Nutrition & Exercise: A Power Couple

              Okay, as not only a personal trainer but a baker as well, I get asked frequently which is more important; nutrition or exercise? Here's the truth, BOTH. I say this for several reasons; so let's explore these reasons, and ultimately in the end, you will always make your own choices and opinions about the power couple. 

                 I am sure you have heard from gym rats, athletes, and bodybuilders that abs are created in the kitchen. Well, they aren't wrong. As someone who has been all three, and continues to be a couple of these things, I can in fact attest to this. Think about this for a minute, what do you eat daily? Do you workout? How long do you workout? Do you know what your caloric intake should be on a daily basis? Did you know that your body requires a certain amount of calories to function and run properly throughout the day to prevent crash and fatigue? How about the fact that particular health factors such as your blood type can play a big part in your weight gain/loss? These are all questions I have been answering to followers, friends, family and clients over the past 4 years. 

1. If you are new to the health/fitness industries, a good place to begin is to figure out what your goals are. Now when I ask my clients this, I don't ask them for what weight they would like to be unless they are under/over weight, obese, or an athlete. Let's be honest here, the number that really matters is not the number on the scale, but the body fat percentage you carry with you daily. It's also great to follow social media accounts that motivate you, but, never compare yourself to them. EVERYONE STARTS SOMEWHERE! 
2. Finding your caloric intake might be easier than you think. It's just a simple equation of body-weight multiplied by ten. Take this number and multiply by the activity level you average daily; this number is 1.1 (sedentary)-1.9 (highly active). BAM! Caloric intake! The hard part is adjusting to your goals. This number simply gives you what you should be intaking on a daily basis, ladies don't be scared of a number over 2,000. Calorie is a fancy word for fuel/energy. 
3. Now we all have foods that we despise or dislike, but let me tell you something; those foods are probably what you need. When you cut out certain things from your nutrition, your overall health can suffer. If you don't want to wait for your taste buds to catch up and adjust, take a supplement. They are, after all, there to SUPPLEMENT WHAT IS MISSING FROM YOUR DIET. They are not magic pills to make you better. They are aides in wellness. 
   1. Adjust your diet/nutrition needs based on health as well. If you are pre-diabetic or hypoglycemic you can in fact control this so it doesn't worsen through your nutrition. A good doctor will openly inform you of this. 
   2. Blood type. Yes, believe it or not your blood type can play a major factor in what foods you ingest on a daily basis. Personally I am O+, I found out through extensive research and discussion with my doctor that this plays a role in why I have trouble digesting meat. Even with digestive enzymes added to my supplement plan, so it's a raw, plant-based diet for this woman! 
4. When I first became a trainer and got into health and wellness, I continually told my clients to stop skipping meals. Turns out... I was wrong. Oops, my bad. After much research I found that fasting can in fact be beneficial in increasing your metabolism and the rate at which you break down and utilize the foods you're ingesting. The trick is to stick to THE SAME AMOUNT OF CALORIES PER DAY CONSISTENTLY. When you use TRF, or time restricted feeding, properly your body could potentially respond better than having to worry about eating a small meal every 3 or 4 hours. You can utilize your time throughout the day better and often times it makes it easier to fit a 2000 calorie meal plan into 8 or 9 hours, versus 16. This is not to say that eating every few hours doesn't work for some, bodybuilders show us everyday this is still a very effective method to dieting. 
5. STOP following fad diets! I'm not going to tell you these are horrible and just out to trick you into giving up massive amounts of money for no results. I am saying, find what works for you; more specifically, find what works for your body. It's okay to try new diets, but after 4-6 weeks or even 2-3 on a new diet you found on the internet with no signs of progress or results... it may well be time to find something new. Remember, your body will tell you what it needs. You must listen and hear what it is telling you. 
6. Lastly, exercise. Ladies and gentlemen don't be afraid to lift and sweat! Exercise coupled with a good nutrition plan will bring you results much quicker than just having that on-point diet or doing cardio alone. 
   1. Nutrition and cardio are great for shedding fat, toxins and extra unnecessary water weight. However, only doing these will also cause muscle and bone density loss. 
   2. Lift! Build up strong joints, bones, and provide a stronger frame. Since muscle is more dense than fat that number on the scale may never move after you have reached a particular point. For example, I have been sitting around 170 pounds for the last 3 years. Even during my competition days I still weighed this, the only number that changed was the number regarding my percentage of body fat. This is the reason we refer to it as "fat loss," rather than "weight loss." The distinction is important. 

            So all in all, if you are still unsure where to begin, it is always a great idea to hire a well educated trainer or nutritionist to help you get started. Even for a month, and nobody said you have to spend thousands a month on someone to help you achieve your goals. Now get out there and go smash some goals!