Fitness as a lifestyle and diet as a tool

So I think I’ve made it pretty clear to everyone I guide when it comes to fitness that In essence it’s a lifestyle. And adopting this particular lifestyle means your current life enroute trajectory has just hit a 360, and the sacrifices you make are pretty dire so to speak. (I’m just kidding it’s not that big of a deal). But the thing is fitness is very intentional, and a vast majority of people shy away from intentionality because with that comes commitment and it turns out we are psychologically indifferent to sustaining long term efforts, Here’s the game plan when it comes to fitness.

So when your weightlifting food starts to hold some significance in the sense that it’s a huge part of what determines whether you’ll physique will hold up to standard. Don’t think of diet as a burden or restriction. For some people their approach to diet may border along those lines. But those are typically athletes, models, bodybuilders. Your none of those. We simply like to be fit and healthy. But to a great extent we have to caution ourselves when it comes to food and eat to our advantage. Not for our comfort. Flexibility is not an excuse to eat what you want. But simply eat in variety and enjoy while still making sure your diet is generally healthy and clean.

So if your in pursuit of hypertrophy, Macronutrients are important and all of them should be used to your advantage. Here are the few you should know:

Carbohydrates: they are foods that provide energy. There are simple carbs (typically fast digesting, quick energy inducers I.e white bread, carbonated drinks, sweets etc) and complex carbs (slow digesting, generally comprises of foods that are more heathy I.e sweet potatoes, rice, oats, garri)

Protein: This is the nutrient that builds and repairs your body. our best friend. Without protein, hypertrophy training would never suffice. Building muscle is a two way dynamic. You breakdown muscle tissue by weightlifting and training, it repairs it using protein. The process is a cycle and you grow bigger and bigger every time it repairs. That’s how you gain. Whether your a girl or a boy. protein sources are foods like, eggs, chicken, fish, tofu, beans, beef, turkey, oats etc.

Fats: these are nutrients that support hormones and metabolic functions. They help with testosterone (The male hormone that also supports muscular development) and in a way are just as good as protein, and by that I mean not in the way that protein helps build muscle, but fats ensure our metabolic functions and recovery is boosted. Examples of fat sources are egg yolks, all types of nuts, butter etc. not really something we have to think about much but it’s worth mentioning here.

So we all know how it’s goes. Junks are off the charts. That’s Fast foods, sugar, shawarma, Beverages, fried foods, sweets, pastries, bread etc. these are all high calories and low nutrients. It can make you fat. Worsens our skin. These foods should be tolerated and moderated if not consumed at all. You can be rest assured that if these are kept out your mouth, no matter what else your eating in your diet, your pretty much healthier then 90% of people out there.

For those who are not obese or absurdly skinny, caloric surpluses or deficits shouldn’t be our go to answer to building muscle as opposed to those who border along those two extremes. Although the quantity of what you eat matters making sure the quality and at least making sure that you eat enough food to support your training and maybe more while also eliminating junks and bad foods that are high calorie, low nutrients is very important. If we totally replace your diet of good whole nutritious foods instead of bad things and workout and exercise as you should, then your body composition will improve and change in your favour without taking into a account of how many calories your eating a day.

So make sure to good and train. You’ll reap what you’ve sow.