Because I have a degree in Nutritional Sciences people are always asking me for nutrition tips. So I put together my top 7 Nutrition tips that I have found to be key in establishing and keeping a healthy lifestyle!
1. Find out how many calories you should be taking in each day. The number of calories you should eat each day depends on several factors, including your age, size, height, sex, lifestyle, and overall general health. Go to www.calorieking.com to help calculate your daily caloric needs.
2. The cliché is true… YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT!!! So know what you are putting into your body!! Make and keep a food journal. A great app I like is “My Fitness Pal” you can input everything, yes everything, you put into your mouth: all food, drinks, gum, snacks, etc. Another great thing about this app is that it calculates your BMI and any fitness goals you might have. Be faithful to your food diary! To start any fitness program be faithful to your food diary for at least 1 week!
3. Drink water!! Drink lots and lots of water! At least 8 glasses a day. But if you are doing strenuous exercise and sweating a lot you could need even more water.
4. Lunch should be your biggest meal of the day. Not dinner, it is hard on your digestive system to have a big heavy dinner and then go to bed.
5. One pound of fat equal 3500 calories. A healthy way to lose weight is to have a deficiency of 500 calories a day. The deficiency can be from diet or exercise. 7 days a week multiplied by 500 equals 3500 calories or 1 pound of fat!
6. Make sure you are eating your protein! If you are exercising and/or strength training your protein needs have increased. Here how you calculate how much protein you should be eating:
a. weight in pounds divided by 2.2 = weight in kg
b. weight in kg x 0.8-1.8 gm/kg = protein gm
The number you multiply your weight in kg in part b is dependent upon how active you are. An active person who lifts weights regularly should multiply by 1.5. For example:
120 lbs divided by 2.2 = 54.54
54.54 x 1.5 = 81 grams of protein per day
7. Choose whole natural foods! Whole foods in its most natural state, lots of fruits and vegetables, organic dairy, whole wheat and grains, natural sweeteners.
These are some basic fundamentals of nutrition. Food is fuel and our bodies are temples, lets take care of them and give them the best fuel. Now go eat and fuel your body!!!
Tall Girl Pilates 