Nutrition:

Nutrition (n): The process of nourishing or being nourished, especially the process by which a living organism assimilates food and uses it for growth and for replacement of tissue. [American Heritage Dictionary, 2nd Edition].

I wanted to include a definition of the word Nutrition to show you that this very basic definition does not come close to the importance that diet plays in the health, appearance, performance, and well-being of an individual. There are many advantages, you the client will achieve with the proper nutrition:

• > Quicker results with the combination of exercise
  > Improve over-all health
  > Improve athletic performance
  > Reduce the risk of disease and illness
  > Increase energy levels
  > Favorably alter body compositions
  

Think of your body as a high performance sports car. If you were to put regular gasoline (the cheaper stuff) in your car, what do you think would happen? Your sports car probably isn’t going to perform that way it was intended. Sure it will run, but at what costs? If you continued to put regular gasoline in your sports car, think about the potential short term damage as well as the long term you could be causing to your very expensive sports car.

Our bodies are going to respond the same way to a poor nutrition diet, as a sports car is going to respond to the cheaper unleaded gas. If you continue to eat poor nutritional foods, your body is going to respond in ways you may not want it to. You will experience weight gain. You take the risk of getting sick more often. Your energy levels are going to be lower. And you might even feel moodier, as your body is trying to adjust to the chemical imbalances within your body.

• PROTEIN:
• > Number one function-build and repair body tissues and structures.
  > Involved in the combination of the body’s hormones, enzymes and other regulatory peptides.
  > Found in almost every food source from meats, fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products and even taken as supplements.
  > Has been proven to aid in satiety or the feeling of “fullness”
  
  
• CARBOHYDRATES:
• > Main source of energy for all body function and muscular exertion
  > Help regulate the digestion and utilization of protein and fat
  > Also known as sugar, starches and fiber
  > Adds variety, valuable nutrients and volume to the diet
  
  
• FIBER:
  > Lower incidence of heart disease and certain type of cancers
  > Increases the satiety value of foods (feeling fullness)
  > Prevents constipation / establishes regular bowel movements
  > Helps to prevent the risk of colon cancer
  > Regulates the body’s absorption of glucose or sugar
  
  
• FATS (LIPIDS):
  > Most concentrated source of energy in the diet
  > Acts as carriers for the vitamins A,D,E and
  > Aids in the absorption of calcium
  > Insulates the body from environmental temperature changes and preserves body heat
  

Eating “healthy” doesn’t mean you must starve yourself or just eat salads and bird-size portions. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Eating “healthy” is all about balance.

When you make your food choices, you want to make sure you are getting the proper amounts of proteins, carbohydrates, fiber and fats. It’s not rocket science. Do not be intimidated! However, it does take some general knowledge of how all these components work together to allow you to optimize your health and fitness goals.

Together, we can discuss some of the many varieties and combinations of food selections out there. You are not alone. We are here to help you achieve and succeed at your health and fitness goals.

There is no time like the present. Do not wait and put this off until next month or next year. Haven’t you waited long enough? You deserve to be fit. You deserve to be healthy. And most of all, you deserve to be happy.