Achieving your own optimal body shape means something different for everyone, but in general in comprises of 2 things, an increase in muscle tone and a decrease in body fat.
The 2 main ways of progress to this goal is through exercise and nutrition. In this blog I will share Flow’s philosophy on how to build ‘Your best body yet’
The truth of the matter is that you can’t out train a bad diet. Exercise is important, but if you have not get your nutrition on track you will achieve minimal results at best.
So what does a good diet look like?
Reduction of carbohydrate, especially simple / Hi GI Carbs: Consumption of Hi GI carbs play havoc with your blood sugar, insulin levels and mood and make it nigh impossible to lose weight and body fat when consumed with any regularity. A switch to a less refined source of carbohydrates such as vegetables, some fruits and whole grains, if not a reduction all together will lead to increased vitality and a significant reduction in the waistline.
Increase of lean protein: Protein is the building block of the body. An increase in protein consumption will assist in the growth of muscle tissue and therefore an increase in metabolism. Protein also keeps you more full for longer and therefore less likely to feast again.
Eating frequency: When you eat, your metabolic rate increases as it breaks down the food. Thus, when you eat every 3-4 hours, your metabolism will remain in a constantly elevated state. Optimally eating 5-6 smaller meals a day for best results.
Increase of ‘Good’ fats: Put simply, fat is satisfying. When we eat foods that contain oils and other fatty substances, food stays in our stomachs longer for lasting satiety. When we skip fat, we may never feel fully sated after meals, and are more likely to become hungry again soon after eating. We may wind up eating more calories to compensate for the empty feeling in our guts.
What’s more, many low-fat and fat-free products are highly processed and contain added sugars to make up for the lost flavor. Just because a food has little fat does not mean that it’s light in calories, and we may be tricked into eating more of these fat-free junk foods in the belief that they aren’t fattening.
Increase of water consumption: Your body is composed of anywhere from 65% to 75% water. When you are dehydrated not only do you not perform at your optimal, but your metabolism decreases too. An increase in water will help you rid your body of toxins and keep your body burning energy at an elevated rate
So how do I calculate how many grams of carbs , protein and fat to eat daily?
Well this is dependent on a few factors:
Goal: Is your goal to lose weight/fat, maintain your current bodyweight, a fitness goal or to increase your body weight? The will effect whether you need to be in a calorie surplus , calorie balance of calorie deficit.
Body type: Whether you are naturally slender (Ectomorph), Athletic (mesomorph) or curvier (Endomorphic)
Activity level: Are you daily activities mainly sedentary (office), moderately intense (sales), very intense (laborer)
Kg of lean muscle mass: Your total bodyweight minus your fat mass in kg will give you your lean muscle mass and therefore the portion of your bodyweight that is burning energy.
There are a number of different formulas for this, here are just a few tools:
http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/
http://www.phlaunt.com/lowcarb/DietMakeupCalc.php
Or contact one of the Flow Athletic team to help with this.
Train hard, eat clean.
Ben