Nutrition Frustration

I have really been thinking a lot about the importance of nutrition lately. Whenever I got to the gym, I am amazed at the number of machines, weights, and exercise equipment available for people to work out on, yet there is really no nutritional help there. As a result, many people put in a lot of time and effort exercising but still don't get results when it comes to weight loss and changing their body composition. It's obvious that unless someone gets the nutritional part of the equation figured out, then there is no way they will reach their goals. There are 24 hours in a day and motivating yourself to work out for one of those hours is not nearly as hard as trying to eat clean the remaining 23 hours!

Those who only focus on exercise remind me of a person riding a bike with just one pedal. They are missing out on a key component to their success. As a personal trainer, I am able to observe on a daily basis how nutrition can either assist or ambush client's efforts. I am not a dietitian or nutritionist, but would love to get a degree in that field. In the mean time I keep my nutritional insights very general and refer people to the professionals who are licensed to do so for specific counsel. This is one are where I think there is a great need.

The reason I'm frustrated with nutrition is because I too am still trying to develop the discipline and motivation that is needed to consistently eat healthy. Why do people always bring junk food when they bring you an edible gift? Why does the unhealthy stuff have to be so cheap and be so readily available? Many of us have developed unhealthy relationships with food over the years and struggle in this area. Every day we are required to make choices between highly processed foods which are usually calorie dense and high in fat and sugar or whole foods which are much more beneficial to our body.

I'm in pretty good shape right now but over the course of the next month I am going to fine tune my diet (eliminate the junk and eat more whole foods.) I will let you know what happens when I raise the bar in this area. I have also been doing some informal research about nutrition that I'm looking forward to sharing. I have been talking to some of the most fit people in the gym about nutrition and I will be sharing what they have in common with you soon in a future post.