Happy Monday Everyone! First off, I'd like to explain the background story on this blog post, and it goes a little something like this; The other day on my instagram @lotsoftotss, I asked my followers in a story post what sorts of topics they would like to hear about in my upcoming blog, and there were so many amazing responses I've decided to make "Blog and Response" a new thing here on the site! So please continue to drop comments on my pictures and DM me topics or questions you'd like to get facts as well as my views on. So that being said, the first question I am responding to was sent in by @supjennabenna. She, like so many of you out there was interested in hearing more about the positive affects of healthy eating on your daily life, as well as how eating healthy helps me get through a tough workout. I love that question because there are just so many more benefits to making healthy diet choices, than just looking hot in a bikini (although that's quite the added bonus, wink wink). Here are my top 5 reasons as to why a healthy diet is so important, as well as the impact it has had on my life, career, and workouts.
1. Food is Fuel
Your food is your energy source.
Food provides us with the nutrients
we need to repair, grow, and strengthen all the systems throughout our body. To perform at peak levels you want to be consuming the most nutrient dense foods, aka vegetables that are rich and diverse in color, lean proteins, and whole wheats/grains. I mean, you wouldn't fill your car up with gunky, dirty, unnatural oil now would you? So why would you fill yourself up with processed, refined, high fat/sugar foods?
2. Disease Prevention
Proper nutrition is one of the number one factors in preventing heart disease, Type II diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, certain types of cancer, kidney disease, stroke, and even depression. Although there's other factors that go into disease diagnosis, knowing you can actively do something to prevent getting one of these later is reason enough for me to make nutritional changes. I think of it as, take care of yourself now, and reap the benefits later.
3. Improves Mood
3. Improved Mood
Yes! A healthy diet helps your mental game as well! Did you know over 90% of your serotonin aka "the happy chemical" is produced in your gut?! This chemical allows us to feel happier, calmer, more focused, less anxious, and more emotionally stable. This is one of the many reasons your gut is referred to as "the second brain", a healthy gut starts with a healthy diet.
4. Gives ya that glow
Proper nutrition and ESPECIALLY hydration keeps the cells in your hair, skin, and nails multiplying and flourishing to give you a luminous look. A proper diet also helps aid in the strength and appearance of your teeth. These secondary characteristics make us appear more youthful, therefore I think a healthy diet helps the aging process appearance wise, and scientifically it slows the aging process internally as well.
5. That Body Baby!
And last, but certainly not least, nutrition is key to staying physically fit and healthy! Professionals say obtaining a tight toned physique is 80% nutrition, and 20% workout. So yes, if you never workout you can still have a healthy figure based off nutrition alone. But, if you are working out, don't let that work go to waste by spending the other 23 hours of the day eating unhealthily!
In My Experience
Okay guys! Now let's talk about yours truly!! In my experience nutrition is everything. I love it, I love to learn about it, and I love repaying my body through nourishment for the hard work it does every day. But, it wasn't always that way! Getting into the groove of healthy eating has it struggles. Of course there are cravings, and the social eating and drinking factor, but once you push past that, the one thing I can tell you is IT GETS EASIER!! Of course like anyone I still love my treats #treatyoself ! But, my body is so used to eating fresh, non-oily, non-saturated food, that I feel physically sick now when I overindulge in unhealthy items, so this on it's own leads to me eating more healthy than not. After a few weeks it gets easier, this is because in time the sugar and fat is flushed out of your body and your system no longer "needs" it and will actually start to crave healthy foods instead.
After about two weeks of healthy eating you'll start to notice such a shift in yourself and in your daily life that there will just be no going back to your old ways! I think the first thing I noticed and you will to is a boost in your energy levels, for me, I'm so much less exhausted and sluggish when I'm eating properly and eating enough! And with me when I'm less exhausted I'm also much more motivated and as a result much more productive. When I'm more productive I feel so much better about myself that I can't help but be in a great mood! And when I'm in a great mood I want everyone else to be in a great mood too! So this leads to me trying to help others, and when I help someone else it makes me so giddy that my mood sky rockets!! And so the cycle goes!! Put good in, get good out!