Why You Need a Healthy Eating Plan
We all know that food is a necessary part of life. Most of us eat 3 meals a day, and even have a few snacks in between. And while eating is something many of us don’t spend much time thinking about, the foods you choose have a HUGE impact on your fitness goals. You may have the greatest fitness plan in the world, but if you’re not properly fueling your body with a healthy eating plan, you’re probably not going to see the results you’re hoping for. Fitness and nutrition are symbiotic, and you have to treat them as such. If one is out of proportion, the other is going to suffer. Below are three different ways nutrition impacts your fitness goals:
1. It Affects Your Energy
Ever feel exhausted after a large meal? Struggling after the lunchtime slump? These are all common feelings associated with eating. Isn’t a meal or snack supposed to give you energy? Well, they will—if you’re eating the right things. A lack of energy affects your fitness goals because you may feel like skipping your evening workout, or not have enough energy to push yourself to reach new goals. One of the benefits of eating healthy is you’ll have a renewed tank of energy.
Here are a few nutrition tips to help keep your energy high with a healthy eating plan:
- Eat frequent small amounts of nutrient dense food rather than large infrequent meals
- Drink lots of fluids preferably water and limited amounts of beer, wine, 100% fruit juice, low/non-fat milk, herb tea, and soy milk.
- Don’t eat dinner as a meal within 2 hours of sleeping
- Eat smaller amounts of food more often.
- Snack on healthier foods such as vegetables, fruits, and popcorn rather than high fat, high sugar snacks.
2. It Helps You Recover
You just finished a great workout. You hit a new PR, and now you’re starving. Your food choices after a workout are crucial for muscle recovery, so your body can heal and become stronger. Not choosing the right post-workout foods can prevent you from healing as quickly as you’d like, or completely reverse the benefits of your workout.
Fat, carbohydrates, and protein are all essential nutrients for a post-workout meal. Eat a nutrient dense meal with components from all of these groups within one to two hours of your workout—and remember to fill up your water bottle and re-hydrate!
3. It Enables or Prevents Results
At the end of the day, what you eat enables or prevents results from your workouts. Your muscles need sufficient amounts of protein and energy to grow. But, if you’re eating meals that are too large or not well-balanced, you’re not going to see much of a difference. There’s a fine balance between fitness and nutrition. So, to achieve your goals, we recommend fine tuning your workout plan and healthy eating plan to really reach the next level and achieve a lifetime of fitness.
Want to learn more about the benefits of eating healthy? Read our blog post, Metabolic Fitness & Eating for It, or purchase a pack of our Food Zones Charts to help you create well-balanced meals and a healthy eating plan. Are you eating healthy, but you feel like you’re still struggling with your workouts? Heart Zones wants to support you to achieve a lifetime of fitness. We’ve packed 30 years of innovative research, methodology, and training into breakthrough technology, supporting you to achieve a lifetime of fitness. Download our app, Heart Zones Training, or simply learn more about our solutions and how they will transform your fitness.
Your information is very informative …..its knowledgeable with great tips …… it help me a lot ….. thank you for motivation for stay more fit …