MY HEALTH JOURNEY
FUEL YOUR BODY FOR OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE
In my 20s, I didn’t worry too much about what I ate or drank. I hit the gym periodically and ate out (and drank) with friends a few times a week. I could bounce back quickly from a rough night, but I started to see this ability slip as I entered my late 20s. I followed the 80/20 rule--80% of the time, I ate what I considered healthy, and I indulged the other 20% of the time.
Unfortunately, I categorized pasta, bread, canola oil, and vegetable oil as healthy foods, so I was unaware I was not meeting the 80% target. Back then, pasta was thought to be the perfect way to refuel your body after a workout. I would have pasta and then some dessert or cookies to indulge myself. Little did I know that I was flooding my body with fast-burning carbohydrates and feeding the love handles.
HOW TO BE A BETTER FATHER
My workout frequency took a hit when I started a family. As anyone knows, having an infant or toddler decreases your sleep quality along with your free time. I was in ok shape, but I started to let myself go as my family grew. My job responsibilities increased, cutting further into my free time, and self-care took a back seat. My weight slowly started to creep up along with the addition of the dreaded muffin top (abdominal fat). I chalked it up to getting older and a reshuffling of my priorities. I started to run more, which was a more efficient use of my free time.
Unfortunately, I developed tears in my menisci and had surgery on both. I started to feel my age and knew I had to take positive steps to reverse the decline.
THE IMPORTANCE OF SELF CARE
I would become frustrated when I tried to adhere to one type of diet (low fat, high fiber, etc.), only to learn that I may have been doing things wrong and should follow a new diet. I was the proverbial squirrel chasing the latest shiny object, and the frustration often led to a lack of follow-through on the diet program I was trying to observe. It also made me doubt the latest headlines. I realized that their job was to attract readers with attention-grabbing headlines. “Red meat is worse than cigarettes!”
I started reading nutrition articles with skepticism and gravitated toward themes that resonated with me. I read The Blue Zones by Dan Buettner and various books by Mark Sisson about a traditional approach to eating. Some common food groups bubbled to the surface:
- Meat
- Fish
- Vegetables
- Fruit
- Nuts
- Olive Oil
- Dairy
- Moderate Wine Consumption
I realized we don’t need to eat like cavemen, but we need to avoid sugar-laden processed food that disrupts our metabolism, sleep, and energy levels, and decreases our lifespan. (Read about food addiction here) How many ingredients are on the label when you buy something at the store, and has it been processed? Ribeye, asparagus, salmon, cream, etc., fit the bill. If it’s in a box or a bag, you should probably stay away.
PERSONAL ONLINE HEALTH COACH
Fast forward to today, and I’m in some of the best shape of my life and weigh the same as I did when I graduated high school. I coach and participate in CrossFit and have discovered how to fuel my body correctly for performance and optimal mood, sleep, energy levels, etc. I can easily go for 12-20 hours without food as my body has been tuned to access stored body fat in the absence of caloric intake. I still have something sweet occasionally, but it’s a conscious choice to indulge, and I quickly return to my new normal.
Feeling great and being a good father, partner, friend, etc., are there for the taking. Some things are out of our control, but how we fuel our body every day will significantly impact whether our life will be one of health, happiness, and strength.
I learned that we all need a certain balance of macronutrients (carbs, fat, and protein). Most people eat excess calories in the form of nutrient-deficient fast-burning carbohydrates that puts them on the road to diabetes.
I'll help you cut out the food that spikes your blood sugar and find the diet that meets your requirements while making you feel full longer. (Read why meal planning is key here)