Are You A Fitness Foodie?

Better Body San Diego Podcast

http://www.fitnesstogether.com/missionhills - For the most part when we eat, we don't think of our food as fuel. Yet what we eat provides the energy we need for our day's work and play. However, most of us lose sight of the grade of fuel we consume, or we are swayed by convenience to settle for less than Premium, which is what our bodies need and deserve. A good "Food As Fuel" plan answers three key questions:1. What is it exactly that I am eating? 2. How it is prepared? and 3. How is it ultimately providing the energy I need?Note the word “plan." It confirms action. We “set the table” for a fuel deficiency when we make our food choices for reasons such as: boredom, convenience, loneliness, comfort, depression, socialization, for the crunch, for the taste, and for the pure enjoyment of the decadence of it. Instead, we would benefit from a conscious examination of our eating motivations and what we chow down on as a result. Our body is a complex machine that requires the right combinations of foods to keep it running at peak efficiency. Put low octane grade gasoline in your high end sports car and get less horsepower, less performance, less efficiency and ultimately, more bills from your mechanic. The same thing applies with the food you eat every day and your body. One quarter of what we eat keeps us alive. Three quarters of what we eat keeps our Doctors busy and wealthy. Start your day with a balanced breakfast. A cup of joe and a slice of toast, or triple shot latté with a scone will rev up your heart rate getting your motor running. But once you get to the office, you’ll be faced with a “fuel crisis” jolt of hunger that you will satisfy with whatever is available in the vending machine or break room. When we lose control of choice, we lose sight of fuel, as we’ll eat anything to end the hunger pains, usually out of convenience. Choice is recognizing the difference between comfort/convenience and fuel. If you want to perform better, be more alert and alive, then eat the higher octane quality fuels. Drop your propensity for fast foods as the only thing they do fast is make you fat, and leave you longing for more due to their typically high fat and sugar content. Fresh and whole, ground to mouth, made at home, ported to and fro is the best way to go. If you control it; then you can fuel your body with what it needs. Small and frequent, portion size-appropriate, quality calories targeted at weight maintenance or loss, specific to you and your goals. Think of the word “diet” as your DAILY INTAKE OF ENERGY TREATS. Your daily eating plan should consist of 5 to 7 small meals a day. That should be your daily intake of energy treats--your FUEL. All good things begin and end with a purposeful plan of attack. No need to deprive yourself of eating, just consume real foods, not packaged or pre-cooked, for a healthy fueling plan. Stop and think about the foods people ate back in the 1800’s: vegetables grown in the ground, fruits off the trees, animals that were hunted, fish that were caught, and grains that were picked. There were no pasta primavera, cheese enchiladas or chili rellenos and definitely, no burgers and fries. Have you ever seen any burger stands on the Ponderosa? Not likely. Of course, those days were much more primitive and cooked foods were prepared over a wood-burning fire. There were no microwaves or fancy ovens, no food processors or pasta machines and no refrigeration. Fast food was literally fast. If you were fast enough and smart enough to catch it, you ate. What was caught that day was eaten…that day. Food was fresh, all-natural with no preservatives and prepared over a fire or eaten raw. Perhaps not completely practical today, but the point is, our fitness level is won and lost at the food table. We simply cannot out train bad nutrition no matter how hard we work at it. Embrace the idea that it is ok to be uncomfortable, and you should be somewhat uncomfortable making choices you know you should make, but in the past rolled over on. It’s a one-meal/one-workout-at-a-time approach, using the word “fuel” as mental and physical propulsion through your fitness regimen. Let’s fill 'er up and get going! You can do it. Fitness Together Mission Hills offers personal training with qualified professionals by regular appointment in private suites. Exercise and nutritional programs are custom designed to fit your needs and abilities. Call 619-794-0014 for more information or to schedule a free assessment session. See what others are saying about us on Yelp and San Diego City Search.