Food is fuel to reach your long term health and fitness goals. But, if you’re putting the wrong kind of fuel in, you’re more likely to sputter out than get the results you’re aiming for.
Whether you’re looking to gain an athletic build to participate in sports, improve your endurance, or you’re looking to get jacked, employing a personal trainer with nutrition coaching certifications can help you ensure you’re optimizing your fuel with targeted, healthy foods.
Why nutrition coaching is key to achieving a better body and prime performance
The name of the game in fitness nutrition is macronutrients. This means ensuring you’re getting the right types and the right balance of carbohydrates, proteins and fats, and at the right time.
The role of a nutrition coach is to take your goals and translate them into a specific plan for reaching them. For those who need a bit of a primer, here’s how those three macronutrient groups affect your body:
Proteins: muscle recovery and muscle growth both depend on these important amino acid chains. A complete protein is found in animal products, while plant-based proteins are considered incomplete proteins as they lack the same number of amino acids.
Carbs: The body needs carbs for energy for your cells, muscle tissues, and organs. Simple carbs include the naturally occurring sugars in fruit, veggies, and animal products. Complex carbs are sugar molecules in long complex chains, found in products such as beans, whole grains, oats and most vegetables.
Fats: Unsaturated fats from plant products like olive oil or nuts play an important role in maintaining your body’s cells and metabolism. Saturated fats are found in animal products. As an additive in many processed foods, they can be considered unhealthy.
How is sports nutrition different from bodybuilding nutrition?
Building muscle is more than taking protein powder or drinking protein shakes. Those looking for athletic builds vs. bodybuilding will need to hit completely different macros.
A nutrition coach will assess your current health and fitness, and develop a custom meal plan for you that incorporates specific foods to ensure the right macros, vitamins and minerals, your caloric load, and fluid intake.
Examining the athletic diet
An active athlete can burn well over 10k calories a day, and achieving the lean muscle and maintaining the health of your tissues requires a proper focus on hydration and eating for energy.
Carbs: 45% to 65% of your food intake, depending on the level of activity
Protein: 0.8 to 2 grams of protein per kg of your body weight
Fats: Approximately 30% of your diet as a healthy fat
Examining the bodybuilding diet
Strength training is arduous. Plus, replacing body fat with muscle involves the strengthening of your skeletal system alongside your muscles during weight training. Lean meats are key to help avoid the intake of saturated fats.
Carbs: Approximately 30% of your food intake
Protein: 1.7 to 2.5g of protein per kg of your body weight
Fats: Approximately 30% of your diet as a healthy fat
A Note on Supplements
Many athletes and bodybuilders incorporate medical supplements and performance supplements as a part of their fitness nutrition regimen. While many products such a protein powder or electrolytes have fairly established benefits, others such as beta-alanine or nitrate have less clear benefits and can cause harm in some cases.
A nutrition coach may advise you to look into supplements as a part of your program, but that coach should also be warning you of any potential side effects.
They should also insist you consult with a physician before taking anything that could potentially interact with other medications or medical conditions.
Consult a HOUSEFIT trainer today for a personal nutrition and workout plan
At HOUSEFIT, we believe that nutrition is integral to achieving your fitness goals. That’s why we’ve included nutrition coaching in every one of our personal training programs.
Our personal trainers have the expert knowledge required to get you the results you’re looking for. So, whether you’re aiming to lose weight, recover from an injury, or bulk up, custom meal plans from our trainers are easy to follow. Their support doesn’t end when you leave our gym- they’re with you every step of the way.
To get started, contact us today to get a free 90-minute assessment.