 Where’s one place you can begin to really start to crush those fitness goals that isn’t a gym or fitness center? What if I told you that you could work out less in the gym if you clean and use your kitchen. Wait a minute? Don’t I love to exercise, and lots of it being an endurance athlete. Of course, but in order to maximize my time spent on training it’s important to fuel up with high-quality foods. Does this have to be expensive? Absolutely not. In some ways, it can actually be more cost effective. One example is the cost of eggs compared to meat for a protein source. Rice and beans are other examples that can be a super thrifty healthy combo, especially if you do a lot of running. The list goes on, so I’ll stop there for now.  A clean kitchen can help you eat healthierKeeping your kitchen clean and displaying fruits and veggies so they look appetizing will help you eat them more often and stay on track. I also feel less inclined to grab takeout or place a call in for a pizza if I can open up the fridge, see a rainbow of foods that look alive because their chillin in my sparkling clean veggie drawer. Pair those up with a protein and maybe a complex carb and I’ve just done my body a favor. This is so much easier to do when your kitchen is sparkly.
You don't have to cook all the time but a little prep can go along wayEven if you don’t have time to make meals at home all of the time, this will at least help make healthy snacks more appetizing. One major complaint I’ve heard from clients I’ve worked with is that healthy food spoils quickly. Solution: Eat the food. And yes, you may also have to go to the grocery store at least 1-2 times per week to keep fresh stuff around. Selecting frozen and canned options can also help. However, I prefer frozen because generally they have less stuff like salt and sugar added to it. But not always, review the packaging and check the labels to make sure. By taking some time to prep ahead you can stay ahead of the healthy eating curve. This is not a pass to ditch the workouts and just eat clean. You can’t out-exercise a bad diet. Been there and done that! So not worth it. Don’t get me wrong, I love training for the 13.1 distance and yeah, sometimes going out for a good LSD (long slow distance) run might take a couple of hours but I do this for how it makes me feel not to punish myself for eating something “bad”. Although, I will be the first to admit that a great perk from running is that you can have a few extra carbs and a cold one guilt free! But this is not to be confused with eating garbage and washing it down with a 6 pack. You can't out exercise a poor dietBesides that the even better part of finishing those long runs is the sense of Ahhh, you feel. It’s almost like you feel a euphoric state of freedom. A feeling that everything will be alright and that gravity is not tying you down, in a sense. A feeling that you’ve accomplished something worthwhile, so now you’re ready to tackle on whatever the world throws at you cause you feel on top of the world. That’s what running, or really any exercise should be about. Not trying to torture yourself through something just to burn calories. It’s not that efficient when you do the math. For anyone interested in the calculation, you can find it here… So it’s truly easier to eat good rather than try to out exercise any so called bad foods. Plus, you’ll even feel better from eating real, wholesome foods. Cause that age-old saying from Hippocrates “Let thy food be thy medicine” is point on. But of course, if you feel really ill for a long time, go see a doctor because cause ignoring symptoms do not make them go away. Thanks for reading and here’s some tasty recipes to try out! Yummy brunch or lunch items. This one from Ellie Krieger that will keep hunger at bay on the fly. Avocado Toast with Egg, Cucumber and Radish Anytime Frittata with Spinach and Sweet Potatoes is an alternative form of comfort food from Darya Rose at summertomato.com And for anyone interested in how my exercise routine changed this month you can find it here. |
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