Starting a New Exercise and Nutrition program

No matter what your reasons are for starting an exercise program you really need to pay attention to your nutritional needs. If you exercise like crazy but eat a high caloric diet you will not reap the full benefits from your workouts.

In regards to nutrition you want to take one week and write down everything you eat, and don’t cheat! This will give you a good overview of what you eat and when. By keeping a food journal for at least a week you can see if you skip breakfast, you can see how often you eat out and what your food choices are. From here you will see if you are eating a diet that is high in calories from sugar and excess carbohydrates.

Once you have this information you can start to make changes. So, for example if your problem is that you drink too many soft drinks you want to start swapping a soft drink for water or herbal tea. You don’t have to quit cold turkey but start making small changes.

If you have a coffee and a doughnut every day then switch the coffee to unsweetened tea and the doughnut for a source of protein. Ideally make and prepare your own protein egg bites as an example (there are many easy and fast recipes online). If you are eating out because of time, then you can quickly grab a ready to go protein drink that is low in carbohydrates and sugar. Low carbohydrate and low sugar protein drinks are now available in many grocery stores.

By eating correctly not only will you start to feel better, you will see the benefits from your exercise as well. By fuelling your body with high quality food choices, you will have more energy to workout longer and at higher intensity levels, as well as, not have the mid-afternoon crash.

Supplements can be a useful thing to help improve your nutrition and exercise routines. If you workout after work you can easily drink a protein drink or have a high protein, low carbohydrate nutrition bar while travelling to the gym. This way you are supplying your body with energy before beginning your workout. You will feel more energized and won’t suffer from burn out before your workout is finished as well.

You don’t have to make drastic changes in regards to both nutrition and exercise. Small changes are going to make a big impact. By eating more fresh fruit and vegetables you will probably start to feel better and more energized. When you start to add stretching and exercise into your daily routine you will find that you sleep better and feel more alert during the day. You will feel as though you have enough energy to get through your busy day without having to consume large amounts of caffeine.

So, start by making sure you eat a high protein, low carbohydrate diet and try to add a 30-minute walk into your day. Once you have this achieved then increase your activity level and begin to add resistance exercises as well.