How Can Healthy Food Choices Support Your Workout Goals?
You’re finally getting the message about the health benefits of exercise [3] and you’ve decided to put the remote control aside and start a workout plan. Congratulations! You’ve taken the first step on the path to a tighter body, better health, and a longer life. Before long you’ll be stronger and leaner, you’ll have a sunnier outlook, and you’ll even find yourself sleeping better and waking up feeling more refreshed.
But there are a few steps you can take that can get you to your destination even faster. A workout plan [4] is a great start, but to get the most out of your exercise routine, it’s a good idea to make sure your lifestyle supports your goals. This means paying attention to stress management, hydration, and especially nutrition.
Here are a few small nutritional changes that can have a big impact on the success of your workout plans. Find out how healthy superfoods and workout-friendly cooking methods can help you improve your results at the gym.
Superfoods and Healthy Nutritional Choices
- First, make a few strategic cuts to your nutritional team. Get rid (or at least try to reduce your intake) of sabotaging foods like corn syrup, red meat like beef and pork, and highly processed grains like the kind found in crackers and pop-tarts. Find healthy substitutes instead. Replace soda with water and juice, red meat with poultry and fish, and crackers with whole grain carbs.
- What’s a whole grain carb, you ask? This is a carbohydrate-based food with intact (minimally-processed) grains you can actually see. Think brown rice, oatmeal, and whole grain bread. The more of these, the better.
- There’s no such thing as too many servings of fruit and vegetables throughout the day. Keep things fresh and reach for dark leafy greens like spinach and broccoli. When it comes to fruits, load up on those with rich colors. Think blueberries, strawberries, bananas and colorful non-fruits like tomatoes and avocados.
- Protein is your workout’s best friend. But as mentioned above, skip the beef and reach for lean poultry, fresh fish, nuts of all kinds, and legumes like beans and peas.
- Our bodies need fats and oils, but think twice when you reach for something to cook with or use as a spread. Instead of butter, try olive oil. And when you’re reaching for something to spread on whole grain toast, choose peanut butter.
What delicious foods do you rely on to support your workout goals? Share your favorites and recommendations in the comment section below.