I think it’s a safe bet to say that most people would like to improve their health and then remain that way for as long as possible. After all this could mean a longer healthspan and extra years with your loved ones.
The 3 main behaviours that are used to improve health are
– stress management
– exercise
– diet (duh!)
All of these topics come with extremism and dogma. As if there is only one way to do things and all the other ways are wasted time and effort. No wonder there is so much confusion.
As someone who is very interested in the subject it is frustrating to see it, hear it and read it! Not everybody wants to eliminate a whole food group because it is supposedly how our ancestors ate. Or to not eat anything at all a couple of days a week. There are many ways to ‘diet’, but if it doesn’t fill your body’s nutritional needs while also being sustainable for the long term, then indeed that would be a waste of your time and effort.
The best results are going to be built on repeating the basics consistently over time. This 3 part article is focussed on just that.
Important Note: *As long as you are not recommended otherwise by your doctor this article will apply to most people.
Calories are king and eat your damn vegetables.
Do that everyday for the rest of your life!
There you go – nutrition basics 101. I should have just started with that.
Seriously though I wish it could be that simple.You eat food and ideally your body will use that energy to keep your heart beating and muscles moving.
Calories are the unit of energy measurement in our food. If your goal is to lose weight you need to consume less energy than you expend. If you want to gain weight the reverse is true. Continue to do these things and adjust as necessary along the way until you have reached your goal weight.
Having the knowledge and ability to manipulate your body with your calorie intake is a powerful tool. You can use it to offset that crazy weekend you just had, to start finally gaining some weight or to lose weight for your sisters upcoming wedding. But most importantly – be able to keep it off (or on) because that is far more healthy anyway.
Important Note: *Behaviours that match the desired outcome is of huge importance but will not be covered in this article.
But there is no need to be getting the calculator out at every meal. Most of you won’t need to be counting up your intake super precisely unless you have far loftier goals and if that’s the case this article isn’t for you. You should be thinking about building habits not following meal plans.The ability to eyeball portion sizes or using your own hand as a guide can be a real eye opening experience. The great thing about using your hand as a guide is that it’s a custom fit for you and you can usually count on having it with you.. . . . . More on this soon in Part Two.