My Fitness Coach Blog

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.