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So, you want to live a healthier lifestyle but you're not sure where to start?
The feeling is so relatable. The sheer amount of information available through any internet search engine can be overwhelming and extremely frustrating. The answer to this problem is simply this: simplify. Let’s get back to the basics, shall we?
Healthy living requires many different, yet cooperative, practices, and yet I believe these practices can be categorized into 6 basic "pillars". The objective of this clarification is to teach you the basics of fitness and nutrition, provide easy-to-implement "first steps", and empower you to form healthy habits.
NOTE: These are general recommendations. Individual needs may require customization.
Get at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day.
Eat real-food (God-made > man-made) carbohydrates, fats, and lean proteins daily, with lean protein in every meal.
Drink at least 3L of water daily. More if you're active or live in a hot climate.
Stretch daily (static, SMFR, dynamic) to prevent injury, speed post-workout recovery, and improve posture, mobility, and circulation.
Sleep 6-8 hours every night (athletes need closer to 10 hrs for recovery). Post-workout rest and recovery time is when your body adapts, improves, and gets stronger. Without proper recovery, training can quickly become counterproductive.
Take a multivitamin-mineral daily to be sure any gaps in your real-food dietary intake are accounted for, and supplement your diet with fish-oil, and protein powders (if you struggle to get the protein you need).
These are general goals for each of the six pillars that make up a physically healthy lifestyle, but you can get as specific as you need to within these categories when it comes to forming new habits. In fact, Precision Nutrition recommends committing to only one new behavioral activity at a time until it becomes habitual (about 30 consecutive days). They also recommend that you choose your new activity based on your level of confidence in adopting the activity, or ease of implementation.
For example: If you want to commit to eating 5 servings of veggies daily, but currently struggle to eat 1-2 servings a day, this might not be the best activity to start with. However, if you struggle to eat 1-2 servings a day, starting with a commitment to eat 2-3 servings of veggies a day would be a great goal to start with.
Set yourself up for success. Your success will motivate you to continue.
“Little by little, a little becomes a lot.” – Tanzanian Proverb
©CauseFitness.com - 2022
In my experience, the pursuit of fitness can equate to the pursuit of vanity, counterfeit value or worthiness, arrogance, or destructive behaviors and beliefs at worst; or at best, it can be a personal goal or discipline without much deeper explanation than a pursuit of improved health or longevity.
Then God gave me an assignment. He said, “I want you to teach the gospel through fitness.”
I had always wondered why physical fitness is mentioned positively in the bible, let alone at all, but that was only the beginning of the revelation He had for me. I’m excited to share more of this, but for now, I’ll leave you with the passage of scripture He led me to first:
“Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” - Hebrews 12:1-3
Jesus modeled everything for us. Why wouldn’t He give us a model for WHY we should pursue physical fitness? I believe He has. Not only do I believe He’s given us our WHY, but I believe the discipline of the pursuit of fitness — which is fitness in every aspect of life, but especially physical — is also a metaphor we are called to live out that will proclaim the good news of the gospel for us (or at least give us a great conversation starter).
So why #CauseFitness?
#ForTheJoy…
©CauseFitness.com - 2022
Cause Fitness is fitness for effect.
What does that mean?
Think about it in terms of influence and transformation.
Jesus never asked us to do something He didn’t model for us first. It’s one of the reasons God became a man — so we could relate to each other through human experience.
He was and is our living example, and He gave us two commands: 1) Love God with all your heart, mind, strength (or spirit, soul, and body); and 2) love others as you love yourself.
We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19), and because Jesus modeled what loving God and others looks like practically for us (1 John 3:16-18). It’s His love that transforms us from the inside out.
So how do we live out this ‘fitness for effect’?
Priority leads to overflow. You will be influenced and influence others by what or who you love most, for better or worse.
When we prioritize relationship with Jesus and receive His love, His Spirit empowers us to live loved and to love others with the same love we receive from Him (John 15:9-17).
We honor and love God by obeying Him; by stewarding what He’s given us, and by pouring out our lives for Him by loving and serving others.
When we pursue wholistic fitness from this perspective — from a place of worship, those around us will be transformed by our living example. Just like children copy what they see their parents saying and doing, this lifestyle ‘caught’ will have a greater effect on lives than anything ‘taught’ without demonstration in love.
©CauseFitness.com - 2022
Cause Fitters don’t just workout; we TRAIN.
What’s the difference?
Isolated workouts are aimless, but #training is intentionally focused on improvement.
Scripture never advocates aimless work, but training — discipline, perseverance, endurance, goal-oriented training — is mentioned a number of times. The Word considers training (or discipline) to be:
And even with the work and discipline that training is and requires, our motivation is love.
We train to LOVE our bodies, not to punish them.
Struggle with this? The key is self-compassion that comes from receiving the truth about who God says you are, letting Him transform your mind with love and truth through His word, and applying His love to your own story.
©CauseFitness.com - 2022
Cause Fitness is a journey of NOURISHMENT, not deprivation.
It’s common knowledge that our bodies require nutrients (macro and micro) to survive. But did you know we need more to function normally, and even more to grow, thrive, and heal (and did you know you need more calories when you’re sick or injured than when you’re healthy)? More on this later…
Food is a sensitive subject for many because eating is so deeply cultural, emotional, and social in nature. Scripture mentions food numerous times in terms of necessity, heath, tradition, metaphor, and symbolism.
This is a subject we will explore further as we journey together as Cause Fitters, but for now, let’s focus on what is most important:
With freedom comes responsibility – We have been given grace and permission along with self-control.
There is much to say, but to keep it simple our philosophy is this: When choosing what to eat, choose “God-made > man-made”.
There may be a learning curve, but the rest is really about yielding in love, to love, and from love as Holy Spirit renews our minds and heals our hearts. Let yourself be led by those ahead of you on the journey, surround yourself with a supportive community, and always be grateful! (1 Timothy 4:4, Genesis 9:3)
Let Him nourish you first. There is grace and wisdom for the rest of the journey.
©CauseFitness.com - 2022
Did you know that resistance training actually breaks and tears your muscle fibers? And did you know that it’s actually the REST time between workouts that repairs and restores your muscles, and causes adaptations that make you stronger than before you lifted, broke and tore them?
Resistance doesn’t make you stronger. And rest without resistance to rest from doesn’t make you stronger either. It’s resistance with REST that makes you stronger.
More importantly, REST (sabbath) is a command. God modeled it for us. When God finished His creation work, He rested. Jesus did too. He just did it outside of the religious box it had been in with the law of the old covenant. Instead of resting within a scheduled day and times, He got refreshed in His Father’s presence daily before continuing on with the “work” of His ministry. In other words, Jesus did hard things (obvi) and faced a ton of resistance in ministry, but He also had a lifestyle of rest, or sabbath, that gave Him the strength to endure persecution, torture, and death on a cross. With His last words, “It is finished,” He declared the Victory just ahead, proven by His #resurrection — striving to gain value or acceptance by God is over. It ends the second you believe!
Because we live on the other side of the cross, in the new covenant Jesus gave His life to give us, we now have access to the same rest, the same strength, the same lifestyle.
We now have access to His presence simply by being God’s kids, and in His presence, we find rest, refreshment, and strength to persevere and endure any circumstance with and through Him. Never alone.
Holy Spirit told something about rest I’m still unpacking and marveling at. He said, “Burdens are a joy when they’re light.” He is the rest we need to recover (Matthew 11:28). His love is the strength and joy for the journey.
"...In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
– John 16:33
Truly, REST is the gospel explained in a single word.
©CauseFitness.com - 2022
A #CauseFitnessApproved sample grocery list!
All organic if possible.
Please note: this list is not exhaustive.
©CauseFitness.com - 2022
It might be difficult to commit to, but most people would agree that you should eat less fried foods and eat more veggies if you want to improve your nutrition and health, but even with this agreement, the obesity rate in our country hasn’t improved. We need simple, practical, easy to apply, widespread nutrition education – and a desire to improve our health.
If I could put the values, nutrition principles, and philosophy of Cause Fitness in a phrase it would be this: “Eat God-made, not man-made.” It’s basically the same idea as the discipline or philosophy of “eating clean”.
Getting plenty of nutrient-rich foods in daily so you reap the benefit of the vitamins and minerals that are available to us is so important, and it’s usually simply a matter of being a bit more mindful about what we're putting in our bodies, but truly "clean" eating takes this concept to another level.
“Eating clean” is about minimizing overly processed foods and toxic ingredients, and keeping the natural, whole-foods, as dietary staples. That said, Cause Fitness is more about the lifestyle than the foods alone, so let’s break it down to the basics and the benefits.
Adopting these principles will help you reap the benefits of healthy and manageable body weight (less excess, more energy), a happier digestive system (improved gut health), fewer visits to the doctor (and therefore fewer bills), and much, much more.
Granted, there is a little more commitment involved if you want to turn your genetically given 'pear shape' into more of an ‘hour-glass’, or reveal six-pack abs and build broad shoulders that taper to a chiseled waistline, but starting with these principles as a foundation will help you begin to realize your potential and what your body is capable of, even if your goal is simply to be active, strong, and energetic for years to come. It’s a gift and it’s wonderfully empowering.
My hope is that through these disciplines you’ll actually discover more of Jesus, who chose suffering “for the joy set before Him” (Hebrews 12). Fitness was God’s idea. We get to choose discipline, choose to persevere through resistance, for the benefits (joy) on the other side of these (albeit minimal in comparison to the cross) sufferings.
©CauseFitness.com - 2022
Everything we eat is made up of a ratio of nutrients. The nutrients we consume fall into two main categories: macronutrients, or nutrients the body requires in large amounts; and micronutrients, or nutrients the body requires in very small amounts. Proteins, carbohydrates, and fats are the three major categories of macronutrients; with vitamins and minerals making up the micronutrient categories.
Protein, or Proteins more accurately, are molecules made up of chains of amino acids that are joined together by chemical bonds. Those chains of amino acids form various structures responsible for many of the body’s functions.
There are two main categories of protein in the body: Essential (with some being Conditionally-Essential), and Non-Essential. Non-Essential Proteins are proteins the body produces on its own. Conditionally-Essential Proteins are proteins the body can produce, but cannot always produce enough for certain situations, like attacks to the immune system or stress for example.
And Essential Proteins are a category of proteins that the body cannot make on its own. We get these proteins from the foods we consume.
Due to the rapid breakdown of available amino acids, it is important to consume protein-dense foods daily. Without consuming adequate protein (Essential Proteins), your body cannot function optimally.
Protein is necessary for a variety of vital functions: the production of new molecules (for hormones, enzymes, etc), replacing cells, rebuilding and repairing tissues, transporting substances, and more. It can even contribute to healthy immune function, satiety, weight management, and athletic performance.
Daily protein intake needs are primarily determined by your activity level.
Precision Nutrition recommends consuming a minimum of 0.8g/kg (about 0.36 g/lb) of body mass, to prevent deficiency for untrained, generally healthy adults. And for proper or optimal bodily function and repair, the recommendation increases to 1.4-2.0g/kg (0.64-0.9 g/lb) per day. (Reference)
There is currently no scientific evidence that too much is in any way harmful to your health.
Examples of protein-dense foods: eggs, dairy (whey, casein), fish, poultry, meat, soy, spirulina
©CauseFitness.com 2022
Everything we eat is made up of a ratio of nutrients. The nutrients we consume fall into two main categories: macronutrients, or nutrients the body requires in large amounts; and micronutrients, or nutrients the body requires in very small amounts. Proteins, carbohydrates, and fats are the three major categories of macronutrients; with vitamins and minerals making up the micronutrient categories.
Carbohydrates are the brain’s preferred source of energy. Generally, carbohydrates are the starches, sugars, and fibers that makeup foods like vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, and some dairy products.
More specifically, carbohydrates are nutrient molecules classified by their structure: simple or complex. Simple carbohydrates are made up of 1-2 sugar-connected molecules, while complex carbohydrates are made up of more than two.
This is important to remember when considering your energy needs. Simple carbohydrates will digest quickly, but while complex carbohydrates take longer to digest, they will give you more sustained energy.
As carbohydrates digest, breaking down into their simplest sugar forms, the hormone insulin is released as a response to the sugar released into the body. Depending on your body’s response to insulin, the complexity of the carbohydrate can dramatically alter the progression of disease in the body.
Simple carbohydrates can be beneficial for recovery after intense workouts, but complex carbohydrates help sustain energy levels, control insulin response, and manage body composition.
While we all need to consume some carbohydrates on a daily basis, individual needs vary based on factors like genetics, activity level, performance or body-composition goals, or source of carbohydrate.
The number of carbohydrates you need may vary, but generally, the more active you are, the more carbohydrates your body will require; the less active you are, the fewer carbohydrates your body will require. Your body will store carbohydrates consumed in excess as fat or glycogen for future use.
Precision Nutrition recommends that the average person’s minimum intake of carbohydrates be 130 grams per day, with the majority coming from whole foods; and a minimum of 25 grams of fiber per day from vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains “to ensure optimal health and body composition.” - (Reference)
Examples of simple carbohydrates: sugar, donuts, white bread, fruit juice, soft drinks
Examples of complex carbohydrates: asparagus, carrots, legumes, steel-cut oats, apples
©CauseFitness.com - 2022
Everything we eat is made up of a ratio of nutrients. The nutrients we consume fall into two main categories: macronutrients, or nutrients the body requires in large amounts; and micronutrients, or nutrients the body requires in very small amounts. Proteins, carbohydrates, and fats are the three major categories of macronutrients; with vitamins and minerals making up the micronutrient categories.
Dietary fats, or lipids, are molecules made up of hydrocarbons. Hydrocarbons are long chains of carbon and hydrogen elements joined to form various configurations. Some dietary fats are good for you, and others are not. Whether a type of fat is considered ‘healthy’ or ‘unhealthy’ is determined by its configuration or bond structure.
There are three main categories of dietary fats, determined by bond structure: saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. The difference between saturated and unsaturated fats is that saturated fats are composed of a single bond, whereas unsaturated fats have one (mono) or more (poly).
Any macronutrient consumed in excess can end up as stored energy in adipose (body fat) tissue, and dietary fats are often avoided assuming this is their only fate. However, it’s also detrimental to your health to under-consume healthy dietary fats.
Fats are essential for optimal body function. Not only will a balanced fat intake give us energy and keep us full between meals, but it will also support inter-cell communication, nutrient absorption, immune system function, metabolism, hormone production, and maintain the health of numerous bodily tissues. Additionally, there is strong evidence to show that fats protect our cardiovascular system, improve our body composition, and help alleviate symptoms of depression.
While none of the three categories of dietary fats is unhealthy if consumed in balance, there are some fat sources that can be harmful to your health. These are man-made fats that have been produced industrially for the purpose of preservation.
Examples of unhealthy fats: trans-fatty acids, hydrogenated fats, most shelf-stable cooking oils (safflower, soybean, corn, etc)
It’s best to consume a variety of whole food fat sources from each of the three main categories. Here are some examples…
Saturated: Animal fats, Tropical oils
Monounsaturated: Olive oil, Avocado, Nuts
Polyunsaturated (Omega 3): Flax, Fish oil
Polyunsaturated (Omega 6): Seed oils (canola, sunflower, etc)
Precision Nutrition recommends supplementing with 1-2 g of algae or 3-6 g of fish oil daily. (Reference)
©CauseFitness.com - 2022
Instead of sharing a single recipe with multiple steps and many ingredients for one meal, this guide is all about how to throw together quick nutritious meals in just a few minutes! These Cause Fitness Approved meals should meet the following requirements:
*This requires some planning ahead and cooking in bulk, but when that's done, it's super fast! Following the DIY Meal Plan, it's super easy to choose any of the following meals to fill in the spaces! :)
Prepare any or all of the following 'proteins' to keep in a sealed container or zip-lock bag in your fridge:
*I like to season with Mrs. Dash lemon pepper or fiesta lime seasoning and slice it up right after baking to make it super easy to grab, measure, and go.
See the Clean Grocery List for more protein ideas. You'll also want to have protein powders and eggs on hand. I like to hard-boil eggs to keep in the fridge too for grab-n-go protein. EASY! :)
Prepare any or all of the following 'complex carbs/starches' and veggies to keep in your fridge:
*Ready-to-eat veggies are washed, chopped, easy to grab-and-go or grab to steam and eat, or pre-cooked and ready to reheat or eat cold.
Other complex carbs/starches options to have on hand: old-fashioned oats, Ezekiel bread/tortillas, beans, etc. See the Clean Grocery List for more ideas.
Be sure to have a variety of healthy fats on hand:
This is just a sampling of options. See the Clean Grocery List for more ideas.
After all the items are prepared, it’s easy to make the following meals ahead of time or when you need them, to eat quickly or take with you for work or play.
Meal Ideas: Carbs for energy
Meal Ideas: Fats for energy
These are just a few ideas, but they're all fast, pre-preparable, and easy to make in bulk for planned left-overs! It's super easy to keep up with clean, healthy eating if you know what to make that's easy, and you can easily take it with you and plan ahead.
Here are a few more ideas to wrap up:
That’s it! Just a few ideas to get you started and help you see how easy it can be to eat well, no matter how busy you are.
©CauseFitness.com - 2022
I'm sure you've used the word at some point, or at least read it somewhere, and it was most likely pertaining to diet, body-weight, or exercise; but do you really know what it is and/or what it means?
Simply put, metabolism is the set of chemical processes inside all living cells that maintain life.
Those chemical processes inside your cells occur when the mitochondria (the 'workers' in each of your cells) convert calories from the food you consume into energy for the body to use. This is what happens when you’re “burning calories.” Your cells are chemically “burning” food calories for the sake of energy production to keep you moving. Think of your mitochondria and your metabolism as a furnace, and imagine your inner fire igniting! This is what’s happening when you’re exercising. The greater the energy expenditure, the “hotter the fire”. It’s why we get hot and sweaty during exercise.
Your body burns calories doing the following tasks:
Scientifically, it’s much more complicated, but hopefully, this will help you visualize what's going on in your body when you eat food (calories) and how your body uses it for energy.
Understanding metabolism is important as a foundational tool because this is where physical transformation begins. You can implement variables, like resistance training, cardio exercise, and caloric intake, to cause adaptations in your body's natural metabolic processes in order to improve your health, and improve how your body looks, moves, and feels.
To go a little further, every human being has a personal basal, or baseline, metabolic rate (the calories your own body needs on a daily basis). This number can be affected by personal variables like genetics, height, birth gender, and body composition.
If your biological parents are unhealthy, are you doomed? Simply put, no – and you can do something about it for future generations. Genetics do play a role in your metabolic rate, but the effect is small, and the better news is that with proper knowledge and application of the aforementioned variables (i.e. being intentional with your own physical fitness), you can actually improve your genetic health legacy! In other words: 'bad' genetics may be a disadvantage, but they are not an excuse to be unhealthy or give up on improving your health, and you have the power to improve the health of your offspring. Already had your kiddos? Not to worry, your intentional choices will influence your family, and behavioral change is more likely to be “caught” than taught.
“Follow me.” – Jesus
“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Ghandi
©CauseFitness.com - 2022
NOTE: This is an article for those who want to get a little more technical. Use discernment.
It would save so much time and trouble for us all if there were a one-size-fits-all answer to this question, but unfortunately, there is not, because it’s personal to you. Here are some examples of variables considered in discovering what your body’s energy needs are.
There are many variables to consider. These are just a few to help you understand that there does have to be some intentionality to it, but it's not as complicated as it seems! Here are some simple steps to estimate your personal daily calorie (or energy) needs:
This is how to successfully, healthfully, and effectively gain or lose weight using the BMR formula and tracking your body's caloric needs daily.
Changing how your body (physique) looks, however, is dependent on the type of training you're doing. In other words, if you don't simply want to gain or lose pounds but you want to transform your physicality (sculpt, shred, lengthen, build, ‘tone’, etc.), then resistance training and cardio have to be a priority as well.
©CauseFitness.com - 2022
What’s the difference between fat loss and weight loss, and if the number on the scale goes down, does it matter?
Let’s begin by clarifying the difference between the two.
Fat loss occurs when the overall percentage of body weight from fat (body fat percentage) is reduced. [Note: body fat is different than the macronutrient fats (lipids) we consume]. When this happens, your total body weight may or may not change at all, but it will affect your body composition. Body composition is your body weight explained in percentages of body fat versus lean body mass (LBM). LBM is everything your body weight consists of that is not body fat. For example, water weight, blood volume, bone mass, muscle mass, and organs are all part of what makes up your LBM. It is possible that your LBM increase makes up the difference of your body-fat weight loss on the scale, which would cause the number on the scale to remain the same. In other words, if your drop the same weight in body fat as you gain in LBM, the weight on the scale won't budge.
Weight loss occurs when your total body mass is reduced.
You will see the number on the scale go down when…
Check out the following example:
Jane begins a weight-loss program. She’s 5’5 and weighs 180 pounds with a body composition of 25% body fat, and 75% LBM. This means that of her 180-pound weight, 45 of those pounds are from body fat. 135 of those pounds are LBM. One week into the program, Jane is discouraged because the number on the scale is still 180 pounds. But after a body composition assessment, she discovers that she actually lost 2.3 pounds of body fat, but gained 2.3 pounds of LBM. Her scale weight stayed the same because the loss of fat equaled the gain in LBM. She still weighs 180 pounds, yes, but she has a lower total body fat percentage and higher LBM. She is still getting healthier and leaner, even though her scale weight stayed the same.
Want more good news about Jane? After her first week, she kept losing body fat, and faster, because of the gain in LBM. That’s the power of active tissue, as opposed to dormant tissue. Let me explain...
Body fat is inactive, or dormant, in your body. It doesn't use or need any energy (calories) to be there or stay there. Body fat is stored energy, for later use, and for situations like fasting and/or famine. It is our most efficient, or slowest burning, source of energy. Stored body fat is how our ancestors survived long periods of time between meals. However, because most of us are blessed to have food available whenever and wherever we want it, and most of us sit still more than we move, it becomes easy to overconsume calories, which causes an increase in stored energy (body fat). Our bodies store fat for many reasons (hormones, genetics, pregnancy, etc), but this is the most common reason.
On the other hand, LBM is active tissue. Active tissue requires energy/calories to function. All of our bodies’ systems are energy-utilizing systems, which is why we require a daily minimum caloric intake (basal metabolic rate) for our bodies to function optimally.
Muscle is one of the most active tissues. This should make sense because it is the reason you're able to be active, but it also means that muscle tissue requires and uses a lot of calories. In fact, your caloric needs will increase the more active you are (even if you want to lose weight). This is a good thing! It means that the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn even at rest! Muscle mass is a great asset for fat loss.
©CauseFitness.com - 2022
Sugar is comforting. It releases the pleasure hormone, dopamine, in our brains. We’re culturally attached to it through our traditions and social habits.
Unfortunately, according to much study and research on the subject, time and time again the same conclusions have been made regarding the negatives of sugar on our bodies. Here are just a few...
If some serious health risks aren't enough to keep you away from added sugars, take the personal experience of Dr. John Berardi, PhD (founder of Precision Nutrition), who did a 12-month personal experiment he called, A Year Without Desserts. Here are some of his findings…
A Year Without Desserts The rules: "It was my goal to live 30 days without any added sugar in my diet. [Remember, this means no added sugars. I was OK with the naturally occurring sugars in fruits/vegetables]."--Dr. Berardi
Lessons Learned (as quoted by Dr. Berardi)
See Full Article HERE to read in-depth explanations of each of the following.
Taking all of this information into consideration, what is a good daily sugar intake goal to shoot for?
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the maximum amount of added sugars you should eat in a day are:
It may be difficult to keep your daily intake that low, especially when you consider how much sugar hides in the unexpected (a yogurt, a piece of candy at the office, a soda mixer with your drink after work or flavored alcohols, etc), but it's not impossible. Being mindful and aware is the first step, and any improvement is a win!
Some ideas for improvements:
In closing, remember this: Occasional treats won’t kill you, don’t skip dessert on your birthday (unless you really want to), and always prioritize progress over perfection! :)
©CauseFitness.com - 2022
One of the most repeated pieces of advice you’ll hear from wellness professionals about dieting is to "stop dieting," but no one is defining the word, or their interpretation of the word, which just adds confusion. The word "diet" can mean many different things to people.
For the purpose of this article, let me be clear – everyone is on a diet. According to Google, a diet is simply defined as "the kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats." Let's stick to that definition for now. If this is true, then I could tell you that my diet consists primarily of candy and alcohol, and I’m sure you’d agree that there are better choices if I want to take good care of my body and thrive!
Our individual needs vary, but there are some general (basic) nutrition principles that will help all of us improve our health, through our diet, that many of us overthink or overlook. These are what we will focus on here.
Note: If you notice that you're making more than one of these mistakes, choose just one to focus, and make it a habit before choosing another. The goal should always be improvement, not perfection.
Thirst is often mistaken for hunger. Are you drinking enough fresh water? According to Precision Nutrition, the general recommendation is a minimum of 3L per day. Foods containing high levels of water can count towards this, but remember, this is a general recommendation for those of average activity level. If you train regularly, exercise in heat, or are recovering from illness or injury you most likely need more than 3L per day.
If you're tracking your calories, macronutrients, or any other consumption metric and you're not getting any closer to your goals, there's a good chance you're either over-eating and under-reporting or under-eating and over-reporting. You could also be ignoring the obvious: making exceptions and justifications for poor food and/or beverage choices too often.
So many foods are sold touting the labels "healthy", "low-fat", "fat-free", "sugar-free", "natural", and so on. Remember, if something has to be labeled, there's a good chance it's a marketing tactic to sell a product. I once saw bananas with “gluten-free” stickers on them. Don’t fall for marketing. Read the nutrition label, the serving size, and the ingredients.
You're always better off choosing real whole foods over packaged convenience foods. Ask yourself this question when you're grocery shopping: Is it God-made, or man-made? If it's man-made, avoid it. If you don't know, it's probably man-made. Not every choice will be possible this way (packaged foods like almond butter or protein/energy bars can be tricky). Be vigilant about reading the nutrition label and ingredients list.
For example, the ingredients in peanut butter should be "peanuts", and "salt" at most! Nut butter is just ground nuts, so that's all the ingredients should list.
Lastly, be cautious of any highly publicized or media-popularized "diets", dietary products, or nutritional supplements. Stick to the basics and keep it simple (lots of greens and colorful veggies, lean protein, complex carbohydrates, and a variety of healthy fats).
Unfortunately, dietary protein has seen a lot of controversy over the years due to a lack of research and a lot of misunderstanding. The good news is, we have a LOT more research now – enough to know that it's more than beneficial, it's vital! Even with all the information available, most people still don't get enough protein from their diet, and many times, it's the one thing that would make all the difference in their fat-loss efforts.
Protein is one of the key ingredients for a successful long-term healthy diet and lifestyle. Not only will it help you recover faster post-injury or post-workout, but it will keep you full between meals, decrease the likelihood of food-binging, and help manage insulin and cravings, among other benefits. Not getting enough protein can cause a decrease in active muscle tissue (muscle wasting/atrophy) and subsequently a decrease in metabolic rate (digesting protein increases metabolism), and can increase the rate of body-fat storage. That said, protein deficiency is more than an obstacle to fat loss and recovery. It can be fatal. Other side effects of protein deficiency (source: livestrong.com):
The good news? Many, if not all, of the negatives of protein deficiency, can be remedied by simply increasing your intake. (See article: “All About Protein”).
Skipping meals, whether deliberately or not, is never a great game plan for health or fitness goals. It can result in lethargy and skipped workouts, injury, and overtraining due to nutrient or caloric deficiency, and it can cause you to binge and make poor food choices at night simply because you've restricted and depleted yourself.
Generally, based on the speed of digestion, smaller, more frequent meals are recommended for steady energy, as well as improved metabolic rate and body composition. But we have our excuses: we're too busy, lazy, or neglect to plan ahead; and for these reasons or others, this typically results in 1-3 meals a day or less. The idea may feel counterintuitive, but eating more often and not skipping meals actually increases your metabolic rate (amount of energy expended or calories burned), and maintains muscle (which also keeps your metabolic rate high).
This is an easy mistake to remedy. Keep portable foods like almonds, apples, carrots, protein bars, or powder (and shaker) with you. You could even bring a cooler with a few meals with you if you're going to be gone (or stuck in traffic) for a long time to cover your bases and save some cash on eating out.
Disordered eating is a very real psychological (and spiritual) struggle. I don't want to diminish the pain or the struggle by mentioning it here, but I do want to make sure to mention it because it can be something you find yourself doing, unaware at first that you're doing it. I've struggled with this personally and can relate. If this is a struggle for you, I'd encourage you by saying you're not alone, it's a common coping mechanism, but awareness is the first step toward change, so please seek the help of a compassionate professional and/or community, and ask Holy Spirit to lead you into all Truth and freedom. I'd also highly recommend journaling, praying, and studying God's Word (I recommend it whether this is a struggle or not) -- I credit my own healing to quality time with Jesus over anything else. Knowing a greater pleasure is the only true way to overcome an addiction. If you need resources for healing, please don’t hestitate to reach out.
I'm completely aware that nutrition can be confusing and overwhelming. There's a lot of conflicting information out there. However, in truth, it's pretty simple. So many people overlook the simplicity of it for fear of missing out on the latest trend or research, but nutrition science hasn't changed that much in the last decade.
Examples of over-complications: unnecessary carb-cycling or carb-loading, misunderstanding IIFYM and/or "cheat meals" (how-to, and why), switching meal plans too often, using food (or lack thereof) as punishment or reward. There are endless ways to overcomplicate what we eat, but here are some simple truths to help uncomplicate things for you:
Honestly, the root cause of over-complication is typically ignorance and/or a disordered relationship with food (see #6). And yes, you can and may need to get more detailed for individual needs or goals, but generally, simple is still best.
This is an easy one. Macronutrients ('macros' for short) are the three types of food substances that we need large amounts of in our diets: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats (lipids). Extreme diet practices that involve the elimination of any one or more of these three food substances are dangerous and should be completely avoided. The same goes for the opposite: extremely high fat/protein/carb diets can also be hazardous to your health.
Examples: Zero-carb, zero-fat, Vegan (without proper protein intake), high fat, Ketogenic (without proper understanding/planning), etc.
There are a number of limiting factors when choosing to adopt or maintain a healthy lifestyle, but social influence is a big one. Believe it or not, who you surround yourself with (chosen or not) can greatly affect the food choices you make. If friends and family or significant others aren't practicing healthy lifestyle habits, it is easy, comfortable even, to slip into their bad habits with them. If your social scene always involves being around alcohol, there's a good chance that alcohol (and/or bar food during or after a night out) is going to be a hindrance to your goals. If your office has donuts for the staff every morning and candy dishes accessible to you, you'll have to be vigilant about planning around and/or avoiding those obstacles.
Support and accountability are key. Situations like these could cause you to abandon your efforts altogether if you don't have a positive support system of friends and family or social community rooting you on and celebrating your success (take advantage of your CauseFit Community!) Take inventory of your social experiences regarding mindful and healthy eating. You may need to have some tough conversations or make some changes to increase your chances of successfully maintaining a healthier lifestyle.
A commonly overlooked dietary mistake is our need to supplement micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) to make up for anything our diets are missing. Many people have trouble getting to their fitness and health goals because they're unknowingly deficient in some essential nutrient. Think of vitamins as the filler in your diet. They can't do the heavy lifting -- the majority of your diet should still come from greens and other real, whole foods -- but even the healthiest, most mindful, and educated eater will struggle to get all of their micronutrient needs met by diet alone, largely due to several factors involving your foods' origin (climate, soil quality, etc). The good news is, taking quality multivitamin-mineral supplements and/or greens powders to supplement your meals significantly helps make up for any dietary deficiency.
There are many useful supplements, but for reference, here at Cause Fitness, we consider the following supplements essential: a quality multivitamin-mineral (or quality greens powder), fish oil, and protein powders. Feel free to ask for recommendations (resources coming soon).
Lastly, remember this…
No matter how many of these hit close to home, the goal isn't perfection, but intentional improvement. A little awareness and education go a long way. As mentioned earlier, allow yourself permission to focus on adopting one new habit at a time (same goes for breaking old habits, but always try to replace rather than eliminate). Changes stick better that way. ;)
©CauseFitness.com 2022
Below is a sample timed-nutrient meal plan or outline for an individual with an average 9-5 desk job lifestyle. Fill in the nutrients using a clean grocery list and it should be an easy way to get started. Remember, however, that calories still factor in. How much or how little you eat will still be the main reason you lose, gain, or maintain weight.
MEAL 1:
1 multivitamin!
1 L water
1 complex carb (grain, oat, or yams)
1 protein
(1 fat, but usually in the form of EFA’s or Fish oil caps)
MEAL 2:
1/2 L water
1 c.carb: green veggies!
1 protein *
(fat usually is plenty in the protein or carb source)
(This is a good time to TRAIN)
MEAL 3:
1/2 L water
1 c.carb (grains, oats, or yams)
1 protein*
(This would also be a good time to TRAIN)
MEAL 4:
1 multivitamin
1/2 L water
1 c.carb: veggies!
1 protein*
MEAL 5:
1/2 L water
1 c.carb: green veggies!
1 protein
1 healthy fat (1 tbs olive oil, another serving EFA/fish oil, 1/2 avocado, 24 almonds, etc)
MEAL 6:
(water amount up to you)
1 c.carb: veggies
1 protein
1 healthy fat (1 tbs olive oil, another serving EFA/fish oil, 1/2 avocado, 24 almonds, etc)
NOTES:
This meal plan outline is a sample, not a prescription.
©CauseFitness.com - 2022