Foundation of Good Nutrition

One of the most frequent misunderstandings that I get from my athletes (all of my clients are called athletes whether they play organized sports or not…because of what they do) is they think that exercise is the most important component required to reach their goals. Please don’t get me wrong here. Exercise is one of my "BIG 4" and is paramount in obtaining your performance/health goals, however, exercise alone will only get you so far. Your nutrition must be dialed in to get the results that you want.

Oftentimes, when you hear me talk about the way I eat and the way I propose that you eat, you’ll notice that I immediately jump to the things that you don’t want to do or shouldn’t be doing. I want to get away from that for a moment and talk about what you should be doing.

So here are four simple, general guidelines to start with when it comes to fueling your body.

#1. You MUST eat proteins, carbohydrates and fats with EVERY meal and snack.
- There are important chemical and hormonal responses that occur in your body every time you eat and these three macronutrients (proteins, fats, carbs) play an integral part with one another. Without one of them you’re sabotaging your body’s desired function. Here are the most favorable forms of these macronutrients.

PROTEINS: Lean Meats and Eggs
Turkey, Chicken, Lean cuts of Beef, Game Meats, Fish, Eggs

CARBOHYDRATES: Vegetables, Fruits and a few Root Vegetables (popular choices include…)
Broccoli, Onion, Bell Pepper, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Cucumber, Celery, Asparagus, Squash, Zucchini, Strawberries, Oranges, Apples, Blueberries, Grapes, Pear, Raspberries, Peaches, Yams, Sweet Potato, Turnips

FATS: Nuts, Seeds and healthy Oils
Almonds, Pecans, Pistachios, Macadamias, Avocado, Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds

#2. Eat within the hour you wake up.

#3. Eat 4-6 times per day (3 meals and 2-3 snacks)
Honestly, two of the biggest problems that I see most often when it comes to nutrition is quality of food and inadequate amounts of food. More often than not I hear people say that they skip breakfast, sometimes they have lunch and then they make up for all of it with dinner. Don’t let this be you.

#4. Drink MORE than 8 8oz. glasses of water per day.

WHAT YOUR FOOD PYRAMID SHOULD LOOK LIKE...

Coach Justin
PerformanceQuestFitness@gmail.com