The sun is high in the sky, the weather is warm, and the flowers are in full bloom: ah, yes, the proverbial bathing suit season is upon is, and it's here to stay (at least for another month or so). Bathing suit season also coincides with gym season, which, apart from the period immediately following new year's, is the most populous time for gym attendance. As we shed our clothes and spend more time outside, a heightened awareness of our own physical appearances develops, and out of obligation we drag ourselves to the gym to sprint on the treadmill and labor through 8-minute abs, all toward the aim of chiseling out that universally-sought-after 6-pack. But physical activity only gets you about 20% of the way to a toned body; the other 80% is achieved through a well-balanced diet. So, in your conquest to look like Channing Tatum in "Magic Mike" or Jamie Lee Curtis in "True Lies," consider spending less time doing crunches and more time cooking in the kitchen.
We are constantly inundated with images of "beautiful," "toned," and "sexy" bodies in just about every form of media to which we're perpetually subjected. I have a really hard time with this. I think it's absolutely absurd that we're conditioned into these strict forms of what is supposed to be considered physically beautiful and what is not. I realize that my misgivings about media and its portrayal of physical beauty opens up an entirely new and far more complex discussion--my negative sentiments are somewhat anecdotal, but also relevant insofar as these subliminal messages that illustrate the idealized image of what is beautiful end up conditioning our own personal behaviors and habits regarding diet and exercise. We see these highly beautiful and sexualized people, which then causes us to perceive exercise as a means toward an end: if I do this then I will attain that. As a result, we're set up for failure before we even begin: we have a grossly unrealistic idea of what is physically attainable, we perform exercise solely for the purpose of attaining something (as opposed to doing it for overall well-being), and we expect unreasonable results for our half-hearted toils. But there is no secret to success, no shortcut, and no cutting corners. Looking better begins with feeling better, and the ultimate key to feeling better is consuming proper sustenance.
Proper nutritional consumption is paramount to physical development and growth. Think about it in this capacity: you exercise for 1-2 hours, perhaps five times a week. The other 22 hours of your day are spent doing whatever, but likely not anything physically arduous. In other words, most of your time is spent "recuperating," and not exercising. When you exercise, your body tissue breaks down. There are many technically-involved biological and physiological processes that occur, but in layman's terms, your body degenerates when you place it under physical stress. It then releases chemicals to rebuild stronger in response to the new physical demands under which you've placed it. The gains you make during this repairing process are largely contingent upon the nutrition you consume. All of the nutrients your body receives are used for various processes, from organ function to muscle and tissue growth. Nutrition is so important that there is an old adage that goes, "I'd rather miss a workout than miss a meal." Diet and exercise can be confusing, though--especially the "diet" part. I hate that word when it's used in the context of weight-loss because it always has such negative connotations associated with it. Diet should not imprint impressions in your mind of restriction, cutting calories, and consuming only agonizingly bland foods. I prefer the term "balanced nutrition," because eating well (and eating plentifully) should not be an exercise, pun intended, in cardboard-only consumption. I'm certainly no expert, but the following are some key points that I've found incredibly beneficial.
Lift Weights
Ladies, I'm talking to you, too--not just the men. In your quest to tone up your body and become stronger, lift weights. Or, do some form of body-resistance training. Cardiovascular exercise is very important for improving your endurance, but you have to do some form of resistance training to further break down your body tissue. When you force your muscles to contract under stress, your body releases hormones telling your tissue to strengthen. It will then maximize the nutrients you consume to repair and strengthen your muscles. Think of your exercise regiment like your nutrition plan: balance wins the race. If you only do one form of exercise, you will only see the same results just as you would if you only ate one type of food. Lift weights, run, ride your bike, go on hikes, play team sports--mix it up, but definitely don't discount lifting weights, especially to all the ladies. I promise, you will not "bulk" up.
Breakfast! You have to Break the Fast
The inherent meaning of the compound word, breakfast, indicates exactly what the meal is meant to do: break the fast. You spend the previous few hours asleep, not consuming any nutrients. During sleep, your body enters what is known as the anabolic cycle. Essentially, your body uses this time to heal, restore, and rebuild cells. While your body does this all the time, it maximizes its efficiency at rebuilding during your sleep cycle. So, by the time you've awoken, your body is yearning for more nutrients and sustenance since you've likely used up everything during the previous night's sleep. That's why you always hear that old adage, "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day." Also, clinical studies have proven that if you consume a large breakfast, your metabolism will speed up and burn at a greater rate. Look for breakfast foods like: plain oatmeal, berries, eggs, whole grain toast, omelets, smoothies, etc. Remember, it's all in how you make your food: an omelet with egg whites, vegetables and turkey is great for you; one loaded with cheese and sausage is probably not.
I'm Skipping Lunch Because I'm Going to Have a Big dinner
There is a huge misconception about caloric intake. Most think that it's the number of calories you consume in a day that matters. As such, people have a tendency to partition their meals out accordingly: if you're planning on going out to a big dinner, you might justify it by skimping during lunch and making up the calories during dinner. Well, it's partly true that the number of calories you consume in a day affects your weight fluctuations; but, remember: the quality of those calories is far more important than the simple amount of them. Your body is constantly burning calories. When you're sitting there breathing, your body is consuming energy so that your organs and body processes can function. If you fast and then binge, your metabolism will adjust accordingly to account for the inconsistent manner in which you consume your calories. Every time you eat, your body will naturally burn less in order to preserve what you've consumed because it thinks that you're not going to eat again for awhile. Your metabolism will burn calories less efficiently and you'll naturally store more fat. Think of the way hibernating animals massively binge before their long hibernation: they consume as much as possible before their long winters of dormancy. Your body will respond the same way if you fast and binge. Remember, smaller meals spread out evenly throughout the day is better than a few large ones. And never, ever skip meals.
I'm Cutting the Carbs to Lose Weight
Okay, here it is, plain and simple: Carbs Are Good For You. In fact, your body needs carbohydrates to function properly, as they are one of the largest sources of nutrients your body uses. "I'll take a foot-long turkey, but instead of any bread, can you just wrap it in a bed of lettuce along with some veggies, cheese, and chipolte sauce?" asks the misinformed customer. He slyly leans over to his buddy and exclaims, "I'm cutting the carbs to try and loose weight." This is wrong; you need carbohydrates, simple. The key is the type of carbohydrates you consume. Foods like donuts, cakes, bleached flours, pastas, too much white rice, etc. are not good for you. However, sources of carbohydrates like vegetables, potatoes, whole grains, raw oats, and fruits are essential to your overall health, growth and development. The best meals are ones that combine lean proteins with complex carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates can generally be described as foods that are low on the glycemic index; in other words, your body will digest them slowly and you will not get huge spikes in your blood sugar levels. The reason you feel surges of energy after sodas, cakes, and donuts is because your body digests the sugar quickly, converting it into energy--sort of like if you were to drop a sliver of gasoline into an open fire: it would ignite very quickly and flash out. Whereas if you were to light some kindling underneath nicely dried out logs, you would get a strong warm fire that burns slowly over time, thereby giving off energy over a more even, sustained plane. Food works the same way in regards to the energy it will provide your body: lean proteins like chicken, fish, lean steak, ground turkey, or lean ground beef combined with steamed vegetables, brown rice, baked/roasted potatoes, beans, or brown rice, will provide you with sustained energy for an extended period of time. Back to the point, though: you need carbs, you just need to be discerning about the sources from which you derive those carbohydrates.
Pack Your Meals
Every night, I spend about 45min. cooking and preparing my meals for the following day. Sometimes it's a burden and I don't really feel like cooking, but I maintain motivation to do so because I know that if I don't, I won't have enough sustenance for the following day. And there's nothing worse than feeling hungry and "crashing." So, pack your meals. Cooking is not only therapeutic, but it also allows you to dictate what you're putting into your body. Eating out is great and enjoyable, but cooking for yourself gives you complete agency and it is also the quickest way to educate yourself on what is good for you and what is not. Recipes are simple to follow and cooking healthily is very straightforward. Season, but do so lightly. Choose olive oil over other oils; try coconut oil/butter in place of margarine; bake your potato instead of frying it; steam your vegetables instead of doing a stir-fry; grill your meats. Furthermore, packing your meals gives you a psychological edge because you know you have a certain amount of food to eat, which means you will more likely consume food on time and avoid skipping meals or buying something quick and unhealthy.
Stop Counting Calories
Ladies, if I'm honest, I'm looking at you. It's less acceptable in society for women to be out of shape than it is for men. That's what we're conditioned into believing, and as prejudiced and misogynistic as it is, that is the unfortunate reality of what we're duped into thinking. As such, I've encountered numerous women in the past who carefully count their calories, thinking that the numerical amount is the sole determining factor to overall health and wellness. Here's a secret: I eat anywhere between 3,500-4,000 calories every day, and my worry is never whether or not I'm eating too much; rather, my perpetual concern is whether or not I'm eating enough. You have to eat and you have to eat plentifully. Yes, the sheer number of calories will contribute to weight gain or weight loss; I'm absolutely not disputing that plain fact. Furthermore, the amount I eat will certainly be more than someone who weighs less than me and perhaps has a different body composition--I'm simply trying to prove a point. But, and this is a big butt, I promise that if you strive to eat 4-5 meals every day that are well balanced and properly portioned, a few things will happen: your metabolism will speed up and you'll burn more calories efficiently; you will feel better because your blood sugar will not rise and dip significantly; you will have more sustained energy; and you will improve your shape dramatically. It's okay to work out a rough idea of how many calories you consume in a day, but don't obsessively keep track of each single one. And even more importantly, do not allow your train of thought to be this: "Well, I had a macchiato this morning and that's 250 calories, so for lunch I'm going to just have a yogurt and an apple. I'll have something more substantial for dinner, but I want to make sure that I stay underneath 1,500 calories for the day." No, No, No. Remember, the quality of your calories is far more important than just the sheer number. Eat a big, well balanced breakfast; have a snack at 10am; eat lunch; have a snack at 3; work out; eat dinner at 6pm; have a snack some time before bed (e.g. scoop of almond butter, glass of skim milk with whey protein). Also, you have to consider the amount of physical activity you do and adjust your caloric intake accordingly. Remember, you are constantly burning calories, and when you introduce any form of physical activity into your lifestyle, your body will burn even more. You have to balance the amount you burn with proper intake otherwise your physical activity will literally yield very little to absolutely no results.
You Want to Burn Fat? Eat Fat
When I first started to become more conscious of my nutritional intake, I reached a point when I ate virtually no fat. I couldn't quite achieve the type of definition I wanted to, though, and I couldn't figure out why. I thought, "Well, I don't eat anything with fat, so why I can't I trim up more?" When you eliminate fat completely from your diet, or reduce it to such a low point, your body will more likely store any of the fat that you do consume. Your body needs fat, as it is such a high source of energy. The key is ingesting quality fats. Look to get your fats from foods like: peanut butters, avocados, olive oil, coconut oil, salmon, whole milk, plain yogurt, etc. Mix in these foods with your meals to ensure that you get enough quality fat in your diet. Your body will use it as energy and it will also help you burn more fat.
The Reverse Pyramid
Think of your daily nutritional intake somewhat like an upside down pyramid in terms of the proportions: your largest meals should be consumed earlier on in the day, starting with breakfast; as the day wears on, your subsequent meals should be generally smaller until you finally finish with your pre-bedtime snack at the smallest size. Furthermore, each meal should look sort of like a reverse pyramid, or as I like to think of it: the 3-2-1 layout. Shoot for a meal that is balanced as such: primary group should be a lean protein source (this is the "3"); the secondary group should be some form of a complex carbohydrate (this is the "2"); finally, the last group should be a source of quality fat (this is the "1"). For instance, lunch might be a large chicken breast over a bed of lettuce and plenty of vegetables; the chicken is your protein, the vegetables are the carbohydrates, and ensure that you cut up one half or one whole avocado for your fat source.
Infidelity is Good
Cheat on your nutritional intake. Choose one meal, or even one day, out of the week and eat whatever you want. Every week I choose one meal of whatever I want and I eat as much of it as I can. I love pizza, so usually I get a take-n-bake pizza with tons of cheese and lots of meat and I eat the entire thing by myself. There are numerous benefits to incorporating a "cheat meal" into your nutritional intake: one, if you designate a time for yourself that you know you can eat whatever you want, you will be more likely to remain disciplined during the rest of the time. Perhaps it's nachos and wings at the bar on Friday night; maybe it's Sunday brunch with your friends or family; maybe it's taco Tuesday: whatever the case is, designate a cheat time for yourself. Furthermore, a sudden influx of a large number of calories will spark your metabolism. When you train your metabolism to burn faster by eating better more regularly, a sudden ingestion of a lot of calories will force your metabolism into overdrive for a brief period of time to burn off the large amount of food you just consumed. But, most importantly, the cheating part is for your psychological benefit, which is a perfect segue into the next point...
Taste is Purely Subjective and Therefore Unimportant...or so I thought
You're reading the writings of the guy who literally cultivated this outlook on food taste: "Taste is purely subjective; it is nothing more than nerve endings on your tongue that send impulses to your brain, which it then interprets as taste. Food doesn't need to taste good so long as it's healthy for you. Therefore, taste is completely irrelevant." This is flawed on many levels, as I've learned over the years. First off, the two natural things that cause your brain to release the most serotonin are 1)sex and 2)food. This is why our society has such an emphasis on dinner and dining out: food causes a huge reward factor in your brain and the rich taste of good foods induces more serotonin and therefore satisfaction. It is unnatural to resist and go against this healthy psychological phenomenon. That being said, here is the flip-side: eating foods that are good for you improve your overall health so drastically, that you feel incredibly better. Your blood sugar levels remain even, your energy levels increase, your stamina improves, and your mental state of being falls into an equilibrium. And all those benefits don't even include the physical ones that eating well yields. So, how do you marry satisfaction with eating well? Life is about balance: season your foods, but choose natural seasonings over processed ones; perhaps look for light vinaigrette; use less cheese; ask for dressing on the side; use turkey bacon, etc. Eating healthy foods does not mean taste has to go out the window. Eating well can taste incredibly good. You just have to play with recipes, be patient, and take the time to cook for yourself. Furthermore, you just have to be a little more discerning at all those junctures when you're presented with two choices: a healthy option and one that's perhaps less healthy.
Again, Don't Skip Meals
Skipping meals is perhaps one of the worst offenses you can commit in terms of good nutritional intake. Eating less is NOT the key to living healthier. You have to eat and you have to eat plentifully. The key is choosing the right foods to consume. Many people feel daunted by diet and exercise simply because they're in a position of misunderstanding. But, please, don't let a lack of knowledge prohibit you from embarking down a path hitherto unexplored. One of the most inspiring things to me is seeing someone who is out of shape workout at the gym. It fills me with encouragement and motivation to see someone next to me who is not in the best shape, but is working hard and trying. Because against inhibitions and feelings of self-consciousness, this person chose to step into a space that is literally and figuratively filled with mirrors in the aim of bettering him or herself. In my opinion, that is a far greater testament of strength than strength measured in the amount of weight one can move. Don't skip meals, don't allow yourself to feel guilty, and absolve any feelings of unworthiness or shame you might carry. You want to know how to build abs? Stop thinking about building abs and stop punishing yourself. Exercise regularly, eat well and plentifully, and focus on the positive feelings associated with physical exertion; after a period of time, I promise that your physical gains will present themselves to you in a fashion that you have never known. I'd bet my life on it.
I'm not posting this picture of myself to try and show off by any means. I don't consider myself to look like anything particularly special whatsoever. I merely am posting it to illustrate the fact that eating well and plentifully is the key to overall health and wellness. I'm 5' 10", 194lbs., and I have no idea what my body fat percentage is. But do you know what? I don't care at all. All I know is that I feel relatively well and it's because I eat and eat plentifully. I don't care about my weight, my height, or how I really look. Remember, your body is a simple bag of flesh that will expire like every other organism in this world. So, don't place so much emphasis on your physical appearance. I know what focusing your attention on how you look can do to your mental well-being; I know because I'm the biggest culprit of doing so. I can't tell you how much time I've wasted staring into the mirror at every little imperfection of mine--all the time I've wasted wishing to myself that this or that about myself was different. No matter how you look, you will never be as strong as you possibly can until you relinquish all of those petty and insignificant notions about personal body image. Trying to absolve insecurities about my own self-image is the hardest exercise of any that I do--but I keep training as hard as I can until hopefully one day I'm successful.
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