WaterFilter.com

Seven Habits of Highly Healthy Eaters

"What exercises can I do to ... ? As fitness professional I hear these words often. It doesn't matter if the sentence ends with, "get bigger muscles", "firm up my butt" or "flatten my stomach". My initial response is always the same. "Well, what are you eating? In terms of physical fitness exercise is only part of the equation. Proper nutrition is vital regardless of the specific fitness goal.

If you want to maintain energy levels, achieve or maintain optimal weight and lower risk of disease, a healthy diet is imperative. It doesn't matter if your goal is fat loss, body shaping, mass building, improved athletic performance or just maintaining a healthy lifestyle; the following tips will help build healthy habits that will allow you to fine tune your body and feel great.

1. Eat 5 - 6 Smaller Meals a Day.

This practice will allow your body to utilize the food you eat more efficiently. More of your food will be used for providing energy, building muscle and maintaining healthy tissue, while less will be stored as fat. If your goal is weight loss, this is a great way to reduce calories without loosing energy or feeling hungry. If you are looking to gain lean muscle mass, eating more frequent meals will allow you to take in an increased number of calories without feeling stuffed. This will also insure that the vital muscle building nutrients will be available when your body needs them. Regardless of your fitness goal, eating 5 - 6 smaller meals a day will get your metabolism firing on all cylinders and give you the energy needed to reach your goals.

2. Do Not Skip Meals.

Skipping meals often leads to extreme hunger which can lead to "binge" type eating. The body can only process and utilize so much food at a time. It doesn't matter if you're only eating one or two meals a day. If you eat too much at any given meal, much of what the body doesn't use will be stored as fat. Here's another important reason not to skip meals. Depriving the body of vital nutrients often leaves one feeling tired and unmotivated (a real workout killer.)

3. Eat Real Food.

Our bodies are designed to metabolize food! Unfortunately the food industry has turned our bodies into chemical processing plants. Grocery store shelves are littered with food products containing non-food additives that are used to color, sweeten, stabilize, emulsify, bleach, flavor and preserve the food. The FDA lists approximately 2800 international food additives and about 3,000 chemicals, which are added to our food. Avoid foods that claim to be "enriched." The only reason processed foods are enriched in the first place is because their process has stripped them of virtually all their vital nutrients. Stick with whole foods including a good variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats.

4. Read Food Labels.

To be sure you're making good food choices, read food labels. Look at the ingredients, the main ingredients are listed first. If the first few ingredients on the label include processed sugar (i.e. high-fructose corn syrup.) or saturated fat or trans–fatty acids (coconut oil, palm kernel oil, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil, vegetable shortening), you may do well to make another food choice.

5. Pay Attention to Serving Sizes.

Pay attention to serving sizes, it's easy to over load. Weighing and measuring food is a good way to assure you are taking in the proper amount of calories and nutrients. This is especially important if you are on a weight loss or a weight gain program.

6. Eat Slowly and Chew Food Thoroughly.

Chewing food thoroughly aids in digestion, thus reducing the time it takes for vital nutrients to become available for use by your body. Eating slowly gives the stomach time it needs to tell the brain it's full. Taking your time to eat your meal is especially helpful if you are on a reduced calorie diet. It will allow you to eat less, yet still feel satiated.

7. Keep a Food Journal.

Write down everything you eat and drink. Initially include serving sizes along with the number of calories, as well as the amount of macronutrients (fats, proteins and carbohydrates). This will make you conscious of everything you eat while you become educated on the components of a healthy diet. If you are not making satisfactory progress towards your goals, your food journal can provide valuable information needed to make necessary adjustments.

Bill Scibetta, RN, NSCA-CPT
Bill is the founder and President of Precision Fitness – Personal Training Centers in the Charlotte, NC area and co-author of the book Play Better Longer! – Peak Performance and Injury Prevention for Golf. Bill is a licensed Registered Nurse as well as a National Strength and Conditioning Association – Certified Personal Trainer. After spending years practicing in the specialty of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, Bill has dedicated his career to helping individuals identify and overcome obstacles that stand in the way of optimal wellness and peak physical performance.

For more information visit http://www.lakenormanfitness.com

MORE ARTICLES:

Rain Bird Opens Call for 2008 Intelligent Use of Water(TM) Award Nominations: Second Annual Award Seeks Nominations of "Difference-Makers" Whose L
Rain Bird Corporation, the leading manufacturer and provider of irrigation products and services, is seeking nominations for the 2008 Intelligent Use of Water Award, which recognizes persons or organizations whose innovation, leadership, ingenuity and overall commitment to improved landscape water efficiency has raised the standard for outdoor water conservation.

Good Things Brewing: Fulcrum Events Acquires the Canadian Coffee & Tea Expo
Fulcrum Events announces the purchase of the Canadian Coffee & Tea Expo from event founder and President Vida Radovanovic. The trade forum, the largest of its kind in Canada, features companies displaying products from across North America and around the world. The show also offers educational and business building seminars to seasoned operators, as well as entrepreneurs looking to enter the Coffee & Tea shop or restaurant business

Water Park Feature Arrives at Three Myrtle Beach Resorts
The Myrtle Beach Hotels family of resorts introduces the “Silly Sub,” our newest interactive water adventure, now available at the Litchfield Beach and Golf Resort, Compass Cove Myrtle Beach Resort and the Long Bay Resort. As you relax by the surrounding shallow-depth pool, your kids’ imaginations will soar as they “man the controls” of the Silly Sub steering wheel, bark out orders through the netted portholes or simply splash their way through five water-sprayed entries.

Tips for a Healthy Holiday Season From Fitness Expert David Berger
It really is possible to keep your health goals on track during the hectic holiday season. Fitness guru David Berger offers five simple tricks that work. Berger has also created a free, downloadable "holiday meltdown" Exercast of three beginner's exercises that can help people feel great throughout the season.

The Benefits Of Keeping A Healthy Body
When a body is fit, it can handle the everyday stresses of life and helps maintain both physical and mental health. A fit body requires proper diet, regular exercise, and habits of moderation. Nutrition involves providing the body with the nutrients it needs to be healthy. To do this, we need to consume the appropriate foods, vitamins, and minerals. Being fit also means having good spiritual health. When all the body?s processes function at their peak levels, we say a body is fit. It takes more than simply going to the gym and taking occasional walks in the park.

Healthy Brain - Happy Brain!
In this article today I want to share with you, my 3 top tips to look after your brain. The brain is one of those organs in the body that we can tend to forget when it comes to fitness. Ask yourself ? ?Have you neglected the grey matter for too long?? If so, these tips will help your brain get into great shape in a very short period of time. Go easy on yourself - instead of trying to implement them all today, why not try and work them into you schedule over the coming days or even over the next fortnight.

Heart Healthy
"Open your heart to me, my own," whispers Grandmother Growth so softly you aren't certain you hear her. "Open the wisdom way of compassion here in your heart and draw me inside.

Wake Up and Smell the Coffee: Arts Patrons Prefer Online Marketing
A survey of arts patrons shows that many prefer web-based marketing to traditional offline media. Of those arts patrons who responded to the survey, 52% said they spend more time on average on the internet and less time with radio, television, newspapers and magazines, stating they would rather receive marketing emails directly from arts venues or visit a production's web site.

Find Out If Purchasing A Refurbished Tankless Water Heater Is A Wise Decision
While smart consumers do all they can to save money, the quest for the lowest cost can sometimes lead you to making a decision that isn?t in your best interest. Sadly, this is a common mistake that many of us have had to learn the hard way. In the case of a tankless water heater, the lowest priced deal is generally not the best purchase for you to make. You want to ensure the unit is going to be safe for your family as well as perform properly.

Lg Appliances | Vacuum Cleaners For A Clean Home
Manufacturers of manual labor economy appliances have been showing prospective changes in fulfilling the dreams of the people by producing latest home appliances since the beginning of the century Up to date equipments have advanced to the position where the home of the expectations has become a possible preference for today

The Mcdonalds Coffee Case
In one of the most widely misreported and misunderstood cases in recent memory, a Albuquerque, New Mexico jury awarded 79 year-old Stella Liebeck $2.9 million for severe burns suffered after she spilled a cup of McDonald's coffee, which she had placed between her knees.

DS Waters Announces Creation of Unified National Coffee Service
Bottled water company to bring all regional coffee service providers under the new name Roast2Coast.

The Bunn Coffee Maker Leads The Way In Variety And Style
It was 50 years ago that the Bunn-O-Matic Corporation began its history of manufacturing its Bunn coffee maker for restaurants and homes around the world. The company, founded in 1957, manufactures is headquartered in Springfield, Illinois. With the incredible rise in popularity of coffee and coffee products, the Bunn coffee maker has become an essential home appliance.

Keeping Your Baby Healthy? Watch What They Drink
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends to wait at least six (6) months before introducing juice to your infant, and preferably one whole year.