Food plays a huge role within your fitness journey specifically in meeting your goals. Having a healthy relationship with food all starts with a healthy mindset and knowing what your body needs to feel energised. Knowledge is power so we will be creating a series of guides covering:

• Diets and Mental Health
• Energy and fueling your body correctly
• How to calculate macros
• What your metabolic rate is
• How much protein do you really need
• The truth behind carbs

These guides will be packed full of information to get you started on your health, fitness and nutrition journey. For more help and support in achieving your goals, get in touch with our personal trainer who can help you.

YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD

The first of our series is what we believe to be the most important and that’s your relationship with food. Diet culture and keeping up with what is deemed commercially fit and healthy can be tough both mentally and physically. This is where it’s important to have a healthy relationship with food before you introduce other elements of nutrition such as counting macros.

Everyone has a unique relationship with food, working with that uniqueness is where you will see the most benefit. Having been in the fitness industry for over 10 years personal training a variety of different clients with goals on opposite ends of the spectrum, I can safely tell you that forcing yourself to workout or eat like your favourite celebrity or fitness influencer will not work for you (or it’s unlikely to). You need to take a tailored approach. This means thinking about your mental health, lifestyle and training to see what you need and honestly, how much time you have to give to this change. If something is too time-consuming then you will not stick to it.

CHANGING YOUR MINDSET

Changing the way you think about food is all about taking baby steps. Break it down into achievable goals and mini-milestones. Many of us try to change too much at once and end up failing because it becomes overwhelming or unattainable. In my experience, it’s best to make one tiny change at a time such as attending the gym 1 day per week or drinking 2 litres of water each day. These small changes are realistic, gradual and safer for your health. When it comes to introducing nutritional changes I would recommend speaking to a professional, feel free to drop me an email where we can chat more about your individual goals.

Calorie counting can be a great way to really realise what you’re eating and what foods you could switch out for healthier alternatives. A great way to track your calories is through the MyFitnessPal app which is free. The only thing I will say is not to get into an unhealthy habit and fixating on the number of calories consumed. Remember, If you don’t eat properly you won’t have enough energy to work out.

It’s important to track your diet over a long period of time to see your steady progress. We are all human so of course, we will have our ups and downs. Rather than focusing on a 24 hour period, try assessing the week or month. If you have a “cheat day” where you do decide to have that glass of wine or piece of chocolate, don’t think negatively. We need these treats. Instead, look at how well you have eaten across the whole week or month.

Personal Trainer: Ed Kerry.

Personal Trainer: Ed Kerry.

WHAT IS THE IDEAL MINDSET WHEN IT COMES TO ACHIEVING MY FITNESS GOALS AND IMPROVING MY DIET?

A flexible, positive and driven mindset.

There will always be setbacks whether it’s within your training, diet or life, so it’s important to look at your goals over a long period of time as mentioned above. Having that flexible mindset allows you to take each day as it comes and not become overwhelmed with change. Accepting that now and again life will throw you a curveball is important mentally and will help you to remain driven to achieve your goals.

These past 18 months have challenged many of us in more ways than one, however, Covid-19 has proved to each and every one of us that we can adapt and change in the face of adversity. Retaining a positive mindset and working closely with your nutritionist or personal trainer is key to overcoming these challenges.

The most important characteristic is willpower. Will power is everything. If you have the willingness and power to dedicate yourself to something you’re 70% there. When your willpower wobbles, that’s when the doubt sets in and this is something you want to avoid always knowing that you can do it – A good personal trainer can help with this. Always take baby steps by creating small goals and slowly working towards each one. We like to say “Don’t try to eat the elephant all at once” and that’s a life motto to stand by on your fitness journey.

WHAT IS THE BEST DIET?

This is one of the most asked questions and it has a very simple answer – A balanced diet.

Many of us are so fixated on ‘dieting’ however should we be dieting or should we simply change that mindset to solely eating healthily? A good balanced diet is all you need to fuel your body and keep your energy levels high.

Diet isn’t a good word because it can have a negative connotation associated with it and is often associated with losing weight. Diets can be about gaining weight, improving performance and becoming healthier.

Balance is key when it comes to dieting and fueling your body with the right foods is where you will see big changes. I always say to my clients, your diet needs to be attainable and fully suited to your lifestyle.

WHAT ARE THE BEST FOODS TO ENHANCE YOUR TRAINING?

Fuelling your body with the right foods to benefit your training is so important. You need to consume vitamins and minerals daily in order to keep energy and performance levels high.

If you’re looking to boost your energy levels then I would suggest a balanced diet that consists of; lean protein, fresh fruit and vegetables, unrefined carbohydrates and healthy fats. Some great examples of this would be chicken breasts, broccoli and rice. Eating foods from clean sources will give you more energy in training.

If your goal is to gain weight then your diet should be protein-focused. It’s important to work out what your body weight is and then how much protein you need so mathematically you know your diet is benefiting your goal. We will be writing a series of blogs, one of which will talk about macros which is where you can find out how to calculate how much protein you need to gain weight and/or muscle. In the meantime, some great foods would be; nuts, protein smoothies or oily fish like salmon.

If you are wanting to lose weight then consuming a balanced diet is key. You will want to eat foods in their most natural form. Eggs, salmon and leafy greens will be your best friends whilst trying to lose weight because they are packed with nutrients.

The bottom line is, if you have a specific fitness goal, nutrition will always have a huge impact on how you reach that goal. Getting your relationship with food right first is the key to success. After all, food is your fuel and you should be eating a balanced diet full of vitamin and mineral-rich foods to give you energy first and results second. If you would like any help or advice on nutrition and reaching your fitness goals, get in touch with our team of personal trainers where you can start the journey today.

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CONTACT US

GL52 Fitness
Furlong Business Park
Bishops Cleeve
Cheltenham
GL52 8TW

hello@gl52fitness.com
07878 635147