This phrase has been thrown around substantially at the gym, especially in conversations revolving around diet strategies. Ask any seasoned gym goer and they will probably pair this statement up with “Abs are made in the kitchen” or maybe they have uncovered some hidden secret they are willing to share with you on how they are able to maintain a “flexible” diet allowing them cheat days or something like that.
I want to think about this deeper and maybe share a few insights on why this phrase is only a fraction of what fitness and health really is. Let’s break it down:
First, you have to look at your goal. Your actions must align with your goals otherwise you may be mislead into false results or feeling defeated when you can’t hit your goals. What are you training for? Someone who is training for a marathon, will not be following the same program as an Olympic weight lifter. Two totally different training modes require different plans and attention to different methods. Though, nutrition is absolutely a necessity, it will also be different for these two athletes. Their intensity will also vary, one will be focused more so on miles, and the other may be focused on power, and their bodies will change with the adaptations needed to handle the stress of training. If you want to train in the gym like an athlete, then you need to eat and think like an athlete.
Let’s take a look at a more general fitness, say you want to look and feel better about your overall fitness and you may want to just become stronger. This is important because it means you don’t have to follow a strict food list or change a huge part of your everyday routine to accomplish change. It does require the ability to aware of yourself and your needs. Achieving fat loss or gaining muscle is not simple. It can be a difficult change for some people and I find that a lot of people are confused as to why they can’t lose fat or gain strength like they want to. I always refer to the pillars of health & fitness:
Sleep
Getting good quality sleep can help resolve a variety of issues that you may be experiencing. It’s one of those things you don’t realize how much you’ve missed out until you start having great sleep you may experience an improvement in mood, cognitive function, decision making, less bloating, less stress, and better health just to name a few. It is recommended that an adult sleeps 7-9 hours of rest daily. This will greatly improve your recovery especially if you get into a nice rhythm with your body.
Movement
Following a progressive fitness program goes far in getting results. It allows you to plan out your fitness routine and to see how over time your strength, endurance, speed, mobility, and power can be monitored. The more data you collect over a long period of time, the better you can figure out if you need to switch up your routine! Including a warm-up, cardiovascular conditioning, strength training, and mobility will go a long way!
Nutrition
Drinking enough fluids to have your body properly hydrated will allow you to process all the nutrients your body receives through the food you consume. It is suggested that an adult drinks eight glasses of 8 fluid ounces a day (64oz). I suggest to shoot higher so you can meet this minimum as long as you have the ability to drink more water. Eating nutritious food then can be received more efficiently and your body can use the nutrition to perform its best. This includes complex carbohydrates (ex: green vegetables and natural fruits), lean proteins (ex: lean beef, chicken, and turkey), and healthy fats (ex: nuts, seeds, fish).
Working on all three pillars are what’s going to get you closer to your goals and achieving a balanced lifestyle. As you make small changes and they stick, add another layer to your daily habits. For an example, if you are sleeping maybe 5 hours a night and you’ve worked on getting 7 hours of sleep every night for a month, that is tremendous progress and you may find that you are ready to add a midday walk for 20 minutes after lunch. You will feel so much more accomplished achieving smaller goals than trying to change your entire life around a fitness program that shocks your body and mentality.
Abs are not an indication of better health, but they do look nice! If you reduce your stress and manage your health well, your body composition changes and will adapt to your current life situation. Reducing stress allows your body to lose fat more efficiently and gain muscle!
So get rested, drink your water, and eat plenty of vegetables! It’s more than just eating better, it’s about making healthier choices daily and aligning your actions with your goals as well as eating the good nutrition.
All the best! Coach Burke