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Having the wish to change your life and start living healthier is something most people often decide to do. As we get older and wiser, it becomes clearer and clearer that it is not possible for us to always eat what we want. In addition to this, it is not really smart to never be active and constantly sit and lie down. For both the body and mind to be healthy and happy it is necessary for a total overhaul of how one carries themselves and how they live. Obviously, the two most logical things to do in this case is to start being more active, first and foremost, and to start eating healthier and smarter in order to complement the hard physical work you are putting in.
Working Out and Eating Healthy
It should go without saying that these two things go hand in hand like bread and butter (oh right, you can forget about these two in larger quantities if you want results). And that is quite true, but many people lack the knowledge and the common sense to see the reasons why. There are those who workout or play a sport almost every day and cannot shed the pounds of their bodies. Then there are those who eat healthy but do not lift a finger in terms of being active and sporty. Neither of these two approaches work and yet it takes ages for the practitioners of both to figure it out. In order to maximize the results of your training performance, you must be on a strict diet especially at the beginning. Only by combining the two can you lose weight and/or increase your muscle mass, or get leaner.
How to Do It
In order to take advantage of these two approaches and finally start living like you always wanted, you have to know what to do. Now, we are not going to tell you how to be active and what your workout regime should look like. Of the two, that is the more personalized and custom one. Dieting is more universal while working out depends more on what kind of results you want to achieve.
Therefore, whether you are hitting the gym multiple times a week, running every morning, or playing a sport at the weekend, keep at it. Make sure to also walk and cycle more than you drive or ride the public transport and stretch a few times during the day. That should round things up rather well. In terms of eating the right way, consult the following paragraphs. By the end of this read you will have all the dieting tips that will help you maximize your training performance and results. Also, click here for additional tips on dieting.
1. Cut Back on Carbs
The number one rule when trying to diet and maximize your physical activity results is eating fewer carbohydrates. Foods rich in this nutrient include starchy vegetables like potatoes, rice, and corn, pastries and bread, sodas, and basically anything that is processed. Substituting these foods with healthier sources of carbs is a good idea, but trying to lower their intake beyond that is the best course of action. Limiting your daily carb intake is important because they are used to burn energy. If there are less of them being consumed, it will be the fat in your body that is burned instead, resulting in you losing more and more fat and therefore start looking leaner and shedding pounds. If you want to lose weight while working out, cut back on carbs immediately.
2. Eat Healthy Carbs
So first we tell you to ease back on them and now we tell you to still keep eating them. Joking aside, the above mentioned foods are not that healthy or great when you want to complement your workout sessions. You will still need carbs to be healthy and to have enough energy for the day, as well as to meet the balanced intake of calories for your basal metabolism.
Eating carbs cannot stop, but you should choose the healthiest sources out there. These include unprocessed whole grains, vegetables (especially leafy greens), fruits, and beans. Not only will they give you the necessary carbs, but also additional vitamins, minerals, and fiber. You will eat healthier overall, not just because of your training performance.
3. Develop Healthy and Smart Eating Habits
It is not enough to only pay attention to what you eat, but also when and how much you eat. Smart dieting habits are often more important than what you eat, especially if you have never eaten that bad to begin with. As a matter of fact, it is often those who never really eat too much junk food or other bad stuff that cannot achieve results. This is because they eat whenever they want and however much they see fit.
That is no way to be healthy and maximize your workout efforts. There are some golden rules to follow here, and they are not only simple but make sense. First off, never skip breakfast. As a matter of fact, do not skip any of the three big meals. Spread out your breakfast, lunch, and dinner evenly and have a healthy snack between each. You should never make yourself hungry when trying to become healthier. Also, do not fall for the cravings regardless of what they are, especially during the night. Make your dinner the last meal of the day and do not snack on anything before breakfast. Oh yes, stay hydrated and drink water throughout the day!
4. Use Supplements
Last but not least, we highly advise you to use supplementation in your dieting simply because we cannot take in everything our body needs just from food. The main supplement should be protein powder that you mix with water or milk, or use in smoothies, shakes, or cooking in general. Then come nutrients and vitamins of which Zinc, Magnesium, Vitamin C and D are the most important. Calcium and omega 3 fatty acids are also great to take a few times per week. Combining these will give you more energy and make you healthier, while allowing your body to have all it cannot get from food.
