The importance of nutrition, what motivates me to eat clean & stay in shape
I believe that your diet is one of the most important factors of getting in shape. Often you will hear that nutrition is about 75-80% of what you look like, working out 10-15%, and genetics about 10%. This is so absolutely true. Diet is the KEY! There are people out there that eat junk all the time and look like they are in a great shape, but do not let them fool you. It will catch up with them sooner or later. Rather it will be gaining weight later in life or getting heart diseases, diabetes, high cholesterol, etc. it will catch up! You can do all the cardio you want or lift weights all day long but if you do not supply your body with the proper nutrition/clean diet, you are simply wasting your time.
Eating clean can seem very difficult for a lot of people; many do not understand what it takes to eat clean. They think it is some kind of mystery and it is too difficult to understand, so they just give up before they even start. Well, good news: eating clean is very simple. If you want to lose weight, get in shape, put on muscle, you have to eat at least 5-6 meals per day, and you should not go longer than 3 hrs without eating. If you only have 3 large meals per day, your metabolism slows down significantly, and you tend you eat more because you are so hungry by the time your next meal comes. Each meal should include source of lean protein (chicken, fish, tofu, steak, whey protein, etc.), veggies (broccoli, asparagus, spinach, green leafy lettuce, cauliflower, etc.) and complex carbohydrates (brown rice, sweet potatoes, oat meal, whole grain bread, etc). Good fats such as nuts, flaxseed, fish oil, olive oil should also be part of your daily intake. Good fats are vital for your cellular functions and development, such as preventing inflammation, lubricating your joints, proper insulin functioning in your body, and several other important roles. And last but not least, do not forget to drink lots of water. I drink about a gallon of water a day.
Eating clean is simple. Start today, read about it, educate yourself about things that you do not understand, do not just give up and say “it is too hard”. It will be hard at the beginning to get used to eating clean, but when you start seeing the changes in your body, you will not want to go back to eating junk and feeling like a pile of junk.
Preparation is the key when it comes to eating clean. I always prepare my foods for the week on Sunday. I usually cook few chicken breasts, fresh veggies, rice or sweet potatoes and if I know it will be a very busy week for me, I even arrange individual meals in plastic containers so I can just grab them and throw them in my lunch box in the morning. I always have my lunch box somewhere with me, in my car or at work. We are inseparable. This way, I never have to worry about what I am going to eat or if I will have enough time to run home and eat. If you have it right there, you are less likely to grab junk when you are hungry.
Give up junk! You will not miss it after you see how your body feels when you feed it quality foods. When you get in a habit of eating clean and seeing the difference it does to your body, you will not want to cheat or eat junk. Stay away from people that push junk food on you. I know people that will offer me crap to eat, and when I politely refuse, they keep pushing it at me: “Come one, one little piece of chocolate won’t kill you”. Why do people do that? They feel guilty about eating crappy & they want you to eat crappy too, so they do not feel as bad about it. Misery loves company. Do not let them make you feel guilty, be strong and say NO. When you are eating clean, explain to your family and friends how important this is to you and how much you would appreciate if they respected that and helped you out during your progress. You never know, you might inspire them too. Remember, you only have one body, take good care of it. Do this for YOU and not for others.
Patience is another important part when it comes to losing weight or getting in shape. Everyone’s body reacts differently to changes; for some, it will take longer to see the results, and for others not as long. Do not get discouraged when you do not see changes right away. Stick with it and the changes will come.
When rough times come and I get discouraged, I remember one of my favorite quotes by Lance Armstrong and I remind myself that nothing worthwhile comes easily. It takes hard work and dedication to get somewhere that is worth going:
"This is MY body. And I can do whatever I want to it. I can push it. Study it. Tweak it. Listen to it. Everybody wants to know what I’m on.
What am I on?
I’m on my bike busting my ass 3 hrs a day.
What are YOU on?" – by Lance Armstrong.
November 21, 2008 at 2:40 pm
It took me YEARS to learn that diet has way more to do w/ getting lean than w/o’s. I used to think that if I was working out hard, that was enough. For yrs I did just that, and still had BF around the mid-section. I was in great "physical" shape (at least for a 46 yr old), but since June I’ve lost about 10 lbs. I’ve tweaked my w/o’s a little, but it’s really been from cleaner eating.
Good post Monika.
November 21, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Thank you for reading. Congratulations on your transformation. You have found the KEY!
You look great. Keep up the hard work
November 21, 2008 at 2:56 pm
great blog! i have noticed that its hard to start eating clean, but once you do it and stick to it, you feel so much better and the crap makes you feel gross! it’s just hard making that step to toss the trash..i’m back in that damn boat!
what do you do in regards to like pms…anything clean you eat in particular? i personally crave sweets! candy! i live alone, so i do NOT keep junk food in my house! i notice that i eat crap at work, but never at home…
November 21, 2008 at 6:39 pm
Thank you Heather. I wrote you a PM, I hope it help. You look great, so keep doing what you have been doing, and don’t worry too much about the occasional sweet cravings. Allow yourself a cheat meal every now and then, you deserve it girl!