It’s the inside that counts
For so many years we have punished ourselves on how we look, how fast we run, how far we can run. We always look at what’s our next challenge – to lose weight or sign up to a run so as it helps us lose weight.
Don’t get me wrong goals are great to have, but punishing your body even more to get them is where we keep stuffing it up. This can eventually contribute to gaining weight back.
For example, you decide to lose weight and you plan to complete a 10km or even a 5km run (or whatever distance).
First you start to restrict calories to help you lose the weight, then you start to pump out extra training sessions each week or simply you start training. Did you realise you are placing your body into stress in two ways already?
Then on top of that you are obsessing about when to train within your week to fit things in, you may train later at night or first thing in the morning. This has now incurred two more stresses on the body – the stress of thinking about it and less sleep (recovery time).
Let me begin with the nutrition – you don’t restrict calories – you choose the correct nutrition. Studies have shown that lean protein and lots of vegetables plus good fats such omega-3 and omega-6’s are a key to optimal health and FAT loss.
When people restrict calories straight up in such a fierceful manner, the body instantly holds onto your body fat and will surrender your muscle first. This does not prove to be a good scenario. This will result in ‘skinny fat’.
This doesn’t support bone strength, or protect organs or even help your immune systems.
It’s about making sure that your body on the inside has the right fuel. You can’t keep giving your body wrong foods or in most cases not enough food and expect to perform at your best ability.
You need to give your body good fats to protect your organs, and your joints around your bones, to help breathe, pump blood and move.
Please just manage your nutrition by cutting out as much refined sugars and processed foods as you can, this will give you lots of energy to run and train, it will help recovery and give you quality sleep.
Now about the increasing of training sessions. Please train smart, you don’t have to train for hours, you can do smart interval training, lift heavier weights and most importantly have adequate rest days or times throughout the day. If you try to back up training daily without the right amount of rest, the only thing you gain here is ‘burn out’ and injuries. Believe me you don’t GAIN anything else like speed or strength.
Hope that helps.
If you want to get some recipe ideas look under the nutrition section on my page or google some – there are hundreds out there now, so go use them.
