Maybe a little of each?
Last week I had a member ask me if I would keep a food journal and post it. They believe (and I agree) that results come largely from the food we eat. The member stated that many of our members did all the classes I did, but didn’t look like me yet so the food factor must be the difference.
On some levels, I completely agree with her. The food factor is ultimately going to be the final factor that determines the way your body looks and performs. It is our fuel. Our body can only perform optimally if it has the right building blocks, in the right proportions. We literally become what we eat. The tricky part about this is that we are bombarded with food advice and “facts” that can be complicated, expensive, time consuming, and down right confusing.
There are many reasons for this.
One of these reasons is that many are simply motivated by money and telling people what they want to hear can be very profitable. Quick fixes often sell but are usually short term results and do more harm then good. Ever heard of HCG?
Another is that we are all different. Our lives each carry with them their own challenges, our schedules might look nothing alike, and our metabolisms are all over the place due to genetics, diet and fitness level. Not to mention our bodies are just different. My “perfect” body will look different than someone else’s simply because we ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THE SAME!!!! We are constantly manipulated by media and told that there is one acceptable body type. All fit and healthy people look like “this.” What we don’t see is that from a portfolio of fit, healthy and athletic women with different beautiful body types, only the women who portray our society’s present view of “beauty” are chosen. They then go through a 2-week dieting process leading up to the photo shoot to drop their body fat % to better meet the expectations we all seem to have now. And then the Photoshop team gets started…
There is definitely a difference between eating to preform and eating to LOOK a certain way.
When any of us get going on the fitness journey, we have to decide what we really hope to achieve. Are we chasing a superficial dream, trying to stuff our bodies into a box labeled “society approved” or are we driven with a deeper motivator? Our bodies are truly incredible. I personally believe that our bodies are not only incredible, but are precious gifts given to us by a loving God and we have a responsibility to our God to take care of what we have been given. It has been my experience with the women I have worked with, that the ones who find success in their fitness journeys are those who learn to love themselves. Positive motivators are MUCH stronger than anything negativity and deprivation can muster.
You might be surprised how many women that in your opinion “have arrived” at their perfect body (get ready for a whole nother post on that one) don’t like what they see in the mirror. Love and accept yourself where you are and simply be true to yourself. Let your journey become one of unlocking the potential held within you, fueling your bodies with REAL food and enough of it and trusting your bodies enough to challenge it in many ways, consistently, long term.
And lastly, have compassion for yourself on those days your confidence has been shaken or your goals run off course. They will happen… guaranteed. Accept it. Move on. Move FORWARD. As long as you are still breathing, you have another day to prove to yourself you strong enough. You are pretty enough. You are determined enough. You are enough.
Soap box done for now, so lets address the rest of the above exchange.
It is my job to work out. And I don’t just do one thing, I have 12 different certifications and currently teach 5, I mean 6, or is it 7 different formats? Each week I lift weights, cycle, do yoga and work my core and more. It is a fabulous way to make a living for so many reasons and carries with it the perk that I can easily squeeze in 8+ hours a week in sweaty exercise hours. I also have been doing this consistently for YEARS. Building up a strong, athletic body is not a sprint. It’s not even a marathon because marathons have finish lines. There are no finish lines here people!
Does this mean you should just give up now? Absolutely not. Remember, you are on that higher road towards unlocking our bodies potential so you can really understand how amazing your body really is. This is the combo I have found to work VERY well: 2 strengths, 2 cardio, 2 30-minute HITT and a yoga/Pilates each week. For those of you who do not want to work out EVERY day (I take Sundays off) you can always double up, in fact I recommend it. My favorite schedule gave me Sundays and Wednesdays off and had me doing only Yoga on Saturdays. It was fabulous! Don’t have 6 hours a week to spend right now? Totally cool. To everything there is a season. Let’s call this a schedule for “Athletic Excellence.” Maybe your season is calling for “Fit and Healthy” where you do 2 strengths and 2 cardios each week. Many find yourselves in the “Taking Charge” season of your life with 1 strength and 2 cardios each week. Wherever you are, GIVE YOURSELF CREDIT for putting in the time, no matter what you are doing. Every work out is a win, a victory where you took the initiative to take care of your health, and that is a big deal!
So what do I eat?
My personal favorite “diet” is the Zone diet. It’s focus is just on balanced eating and it takes into consideration your goals and activity level, which is SO important. My approach to food is a mix between this and Intuitive Eating. After following the Zone diet and getting a good handle on what ratios of protein, carbs and fats I should be eating I now listen to my body and try to give it what it needs. I do my best to eat REAL food (not always easy in this world) and enough of it. On days when I teach multiple classes, I try to eat somewhere around 2,500 calories… not an easy task. I gave up iceberg lettuce years ago. I am literally wasting my time! When I look for food, I think “what is this gonna give me?” I find excuses to put fruits and veges into everything. Zucchini in scrambled eggs? Yes please! Do I eat sugar? Yep. Not all the time, but if I go somewhere and they are serving brownies you better believe I am having one… or maybe two. I usually make my own salad dressing and will sometimes sprinkle a bit of brown sugar into my balsamic concoction. And Zone bars actually have quite a bit of sugar in them. Their chocolate mint ones are my favorite! I rarely bake, but if I do it’s usually to make cookies with my son. I LOVE bread. Pretty much the only thing I say NO to is soda. I have a root beer a few times a year. I don’t even drink much juice because most of that is loaded with sugar. My drink of choice? Water.
Here is what I ate today:
Breakfast
3 eggs fried in coconut oil, sprinkled with seasoned salt
½ cup (pre-cooked) oatmeal seasoned with honey, cinnamon, blueberries & a touch of vanilla
Second Breakfast (Hobbits have the right idea)
Kefir Shake
½ kefir (store bought b/c I always kill the stuff in my cupboard)
strawberries, spinach, orange, honey and a touch of vanilla
Lunch
Spaghetti Squash Extravaganza
You can cook spaghetti squash in 12 minutes in the microwave!
What I had in my fridge today was Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage, spinach, onions, garlic, cilantro, peppers and tomatoes. I add the tomatoes and spinach after everything else is cooked up and melt a tablespoon of parm. cheese on top. It took me about 20 minutes start to finish. I ate a full plateful... I was hungry today.
Snack
Apple & string cheese
Dinner
Protein shake w/ extra spinach and berries.
So maybe try it out and see how you feel, but know that my metabolism might be very different than yours. Learn what your body needs. What kinds of food does it feel best with? Learn to feed YOUR body and to listen to what it needs.
The last words of advice, maybe don’t step on a scale for a couple months when you are transitioning from the “eating like a bird” approach to the “eating like an athlete” approach. Your body is not a machine and you will probably gain a little weight while your body figures out your new game. It will love you for it long term, but the short term your body might get a little confused. DON’T FREAK OUT and STAY THE COURSE. Maybe find someone to measure your body fat and body circumference measurements, as these are much better progress indicators anyway.
In short, FEED your body, CHALLENGE your body, LOVE your body, be CONSISTENT and find YOUR body’s happy & healthy place and live a life DEVOTED to the things you love most, to the things that truly matter.
