Summer of Strong: Food Is Fuel!

Posted by Nicole Symmonds

So now that we've (hopefully) established an exercise routine with you guys, I want to talk about DIET today.

And not "going on a diet," but rather, the food you eat in general. Your diet.

It is said that a whopping 80% of weight loss is attributed to diet! (10% to exercise and 10% to genetics, for a total of 100% HARD!)

That means that what we put into our bodies means a great deal. And that the old adages, “You can’t out-train a bad diet” and “Abs are made in the kitchen” ring true!

I’m no nutritionist. I feel much more comfortable and qualified to talk about exercise and fitness than toddler throw up. But I will tell you this, my body flourishes off of WHOLE FOODS and a 80/20 approach when it comes to diet.

“80/20” means that 80 percent of the time, I eat healthy and “clean” (think lean protein, fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, healthy fats) and the other 20% is whatever I want (think underbaked brownies).

I also know from experience with an eating disorder and YEARS of restricting calories that FOOD IS SO MUCH MORE THAN FOOD.

Food is FUEL.

When you feed your body (the “machine”) with processed foods, additives, chemicals, Splenda and junk, it doesn’t run well. Just like a car. Give it crappy gas and mistreat it and you won’t get very far.

You'll lack energy. Your digestion will suffer– a HUGE problem for most women. Your sex life might even suffer.

It is easy in this weight loss game to view a calorie as just that – a calorie. To get wrapped up in 100-calorie packs or fake foods, thinking that as long as you’re under your calorie goal, you’ll be fine.

But this goes even deeper than that simple math.

When a “calorie is a calorie,” you lose sight of proper nutrition. You lose sight of fueling your body properly to get it through the day, through your workouts.

And if I’m specifically talking to nursing women, you need proper fuel to produce quality milk.

FOOD IS SO MUCH MORE THAN FOOD.

It can either make you feel healthy and strong or crummy. It fuels our activities. It fuels our weight loss. Eating healthy foods also shows our children that we care about our bodies – that we are good stewards!

So eat up! Just make it clean fuel!

For this week’s fitness, I thought I’d share a recent TRACK WORKOUT that I did! You can even do this one with your baby in a stroller – plus, it’s scalable to every fitness level! If you’re a beginner, simply replace the running for walking and modify each move to make it easier (think pushups on your knees and take the jump out of the jump squat!). Give it a go and let me know what you think!

What You’ll Need

Your body, a track, and some bleachers!

How Often?

Three times per week, non-consecutive days.

For more Mom365 Summer Of Strong workouts: Legs, Core, Arms, Tabata, Bye Bye Mom Jeans, and Say No To Skinny Fat!

I’d love to hear from anyone who is following along with the SOS workouts and how they’re working for you! Please visit my healthy living blog, Lindsay’s List, for more fitness and health tips!

QUESTION: What are some of your favorite healthy foods? Would you like more posts on nutrition?

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