8 Ways You Can Change Your Diet to Reach Your Fitness Goals
This is a guest article by Brad Krause.
As most active people know, a diet is important to your fitness routine. However, if you’re eating too little or too much, it can throw your body out of whack and make you miss your goals. Here’s how your diet can help balance your fitness routine and still help you hit your goals.
1. Eat more good bacteria
How do you feel right now? If the answer is sad, tired, confused, or another not-so-good emotion, then it could be because of what you’re eating. Surprisingly, mood is strongly tied to your gut, since its microbes (or bacteria) are responsible for either increasing or decreasing the mood booster called serotonin. By regularly eating foods like yogurt, kefir, or other products that contain strains of good bacteria, your gut can become a healthier environment, which can lead to increased levels of happiness. This can also improve your digestive and immune systems, making for even more effective workouts.
2. Portion control
It’s obvious that eating larger portions results in consuming many calories. However, according to the Atlantic, it is also true that larger portions can play with our food psychology so we eat more and underestimate how much we actually eat. Try eating smaller portions both at home and at restaurants. When you eat, you should fill your plate. However, you should fill your plate with half fruits and veggies and the other half with grains and protein. Grains and vegetables will increase your energy, while protein will help rebuild muscles.
3. Try one new thing each week
Research continues to show that eating a diverse set of foods is good for your metabolism and overall health. In order to incorporate more healthy foods into your diet, make one new item of food the “theme” for the week. For instance, you can try a sweet potato one week while trying out a little bit more broccoli the next.
4. Food delivery services
If you don’t have time or energy to prepare food after a workout, food delivery might be for you. As one recent article describes, the food delivery market is exploding. The options continue to trend toward healthy foods. There are all types of food delivery services that can make healthy food easier to access and help you lose weight. You’ll be more likely to stick to a healthy diet with a food delivery service.
5. Make healthy food easy to access
There are a variety of ways to eat healthy foods, other than having them delivered right to your doorstep. Put healthy foods at eye-level in the pantry, stock the fridge with only healthy foods, and make a healthy shopping list in advance. Don’t deviate from your shopping list. You can even reward yourself when you succeed on that shopping trip. You can also make preparing healthy foods easier by picking up easy-to-use appliances like electric pressure cookers, which can simplify the meal-making process. Some simple and healthy recipes from Skinny Taste include oatmeal, stuffed pepper soup, and beef chili.
6. Try frozen fruits and vegetables
Studies suggest that the nutritional quality of frozen fruits and veggies is not significantly different than fresh ones, and in some ways frozen fruits have even more nutrients since most frozen fruits and vegetables were picked at the height of ripeness. Frozen fruits and vegetables are an easy way to get healthy food into your home. You can steam packages of frozen vegetables to get a quick dish to cook or add frozen fruit to a protein smoothie.
7. Choose whole foods
There is sometimes an argument that a calorie is a calorie, regardless of its source. However, an article from the Harvard School of Public Health highlighted major research and studies which showed that the quality of our diet is vitally important for healthy weight maintenance and achieving fitness goals. Eat whole grains and whole wheat products. Try to also eat more plant-based foods, as they are less processed and easier on your body.
8. Make substitutions
For some foods like pasta, there are tons of substitutes you can use so you don’t really have to compromise taste for healthiness. You can try brown rice pasta, whole-wheat pasta, or other healthier alternatives. You can also substitute some vegetables in place of whatever you might originally use. You don’t have to substitute everything, but it can help you get more energy and prevent you from carb-loading on the wrong thing.
The food you eat impacts your workout quite a bit. Diet is an important part of self-care, and following a healthier diet will help you balance your fitness routine. You can still treat yourself, but try to keep incorporating healthier foods into your life. You’ll feel the difference.
Article by Brad Krause
After spending years in a corporate setting and far too long neglecting his own self-care, Brad followed his calling and became a full-time life coach. He spends just about every waking hour helping people find ways to put their wellness above all else.