There’s a common phrase that exemplifies what it is to live a healthy lifestyle: “Abs are made in the gym but revealed in the kitchen.” There couldn’t be a truer statement made! It should come as no surprise that being healthy and seeing results requires only about 30 percent of your effort to be in the gym while 70 percent is in your diet and the foods you’re consuming, meaning that consuming the right foods is equally (if not more) important than what kind of ab exercises you’re choosing to do.
Let me start by saying that I am not a dietician. I am in the middle of taking a personal training and nutrition certification course, but I am not yet certified nor do I have any other formal training. Everything that I am typing, every piece of advice I am about to give, stems from my own personal experience and what I have found to work for me throughout my training.
In a previous article I’ve written, I walked through meal prepping and why it makes a world of a difference for those who are trying to be healthy while leading busy lives. Basically, having prepped and healthy foods ensure that you have something to eat throughout the day without the temptation of buying and eating unhealthy snacks. But, in the grand scheme of things, prepping won’t do anything unless you’re prepping the right kinds of foods.
Without going into an entire lecture on nutrients and the basic nutrition needs of the body, you need to have the right nutrients to run properly, not just any nutrients. Similar to a car, you need to put the right kind of gas in your engine. You wouldn’t put regular gas in a Porsche, a Maserati, or a Bugatti; you’d need some type of unleaded gas made from the tears of angels and the flatulence of unicorns. You are a Porsche, you are a Maserati, you are a Bugatti, so don’t put normal gas in your engine.
There’s no point in highlighting the common knowledge that you need to eat properly without explaining how to do so. Basically, to make sure you’re getting the proper amount of nutrients in a day, you need to have a set goal in mind.
Losing weight? Gaining weight? You need to have a plan in mind so that you can prep your weekly meals accordingly, fitting into the number of calories and macronutrients you need to consume to meet your goals. Macronutrients—protein, carbohydrates, and fats—are the main nutrients that your body needs in larger quantities of to sustain a healthy lifestyle. For example, my personal goal in the gym is to both lean out and gain muscle at the same time. I am in a caloric deficit, meaning I should be burning more calories than I consume. I ensure that most of the foods that I eat are high in protein and low in carbs, while I have high-intensity, high-weight workouts. The math works out so that I am consuming roughly 175 grams of protein, 55-70 grams of carbs, and 55-75 grams of fats. Consuming foods like salmon, avocado, Brussel sprouts, and nut butters, I’m able to meet my goals both in and out of the gym.
We are all humans, so eating clean 100 percent of the time is not always going to happen. You need to allow yourself to have a little cheat meal every once in a while, because if you don’t, you’ll binge and fill up on unhealthy, fatty foods. By prepping and ensuring that you’re eating clean, whole foods, you’ll be able to see the results that you’ve worked so hard to see!
Abs Are Made In The Kitchen
By By Jessica Gorrell
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April 25, 2018