A session with my personal trainer this week got me thinking. What could I be doing differently to ensure I’m stronger and live healthier?
Or the truth be known, so that I can blitz the soccer (footsal) field every weekend and feel great and alive at the end of the game instead of the way I currently feel. I don’t know if you think the same way, but of late, I’ve been feeling pretty old! Why is that?
Well, this year sees me playing for the over 35’s soccer (yes yes, I decided it was time to leave the young’ins to their shenanigans and join the dudes more my age) and I’m doing it tough. Why? Because now I’m the youngest on the field and THEY expect ME to run more – what the #$!@? I personally preferred it when I was with the 21 year olds and they did most of the running. Respect your elders right!
So, in a session with my trainer I raised the question of what could I be doing better? His reply literally word for word was this;
“there’s only one single element that is more important to exercise and that’s nutrition.”
The what and the when you eat is more important than how much exercise or the kind of exercise you do. In fact, it’s more important than exercise itself”.
NEWS FLASH! My first reaction was;’ I know that’, but the fact is I’m not DOING it. <surprise, surprise> And the annoying part about this is that we’ve talked about this plenty of times before. I guess I wasn’t listening!
My trainer went on to share this; Eating the right food can help you shed extra unwanted kg’s, improve strength, health and fitness at the same time. Not to mention keep you feeling young! Something that is high on my list of priorities to keep up with the kids.
So for all our benefit I asked him to share his top 10 secrets:
- Warm fresh lemon water first thing in the morning to flush out the toxins, aids the digestive system and paves the way for losing weight faster.
- Eat 6 small meals a day. eg. 7am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm, 7pm
- No alcohol. This one is the killer. And if you can’t cut it out at all, or even commit to a few dry months, then at least no alcohol mid-week.
- Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Think about the food you put in your mouth first thing in the morning. It should be porridge or a good healthy home-made muesli. No packet cereal or toast.
- 3 serves of fruit every day.
- Protein the size of your palm, no larger eg. chicken, steak etc.
- Veggies every day.
- Remove or at least limit the amount of white rice and pasta. Replace it with brown.
- Reduce the consumption of carbohydrates at night time eg. rice, pasta, bread.
- And to ensure you clear your head, stretch your legs and tone up, include a brisk 30minute walk morning and night.
He assures me it’s never too late to start reprogramming your body. We can all reverse the biological damage of all those years that poor eating have done. And you can restore good health and increase your odds of living a long and healthy life – just by eating the right food, the right quantities at the right time.
I’ve set myself a new challenge, how about you?
What’s next?
- Join our Kick-Ass Tradies Facebook Group, for access to trade business specific conversations, tips and resources, plus a like-minded community of tradies.
- Book a 15-minute Game Plan Call with Andy, owner of Dr. DRiP plumbing and co-founder of Lifestyle Tradie, to clarify your priorities and get clear action steps.