Leigh’s nutritional guide to a fit & healthy life
Keep fully hydrated throughout the day. When exercising you can lose up to 2 litres of fluid per hour so remember to drink plenty of water during/after activity. I recommend at least 2 litres (6-8 glasses) a day.
Don’t skip breakfast (the most important meal of the day). Breakfast “skippers” tend to be fatter than breakfast “eaters” and are proven to have lower levels of concentration during the morning.
Eat small regular meals daily. Try to avoid carbs after 6pm.
Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables. 5 portions a day.
Include plenty of protein in your daily diet. Meat, poultry and fish. Aim to eat at least 2 portions of oily fish a week.
Cut down on saturated fats and sugar. Butter/margarine on bread, sour cream on baked potatoes, salad dressings, cakes and biscuits. Substitute low-fat or non-fat versions.
Eat more fibre to help maintain a healthy digestion system and prevent coronary heart disease and some cancers.
Eat less salt (no more than 6g a day). A high salt intake can contribute to high blood pressure and fluid retention during the menstrual cycle.
Moderate weekly alcohol intake.
Daily exercise. If you are not training, incorporate exercise into your daily routine. Walk to meetings, get off the tube/bus one stop early, avoid the lift and walk up the stairs, walk to the shop instead driving.
Doing 10 press-ups and sit-ups before showering each morning and adding a 20 minute brisk walk every day could result in the loss of 10lbs of body fat in a year!
- Adult male daily calorie intake: 2550
- Adult female daily calorie intake: 1950
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Divided across each of the macronutrients:
- Min 50% calories from carbs
- Max of 35% calories from fats
- Min of 55g of protein daily
Leigh’s “top tips”
Don’t exercise on an empty stomach. Put some gas in your tank before starting your workout. Carbohydrate is the preferred fuel for exercise, so 30 to 60 minutes before exercise eat something that is easily digested and carbohydrate-rich.
Great pre-workout snacks are:
- Low-fat fruit yogurt
- A banana
- A slice of 100% whole grain toast with fruit preserves
- A small bowl of oatmeal with sliced strawberries or apples
Use fats and oils sparingly. Olive, canola, and peanut oils, avocados, nuts and nut butters, olives and fish provide heart-healthy fat as well as vitamins and minerals.
Don’t forget dairy. Your bones still need calcium to stay strong. Dairy foods and some dairy alternatives, such as enriched soymilk, provide protein as well as calcium.
Avoid crash diets. They are bad for health and you will gain what you have lost once you take a break. Crash diets are not a solution to weight loss. It might seem as if you have lost a few pounds but the moment you give up on the crash diet everything will bounce back with a vengeance.
Eat fresh fruit instead of drinking fruit juice. Juice is often sweetened but fresh fruits have natural sugars. When you eat fruit, you are taking in a lot of fibre, which is needed by the body and fruits are of course an excellent source of vitamins.
Watch the sugar. Often people think by drinking fruit juices or eating low-fat fruit roll-ups and such, they are cutting out or eliminating sugar. The fact is that some fruit juices have more sugar than a soda. Reduction of sugar is important to good health – always check out the sugar content of anything you put in your mouth, even if it appears to be healthy.
Understand food claims and labels. A product labeled with a fat-free claim does not mean that it is low in calories. Similarly a product labeled as low-sugar or low-carb does not mean it is low in fat or calories. Always read the nutrition label on the packaging.