Why a good diet helps with your fitness results

Why a good diet helps with your fitness results : Just as you need to maintain your car to keep it running well, so to do you need to maintain your body to keep it running in top condition in order for you to get the best possible fitness results. The way that you do this is through peak nutrition. But why does a good diet help with your fitness results? Here’s why.

A clean diet provides better fuel for your body

A good diet which is full of vitamins and minerals provides a source of energy that will keep your body running at its peak for longer. To carry on with the car analogy, a clean diet is like a higher octane of fuel. Just as the higher octane fuel makes sure that your car runs faster a good diet allows you to do so much more and exercise harder than a poor diet will.

What does a good diet look like?

A balanced diet consists of:

Carbohydrates,
Fats and oils,
Protein,
Vitamins and minerals, and

Depending on your specific lifestyle, you’ll need more or less of these components in your diet. For example, if you’re a weight lifter or are trying to build up your lean muscle mass content, you’ll need to be consuming more protein.

What follows is just a general guideline as to what a balanced diet should look like. However, if you’re concerned that this nutritional plan isn’t right for your particular lifestyle, we suggest that you visit a nutritionist or dietitian who will be able to tailor make a plan specifically for you.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates should be making up the bulk of your diet. These can be either simple carbohydrates or complex carbohydrates. You should be preferring complex carbs over simple ones as the former provides slow-release energy that keeps you going for the entire day. Simple carbohydrates give you a spike in energy and then leave you feeling tired. So to increase your energy again you’ll end up eating something else (usually a simple carb again). This constant eating may cause you to put on weight as you’re increasing your calorie intake if you’re not using the energy that you take in.

Fats and oils

Fats and oils have gotten a bad reputation over the years as the cause of cholesterol and ultimately heart disease. However, what you may not have known is that there are two types of cholesterol:

HDL Cholesterol which is colloquially termed ‘good’ cholesterol, and
LDL Cholesterol which is the bad type that is commonly found in fast food.

You need a certain amount of HDL Cholesterol in your body as this helps to keep your arteries clear. Omega 3’s – which are found in oily fish such as salmon and mackerel – are also very good for maintaining the health of your heart.

Protein

This is the essential building block of muscle. Thus, after exercise when muscles are microscopically torn, it is necessary to consume protein in order to assist with the rebuilding process. You can choose to take a protein shake – such as whey protein (but this is not suitable for lactose-intolerant people) – or, alternatively, you can make a protein-rich meal such as an omelette or chicken breasts.

Vitamins and minerals

These are important to consume as they help your body’s processes to remain fit and strong as well as to ward off disease. Fruit and vegetables contain a variety of vitamins and minerals, for example:

Fibre in lettuce helps with digestion,
Vitamin C in citrus fruits help with warding off the common cold and other respiratory diseases.

Water

Around 70% of our bodies consists of water. Quantities of water are lost every day through urination and perspiration. This means that it’s vital to replace lost water by taking in enough fluids. Athletes need to drink more water because they are losing more fluids as they exercise. However, one must be careful of drinking too much water as if you do this could wash out essential vitamins and minerals in your body.

A good diet is essential in your fitness regime as can be seen from the above. If you slip up on occasion, and have that hamburger, don’t worry about it. This won’t make a big difference to the fitness goals that you’re trying to achieve. However, when it becomes a regular thing, you need to take a step back and re-evaluate what you’re eating.