by Molly Magunga, MS ATC, CPT, CES
Hello everyone! This week’s “Fitness Tip of the Week” is about macronutrients. The results you see inside the gym are hugely impacted by what you are putting in your body throughout the day. Regardless of your fitness goals, nutrition is a key component to success. A well-balanced diet of what your body needs is like a tool box for your body. It will have everything it needs to build, repair, and make things work!
There is no way I can break down all the ins and outs of nutrition in one weekly tip, but I think starting with the basics is a good start. By basics, I mean our macronutrients. No matter your goals, every diet starts with how much of each macronutrient you need. There are three in total and they are carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. None of these categories are considered “bad” or off limits. Your goals dictate how you use each of these. Your diet isn’t complete if you aren’t consuming all three on a daily basis.
Protein:
Your body uses protein as the building blocks within your body. One analogy I like to use to describe how your body uses protein is to think of building a brick house. Your muscles are the finished product, but the protein is the actual bricks. You won’t be able to build a complete house using just mortar. You need the bricks for structure. Protein helps your body build all types of tissue and repair it when it becomes damaged. Often times, we think of our main protein sources as animal based in nature (i.e. steak, chicken, tuna, etc), but there are a lot of great plant based proteins (I.e. soy, lentils, chickpeas, nuts). Any type of physical activity involves muscle work, which means you need protein to help keep your muscles healthy.
Carbohydrates:
It shouldn’t be a surprise that carbohydrates (carbs for short) have the worst reputation of the three macronutrients. The main reason carbs have a bad reputation is they tend to have more calories per serving than proteins, fruits, or vegetables. If you are trying to lose or maintain weight, carbs are usually the macro we are told to lessen to accomplish that, because it cuts out the most calories. They are still a very important macro to have in our diet. Have you ever noticed on days you haven’t gotten enough sleep or are more tired than usual, you tend to crave carbs? Our body craves carbs because they are how our body gets energy. Carbs are the easiest macro for the the body to breakdown and use for energy. They are so important to fuel every system in our bodies, which is far from a “bad” macro.
Fats:
This is another macro that gets a bad name as well. You may be thinking: I’m trying to decrease my body fat percentage, why do I need fats? Well, healthy fats help regulate your metabolism and help with vitamin absorption. The key to nutrition is everything in moderation. Adding a little avocado, olive oil, or nuts to a dish for flavor is all that is needed to keep you body working optimally. The biggest thing to know about this macro is that there are healthy fats and unhealthy fats. Unhealthy fats can be hard on your heart and increase your risk for heart disease. For more information on healthy and unhealthy fats, check out my heart health post from the beginning of this month.
Again, your body and your fitness goals have a lot of influence as to what your personal diet would look like. There are tons of recommendations out there, but working with a professional is the best way to know you are on a good and healthy track to your goals. Life is all about balance, so knowing the right balance for you and your body is all you need to be successful.
If you have any questions on this topic, please feel free to contact me at mmagunga@healthworksfitness.com or comment below!
Molly’s Fitness Tip of the Week 