Any serious athlete will tell you that good nutrition is the foundation of a great workout. I was lucky to have a very health conscious mother when I was young, so I never had the experience that so many others have of throwing up five minutes into a hard core workout. It happens to my clients all the time, after which I ask “have you eaten?” and if so “what?”.

Honestly people, food is nothing less than the fuel that keeps your body functioning while you are active and repairs the damage you do to it. I used to here trainers argue about whether or not you should eat before early morning workouts. If you think about it logically this is a horrible idea because your body is already in a state of prolonged starvation. Ok I’ll break it down for you but pay close attention and try not to get too bored.

First, You need to be eating five to six meals a day. Depending on how ambitious you are this can be more. Eating smaller meals several times a day will keep your metabolism running high. Breakfast should be the largest and richest in carbs (about 80% carbs and 20% protein). Please keep in mind that the carbs I speak of are fruits,veggies,and whole grains. These will give you the energy you need to do the kind of work you need to do to burn fat calories. If you go workout while at the end of a long fast your body will go into starvation mode and retain fat for emergency use and begin to burn muscle mass. Every meal should be a little more protein and a little less carb, until dinner time. The last meal should be about 80% protein and 20% carb. Remember to not eat carbs at all after 7 or 8 o’clock at night depending on when you go to bed. At night carb energy will be stored as fat.

Second, you must begin to think of protein as a building block or repair material. You lift and break down muscle fibers, the protein is brought in to make bigger stronger fibers. Protein is essential after workouts. You will get protein primarily from meat unless you are a vegetarian in which case you should look to beans and rice or whatever creative way you can come up with. If your poor like me tuna is your best option, but of course beef, chicken, and other fish are always great.

Just keep in mind also that fresh is better and cleaner. Follow these guidelines and you will feel better and be able to do more work in the gym.