The Foundation Room: 3. Get in my Belly

The 3rd F in the balanced life is: FOOD.

Many of us hear that and think, Heck yea. I'll grub down on some food! Pizza? Ice cream? Hot dogs at the ballpark? All this is well and good, but what I mean by food is: Fuel for your body

BOOOOORRRIIINNG! Blah blah blah, you have heard that before! Many times eating 'clean' or healthy isn't considered to be as fun as eating junk, but we forget that we 'Eat to live, not live to eat'.

What does eat to live mean? It means that we choose things that are nutrient dense so that our bodies can function to the best of their abilities; allowing us to be the best we can be. How many times have you devoured a bag of potato chips, half gallon of ice cream, candy, and the like because you were emotional? Whether it's because we are happy and celebrating, or sad and depressed we use food in these situations, and we use our emotions as an excuse to reach for crap. How often have you not had enough sleep, and when you are tired you reach for treats and carbo load? And finally how many times do you set out on a diet, and do so well early in the day and only consume 300 calories and endless cups of joe, that by dinner you are ravenous and binge on anything and everything? All of this leads us down a path to feeling like dog doo doo.

Some say eating responsible is too hard. It's too much to think about. Here are some easy guidelines to nourishing your body with what it needs and deserves.

1. MODERATION
2. EAT CLOSE TO THE SOURCE
3. VEGETABLES & LEAN PROTEIN
4. WATER

1. There is nothing, I will repeat, nothing wrong with pizza, Mexican food, or wine. I love all of these things more than I care to admit....My nickname may or may not be 'pizza monster'. It is all about moderation. I typically try eat clean 80% of the week. This allows for about 2 cheat meals and some drinks along the way. The truth is if you are trying to change your body composition at all, nutrition is the biggest component. Many times I have thought, if I just workout hard I can eat whatever I want. I will tell you though, I have always had pretty muscular legs, but now in my mid 20's I notice a bit of cellulite on my thighs that I DO NOT LIKE! If I eat clean for two weeks the cellulite goes away. I don't want to say it disappears completely but it is definitely camouflaged like a lil chameleon in the jungle. 2 WEEKS people. That goes to show the power of a clean diet.
2. Eating close to the source, is exactly what it sounds like. Go one week without eating anything packaged. At first you may think man this is tough, but you will soon discover that following this rule alone will lead you down a path of clean eating. What can you eat? fruits, vegetables, nuts, berries, organic meat and eggs, oatmeal, etc. It's all good stuff! Try it....I dare you :)
3. Vegetables and lean protein- why is this important. Veggies fill you up, and give you a lot of bang for your buck. they are low in calories, high in fiber, and keep you feeling full longer. They are full of vitamins and minerals essential to our bodies function and well being. Won't you have a carrot stick today? - ok ok, put a lil hummus on it, and bon appetite! Lean protein is important due to the first F. When you are working out and building muscle it is essential that you consume lean protein so that your muscle can repair and build back a stronger muscle. You have heard it before, 1 pound of muscle takes up less room than 1 pound of fat.