When you begin your fitness journey, you should realise the importance of nutrition and how it will complement all of the exercise you do.
Without proper nutrition, you are far more likely to feel lethargic and unmotivated, unable to exercise for longer periods, or simply unable to see the results of your exercise.
So, to keep yourself feeling energetic and able to achieve your fitness goals, it’s important to take nutrition seriously. Whether you’re in it to lose weight, build muscle or to simply feel good, what you eat is of equal importance.
Of course, if you really want to move in the right direction, then we highly suggest consulting a professional.
MirrorFit has the expertise in nutrition to put you on the right path and complement your exercise efforts with maximum results.
Our training programs can be delivered online, face-to-face, or a mixture of both – whatever suits your lifestyle – so long as you’re achieving your goals, we’re happy.
What Does Your Body Need?
When you develop a nutrition plan, it’s important to consider your own body type and its needs, as well as your fitness goals.
Did you know that every human body can be classified under three body types: endomorph, ectomorph and mesomorph? One crude simplification of these body types might label them as “fat,” “skinny,” and “athletic.”
However, there are many more factors that are considered when assessing someone’s body type, such as hip and shoulder width, joint size, limb length, metabolism, and ability to build muscle.
Additionally, an individual could potentially show attributes from multiple body types.
This all makes a tailored nutrition plan all the more important, as different bodies will respond to the same plan in different ways – there is no one-size-fits-all nutrition plan.
When you consult with a nutritionist or one of MirrorFit’s knowledgeable personal trainers, they can assess your body and suggest a healthy balance of proteins, carbohydrates, fats and oils.
To complicate things a little more, a suitable nutrition plan will consider your personal fitness goals.
For example, building muscle from scratch will likely require a high-protein, high-carb diet, whereas weight loss goals would call for low-fat foods with less emphasis on protein.
So, before you begin any nutrition plan, don’t jump to “how many calories should I burn per day?” Ask yourself: “what will suit my body?” and “what do I want to achieve?”
What Does Your Bowl Need?
Once you’ve answered these two questions above, seek to understand what a healthy meal consists of. As we’ve mentioned, this will look slightly different for everyone, so apply your own goals to each piece of advice. However, below we discuss a healthy middle ground for anyone simply looking to maintain a healthy diet. The Heart Foundation is one of Australia’s leading authorities on good nutrition, as it’s in their interest to reduce the country’s leading cause of death – heart disease. In building a meal, they suggest filling half of your plate with a variety of colourful fruits and/or vegetables. These wholefoods provide the vitamins and minerals required to lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease, prevent some forms of cancer, lower the risk of eye and digestive problems, and improve blood sugar levels. From there, one-quarter of the plate should contain wholegrains like wholegrain bread or pasta, brown rice, or cereal grains like corn and buckwheat. Another quarter should consist of healthy proteins such as beans, lentils, fish, seafood, or a smaller portion of eggs and lean poultry. If you prefer red meat to replace these protein-rich foods, ensure you keep your red meat intake to 1-3 times per week. Finally, any cooking oils should be made from plants or seeds such as olive, canola, peanut, sunflower, soybean, sesame or safflower. Salt can also be healthily replaced with herbs and spices, keeping flavour in your life with none of the negative health impacts.
What’s in a Serve?
It’s all well and good to know what to eat, but it’s useless if you’re eating too much or too little to suit your exercise program.
Nutrition Australia has provided a helpful resource to outline how many serves of each food group should be consumed by each age group and gender.
A quick look at the guide will tell you that men aged 19-50 should consume 6 cups of vegetables each day, to maintain “a nutritious and balanced diet.”
But what does one “serve” of vegetables equate to?
Nutrition Australia also outlines this, here, covering a serving size for each food group.
This reveals that one serving of vegetables is equal to half a cup of carrots or corn, or a whole tomato.
One serving of grain is equal to one slice of bread, half a cup of cooked porridge, or a quarter-cup of muesli.
These kinds of resources provide essential information to construct a suitable nutrition plan, so have a look or consult a professional to learn more.
Added Benefits of Nutrition
If you’ve come this far and you still wonder why nutrition is so important for your overall fitness goals, allow us to scratch that itch. Without going too deeply into specifics, let’s discuss how healthy habits in each food group can benefit your quality of life.
Wholegrain cereals
As wholegrains make up a portion of the food pyramid’s foundation layer (which is 70% of a healthy diet), it’s important to get them right. While highly refined cereals – chock full of sugar and preservatives – have been linked to diabetes and cancer, wholegrains like wholemeal, brown rice, quinoa, couscous and oatmeal are their healthy cousins. They are a great source of many nutrients like folate, omega-3, vitamin E, B, and iron, among others. These combine to reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
Fruit and vegetables
These plant foods contain their own array of vitamins and minerals, each with their own health benefits. For example, citrus fruits contain high levels of vitamin C which boosts your immune system, while leafy green vegetables like spinach and broccoli are high in growth- and vision-boosting vitamin A.
Lean meat
In the middle layer of the food pyramid, we find lean meat, poultry, and fish. These foods can all be high in protein, vitamin B12 and some healthy fats. These elements are then used to strengthen and repair muscles and bones while helping to produce regulatory hormones and enzymes.
Need to Know More?
The MirrorFit team is ready and waiting to share more with you on the importance of nutrition. We’re so passionate about health and wellbeing, while also recognising the unique demands of our clients’ bodies. For a free consultation and assessment of your potential nutrition plan, get in touch with MirrorFit today!
