Nutrition - The Fundamentals of
Eating Right
for More
Energy
On average, when people stop exercising and no longer care about what they eat, they can gain five to ten pounds a year. That is why in five short years, people step on a scale and cannot believe they are nearly FIFTY pounds overweight. Weight has a way of sneaking up on you over time. You do not get overweight overnight and you do not lose the weight overnight either. Both take time, but fortunately losing weight can be faster if you follow a strict nutritional and exercise plan. Both take only minutes a day.
Here are a few eating tips and some ideas on quick exercises routines to try when time is limited:
1) Lay off the fast food Before you go on a trip or a long day at work, try to eat before you leave and pack a lunch. Foods high in protein mixed with a natural carbohydrate are great energy meals. Try a lean turkey or chicken sandwich with vegetables like lettuce and tomato. Watch out for the mayo too many calories and fat grams. Try mustard instead. Fruits are great quick snacks too. Try apples, oranges, bananas for natural sources of energy. For more ideas see www.stewsmith.com/linkpages/dietplan.htm
2) Wake up and burn some calories As busy days pile up with more and more obligations, the scheduled 5:00pm workout can easily get bumped! Make thirty minutes of exercise fit into your mornings and do some type of workout.
- Try biking, walking, or running for 30 minutes
- Go to your gym for a quick circuit routine
- Try calisthenics like jumping jacks / pushups / crunch routine and jumping jacks / squats / lunges / crunches
- Try using dumbbells for arms and shoulders
- Another Tip if you do not schedule a workout it does not exist!!
Check out a previous article for great workout ideas for any occasion
3) Dont wait Start NOW! Why wait? When you can, you should try to eat at regularly scheduled times during the day. Healthy snacks and meals will carry you through your stressful days much better than skipping meals or binge eating. You will find that if you keep a good schedule, you will lose weight and inches. Add exercise to the plan and you will also get fit and feel better than you have in years. Try an eating schedule of the following recommended times:
i. 0630 breakfast
ii. 0930 morning snack
iii. 1230 lunch
iv. 1530 afternoon snack
v. 1830 dinner
If your days are longer than 15-18 hours you should try another light snack at 2100 of foods like yogurt, grapes, milk. Other snacks during the day can be salads, fruits, lean meats, small sandwiches, boiled eggs and others. See chart on next page for better ideas on what to eat during the day and before and after exercise sessions.
4) Walk more When safety is not an issue, try to walk farther than normal when going about your normal day. Burning a few more calories by walking is one of the easiest ways to walk off that extra weight. Just twenty minutes of brisk walking can burn over 100-150 calories.
5)
Keep working the abdominal region Not with food but with
exercises like crunches, situps, and lower back stretches. Check out the articles on Washboard
Abs and Lose those Love Handles for ideas. When you do these
exercises for just 5-10 minutes daily, it is easier to remember to watch your
food intake and stop yourself from
gorging.
Washboard Abs
link
Love-handles
link
Overall, it is important to keep
up the habit of moving more and eating better foods for you. These tips can help
you prevent unneeded weight gain.
See Fundamentals of Nutrition Chart below and on
the next page:
The Fundamentals of Nutrition | |||
|
Morning Meal (Serving = fist size) Eat 2-3 servings of any *minimal fat - 1 qt water |
Proteins boiled egg whites, yogurt, milk, lean meats, protein shake, vege beef stew |
Carb/Protein mix some fruits like grapes, bananas, blueberries cereal with milk | |
|
Mid Morning Meal Eat 1 serving |
Slimfast meal bar, boiled egg, Go-Gurt, Tuna |
Fruit salad, apple, orange, banana etc | |
|
Lunch 1 qt water |
Chicken, tuna, fish, lean meat sandwich on wheat bread, no mayo mix meat with salad ® |
Mixed salads with variety of vegetables green leafy lettuce, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, onion | |
|
Mid Afternoon Meal 1 qt water |
Optional peanuts, almonds = high calories |
Optional juice, fruit, vegetable small salad | |
|
Evening Meal 1 qt water |
Lean chicken, fish, meat, broiled NOT FRIED |
Large Salad above eggplant | |
Pre Post Workout Meals | |||
|
Before Your Cardio
Workout |
Before Your Lifting or
PT Workout | ||
|
Carbohydrates 75 100% |
Carbohydrates 75% & Protein 25% | ||
|
Prior to running, swimming, biking etc at medium to high intensity levels for 30-40 minutes, it is best to eat a small snack to boost sugar levels in your body especially if your workout is before your morning meal. After a night of sleeping and not eating for over 10-12 hours, you need a boost to help you get through the workout. Fruit or fruit juice is fine 20 minutes prior to workout and during is fine. Foods with small amounts of protein can be eaten pre-workout and will help post workout requirements of protein too. Sample Ideas for pre-workout snack are: |
1-2 hours prior to lifting eat protein foods and carbohydrates so the protein is there for you after the workout. Lifting weights and doing high repetition calisthenics will break down your muscles and require protein immediately after your workout within 30 minutes. Foods high in carbohydrates to replace the loss of glycogen stores are needed within this time too. For a great rule of thumb after you workout eat protein, carbohydrates and minimize fatty foods. Foods that should be considered are: | ||
|
Bananas, apples, oranges, carrots, juice, Gatorade, (any fruit of choice really). Before workouts longer than 30-40 minute, add some
protein to stabilize absorption rates so you can last longer: Eat the following about 1-2 hours prior to exercise: Yogurt, protein drink*, milk, boiled egg, slice of meat or cheese, Slimfast meal replacement bar Sip water and carbohydrate drink throughout the workout *Met-rx powder is highly recommended I like to take ½ of recommended amount. |
Pre-workout ideas for lifters / PTers: Bananas, berries, boiled eggs, tuna fish, Met-rx Drink / bar. Protein or carb replacement drinks are great if post workout occurs mid-day or early morning. See above meal options for protein and carbohydrates sources and these below: Tuna, chicken, boiled eggs, and green leafy salads with tomatoes, broccoli, cucumber, carrots, onions, and light dressing or oil. | ||
|
Post Workout
Meals | |||
|
The key is to replace carbohydrates and electrolytes lost during the workout drink Powerade / Gatorade immediately after workout Another
important factor is to add protein to help rebuild muscles see
above meal / snack ideas within 30 minutes of
workouts | |||
If you would like to
pay online for any of the downloadable workouts that have worked for
several clients of the StewSmith.com PT Club please click the Yahoo Store
link: Stew Smith PT Club @
yahoo
OR
Check out the Stew Smith Fitness Catalog
They include:
Maximum Fitness The
Complete Guide to Navy SEAL Cross-training
The SWAT Workout
Common Sense Self Defense
The Special Operations
Workout
The TV Watchers
Workout
The Complete List of Stew Smith's eBooks:
General
Fitness and Nutritional Guides for Everyone
The 45 Day Beginner Guide to
Fitness
The 45 Day Intermediate Guide to Fitness
The Diabetic Prevention Workout /
Diet
The Athlete Workout - Rugby, Soccer, Lacrosse
& Football
The Busy Executive Workout
Routine
The Six Week Advanced Weight Training / PT
Guide
The Special
Forces Physical Fitness Workouts
New - Combat
Conditioning Workout
The Army Special Forces / Ranger Workout Phase 1 & 2
The Army Air Assault School Workout
NEW - The Coast Guard Rescue
Swimmer Workout - NEW
The OCS, ROTC, Service Academy, &
Bootcamp Workouts
Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard OCS Workout
The Service Academy Workout (West
Point, Navy, Air Force Academy)
The Navy, Air Force, Marine Corp Bootcamp Workout
The Army Air Assault School
Workout
The Law Enforcement
Physical Fitness Test Workouts
The FLETC Workout - Ace the PEB
/ Same as Blackwater's TestThe State / Local Police Academy Workout
The Public Safety Diver
Workout
Border Patrol Agent Workout
ATF Agent Workout
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Stew Smith, former Navy SEAL and fitness writer is certified by the National
Strength and Conditioning Association (www.nsca.com) as a Certified Strength and
Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). Email him personally at
stew@stewsmith.com or
stew@mycustomworkout.com
New Venture -
www.mycustomworkout.com