’t eating enough food our bodies begin to break-down muscle tissue, or store every ounce of fat that it can because it thinks we are starving. This will eliminate all the time and hard work you are putting in at the gym, and you know you don’t want to be going through that for nothing.

In order to increase the success of your exercise program and your fat loss there are 6 simple steps you can take to boost your metabolism and keep your body burning fat as efficiently as possible.

1. Be sure to eat 5 small to moderate sized meals a day. At the very least eat 3 moderate sized meals and 2 smaller snacks. Your body needs to be refueled every 3-4 hours in order to avoid breaking down muscle tissue to replenish protein lost in your blood stream as well as to keep your metabolism fired up. It actually takes energy to break down your food so eating often helps to burn up some of those extra calories in your day. You can use the Canada food guide to give you ideas of appropriate portion sizes. If you are eating nutritious meals frequently, portion control often comes naturally (it would be awfully hard to eat a huge meal every 3 hours) and you don’t have to stress out about calorie counting.
2. Every meal should consist of BOTH a protein and a carbohydrate.
   
3. Limit your fat intake. Every gram of fat has 9 calories as opposed to the 4 calories in each gram of protein or carbohydrates so it impacts you calorie intake much more dramatically. Fat should not be eliminated from your diet because your body needs some fat to remain healthy, however you need to make healthy choices with the types of fats you are ingesting, as well as the amount of fat you are eating. Try substituting with healthy fats such as flax oil and extra virgin olive oil whenever possible and look for products with omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
4. Drink LOTS OF WATER. Water is necessary for the body to transport nutrients and eliminate waste. Water also boosts your metabolism because your body uses energy to warm it up to body temperature. Besides you will feel a lot healthier, more focused and energetic and have more strength and stamina for your workouts if you are well hydrated. 2 litres a day is a great starting point and I would suggest 3 or even 4 during the summer heat.
5. Whenever possible choose fresh foods. Fresh is best, frozen is good and canned is crappy : ). Try to buy organic food options as they are less likely to have been picked prematurely and ripened in a warehouse. They are also much better for you because they are richer in nutrients and are not covered in harmful chemicals that can be toxic for the body and make it hold on to fat. That’s right the toxins are often stored in fat. Too many toxins equal things like cellulite, but that is a whole other story, just try to eat organic and choose foods closest to their natural source as possible.
6. Eliminate white food from your diet. Try to eat whole grains and brown options when it comes to breads, pastas and rices. The white versions of these are stripped of their nutrients and chemically processed. Anything that says enriched flour is a no-no. It may sound good but it means they have stripped the food of all the nutrients and have to put stuff back in in order to call it food again. They are basically filler with no real nutritional value to your body and are empty calories. The whole point of eating is to provide your body with the nutrients it needs to run properly so give it what it needs..

Try these simple substitutions:

• Stevia instead of sweetener or sugar. It is an all natural non-chemical sweetener that is much sweeter than sugar and has no calories. Use it in tea, baking or anywhere you would use sugar. Just don’t use it in coffee, it doesn’t go well and makes the coffee taste bad, don’t know why, it just isn’t a good match.
• When you are in a rush you can substitute your natural protein with a protein shake. Use this with a quick, no preparation carbohydrate as a snack or meal on the run. You should really only use this as an option for one or two meals a day. Natural unprocessed proteins are always the better option.

Remember exercise or diet individually will not produce the long lasting weight loss results you are looking for. In combination they are a fat buster that will build you a fit and healthy body to last a lifetime.

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