Diets Don’t Work, Healthy Living Does!

Healthy eating and regular physical activity are essential in achieving and maintaining a healthy mind and body. In order for your body to truly reap the benefits of an exercise regime you simply must give your body adequate fuel before training and during active recovery. The following are some tips to help you nurture your body with the nutrients it needs to function at its true potential.

Diets in which you severely restrict calories can lead to constant cravings that may lead to overeating. If you are starving yourself throughout the day and coming home to have one meal at dinner you will overwhelm your body with calories that it does not need at that moment. It is much better to spread the nutrient load.

Fasting or withholding calories can result in weight loss but mostly in the form of water and lean muscle. When you lose muscle mass, you decrease your metabolism. When coming off the crash diet the metabolism will be slow causing rapid weight gain. Fasting on a frequent basis can cause permanent damage to the metabolism. It can deprive the body of essential nutrients and result in low energy, weakness, and lightheadedness. Furthermore, ketones can build up in the body when carbohydrates are not available for energy, which causes stress on the kidneys and can be harmful to your health.

Simply changing the frequency of eating can lead to lower cholesterol, healthier arteries, better brain function, and weight control. By eating smaller amounts of food more often, less insulin is released. Insulin is a powerful hormone that regulates glucose levels in the body but it also turns on an enzyme that makes cholesterol. When less insulin is released, the body makes less cholesterol. Moreover, by spreading out the nutrient load, there will be a more gradual release of carbohydrate, which aids in keeping the blood sugar level steady. A balanced blood sugar level increases satiety, which can prevent overeating. Healthy, balanced blood sugar levels have been found to improve memory, control weight, and increase energy.

How much we eat of anything should be determined by how active we are. What’s important is that we are fueling optimally. Choose a diet rich in protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Protein and fat are used for structural components of the body. Look for lean proteins and stay away from Saturated or Trans fats.

Carbohydrates are almost exclusively a source of energy. They are needed to maintain regular physical activity and for optimal brain functioning. Choose good carbohydrate sources. Stay away from refined white sugar, starch, and flour. Once ingested, the pancreas has to work hard to create insulin in order to regulate the high blood glucose levels. Whatever energy the body can't use gets stored as fat, resulting in unhealthy weight gain and even insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes. Instead look for whole grain foods that are more natural and have not been refined. Choose a diet full of colour. Fruits and vegetables are loaded with vitamins and minerals that build strong bones and teeth, healthy skin and hair, and protect us against a multitude of viruses, illnesses and diseases that develop over a long period of time including; cancer, heart conditions, stroke, diabetes, among others.

What will always hold true is the idea that natural, whole, and unprocessed is the best for your body! That being said, moderation is the key! We are not perfect, we are only human, and sometimes we may indulge in our favourite foods that don’t quite fit into the healthy category. You may want to consider the 80:20 rule. Eighty percent of the time you will follow a healthy diet but twenty percent of the time you may spoil yourself with a tasty treat and that is okay. It is all about balance!

Small changes to your nutrition plan can result in big differences in your body composition and fitness goals. Creating a daily physical activity and nutrition log is a great way for you to hold yourself accountable. It’s also a great way to document your successes. Seeing that you are sticking to your plan is not only a great incentive to stay on track, it’s also a great confidence booster! The Canada’s Food Guide and the Canada’s Regular Physical Activity Guide are great reference tools and committing to a group class or working with a personal trainer can give you the additional guidance that you may need.

For more information on how a personal trainer, educational seminar, or group class could help you to reach your exercise and nutrition goals contact: PILATES FOR ME at (705)254-8810, pilatesforme@hotmail.com or check out our website www.pilatesforme.ca

Refer to the Health Canada website at www.hc-sc.gc.ca/index-eng.php Canada’s Food Guide and Canada’s Regular Physical Activity Guide.