Nutrition is the NUMERO UNO foundation for your success. It doesn't matter what your ultimate goal may be: lift more, run faster, or simply shed those pounds. If your diet is off or, to quote Branden, "not 'dialed in' you will sabotaging the wealthy payoff of your hard work."
You cannot make up with training what you mess up with bad nutrition. We train for performance, we should eat for performance. Everything you eat as part of your daily diet is a choice. Most of us unconsciously make these choices because they’ve become ingrained habits. While you are changing bad habits, you have to start consciously thinking about the choices you are making. Eventually they will become second nature. You will find that you are feeling better and have more energy, which also reinforces your good choices.
I have seen myself “cheating” more often lately. That scone, or the muffin in the morning will catch up with you, as it has caught up with me lately. So I am going back to basics and ask myself the following 4 questions before indulging in a “forbidden” food.
- Is this going to make me feel so bad that I will curse myself 30 minutes after I have eaten it?
- Do I actually want to eat this or am I just hungry?
- Is it worth halting my current progress for this meal?
- Will I regret this tomorrow?
If the answer to any of these questions is YES…then do the right thing and skip that food. You will thank yourself. I am making a commitment to be better at nutrition. For many years I was a strict vegetarian and I was very careful of what I put in my body. I avoided animal products at all costs, until I saw the light. That being said, I should be able to forego the morning muffin.
Still wondering how you should eat for performance, check the Whole30 plan
I was thinking today that is not such a bad day to write about my “paleo mistakes”. I think that it made me realize that it's not necessarily a bad thing, after all we are human and a work in progress. I think I was able to give it a positive spin and find a lesson in my cheat ; ) ... Don't beat yourself up if you get off track, just pick back up at the next meal and move forward, instead of dwelling on your nutrition mistakes!