Yup, I said it… 80% of your body composition is determined by what you put in your mouth. I live in a town where people are trying to outrun, like literally out-run, their diets. The bad news is you can’t out-bike, out-hike, out-run, out-workout the wrong diet. It catches up to you no matter what. Toxins in are toxins in. But, the good news is you have a ton of control here, and you don’t have to work that hard to feel and look good!
I was in Las Vegas last month at the hotel gym, and I saw all these women working so freaking hard on the stair master, one after another. It looked torturous, as they laid their heads down on the bars, but kept their legs going, climbing all those mechanical stairs. It looked painful and they sure didn’t look like they were enjoying themselves. I wanted to go up to them and say, “It doesn’t have to be this hard. I swear!” But, who wants some nosy stranger nutritionist telling you that when you’re trying to work your fanny off the best way you know how? You’d probably wanna punch me!
But, that really is the truth of it… YOU DON’T HAVE TO WORK THAT HARD to stay healthy, fit, and lean. I swear! In fact, some of the most unhealthiest clients I see are the uber athletes. They kick everyone’s asses in all kinds of races, but boy are their endocrine systems a mess and they can’t ever really get truly healthy. We worship elite athletes, but really they don’t deserve it health-wise most of the time.
Excess exercise actually increases your appetite, making you eat more afterwards. Plus, you think you’re good to go because you just did all this exercise, but you can’t really get ahead of your diet with tons of exercise. Go check out a local marathon where you see people who have been training for hours and hours and notice how many are still 10-30 pounds overweight.
So, back to the original point – 80% of your body composition is determined by what you put in your mouth. It all comes back to what you eat. Annoying isn’t it? But, empowering too, because you don’t have to eat perfect AND workout 24/7. You just have to focus on what you eat and then enjoy moderate exercise to be truly healthy (and look good too).
I learned this a few years back when I did this incredible cleanse that really met all my body’s nutritional needs. The “over 40 years old” extra pounds I’d been carrying just came right off and I wasn’t doing any exercise except some gentle walking. It taught me volumes of education in 10 short days, and I started down a whole new path with my own nutrition and that for my clients as well.
When we change what we are eating to clean, whole foods – non-inflammatory foods, we naturally trim down, release all that nasty inflammation clogging us up, and really start to thrive. We have more energy – lots more energy, sleep better, balance out our hormones, and give our nervous system a well deserved rest. Our brain chemistry evens out, our symptoms start going away, our health improves, and the nice body is just the icing on the cake (or the organic local cherry on top)! Excess body fat melts away when we are giving our bodies the nutrition they truly need and not just feeding ourselves what we’re craving. And hey, the cravings go away too when the body is getting what is needs.
There are all kinds of healthy diet options out there. I’ve got my favorite, and I’m partial to it, but you’ve got to find your own and what works for you. I’m happy to share what I think is the best eating program with you anytime!