Ever heard that saying, “Abs are made in the kitchen”? Phrases like that don’t make such an impact just because they were pulled out of thin air! There’s a lot to be said about how what you eat impacts your performance in the gym as well as how you feel on a daily basis.
Feeling tired? Bloated? Weight not moving in the direction you want it to? Under performing your expectations in the gym? Can’t seem to focus at work? Not sleeping well? Irritable?
Well, here’s the first question you should be asking yourself (and it’s the first question your coaches are going to ask you, too): Are you eating whole foods and logging everything?
Eat Whole Foods
No, we don’t mean buying all of your groceries at Whole Foods (though they do have a mean hot food bar…). When we define whole foods, we think about foods that come from the Earth. Mother Nature decided that they were a good idea, and so did our ancestors. Meat, vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, etc. Getting the idea? Now, this doesn’t mean you have to avoid prepackaged, man-made foods all together. It just means they should NOT make up the primary foods in your diet.
Log Everything
We primarily use My Fitness Pal to track everything we eat, but that doesn’t mean that it is the only way to track what you’re eating. You can go old school and do it by hand, or you can use another app you may like more. When we suggest that you log everything, we want you to be looking at a few different things: calories and macro nutrients: or carbohydrates, protein and fat. By logging everything, you can accurately gauge how much food you’re eating during the day.
If you aren’t sure where to start, your coaches are here to help you! Talk to one of us or set up an F5 consult to figure out exactly what you should be eating and how to optimize your performance in the gym through food!