Nutrition and training to supporting your goals.

Nutrition is a touchy subject. Along side politics and religion, nutrition has many ideologies, and with access to the internet, many more followers prepared to share their opinion. So how do you know where to start when there is so much information out there?

We are going to take a quick dive into the 3 pillars, and what to priorities for success.

Aesthetic

Aesthetic goals, refers to a goal to change our physical appearance, by increasing muscle mass, decreasing body fat or a combination of both. Every-time we open our social media we are bombarded with fad diets & weight loss teas by “influencers” and supplement companies from all around the world. But what are the key things to prioritise when we want to modify our apearance?

1. Sleep – Getting 6-9 hours per night – The benefits of getting a good nights rest often goes overlooked, and often compromised for training and exercise.
2. Caloric intake – whether being a deficit for weight loss or surplus for weight gain, working with a coach can help you find the right balance, adapt for your goals and make adjustment based on results.
3. Food Quality – Unfortunately not all calories are created equal. “Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat.” – CrossFit
4. Training Consistency – Sticking to a training plan, chose any exercise that you love to do, do that.

Performance

If you are shredded to the bone, and always in a caloric deficit chances are you aren’t performing at your best. If your goals are performance based you will need to let go of your ego and forget body image as a priority, and start to fuel yourself to be as competitive as possible.

Whether you are an amateur or elite athlete, if your goals are to perform your best, you must have a well balanced nutrition program that compliments your training style. This will help you feel energised, recovered and on track to reach your goals.

Priorities for performance goals:

1. Sleep & Recovery – 7-9 hours of sleep per night, Prioritise stretching & mobility pre and post workout.
2. Caloric/ Macronutrient Cycles – Eating enough to support performance, without dangerously increasing body fat.
3. Meal/ Carbohydrate Timing – Eating whole foods, generally increased carbohydrate levels and meal timing around training.
4. Training Volume & Consistency – Strategic program centred around individual performance, injury management & strengthening weaknesses.
5. Supplementation – Finding the 1% to increase performance.

Longevity

For most of us, we train and eat to enjoy our lives, socialise with our friends and family, and live as long as possible. We use fitness to feel good, release stress and ensure we have the ability to get ourselves out of a chair when we are 80 years old.

So what should our priorities be when the goal is general health and fitness?

1. Sustainability – Ask yourself, can I do this for the rest of my life? If the answer is no, its time to try something else.
2. Caloric Balance/ Maintenance – If we have reached a healthy, sustainable & comfortable body composition, your focus is balance.
3. Food Quality – Eating good quality whole food, that you ENJOY.
4. Training Consistency & Fun – Find a training plan that will support retaining muscle mass, overall strengthening or any type of movement that you ENJOY.

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Always speak to your health care professional before starting a new training or nutrition plan.