Healthy Eating

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You have a new fitness goal.

You have a new workout.

You have the right clothes.

You have a new attitude.

Lets now get started on eating healthy.

If you have ever heard that you can eat whatever you want as long as you workout daily and still loose the pounds, boy are you in for a surprise. 

NEVER take advice from that person AGAIN! 

So listen up, the only way to loose the extra baggage and conquer your fitness goals is by going about it the right way.  The worst thing that anyone can do is starve themselves or work out excessively.  Your body has limits too!  And please stay away from diet pills.  They do not work.

If you think that eating a total of one meal and working out twice a day is going to help you achieve your fitness goal, you're going about it the wrong way.  

According to Epigeeforum.com, eating is an essential part of physical, emotional and mental health.  Food not only gives our body the nutrients that we need to survive, but it also helps us maintain an active lifestyle, improves our immune systems, increases our energy, improves our mood and regulates our body weight.

This is exactly what we need to achieve our fitness and health goals.

So how shall we go about it?

Let's first determine what essential nutrients we need to survive: water, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fat and protein.  

Water helps reduce the unwanted waste from our bodies, therefore drinking eight 8oz glasses a day should be an essential part of our diets.  Unfortunately, soda and other soft drinks filled with sugar will not cleanse your body.  In fact it will help replenish the unwanted waste.  This is why it is essential to stay away from soda and added sugar.

Vitamins are contained in food.  They are an essential for growth, repair and our metabolism.  Since our body cannot make vitamins themselves we have to in order to obtain them we need to go to an outside source.  Whether we find them in food or we have to taken them in supplements they are essential source of nutrients.  Fruits and veggies have a great source of vitamins.  Eating five to ten serving of fruits and veggies gives our body the necessary vitamin intake needed for a day.

Minerals help assist in many functions throughout the body.  Minerals such as carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, sodium, oxygen and so forth are building blocks of our bodily chemicals and cells.  Minerals are essential for maintaining metabolism and communications. Milk products are a great source of minerals.  Eating or drinking two to four servings of milk products everyday help provide you with the needed minerals.

Carbohydrates are one of our bodies main energy source.  There are two type of carbs as well all like to call them: simple and complex.  Simple carbs give us a quick boost of enegry after we eat them.  These carbs are found in sugar, honey, white bread, cakes pastries, candy and so forth.  These are "bad carbs" that we should typically stay away from because they contain little nutrience and only give us quick boost of energy.  On the other hand, complex carbs are digest slowly in your stomach which help you to feel fuller and are filled with essential nutrients.  These carbs are found in fruits, vegetables and whole grain products.  These are "good carbs" tend to take lots of fiber, vitamin E, magnesium and zinc.  Good carbs are found in a cup of cereal, bagel or a slice of bread.

Fats ARE an important part of our diets.  It is essential for our body because it give our muscles and brain fuel,  and it remains to be the main energy source.  Often times we perceive fat as the enemy, but without fat our body would not be able to function.

Protein helps our body repair the tissue which in turn helps build muscle.  It also helps break down the food during digestion and contains essential amino acids.  Foods that contain protein are meats and other alternatives.  Eating two to three servings of meats a day helps supplement your body with the needed protein.  Although red meat isn't always the healthiest choice of protein, it still give you the essentials needed.

Eating healthy is one thing, but if you continue to consume things such as alcohol, caffeine, salt, sodas, trans-fats and saturated fats and added sugars, you might have a harder time loosing the unwanted pounds.  Remember Satisfaction is key.  If you are happy with yourself, the world is BEAUTIFUL.  Until we live and breath again, "Let's jazzercise!"