We tend to be myopic, even short-sighted, when it comes to nutrition for transforming our body and fitness ability.
At times we have an affinity for instant gratification instead of long term delayed rewards.
I hold my hand firmly up sky high and say that I have been this person before.
What do I mean by that:
Instant reward = I’m going to eat that processed food or sugar snack because it will taste good right now.
Delayed reward = I’m going to eat a balanced plate full of vegetables with some protein and healthy fats. Because over time this will lead to a healthy body and mind and allow me to transform my physique.
The problem with the instant reward, it makes it 10x harder and slower, if possible at all, to reach our goals…
This will allow us to unlock the power that foods can have to affect our mind, body (building muscle and losing fat) and spirit…
But, the beauty of our body is that it’s resilient and we can change our course of action in an instant.
Let’s look at how we can put the odds in our favour with small changes in our beliefs.
We just need to move from the mindset of instant reward to one of compounding interest and long-term payoff – delayed reward.
Unlocking POWER! (I always picture a Jedi saying that phrase)
Humour me.
Let’s shift our focus away from solely eating food for the pleasure associated with it.
Instead, we’ll look to gain a logical and practical understanding of what foods can do for us, not just how it tastes.
This will allow us to unlock the power that foods can have to affect our mind, body and spirit along with the effect foods can have on our ability to reach and sustain our peak level of performance, focus, concentration, longevity and healthy ageing.
When we eat we tend to be driven by the calling of our stomach and taste buds completely ignoring all the signs and symptoms associated with the foods we ingest. The REAL GOAL of eating is to unlock the power trapped in our foods.
The good thing is, your palette only takes 7 days to reset. 7 days to curb cravings and habits. Of course, eating should be fun.
But, it’s about making food choices at a conscious level once you have an understanding of the benefits or impacts those foods will have on your body and thus fitness goals.
There is a lovely scientific conclusion I stumbled upon years ago that summed up the point of food and allowed me to look at it from a different angle:
At a basic level, the number one source of energy to fuel all life is the sun. Since energy is never destroyed, it is recreated in other forms, our number one goal as humans should be to unlock the energy potential of the sun to feed and ignite the power that lies dormant in every single cell in our body.
Who doesn’t want to tap into that unlimited and abundant energy source for power?
The best thing is that it’s really simple to tap into.
We just have to eat foods that are packed full of the suns converted bundles of energy:
- Fruits
- vegetables
- and other plant sources are the primary vehicles for this.
The second best option to tap into this unlimited energy is an animal source because they eat the plants and vegetables and can also provide us with the adequate protein we need.
So in short, if you choose to eat foods that are packed full of the sun’s energy potential and a high level of nutrient density…
..you will be in a better position to increase and prolong your energy levels which will result in you transforming your body and increasing your fitness performance 10x easier and quicker.
The closer the food source is in absorbing the suns energy to then going in our mouth, the better it is for us overall.
I noticed my energy levels crash when I reduced my green veg intake
For some reason, I think it was time/work getting in the way, I began to eat less green veg.
Less veg overall but the veg choices I was making weren’t green. After a month or so during the summer of 2021 I said to my better half, Frida –
“I think I’m getting hay fever because I feel so tired and lethargic all the time”
I was getting more tired easier, wasn’t recovering from my workouts very well, and found getting up early on a morning to do a workout VERY hard. Often not doing them and staying in bed.
I was also more easily agitated, anxious, and a little down.
This is something I’ve never really struggled with.
I’ve always prided myself on having the energy for two people, it’s how I like to show up in life. Along with being grounded.
So, I took anti-histamines daily, but I couldn’t really see a noticeable difference after a while.
Then, after a long work week with my usual morning training sessions, I got to the weekend and literally could not get off the couch I was so exhausted.
I couldn’t figure out what it was. Was it Covid, a bug, allergies???
Then it hit me. I’d been making zero effort for a few months to eat lots of greens for my lunch and dinner. Basically from laziness, I guess.
So, I began having green smoothies at lunchtime with added ‘greens powder’ and eating loads of greens for my dinner. Within 4 days, my energy was back.
But why would a lack of greens make us lethargic?
Aside from the lack of phytonutrients that aid in recovery, the main reason is potassium.
If your potassium levels are low, you can be guaranteed you’ll lack energy.
Some people live their entire lives like this thinking this is how a normal person feels:
lethargic and lazy. Because they are accidentally ignorant of anything other.
Sodium and potassium balance is the key to feeling energised, balanced, and essentially… normal.
Potassium intake should always exceed sodium intake.
The scales should always be tipped in potassium’s favour.
When we don’t eat enough greens, generally our potassium levels become lower than our sodium levels and we don’t feel as good or as energised as we could be.
The super interesting thing is, that you can eat as much sodium (salt) as you want, so long as you are eating enough potassium to balance it out.
I eat huge amounts of Himalayan salt because it’s packed full of minerals, way more than the ‘recommended’ salt amount.
But when I’m eating high levels of green veg and thus potassium, it doesn’t matter because the scales are balanced and I get the vitality of both.
People will turn to pre-workout stimulants to have energy for a morning workout. The answer to evergreen and ever-lasting energy is simple, eat loads of greens.
ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS eat plenty of greens and remember this story as to why.
I promise you it makes a noticable difference to life.
Cut these 3 foods from your life
There are 3 foods I’d like you to seriously consider cutting from your life right now that will make a monumental impact immediately.
When it comes to nutrition you can have two highly respected nutrition research scientists claiming polar opposite statements, both backed by science.
However, there is one thing that 99% of all research specialists and fitness specialists would agree on – the typical western diet leads to a whole host of metabolic problems and conditions.
For the sake of our focus, it greatly reduces our chances of transforming our body and sustaining it.
There are three key ingredients within the western diet that do the most damage. But when removed from one’s life, provide the biggest benefits:
- sugar
- flour
- vegetable oils
Any food that contains these three things. Don’t eat. What they do to the body just isn’t worth it.
The research behind this is vast and we could talk about them all day. I’d just like you to take my word for it and if you want we can chat more about it within our weekly video calls. Or do a little research for yourself.
You’ll find foods that have these three ingredients always have a long shelf life. We can associate that claim with the thinking…
The longer the shelf life, the shorter our life.
It’s a strong statement but it’s true. None of these foods are close to the source of the sun.
They are processed.
Why choose processed foods that only supply a weak version of energy for an hour, when we can consume foods that supply energy for days.
Let’s get to it!
Coach Adam
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