One of our favorite books is by Dr. Greg Wells, called “The Ripple Effect…Sleep Better, Eat Better, Move Better, Think Better.” Although we have been eating relatively healthy for years, we continue to learn how to eat better and move better.
As you read in Life Changes, I started CrossFit in October 2016. At CrossFit Meadville, I learned the importance of food as fuel. I learned how to eat to build muscle and lose weight. I went from 129 pounds and 19.6% body fat to 119 and 15.8% body fat in just 16 weeks. Although my body got smaller, I looked bigger because I was leaner.
My husband and I met while we were at a Boot Camp at a CrossFit gym in Fort Myers. Together, we enjoy working out and eating better in order to feel better. It is more of our lifestyle than a “diet”. We realize that most of the work for keeping our bodies fit is done in the kitchen. Although I am not a fitness or nutrition expert, I do enjoy learning how to be healthy and many people have asked me what I eat. Therefore, I am creating this Fitness and Nutrition corner to share the meals we eat and some of the movements we do.
The workouts are meant to be quick (15 minutes or so) and can be modified in reps or weight. Maybe these workouts will motivate you to start a fitness journey. I love CrossFit but you may love running or high-intensity workouts. The important thing is finding something you enjoy doing. It can be walking, running, weightlifting, biking, etc. Find something you can get passionate about and do it often. I will post Weekly Wednesday Workouts. I will also post videos on YouTube that show you each movement and some modifications you can make.
Getting your body moving is key to a happy and healthy lifestyle. According to Dr. Greg Wells, in order to eat better and move better, going for a walk outside for just 15 minutes a day can do wonders for your mind, body, and spirit. But if you really want to make a difference in your overall health, you may want to look at what you are putting into your body. Eating fried and processed food can lead to bloating and lack of motivation. We believe in eating a lean protein, a healthy fat, and the right carb at each meal. We try to eat at home as much as possible, and we try to make good decisions when we are out to eat. We strive for making those good decisions 85-90% of the time.
We learned you have a “window” after you workout of about three hours. Within that window, you want to eat high energy carbs like rice, pasta, quinoa, bananas, oatmeal, potatoes, and bread. Your body needs these carbs to refuel. The rest of the day, you will want to focus on the low energy carbs like veggies and fruit. Lean proteins include turkey, chicken, fish, bison, plain non-fat Greek yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese, tofu, lean beef, seafood, and eggs/egg whites. You want to look for meats with a fat content of 10 grams or less. Healthy fats include avocados, olive oil, flaxseed oil, nuts, nut butters, ground flaxseed, and dark chocolate. Salmon and tuna can be both your fat and protein.
It may sound a bit complicated but as you sit down for each meal just ask yourself, “Do I have a lean protein? Do I have a healthy fat? Do I have a carb?” For example, a meal for dinner would be salmon and 2-3 cups of broccoli and cauliflower made with olive oil and sprinkled with seasoning and ground flaxseed. There are tons of ideas out there. A lot of times, we just get on Ecosia (a search engine you can add to Safari or Chrome…for every search it plants trees!) and find a recipe we want to try.
The meals I post on Friday Fixin’s are going to be pretty easy and simple. The key is to enjoy the food you eat and to eat a variety of food. We buy the food we want to eat. If you buy chips, donuts, and other snacks, then that is what you will eat. Yes, those foods are delicious but, maybe they shouldn’t be staples in your pantry. We buy wild-caught fish and seafood. We use Nature Seasons on almost everything. Just remember you won’t be able to keep up with healthy eating if you are eating the same thing over and over and it tastes like cardboard 🙂 So, mix it up! This isn’t a “recipe” blog so the pictures of the meals aren’t going to win any award presentations, but I will do my best to help you with measurements and proportions. A lot of times, we just make it up and throw what we have in the refrigerator into our meals.
Needless to say, I hope you enjoy this Fitness and Nutrition corner, and I hope we can learn from each other to eat better, move better, and get 1% better every day as Dr. Wells suggests.