When it comes to losing weight, exercise is an important part of the equation.
But it’s only a small part of it.
In fact, exercise is about 20%, the other 80%?
You guessed it:
The foods you eat.
Ever heard the saying “you can’t out run a bad diet”?
This is so true.
Not only will it impede your weight loss efforts, it will also impede your ability to train.
You won’t run as fast, lift as much or have the endurance you want if your eating junk.
What does a healthy diet look like when it comes to workouts?
Protein is important (but don’t get too hung up on it)
A few things to remember about protein:
In general 0.8g of protein per kilogram body weight is a good starting point (or 0.35g per pound of body weight) but if you do intense workouts or lift weights, you may need more.
Intense workouts increase the rate muscle breaks down so up your protein intake to 1.4-2.0g of protein per kilogram of body weight (0.64-0.9g per pound of body weight)
Having protein both before and after a workout can improves recovery and increase lean muscle mass.
Try to get around 15-18g protein within a 2 hour window after working out. This can come from a protein shake or whole foods like eggs, meat yogurt and beans.
Carbohydrates are important as well: they are your body’s main source of fuel while working out, and just like with a car, when you choose the best fuel you get the best results.
What does “good” fuel look like?
Complex carbs that take longer to digest like sweet potatoes, whole grains, fruit, vegetables and milk or yogurt.
Have more carbs before a workout and then have around 35g of carbohydrates after a workout (banana, apples or raisins are all real food examples of healthy carbs). These will help facilitate protein uptake into cells.
Although we usually consider exercise to be the most important indicator of health, we don’t always get it all right. Here are a few myths about exercise that we can get caught up in:
From Visual.ly
This infographic also brings up an important point:
Weight is not the end all, be all indicator of health or even fitness.
Focus on non-scale victories:
- Not feeling out of breath as you chase your kids in the park
- Shaving a few seconds off your 5k time
- Adding that extra weight onto your barbell
- Feeling stronger and more confident in your own skin
- Your overall body composition.