Coach Nyra’s Nutritional Tips
Hello Members!
We all know that exercising is good for us and can lead to weight loss and body transformation. However, if you aren’t seeing the results you want, whether it’s fat loss, muscle gain, or just better performance in the gym, it’s time to take a good look at your diet. So which “diet” is the best to follow? There are so many out there that it can be overwhelming to choose. And, what works best for one person, may not work for another. We are all unique in our DNA make-up and how our body responds to the food we eat. So that being said I’m not going to do the pros and cons of all the popular diets, but I will give you some healthy habits to start implementing in your daily eating routine.
1) Eat every 3-4 hours. The rule of thumb is to divide the number of hours you are awake by 3, and that’s how many times you should eat.
2) Eat breakfast within and hour of waking. This is hard to do sometimes, but very important. It starts the day getting your metabolism burning, rather than storing.
3) Eat lean, complete protein with each feeding. Lean meats, such as chicken, fish, turkey, eggs, lean beef or protein powder. 20 grams of protein for women and 40 for men per meal. (This is about the size of your palm and ½ inch thick…double that for men.)
4) Eliminate the processed foods and add more veggies for your carbohydrates. Veggies should be eaten with each feeding. Fruits are healthy too and provide many important vitamins and minerals, but if weight loss is the goal, limit them to two servings a day, choosing berries, apples, or citrus when possible.
5) Include healthy fat in your diet. We have been programmed to believe that fat makes us fat, therefore people often discard this important macronutrient. Besides being an important energy source, it is critical for the manufacture and balance of hormones, the formation of cell membranes, transporting vitamins. Fat signals our brain to “stop eating” making us more satiated. To get these healthy fats, include avocado, olive oil, nuts (almonds and walnuts especially), fish oil (omega 3), and flax seed or flax seed oil. You will naturally get saturated fat from the animal proteins you eat, and that’s ok! The trick is to balance it with the fats listed above.
6) If you have fat to lose put down the pasta, bread, rice, potatoes, and other starchy carbs. Get your carbohydrates from veggies. After a strenuous workout, starchy carbs are ok if eaten within 1-2 hours after the workout (in moderation of course).
7) This one is a no brainer. Cut out the sugary drinks: soda, alcohol, and specialty coffee drinks with syrup. Stick to iced unsweetened tea, water with lemon, etc.
I hope these tips are helpful information or reminders for you. I am happy to talk nutrition with you if you have any questions.
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Eat Healthy,
Coach Nyra
nyra@crossfitrxd.com
