You Are What You Eat

When it comes to losing weight, building muscle, or just toning up, it’s important to remember: what you eat is just as important as how you exercise (maybe even more important).  Without the right nutrition program to support your exercise regimen, you are limiting what your body can achieve. I have literally heard hundreds of times from people who work their butts off in the gym, but complain about how they can’t make any progress… it’s always their nutrition habits that are the problem.  Nutrition consists of all of your eating and drinking lifestyle habits; everything you eat and drink to nourish your body is part of your nutrition.  Often, when people use the word “diet” they are referring to a short-term change in their eating and drinking habits to obtain a specific goal.  However, it is essential to note that the words diet and nutrition are synonymous. They both refer to the body’s intake of food and beverages.  More importantly, without the proper nutrition program, even the best exercise program will not lead to optimal results.  You have to feed your body the correct foods, supplements, and nutrients to allow it to make the transformation you desire.

Many people associate a clean diet with looking a certain way physically, but the reality is there are far more important benefits than a particular “look” that can come from a clean diet. I have listed a few off the top of my head below.

Benefits of a Healthy Nutrition Program:

Anti-Aging: Your body will produce fewer toxins and be able to eliminate wastes more efficiently.

Disease Prevention: Diets should be low in cholesterol and bad fats, which will help reduce the possibility of developing any chronic diseases.

Strong Bones: Calcium intake in your balanced nutrition program will keep your bones and nails both strong and healthy.

Reduced Stress: Your body will be more efficient with dealing with distress as well as the positive stress associated with exercise.

Stronger Immune System: Proper nutrition allows your body to produce the correct amount of white blood cells.  If you happen to get sick, it can also lessen the degree of sickness and cope with it more efficiently.

Better Sleep: You will be able to rest easier because your digestive system will be in harmony with the rest of your body’s systems.

Better Performance: Proper nutrition will give your body the fuel it needs to perform at its highest level.  If your body performs at its highest level, you create the stimulus for your body to adapt the way you want it to.  So whether you want to lose fat, gain muscle, or tone up, nutrition is the key to maximizing your body’s full potential.

This may seem very basic to most of you, but we all hear time and time again about people who just don’t understand the real importance of nutrition. Like I said, it doesn’t matter how hard you work out… if you eat like crap… you’ll look and feel like you eat like crap! The importance of a great nutrition program is often overlooked and the benefits highly underestimated. If you’re struggling with your results and you’re hitting the gym on a regular basis I can almost bet you with 100% certainty that the problem lies with your diet. Get your diet right and the results will come!

Until next time-

-Tony