Any good relationship is based on understanding, respect, appreciation and trust. It is the same with what we choose to eat.

Understanding macronutrients and energy balance.

Respecting the role what we consume has on our physical and mental health.

Appreciating foods nutrient dense with micronutrients.

Trusting the process.

The intention of this blog is to provide you with general information to allow you to make more informed and confident decisions with how you fuel and nourish your body.

FUEL YOUR BODY

Macronutrients are responsible for providing you with the energy that you need to perform, and build and recover.

Protein is the building block of muscle, along with the tissue for your organs, skin, hair and nails.

Carbohydrates provide fuel for the central nervous system and energy for working muscles. Carbs are a preferred energy source for training.

Fat is a major source of energy which helps you absorb some vitamins and minerals. Fat is needed to build cell membranes, the vital exterior of each cell, and the sheaths surrounding nerves.

The long term goal is to understand the key role of each macronutrient and use them effectively.

1g Protein = 4 calories

1g Carbohydrates = 4 calories

1g Fat = 9 calories

1g Alcohol = 7 calories

NOURISH YOUR BODY

Vitamins and minerals are essential parts of food and treat them as being responsible for the repair and maintenance of your body.

If you eat a variety of foods from each food group and have a balanced diet, you’ll get all the vitamins and minerals you need.

The body has thousands of chemical reactions going on in each cell, every second of the day. The cells continually process the proteins, fats and carbohydrates from food. Vitamins and minerals are essential parts of those chemical reactions. Without them, essential body functions couldn't take place, but you only need very small amounts of them.

Most people can get all the vitamins and minerals they need from a healthy diet, which is another reason to choose nutrient dense whole foods rich in Vitamins and Minerals.

ENERGY BALANCE

This is simply the difference between the energy you consume and the energy you expend each day. Energy Balance works because of the fundamental nature of how mass and energy work in our universe.

When we consume more energy in the form of calories then we expend, that energy has to go somewhere. The somewhere is body mass, fat mass in particular. On the flip side, if we expend more energy than we consume, the extra energy has to come from somewhere, body mass.

Ultimately you will lose fat mass in an energy deficit, build muscle in a calorie surplus, and maintain great health at maintenance calories.

To calculate maintenance calories we use a formula called Mifflin-St Jeor.

BMR x Activity Level = Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)

Activity Levels:

Sedentary (minimal exercise) = 1.2

Lightly Active (Train 3-4 times / 3-6,000 steps) = 1.375

Moderately Active (Train 4-5 / 8-10,000 steps) = 1.55

Very Active (Train 5-6 / 12-20,000 steps) = 1.725

NUTRITION PHASES

A Build Phase is used to increase muscle mass, and would see a daily calorie surplus of 300-500 calories.

A Maintenance Phase is when energy consumed meets daily energy requirements based on activity levels.

A Cut Phase is when the goal is to lose fat mass by being in a 300-500 calorie deficit on a daily basis.

The ideal duration for each of these phases ranges from 8-16 weeks depending on the goal.

WHERE YOU CAN START THE PROCESS:

Track 1-2 days of eating via MyFitnessPal to understand what you are currently consuming.

This will help you identify:

• Current daily energy intake

• Current macros being consumed

It would also be worthwhile to track your water consumption and daily activity for those 2 days.

Would you like support and guidance to achieve your current training goal? Get in touch today to book a consultation.