Fitness Training Essentials

In planning your daily meals (or snacks) a good caloric ration to begin with is 1 part fat, 2 parts protein and 3 parts carbohydrates. However, this is merely and estimate for average people. Depending on the severity of your daily work routine and training schedule, you may need more or less carbs for energy. Fat is essential for maintaining good health and it is needed to manufacture many important hormones in your body, so do not attempt to eliminate some fat from your diet. Just try to ensure that saturated fats (from animal sources) is kept low and that the unsaturated fats (canola oil, olive oil) predominate your fat intake. See below for "good fats/bat fats and good carbs".

Also, you must take in enough protein to support growth and recovery and consume carbohydrates. For the most part, consume low glycemic index carbs, which are converted to blood sugar slowly, so you can control your insulin levels (see glycemic index below). Remember, carbs are your body's preferred energy fuel source, although fat works well too, particularly during aerobic training (as long as you keep the ratio of fats, protein and carbs well within the recommended "zone". Also be aware that protein and carbohydrates both have 4 calories per gram while fat has 9 calories per gram.

ADDITIONAL TIPS ON GOOD NUTRITION

Eliminate junk food...Most fast food, pastries and processed foods contain high amounts of fat, sodium and sugar (usually simple sugars). Consuming these foods does little for your energy, except promote a rise and then subsequent drop in your blood sugar levels.

Drink 8-10 glasses of water a day (more if your training schedule is rigorous)...This will ensure you will replace fluids lost during exercise. You need not wait until you are thirsty. By then you are already dehydrated. Drink these glasses throughout the day, not all at once.

Determine your daily protein requirements...As you have already learned, you need small amounts of protein during the day available for your muscle tissue for adequate growth and recovery. Proteins that include the essential amino acids (those that your body cannot manufacture) are very important. Protein powder provides a great means of obtaining additional quality protein. See Protein Powder below for daily requirements.

Consume high fiber foods...Not only does a fiber-rich diet help reduce cholesterol, it also lowers the glycemic response of your meals and promotes efficient digestion. See Fabulous Fiber below.

Increase your lean body weight through resistance training...The more lean weight you have, the more efficient your body moves and the higher your metabolism becomes. Your bones become denser and your muscles, tenders and ligaments strengthen. The great side effect is that it is easier to avoid gaining excess body fat. Remember, bigger muscles burn more calories than little ones.

FOOD LABELS

Do you really know how to read food labels when you are shopping? Figuring out food packaging can help you better control your diet, your nutritional intake and your serving sizes. Use the following tool as a guide to your weight management.

SERVING SIZE...serving size info is important because the nutritional info given is based on the serving size. For example, the serving size shown here is three cookies. If you take in six cookies, the nutritional values given, needs to be doubled.

The serving size info also helps you decide how much you should be eating.

CALORIES, CALORIES FROM FAT... The info in this section of the label helps you monitor the number of calories you take in each day. More importantly, it allows you to make healthy decisions concerning the foods you eat. Take a look at the number of calories from fat. In this example, 37% of the calories come from fat- anything over 30% is probably too much.

Remember, to read the nutrition label critically. Prepackaged or convenience foods may present the nutritional info "as packaged" values, so any additional ingredients you need to prepare the food are not included in the info given.

TOTAL FAT, SATURATED FAT... Try to choose products that are low in saturated fats and trans fats, both of which are linked to an early onset of cardiovascular disease. Try to keep your consumption of saturated fat to less than 10% of your daily caloric intake.

Although trans fat is not listed on the label, foods containing hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated ingredients contain trans fat, which is known to increase LDL (BAD) cholesterol levels. In contrast, foods containing monosaturated fats, such as olive oil, are actually good for you. To calculate trans fat, add the saturated, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats together and subtract from total fat. This leaves the likely amount of hidden trans fats in the food. In this example, the amount of trans fat is 2.0 grams. Note: The government in the near future will be requiring labels to list the amount of trans fats present in the foods.

CHOLESTEROL... Use this info to reduce the aging of your arteries. Try to limit your dietary cholesterol intake to less than 125 milligrams per 1,000 calories.

SODIUM... The American Heart Association recommends a diet that contains no more than 2,400 milligrams of sodium per dy. To reduce the amount of sodium in your diet, avoid high-sodium foods such as processed meats, canned soups and snack foods such as potato chips.

TOTAL CARBOHYDRATES... When you choose carbohydrates, make them complex. Look for the words such as "whole grain" or "100% whole wheat" as the ingredient on the product label. The words "healthy" or "multi-grain" do not necessarily ensure as whole-grain foods.

DIETARY FIBER... A low-fiber diet can definitely slow you down. Use this info on the food label to keep track of how much fiber is in your diet...more than 25 grams per day can make you feel and look WAY better.

Sugars... Refined and simple sugars age your arteries. Limit these sugars to less than 10% of your total caloric intake.

PROTEIN... You can get your protein from animal products, such as eggs, meat or cheese, or from vegetable sources, such as soy products, nuts, legumes and beans,and seeds.

A diet high in vegetable proteins can help you live longer and younger. By themselves, the vegetable protein sources listed above contain less of a variety of amino acids(the building blocks of protein) than meats,but when you combine these sources with whole grains such as brown rice, barley and wheat, all your protein needs can be met.

Although it has not been determined scientifically how much protein you need each day, many experts recommend 15-20% of your calories should come from protein.

VITAMINS & MINERALS...Here's the good news! This section of the label gives you the info you need to make you feel and look younger...check the amount of valuable nutrients available, and use this info to compare products.

PERCENT DAILY VALUES...The Percent Daily Value (%DV) makes it easy for you to maintain a balanced diet and to compare different products. Based on a 2,000 calorie diet, the %DV bases everything on a percentage. This make it easy to determine how much of the recommended daily intake of a nutrient is in each serving of food.

INGREDIENTS...look at the first, second, third and fourth items in the list of ingredients. If any of the first four are saturated fat, a partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, a simple sugar, a non-whole grain carbohydrate, a salt, or a meat, put the item back on the shelf PRONTO! Also, don't be fooled by foods that list "enriched" flour. Enriched flour has been milled to remove the bran and wheat germ, which contains the fiber and nutrients. Then it is chemically bleached white. To make sure your food is nutrient-rich, look for products with whole-wheat, whole-grain, of fortified flour, instead.

Just because you don't see the word "sugar" on a products ingredients list doesn't mean the food is sugar-free. Sugar comes in many forms, and most of their names end in -ose, e.g., sucrose, dextrose, lactose, maltose, fructose and glucose. Sugar also masquerades as honey, molasses and syrup (as in malt and corn syrup) all of which can be very high in calories

THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT TO EAT!

In the entire realm of a program designed for physical and mental improvement, whether it be for weight loss or weight gain, nutrition plays the most important overall role. If one eats properly and sensibly, even with a moderate amount of exercise weekly, they will move towards their goal. In contrast, all the exercise in the world will not help you accomplish your goals if your nutritional habits are poor. Let's take a look at some important areas.

PORTION CONTROL

Portion control seems to be a major problem with a lot of folks. It is a hard habit to overcome, but very important if you are looking to lose weight. For the first week of your program, log in everything you take in your body...little things too ( like salad dressing)...they make a difference overall.

Also, measure the portions of each food going on your plate ( get a food scale and measuring items). Make note of the size of the portions and after a few days you will be able to visually know the correct portion size for your plate without having to measure everything. Typical serving sizes should be:

*Meats... 4-5 oz.

*Starchy carbs... 1/2 cup

* Vegetables... 1/2 cup per veg.

* Salad greens... 1 cup if eaten as a side order / 2 cups if eaten as a main meal with meat on top

WHEN TO EAT

In conjunction with your exercise program, you need to be eating 5-6 small meals per day to fuel your body and keep it on an even keel. Even though you might be on a weight loss program, it is very important to keep this structure to your daily routine. By eating every 3 hours or so, you keep from having hunger pangs and eating way to much when you do eat. Eating 5-6 smaller meals per day also keeps you blood sugar and insulin levels more even, avoiding spikes that can trigger hunger binges. These meals can consist of breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, mid-afternoon snack, dinner, and protein snack before bed if you wish.

As we discussed above, each of these meals should contain fats, protein and carbs as close to the 1-2-3 ratio as possible ( except the final snack before bed, should be mainly protein...example: whey protein and H2O or skim milk ).

FAT FACTS

You should realize the importance of fat in your diet. Fat is not always a villain, responsible for clogging arteries and packing on pounds. To an athlete, fat acts as a secondary source of energy during training or competition. Fat-based energy becomes available soon after carbohydrate stores in the muscles deplete.

Fats can be found in solid or liquid form and are often referred to as lipids. Even though carbs are your body's major energy source, fats are the most highly concentrated souce of energy-over carbs and protein. Fats have nine calories per gram while carbs and protein contain only four grams, so it is easy to see why foods that are high in fats are also high in calories.

Fat is an essential ingredient for healthy skin and hair, and acts as a carying agent in the transportation of fat-soluable vitamins A,D E & K. Dietary fat provides us with essential fatty acids, which the body does not manufacture. Essential fatty acids aid in many bodily functions, including reguation of blood pressure. Fats also help regulate cholesterol in your blood. In additon, fats provide satiety because they increase the time needed to empty the food from the stomach.

So, we have seen that fat is needed by the body to help us with certain important functions. Now let's look at what fats to consume and which ones to limit.

BAD GUYS...saturated fats and trans fats can damage the cardiovascular system as well as clog arteries and increase bad cholesterol levels. Saturated fats come mainly from animal sources like meat and dairy products, but it can also be found in coconut and palm oils. Trans fats come from hydrogenated vegetable oils like margarine and vegetable shortening. Both fats stay solid at room temperatures.

GOOD GUYS... A more healthy fat is unsaturated fat , generally found in vegetables. This type of fat includes both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated . Monounsaturated fat is found in olive, canola and peanut oils. This type of fat is considered to be the healthiest for your heart and body. Avocados and nuts also contain monounsaturated fats. Polyunsaturated fat is found in soybean, corn, safflower and sunflower oils. This is considered to be the next healthiest fat for your consumption.

When unsaturated vegetable oils are manufacturerd in solid form, they turn into trans fats. This type of fat is commonly called fully or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil in a foods list of ingredients. Trans fats are found in hundreds of processed foods, usually to protect against spoiling and to enhance flavor. Restaurants tend to use a lot of trans fats( hydrogenated vegetable oils), especially in frying. Trans fats are even worse for the cardiovascular system than saturated fats.

The American Heart Association recommends that daily fat intake should be less than 30% of total calories...saturated fat intake less than 8-10% of total calories and cholesterol less tahn 300 milligrams. I believe a good range is 15-20% of your total diet in good fats. The less bad fats the better.

CARBOHYDRATES COUNT

Everyone needs energy and the best source of energy is from carbs. First let us classify carbs...

carbs can be classified three ways: Monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysacchirides. Simple sugars like glucose and fructose fall into the mono category. These simple sugars can be found in honey and fruits.

Making up the second class of carbs are disaccharides like table sugar,sucrose and lactose. Lactose is a sugar found in milk.

The third class are poly's and are those sugars often referred to as complex carbs. These starches and starch-like sugars ( dexrins, cellulose, pectin and glycogen) can be found in whole grains, vegetables, nuts, some fruits and legumes).

From here it can get a little technical about what the body can absorb, what it can throw off and how it utilizes certain types of sugars. The main thing you need to know about carbs is that they are not the devil. You need them to fuel your body with energy, especially when you are exercising 3-5 times weekly. Without them you will tank out half way through your workout. The key is to eat the right types of carbs and limit others.

If you are looking to lose weight, at the beginning of your program, knock off the starchy carbs ( rice, bread, potatoes, pasta) and the fruit... and stick to the veggies and lean meat. After several weeks you can start back with these carbs and eat them early in the day...for breakfast, mid-morning snack and lunch. I am a believer that anything processed by man is not great for you...so that includes pasta! Potatoes and brown rice come from the earth. Remember the deeper, richer the color of the vegetable, the better for you.

PROTEIN POWER

One of the main functions of Protein is to synthesize structural proteins like muscle. Protein is also responsible for synthesizing structural hormones such as insulin and growth hormone. These are anabolic hormones than can influence many functions in the body, including muscle growth, recovery, strength and absorption of nutrients into you muscle cells. Your body uses protein to make structural and biochemical reactions that are required for muscle contraction, cardiovascular function and immunity from disease, just to name a few.

The ultimate value of food protein or a protein supplement is in its amino acid composition. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and muscle tissue. Again, I don' want to get to deep into the chemistry of how the body utilizes protein, just be very aware that protein is essential in the building, repair and recovery of muscle tissue. Remember, when you strength train, you tear down muscle tissue and what helps it repair and strengthen? You got it! PROTEIN. The idea is to replace fat loss with lean muscle gain...OK!

FABULOUS FIBER

Fiber is a compound that only plants contain ( grains, oats, fruits, etc. )...it is never in animal foods. Fibers do not supply energy, but do play an important role in the diet as the main contibutor to the dietary fiber ( roughage) content. Among its other protective qualities, this indigestible bulk helps promote efficient intestinal function and helps regulate the even absorption of sugars into the bloodstream. The American Heart Association says that fiber is important for the health of our digestive system as well as for lowering cholesterol. They recommend a consumption of 25-30 grams of fiber per day.

Fiber is also a good, natural way to help reduce body fat. It does not metabolize fat quicker or more efficiently, but it will help you by decreasing the intake of calories. It will also reduce the amount of free cholesterol in the blood.

NOTE: when increasing the fiber content of your diet, it is best to take it slow. Add just a few grams at a time to allow the intestinal tract to adjust. Otherwise, abdominal cramps, gas, bloating, diarrhea or constipation could ocurr. Another way to minimize these effects is by drinking at least 8 cups of fluids per day.

WONDERFUL WATER

Water is the most abundant substance in your body. All of your cells are soaked in water. Water makes up 55-75% of your total body weight. A loss of 10% reduction of water can make you sick and a 20% loss can cause death. You can go weeks without food, but you can only last several days without water. Sounds important?...well it is!

A 2002 study undertaken by researchers at Loma Linda University said that drinking 5 glasses of water daily can lower risk of deadly heart disease.

This amazing substance is involved in virtually every bodily function known to man. Your vital fluid blood is composed of 90% water and we all know that blood is responsible for transporting nutrients and energy to working muscles and then transporting metabolic waste away from tissues.

When you consider that muscles are made up of nearly 70-80% water, it is easy to see why fluid replacement is very important. Dehydration upsets the natural balance of fluids in the body and can lead to serious problems. Fluid replacemnet is as important to the average fitness enthusiast as it is to the well trained athlete.

When exercising, drink 16oz. of water for every pound of weight lost during strenuous exercise. Replace at 15 minute intervals rather than all at once at the end of your routine.

Try to carry a water container with you all day, so you can stay hydrated. It also helps to facilitate weight lose! AND THAT'S A GOOD THING!