NUTRITIONAL BASICS

As Personal Trainer, one of the questions I get asked about A LOT is nutrition.

“What should I eat?”

Well, the simple answer is whole foods.

But the real answer gets more complicated than that. Diet, and by that I don't mean to use the word in conjunction with 'fad dieting', is all about what we eat as a whole (overall). Our diet as human beings controls how much energy we have, how that energy is delivered, how much muscle and strength we have, how our brain functions, and how healthy we are. Yes, there is a lot more too it than just shoving in a coffee and a pastry.

But, it doesn't have to be overly complex or difficult to understand and work out.

Lets parallel our bodies to a car (this keeps things relatively simple to understand). We all drive our cars in a different way and differing amounts or distances. But, all cars have to be maintained to continue to function efficiently. And without fuel, they don't go at all. We need to check oil and water and change these things regularly. If the wrong fuel is used, the cars' engine doesn't work correctly (imagine putting diesel fuel into a petrol powered car).

So what are the similarities with our bodies?

First off.... FUEL. Our bodies need fuel to function correctly. Energy for muscles to work, and brain and nervous system functionality. Oxygen for the body to assist in the breakdown of nutrients. Water to maintain both our physical state and existence (the human body is around 65% water), as well as maintaining the viscosity of our blood so all the nutrients can be sent around the body efficiently.

Apart from water and oxygen, what 'FUEL' should we put in? Here is the big question. Every person has slightly differing needs, but essentially it comes down to the big 'C'..... Carbohydrates. These are the fuel for our body. But there are, the same as car fuels, good and bad carbohydrates. What we essentially want to be putting into our bodies is 'whole foods' and Low GI carbohydrates (Low GI meaning that the food takes longer to be used within the body. Long term energy. As opposed to BAD carbs being high GI.)

But, where do these Low GI Carbohydrates come from? Some of the best sources are right in front of us every day. Oats, Rice (brown and white), Wholemeal Pasta, Quinoa, Sweet Potato just to name a few. These foods at the beginning of our day and in the middle will give a person slow release energy to sustain his or hers workload for the day (All you have to do is vary quantities for your individual activity level). Also, to a lesser degree, smaller quantities at dinner to allow for fuel for the next day.

Then there is protein. This is the basis for all muscle maintenance and body tissue creation. Without sufficiently balanced carbohydrate and protein intake, the human body will simply eat itself to death. Whilst Carbohydrates give the body energy to exercise, protein gives the body to create the muscle (and other tissues) after the exercise. And add to that, water and oxygen to move all of these fuels around the body.

A good example of the above is a recent client of mine. For all intense and purposes he looked like a fit healthy guy. His 'six-pack' was showing and he had some defined muscle. But due to very poor eating habits and a lifetime of abuse (cigarettes and other substances) he was neither strong nor fit. His food intake was too starchy, he had inconsistent meal times and didn't really exercise regularly. On our fourth training session I ramped up the intensity to see what he could do, and within 3 minutes he was sick to the point of collapse. What happened? His energy system could not cope and his body failed to find any sustained energy to complete the task set. Since then, new meal plans have been put into place and his training modified to re-program his body and energy systems. (This is just one extreme of what can happen when the human body is not fuelled correctly.)

This is just the basics of fuel. There are also good 'fats' (eggs, meat, avocados) that are also beneficial to our energy levels, but these can be discussed at a greater length within a separate blog. This blog is just about the basics.

So, now about the MAINTENANCE. The human body is made to move. It is so important to keep moving in some way. At all ages. Young children run around all day like maniacs because they can. They have the strength and endurance to be able to move in every way imaginable when they are fuelled and fed correctly. But as we get older, the body starts to wear. Specially after the age of 40 (something I definitely know about...ha ha). Like the car that we are comparing our bodies to, regular maintenance is required, again at all ages. Quality exercise, stretching, hydration and good quality foods (avoiding processed foods as much as possible) are the staples of all body maintenance.

As we are younger, we get regular exercise without even thinking about it. As a child we are keen explorers, and want to know about the world and we are always being active and running around. Being this way, our bodies are moving and getting that maintenance and use that it requires to keep healthy. Moving into life as a teenager within this new millennia, however, brings with it some daunting issues. Most importantly life with television and computers, and take-away foods More and more teenagers and becoming inactive and eating sugary foods. Without getting that regular 'maintenance' the teenage body doesn't get to develop correctly, leading to postural and functional issues within later life. These can be corrected, but it's harder to 'correct' a physical problem than to avoid it in the first place.

As we move through our 20's and 30's we tend to think we are in 'good shape' as we are socialising and playing sports, etc. But, we can always be in better shape. Plus, throughout this part of our lives we tend to abuse our bodies with bad food, alcohol, etc. Again, we can correct any physical problems that arise from lack of exercise and bad posture later in life (there's that maintenance again) but as a person gets older it can become more difficult. So it's always better to keep your body healthy and maintained as best as you can for that longevity and quality of life.

Once we start to hit our 40's and beyond there are many more factors to consider with our 'maintenance'. Even assuming we have led a healthy lifestyle throughout our younger lives, things such as muscle tissue becomes harder to maintain, our bodies naturally start to store more fat and our metabolism slows, our bones begin to degrade, and our joints become stiffer and tighter so limiting our movement. All of these things can be worked on and improved upon with regular maintenance (exercise and nutrition) so that we have a higher 'quality of life' throughout our lifetime. Even in our 70's and 80's we can still exercise and eat healthy. There is nothing stopping us at all.

So, back to the original question of Nutrition....... This is one of those subjects that can be discussed for days. Things to aim for are good quality foods, low GI Carbohydrates, continual hydration, plenty of quality protein from a multitude of sources such as meats and eggs, a variety of vegetables and natural foods, eating regularly, and allow ourselves to get proper sleep and rest. Things to avoid are overly processed foods, high GI foods with processed sugars, dehydration, irregular eating habits, lack of exercise.

Life is actually pretty simple. We tend to make it overly complicated for ourselves.

Stop stressing about things that are not within our control, live healthy, enjoy life.

(As always, if you have any questions about anything I have mentioned here, always drop me a message and I will endeavour to answer to the best of my ability.)