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Fitness Defined - Nutrition

By Brad Scott

Nutrition is believed to provide anywhere from 50-80% of your fitness results, depending on who you ask. However, when considering total fitness, no element is more or less important than any other element. The phrase “You are what you eat” stands true.

I will try to explain nutrition as simply as possible. Let’s start with what we call macro-nutrients. All foods are measured in three basic macronutrients. These are Fat, Carbohydrates and Protein. Each of these macronutrients contains calories. Fat contains 9 calories per gram. Carbohydrates and Protein contain 4 calories per gram.

Now a calorie is not a bad thing. A calorie is actually a unit of energy. If you use it, you can perform any number of actions. If you don’t use it, it may become stored as fat, but can also be stored as muscle. One pound is 3500 calories. So to loose one pound, you must burn 3500 calories. Preferably burn fat.

To gain one pound, you must store 3500 calories. Preferably store muscle. A good meal should have 10-15% of its calories from fat, 20-35% of its calories from protein and 50-65% of its calories from carbohydrates. It is best to eat 5-6 small meals a day. Take a multivitamin and drink lots of water.

Now the above sounds like any information you should be able to find on the internet or get from any personal trainer. So let me help you understand the 'why' which is much more important. If you understand the why, you will be able to make better nutritional choices when comes to your food.

Let's start with why you should eat 5-6 times per day. If you do your aerobic training like you should and your anaerobic training like you should, your body is becoming much more efficient at using food for energy. The best analogy I can give is suppose your body was just like your car. You put gas in your car and then drive it around until its almost empty, but you try to get gas before the light comes on. When you go to get gas, you fill up your tank and drive some more.

This is the same way you should eat. When you overeat or gorge yourself, its just like putting extra gas cans in the trunk of the car. And when was the last time you did that. When you undereat, its similiar to putting half a tank of gas in the car for a trip you know will take a full tank. Feed your body for the trip you are about to take. And consider your day a series of 5 short trips. Eat when you wake up, and then every 2-3 hours after that.

This gives you fuel until your next pit stop. If you plan to spend the next few hours sitting behind a desk eat a smaller meal. If the next few hours are planned for a more physically strenuous activity, eat a moderate size meal. Stay away from large size meals that put extra gas cans in the trunk.

Regardless of how much you eat and how often you eat, odds are you do not get your daily requirement of vitamins and minerals. Vitamins are organic. Essential for the proper functioning of every organ in the body and for all energy production.

There are 13 vitamins. Lack of vitamins can result in illness. Minerals are inorganic. There are 96 times more minerals in the body than vitamins. Minerals are essential to bodily functions in physical movement. Lack of minerals can result in fatigue, weakness and injury.

Nutrition is an important part of weight management. Everything you do burns calories. While you are sitting here reading, you are burning calories. Because of this, you have what is called a Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR. Your BMR tells you the minimum amount of calories you need in a day to sustain your bodily functions.

Your eating, exercise, and lifestyle habits adjust the daily caloric requirement. In order to lose 1 pound in a week, you must adjust your daily caloric requirement minus 500. This equals 3500 calories for the week or 1 pound.

Now I could go on and on and on about nutrition. Of the three major pillars of fitness, nutrition is the hardest to understand. And every person responds to different foods in different ways. Here are a few simple rules to help you adjust your nutrition program.

I typically eat the same food every day. And although I love variety in my exercise routines, I like monotony in my meals. Breakfast typically consists of a meal replacement bar, a piece of fruit and some juice. Lunch is typically a turkey sandwich with mustard on a wheat roll.

Dinner is typically chicken and brown rice, sometimes with vegetables. My snacks throughout the day include, carrots, celery, protein shakes or puddings, and yogurt. My biggest vice is Coca Cola. My favorite snack is either ice cream or Doritos.

What foods do you eat on a regular basis? What food do you use to treat yourself to now and then? Do you think you overeat or undereat?

About the Author:

Brad Scott is Owner and President of Sport and Life Fitness in Melbourne Florida. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and is a Certified Fitness Trainer and Specialist in Sports Conditioning with the International Sports Sciences Association. With over 20 years of experience, Brad offers a wide variety of fitness solutions for most anyone. Visit him online at www.SportAndLifeFitness.com today and start your fitness journey.