CD FITNESS HEALTHY EATING GUIDE

What we eat and drink plays a massive part in becoming fitter and healthier. The aim of this guide is to try and help advise you on how to live a healthier life.

5 tips to help make healthier nutrition work

1) Make it sustainable:

If a plan is not sustainable it is unlikely you are going to stick to it. On top of this it will have a negative impact on your mood, food choices and your work/lifestyle. For an eating plan to work long term you need make some permanent changes not short term fixes!

2) Be organised:

It is important to plan ahead when you are trying to be healthier. If you go home to an empty fridge it is more likely you are going to call for a takeaway or if you are starving because you haven’t eaten all day it is more likely you are going to buy that chocolate bar staring at you at the petrol station. Here are some things you can do to be more organised.

- Go do a weekly shop – This will not only make things cheaper but also it will mean you have a fridge/cupboard full of healthy foods. DO NOT GO FOOD SHOPPING WHEN HUNGRY.

- Prepare meals - If you can prepare meals for your lunch/dinner. This can be as simple as when you cook a meal on a Sunday, make enough so you can also have it Monday/Tuesday.

CD FITNESS HEALTHY EATING GUIDE

3) Eat more protein:

When you eat more protein, your body reduces releasing the hunger hormone and boosts several satiety hormones. Also, eating a diet high in protein will help maintain/build muscle mass leading to a higher metabolism.

4) Drink more water:

Drinking water helps boost your metabolism, cleanse your body of waste, and act as an appetite suppressant. The aim should be to drink 2 litres of water a day + 1 litre of water for every hour exercise you do. I’d highly recommend buying a good-sized water bottle and having it with you daily.

5) Don’t give up after minor setbacks:

This is one thing I see happen way too often. Someone eats really well all week then they have a takeaway or eat something they shouldn’t and instead of seeing it as a minor setback and learning from it they give up. Think of all that hard work you have put in. You shouldn’t be giving up that easily. Nothing you start will ever work straight away. You will have minor setbacks you just need to recognise them, learn from them and start again and there is no better time to do that than with your next meal.

CD FITNESS HEALTHY EATING GUIDE

Some myths you may have heard

You should cut all carbohydrates:

Your body uses carbohydrates as its main source of energy. If you cut the carbs completely you will start to lack the energy to function properly, let alone train. It is not sustainable to completely cut your carbs, instead you should be looking to eat better quality carbohydrates than you usually would.

You should eat little and often to burn more calories:

There is no evidence that suggests eating little and often is better for you. However, I would recommend if you can to eat little and often to try and keep hunger away. Being hungry is when you are more likely to give into temptation and eat badly.

You should use Fat Burners:

Fat burners do nothing for you. There Is no short cut to getting fitter and becoming healthier. It does take hard work and dedication however it should be a steady and progression process not a quick fix!

You should not drink alcohol:

Alcohol isn’t great for your health or fitness, however if you enjoy drinking then you shouldn’t completely cut it out. If you drink every day you should look to maybe cut your drinking down to just weekends. Or if you drink when on your own you should maybe only drink in social situations. The key is to cut down on drinking, you do not have to completely stop, if you completely stop it is more than likely you will stop being healthy and full back into old habits.

CD FITNESS HEALTHY EATING GUIDE

The effects of sleep

One of the things that is massively overlooked when trying to be healthier is sleep. Not sleeping enough – less than 7 hours per night can reduce and undo the benefits of dieting, according to research. This is because when you don’t sleep enough your cortisol levels rise. This is the stress hormone that is associated with fat gain. On top of this people who don’t get enough sleep usually don’t have the will power to make healthy choices and they crave more sugar as the brain sees sugar as a quick ‘pick me up’ when they are tired. The aim should be to get at least 7 hours sleep a night

CD FITNESS HEALTHY EATING GUIDE

How should you measure progress?

Most people like to use the scales to track their progress, however this should not be the only method you use to measure your progress. To start with if you are training it is likely that you are going to be putting on some muscle mass and we all know muscle weighs more than fat. On top of this your body can fluctuate between 4-6 pounds each time you weigh due to water retention.

In my opinion you should use the scales to measure progress however it should be one of many methods you use. These are the methods I would use to track progress:

- How your clothes feel - if your clothes are feeling looser you are obviously becoming slimmer. Every now and again you should challenge yourself by trying on something you haven’t been able to fit into for a while or buying a smaller pair of jeans to try on and see if they fit. If you don’t try, you won’t find out!

- Take some progress photos - Ideally you take every 4 weeks, wearing the same outfit, standing the same way, and in the same place.

- Measurements –You could measure a few body parts. A good place to start would be to measure around the belly button, chest and top of your thigh. Make sure you measure the same place each time for consistency.

- How you feel – If you feel great and full of energy then you must be doing something right! Keep it up!

- Weighing yourself –You can keep track of your weight however I wouldn’t use this as your only way to track progress!

You should use 2/3 of these methods to track your progress.

CD FITNESS HEALTHY EATING GUIDE

We hope you have found this guide useful and we hope you enjoy the recipes.

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