WHAT you eat is important. So too is WHY you eat. HOW you eat. WHERE you eat.
Understanding the relationship between our food and our bodies is the first step towards achieving a balanced, healthier lifestyle. It’s not just about the food we eat, but also why, how, and where we consume it. Each of these factors intertwines to significantly affect our overall wellbeing. Making good food choices sets you up for success but only if done on conjunction with good behaviors.
"The best diet for an individual is not based on macronutrient distribution. It's based on what that person will adhere to and enjoy." -- Jordan Feigenbaum
And don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.
Are you hungry or bored?
It’s easy to mistake thirst for hunger or to eat out of boredom. These are common pitfalls that can lead to calorie bleed. Before reaching for a snack, check in with yourself. Are you actually hungry, or are you just looking for something to do?
Keeping a food diary can help you track your eating habits and identify patterns, such as emotional eating or unnecessary snacking. If you’re actually feeding your body and refueling, go ahead and eat. If you are only just feeding your emotions, find another coping mechanism.
Do you scarf it down or eat slowly and chew?
Eating isn’t a race. Your body needs time to process what you've eaten and signal when it's full. If you're eating too quickly, you may consume more than you need before your body can tell you to stop. Satiety signals take about 20 minutes to kick in and begin to be felt.
"Our minds influence the key aspects of our lives — including how we eat. Approaching nutrition with mindfulness and intentionality is crucial." – Sam Harris
This is a perfect time to practice mindfulness. Chew your food. Take a reasonably sized mouthful, put the utensil down and chew. This not only aids in digestion but also enhances the overall eating experience.
In front of the TV or at the table?
Eating in front of the TV, while working, or on the go can lead to mindless consumption. Aim for a more mindful eating experience. Sit down at the table, free from distractions, and focus on your meal. This will help you listen to your body’s cues and enjoy your food more.
Designating a specific place like the dining table for meals can create a ritual, promoting mindfulness and better eating habits. This focused environment allows us to pay attention to our food's taste, texture, and our body’s satiety signals.
“Eating mindfully means without distraction. Eating is a sacred time. Be with your plate, not with your worries." --Thich Nhat Hanh
How you RECOVER is as important as how you TRAIN.
When we talk about fitness, we often focus on exercise with a small consideration for diet. But diet, and a third, often-overlooked pillar, recovery, is the other part of the equation. Resting and refueling your body are equally as vital as the training itself. Stimulus plus recovery equals response.
Are you refueling?
Diet is simple but hard. You must consume the right nutrients after workouts to replenish your energy stores and repair muscle tissue. After a rigorous workout, the body needs fuel to repair worn-out muscles and replenish energy stores.
This includes proteins for muscle recovery, carbohydrates to replenish glycogen stores, and healthy fats for satiety and overall health. While the so-called anabolic window (which exists post exercise stimulus) has always been greatly exaggerated, and is less of a window and more of a barn door, it is true that it is important to fuel your body and especially your workouts. (Click here for low calorie, high protein meal ideas.)
"The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison." -- Ann Wigmore
Are you sleeping?
Sleep is the ultimate recovery tool. During sleep, your body undergoes various processes to repair and regenerate tissues, synthesize hormones, and solidify memory. Skimping on sleep can hamper your progress and affect overall health. It can make you more prone to injury and hinder your ability to get in a good workout. Actual rest is so important.
Keep a Consistent Sleep Schedule. Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, even on weekends, helps regulate the body's internal clock and can help ensure better sleep quality over time.
Create a relaxing Bedtime Routine. Calming activities like reading, practicing relaxation exercises, taking a warm bath, or listening to soothing music an hour or so before bed can help signal to your body that it's time to wind down.
Limit Exposure to Screens. Blue light emitted by phones, computers, and TVs can interfere with melatonin production, a hormone responsible for sleep regulation.
Be Mindful of Food and Drink. Avoid large meals, caffeine, and alcohol before bedtime. While alcohol might make you feel sleepy initially, it can disrupt your sleep cycle later in the night.
Do you do you?
Taking time for self-care and relaxation is a key part of recovery. Whether it’s reading a book, meditating, or pursuing a hobby, make sure you carve out some 'me time' in your routine. My self-care practices include daily meditation, weekly massage, periodic sauna and steam, and daily baths which also serve as a secondary form of meditation.
How you PLAY is as important as how you WORK.
Balancing work with play is vital for maintaining mental and emotional health, which in turn influences your physical health.
Are you stressed?
Chronic stress takes a toll on your body and can impact your diet and exercise patterns. Manage stress by incorporating activities that you enjoy and help you relax. Stress reduction techniques include: meditation, breathing exercises, snuggling your furbaby, avoiding the news and certain media, listening to relaxing music, taking a nature walk.
I highly recommend meditation and, by far, the best option for that is the Waking Up app by Sam Harris. The introductory series at the beginning of the app is a perfect introduction to meditation.
Do you have a life?
Avoid overworking yourself to the point where work is all that fills your days. Cultivate a life outside your job and the gym. Connect with friends and family, explore hobbies, and engage in activities that enrich your life. You need more than hustle culture and look-good work.
Can you chill?
Rest and relaxation should be a regular part of your routine. By taking time to unwind, you’re giving your body and mind a chance to rejuvenate.
Cannabis is amazing. Alcohol is poison. I hate this truth but can’t deny it. Try to avoid behaviors that feel good in the moment but have repercussions, like drinking to excess or overeating enough to ruin your progress for the week.
The QUALITY of your hours is as important as the QUANTITY you invest.
Remember, it’s not just about the time you put into your workouts, but also the quality of those workouts.
Are you doing enough but not too much?
Older guys like me have lived through decades of bro-science about training to failure but now know that “leaving a rep or two in the tank” is optimal, for hypertrophy and recovery and safety. We want to lift hard to an extent. Overtraining is a thing.
Striking a balance between pushing hard enough to make gains but not so hard that its too much for your body to take, is key. Consistent, moderate exercise is more beneficial in the long run than excessive workouts that lead to burnout or injury.
Are you really there when you’re there?
Be present during your workouts. It’s easy to go through the motions, but to get the most out of your exercise routine, focus on the task at hand. It takes significant effort and focus to lift hard and get a good stimulus for growth.
“If you are not really there, nothing is there.” -- Thay
Are you effective and efficient?
Smart training means maximizing results while minimizing time and effort. Use efficient exercises like compound movements that work multiple muscle groups, focus on form over weight, and ensure your workout plan aligns with your goals. By being mindful of these aspects, you can cultivate a holistic wellness routine that works for you.
Optimal training is repetitive and simple. Your program should encourage adequate time under tension and should rely on using the same movement patterns over and over so that you can be sure you’re engaging in progressive loading. Twelve to twenty sets per body part per week of compound movements including a squat, a horizontal push, a pull, a vertical press, and (maybe) a hip hinge. Enough stimulus for maximal growth with relatively minimal effort – just before you encounter diminishing returns.
"It's not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential." -- Bruce Lee
If your coach or personal trainer has you regularly standing on one leg, on a bozu ball, with a kettlebell in one hand and cable in the other, doing unorthodox silliness instead of standard exercises like benching and rowing; they’re doing it just because they’re scared you’ll get bored of the regular stuff or they want to pretend they have some unique magical system or they just don’t know what they’re doing.
"Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live." -- Jim Rohn. But also know, "Rest and self-care are so important. When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve others from the overflow. You cannot serve from an empty vessel." -- Eleanor Brown
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