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 TO LOSE FAT 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.  Try mustard and limit mayo for reduced calories.  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 of TV video 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 ideas for any workout- Quick Workouts

3)                 Don’t 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 for fat burn– 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. 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.   If you limit too much of a macro-nutrient you will see decrease in athletic performances so keep up with carbs, protein, and fats.

See Fundamentals of Nutrition Chart below and on the next page: 

Note - this chart applies to active teens as well but as a growing adolescent athlete you should be focused on eating to grow stronger not on the aesthetics side of fitness which can dehydrate you and potentially stunt growth. See link for more info:  Kids Health