5 Simple Tips to Start Cleaning Up Your Diet

Executive Director of PhillyGayCalendar

Find out your BMR – Your basal metabolic rate is your body’s very own special number to how much energy(calories) you burn per day to keep your organs, muscles, and regular activities running. Everyone is different depending on if you are male or female, the amount of lean muscle on your body, and if you have a history of yo-yo dieting. All of these factors create your own special number . Weight loss, muscle gain, maintaining you weight comes down to one factor, and one factor only. Proper macro nutrients and calories in versus calories out. No diet fad or supplement can make up for bad nutrition like most think. The only supplement I use, and use occasionally is a protein powder if I don’t have time for a whole food meal. I was a manager at a vitamin store for sometime and many waste tons of money on health supplements that simply don’t give you what they claim to accomplish. Nothing truly gives you results like consistent and dedicated nutrition and doing the right things in the gym to maximize your body’s natural fat burning and muscle building hormones. Find out your BMR number (click HERE to find BMR), and find out how much easier it will be to reach your specific goals.

Limit salt intake – Sodium can be a good electrolyte to replace when you have periods of H20 loss through sweat and urine, but too much can lead to the obvious. Hypertension and water retention. What most people don’t know is excess salt / sodium consumed has a direct effect on hormone called cortisone. Although cortisone might not sound so harmful, it is in the same class of hormones as cortisol….your body’s stress hormone. They are linked together. As I have talked about it before, cortisol sucks. I actually hate it. I want people to realize that the best way to control it is your diet, getting enough sleep every night, and finding ways to help you undo mental stress through positive outlets. If you fix the mind, your hot body will follow shortly. Back to cortisol… I Hate, hate, hateeee it- It breaks down your muscle and helps you put on fat, especially abdominal fat. My rule of thumb I tell all my clients is try to keep your intake around 1,500. Just enough, but not too much nor too little. Your body will thank you.

Restore your body with the “good stuff”– Whole foods!! Make sure you have a balanced nutrition plan. Try to eat foods that have lots of vitamin C! Most people don’t realize what cool stuff something simple like vitamin C can do … It helps inhibit cortisol! Aka your stress hormone. Less stress-better mind-hotter bod.

Drink water like… a fish- Hellooo. No brainer people. You hear it from everyone. Your mom, the annoying doctor ( which everyone should be doing annual checkups even if you hate the docs office ) , the person telling you to have water to help your hangover. Your body is made of tons of water, especially your muscles. Some people think if you don’t drink water you lose water weight. That’s a big bunch of BULL!! The more you drink the less your body will try to hold and retain under your skin. Ever wonder why some days you have a muffin top when you wear your jeans and the next day you don’t ? Chances are if you’re not necessarily changing your nutrition it has to do with water and sodium. Water cleans the body up, and can also help clear the skin up, so you look fresh faced as I have stated before! Drink up!

Results are possible. Nothing is unachievable. It is just a matter of how much you want it!!!

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