An active healthy lifestyle is achieved by incorporating regular quality nutrition, physical activity, daily exercise & mobility. The concise Oxford dictionary states that ‘exercise is activity requiring physical effort, done especially as training or to sustain or improve health’.

In order for a person to exercise and remain healthy, it is essential to fuel the body with a diet that supplies it with the correct balance of nutrients.
If we break down our bodies tissues during training, they can become stronger and more able to repair if they are fed the right ingredients. If we fail to eat well, then we will be more susceptible in becoming ill or injured. Good nutrition is the perfect partner to a good training programme.

To maintain a healthy body, we must have a good balance of nutrition.

What nutrients does the body need?

Proteins/ amino acids: proteins are essential in the structure of all living things; without them no life can exist! Many people associate protein with strength and muscle power. Whilst being correct, it is only one of their many functions in the body.

Other functions include;

• key components in playing a part in immunity,
• transporting important substances around the body
• blood clotting.

Some proteins are also key hormones enzymes or buffers.

Meat is often thought as the perfect protein source, but so are many other foods, both of plant and animal origin. The protein from meat is nothing special.

There are millions of different proteins – plant, animal and human. But all of them are made up from the same 20 amino acids. It is our body’s need for these amino acids that make it vital we have enough protein in our diet. If we fail to eat sufficient protein, the body will use its own structural proteins to meet metabolic needs for repair.

Great sources of protein are;
1. Lean meats – chicken, beef, pork
2. Breads and cereal – whole meal or seeded breads, oats and whole grain cereals
3. Nuts – cashews, peanuts, almonds
4. Dairy – e.g Eggs, strained Greek yoghurt, milk.
5. Pulses/beans – Kidney beans, Chick peas, butter beans, lentils, black eye beans, soya beans.

Carbs

Glycaemic index

Carbohydrates are essential in a balanced diet for energy and nutritional benefits, but its important to know which are the best to have?

The Glycemic Index (GI) is a relative ranking of carbohydrate in foods according to how they affect blood glucose levels. Carbohydrates with a low value (55 or less) are more slowly digested, absorbed and metabolised and cause a lower and slower rise in blood glucose and, therefore usually, insulin levels.

This is one of the main factors helping our clients to lose weight from their desired areas.

Fats

There are four types of fats;

• saturated
• monounsaturated
• trans fats

Saturated fats are the kind of fats found in butter, lard, ghee and fatty meats such as lamb. These are often associated with an increased risk of heart and circulatory disease

Monounsaturated fats are found in olive oil, avocados and certain nuts and the evidence shows that monounsaturated fats have a number of health benefits. They help with weight loss and can reduce the risk of heart disease and decrease inflammation.

Polyunsaturated fats can be found mostly in seeds, seed oils, fish, and oysters and they can improve blood cholesterol levels, which decrease your risk of heart disease and may also help decrease the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Trans fats occur in the meat and dairy from ruminant animals, such as cattle, sheep, and goats. A diet laden with trans fats can increase the risk of heart disease.

Your nutrition and required macros will depend on your body shape, age, weight and intensity of training, but you can leave this up to us. With every block of sessions at Results Personal Training, we will tailor an exact nutritional plan with precise macros, in order to accommodate your training.