‘Fuel Your Lifestyle Do’s’ fvs. ‘Feeding Your Addiciton Don’ts’
Do you know the difference between fueling your lifestyle and feeding your addiction? It’s common for us to set our dials to auto pilot and forge forward with our day without thinking about where we are going to source our energy from. We consume out of convenience and find quick inserts of energy where we can get it, but often times nutrients are lacked and nowhere to be found in the items that we consume to get us through. How does this make any sense? How can we expect to perform and excel if we are not fueling our bodies properly? I remember an episode of dr oz a few years ago when he covered the topic of food as a base for success. I didn’t fully understand it at that time because I was still driven by my addiction and only making stops to feed that addiction quick! But revisiting that episode today, I totally understand it and I absolutely agree! When we are driven by an addiction, we are told to find what the body demands as quick as possible. The sensation we feel when consuming a substance with an instant reaction is what we seek. Our bodies are signaling that they crave a certain reaction and our minds steer us in the direction of the quickest way to get there. Caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, drugs, sugar. Whatever we are conditioned to consume is what we grab to dull the demands until they rear their head again and demand more, and more, and more….the cycle never really stops unless you take control; until you stop letting the addiction drive and you take the wheel. When you stop feeding the addiction and start fueling your body for the life you want, you start to control your results and can set yourself up for whatever success you choose.
Let’s tackle my top 10:
‘Fuel Your Lifestyle Do’s’ vs. ‘Feeding Your Addiciton Don’ts’
1)
Do: Eat a balanced breakfast
Set yourself up for an energized start with a balanced breakfast. Here are a few options, but dependent on your lifestyle and energy needs, your calories and breakdowns will differ:
Option 1: Fruit, Oats, 2 Whole Eggs
Option 2: Toast (whole grain, Ezekiel), nut butter, egg whites
Option 3: Overnight Oats –
The night before-Oats, Plain Greek Yogurt, Nut Butter, Protein Powder, chia, cinnamon
The morning of-top with bananas, berries, flax seed, hemp seed
Option 4: Smoothie
Blend: Protein Powder, Almond Milk, Frozen banana, Coconut Oil, Instant espresso powder, cinnamon
*All of these options provide a mix of carbohydrate, protein and fat to help you focus, improve your mood and keep you sustained until your next meal fuel stop.
Don’t: Stop by the coffee shop for a muffin and a double double
*Nutritional breakdown: 1 large double double + 1 blueberry muffin – 610 calories, 25g fat 87g carbohydrate (55g sugar) 7g protein.
*Result – Hyper, no focus, a quick spike followed by a crash and hungry and wanting more sugar in approx. 1hr.
2)
Do: Pack and measure your water intake
If it is there, you are more likely to drink it. If you aim to drink a certain amount and keep track, you are more likely to drink more. If you are well hydrated, your skin is nicer, your appetite is stable and your energy levels are increased.
Don’t: Fill your cup and forget to refill it as soon as it’s empty, but somehow remember to stop by the pop machine or fill up your coffee cup every hour.
3)
Do: Eat every few hours
Keeping your body fed throughout the day will help with balanced metabolism of the nutrients you are eating and will avoid a crash or need for a quick pick me up/spike in insulin. Just like you have trained your mind to eat quick energy when it tells you it’s hungry, eating a balanced fuel up every few hours takes practice. Your body will learn to fuel for energy instead of searching for a quick fix.
Don’t: Snack on whatever you can find in the car, on the way to work, at your desk, in the lunchroom
Mindless consumption is the cause to weight gain and emotionally reaching for something to help you cope rather than fuel. Keep healthy options on hand if you need something on the go.
*Nuts, Fruit, Veggies, Protein
4)
Do: Fuel your workout, before and after
Manage your energy. Eat for fuel and don’t expect results or performance on an empty tank.
Don’t: Treat yourself every time you exert energy
This is an anabolic opportunity to eat those quick sugars, but healthy options are always the better way to go. Reward yourself by replenishing your body for the abilities it gives you each day.
5)
Do: Eat at night
Your body grows when it is resting. If you go to sleep hungry, you are bound to deplete muscle stores as you sleep and wake up even more hungry and opting for the wrong choices. Fuel yourself at night with a slow digesting protein and a healthy fat to slow the digestion process even further. This way, your body is nourished while you rest and you can recover and repair and wake up ready to attack another day!
Don’t: Eat unnecessary nutrients before bed
It is most common to snack at night. Snack foods are often quick fixes and sugary snacks – carbohydrates that our body cannot use right before we go to sleep. Instead of grabbing unnecessary calories that will be stored as fat, reach for these easy choices that will help you progress towards your healthiest self:
Healthy night snack Option 1
Protein Powder shake paired with avocado – blend with ice and enjoy (Use pharmaceutical grade Magnum Nutraceuticals Quattro in any of the 5 flavors)
Healthy nigh snack Option 2
Nutty Omelette – Mix eggwhites, one whole egg, ¼ cup almond milk and roasted pecans – cook in a non stick pan and top with cinnamon. Delish!
6)
Do: Eat food
Know what you are consuming. This pertains to food, drink and supplementation. Do not cheap out when it comes to your diet. When you know what you are eating and you minimize the processed food consumption, your body becomes more efficient and actually utilizes the nutrients you are feeding it. If you search for the cheap options: fast food, fruit juices or pop, cheap supplementation without a pharmaceutical grade – you actually just poop out the junk and store a lot of the ‘food like’ product consumed as fat.
Don’t: Eat the majority of your calories from packaged foods labeled ‘fat free’ ‘gluten free’ ‘sugar free’
These are labels that are used to market the product to you. Companies tend to market the foods most that create a profit margin for the company; the products that are manufactured for nothing and marked up tremendously to create profit. Profitability is great, just not at the expense of your health.
7)
Do: Taste your food – taste what foods should actually taste like. Taking out the ‘sugar free’ the ‘fat free’ the ‘sodium free’ the ‘low/diet/________- free’ this that and everything, taste how sweet, savory, fresh the food itself is. Enhance the natural taste of anything by using natural herbs and citrus to create your own world of flavor.
Don’t: Over Season or Over Sweeten – sugar substitutes and flavor enhancers high in sodium can set you up for craving the actual thing. Be conscious of your consumption.
8)
Do: Count your sugars
Eat your sugars at the right time and fuel yourself for energy required to complete a task. Sugar consumption can get out of control easily. Sugars from natural sources are great, but only consume the amount your body needs.
Don’t: limit your carbs
Carbohydrates are energy. They are an important part of an active lifestyle and should not be feared. When eaten properly and not abused, carbs can be your best friend. Know the difference between simple and complex and structure your meals around your activities accordingly.
9)
Do: Use healthy fats – healthy fats help your digestion, your brain function, your recovery and repair and so much more. Fat is necessary to be healthy. The right fats will aid in a healthy metabolism that will help you burn fat.
Never: Deep fry - Deep frying anything is unhealthy and unnecessary and the fats used in this process are not conducive to a healthy lifestyle.
10)
Do: Prepare and pack your meals
Be prepared for anything your day may hold. Prepare proteins in bulk, pack veggies and nuts as snacks, carry a fruit and some oats with you. If hunger calls, you are going to tackle it and move on. Invest in a cooler bag and you are set for the day.
**Fit Mark Bags offer a great fashionable cooler option for you to pack your days worth of meals in www.fitmarkbags.com Use my promo code friends15 for 15% off of your purchase!
Don’t: Leave home without a couple prepared meals
When you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail.
Have an amazing day my friends! Love you all and even more as we get better together!
Xoxo
Holly Barker