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This article is contributed by Kelly Kilpatrick, who regularly writes on nursing schools listing. She invites your questions at her personal email address: kellykilpatrick24@gmail.com.

It’s always better to coax someone into doing what you want them to do rather than force them to do it – you stay in their good books and the job gets done willingly and more efficiently. It’s the same story with your body – rather than punishing it by putting yourself through a brutal workout and then not providing it with the right nourishment to help sustain your exercise regimen, you must coax and cajole your muscles into developing the way you want them to by eating the right kind of food and drinking enough water. Here are a few diet pointers for those of you who’re looking to start exercising in an effort to get fit:

• Be Water Wise: If you’re working out for 45 minutes or more or if you sweat profusely while exercising, your body is losing not just water, but also electrolytes like potassium, chloride and sodium. This can lead to cramping and dizzy spells if you push yourself too hard without drinking the right liquids. While plain water is enough for those who do not sweat too much or for workouts under half an hour that are not too strenuous, longer or more rigorous exercise periods demand sports/energy drinks that you see professional athletes sipping at intervals. These drinks perform the triple action of hydrating your body, providing you with enough energy, and replenishing the salts that you’ve lost through your sweat.

•Be Protein Perfect: If you’re working with weights or strength training, your muscle mass is developed slowly using the proteins in your body. More muscles mean an increased metabolism and a faster fat-burning process leading to a slimmer you. So feed your body enough proteins to help build your muscles. Be careful not to overdo it though, because an excess of protein in your body means extra work for your kidneys.

•Be Carb Conscious: Carbohydrates are our body’s main source of energy; complex carbs that takes longer to digest and release energy slowly are the best kinds – whole grains, lentils, peas, legumes, nuts and seeds, and fruits and vegetables. While sugared and processed snacks are also forms of carbohydrates, they’re the worst things you could feed your body. They have zero nutritional value and are loaded with saturated fats which increase your cholesterol and put you at risk for heart disease and diabetes.

•Be Supplement Sensible: Besides the basic food groups, your dieting body needs supplements of vitamins B, C, D and K, minerals like magnesium, zinc and calcium, and all the nutrients that are found in most vegetables and fruits. Nuts and seeds that are not roasted are also rich sources of nutritional supplements.

I was in Trader Joe’s the other day, standing in the checkout line. Next to the register, there was a display of dark chocolate-covered graham cookies. I looked at it longingly, thinking how lovely it would be to purchase one and eat the contents on the way home.

I was feeling stressed and tired. I had less than 6 hours of unrestful sleep the night before, and felt overwhelmed by all of the items on my to-do list. I wasn’t hungry, exactly, because this competition diet is keeping me satiated, although never full. However, I was looking for something to quiet my mind and to give me a cheap rush of energy. But this time, it was easy to say no. I pictured myself working my butt off the last few weeks, and remembered I only have a few weeks to go in preparing for the figure competition. I couldn’t sabotage all of the sacrifice I had already made, and so I determined to forget the chocolate.

I realized how easy it would have been in the past for me to make excuses to eat the chocolate–I would promise not to eat much else the rest of the day, I would work out more, or simply, I would tell myself that I deserve a treat. But now, without the crutch of food, I knew I would have to figure out another way to deal with the fatigue and low energy. And so I did a very sensible thing–took a nap when I got home! I felt great afterwards.

I know a nap is not always a possibility in the middle of the day for everyone. But perhaps the next time you reach for something you shouldn’t, think about why you are doing so. Are you really hungry? Are you tired, stressed, annoyed, or fatigued? What would really help eliminate the root of the problem? Most importantly, how could you prevent such a problem to begin with? This is why ongoing self care is extremely important: go to bed earlier to ensure plenty of rest, cancel unnecessary meetings and obligations, practice meditation, eat well and exercise.

Engaging in coaching sessions can be a great way to begin to implement some self care techniques. Every week, you would identify a handful of goals…”I will be in bed by 10:30 5 nights this week”, or “I will exercise at least 20 minutes on 4 days this week.” Such exercises in behavior modifcation are small steps toward a giant improvement in your health. Please let me know if you would like a free, 30-minute coaching session with no obligation!