Getting Fit
Getting and staying fit is a laudable goal, but there are many pitfalls along the way. With my little one moving from toddlerhood into childhood, I have a bit more time to think about losing the dad bod I’ve acquired over the last couple of years. So recently I’ve joined a gym, gotten my bike out of the shed, taken stock of my current diet and eating habits, and looked at some supplements to help me get the most out of my workout time. But it’s a confusing landscape, and habits die hard. So here are a few things helping me along my way; hopefully they will help you along yours.
Basic Nutrition
Firstly, there is basic nutrition. Energy is required for every single process in your body, from running to breathing to blinking to thinking. No energy = no life. Mainly, your body uses sugar as a fuel source, but it can use fat and protein too. Everybody process - from digesting to mounting an immune response to flexing your arm - requires vast numbers of chemicals made from the so-called macronutrients - proteins, fats, carbohydrates, as well as vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, and phytonutrients. The more varied a diet the better it will meet the body’s nutritional needs.
The human body is incredibly adaptable - part of why we as a species have been so successful - and will press into service compounds and substances that are less than ideal for, or even downright unsuitable for, the purpose in order to survive. Take fats. Cell membranes need to be flexible in order to control movement in and out of them, and to move as the body does, and fat is a vital component of a functional membrane. Transfats produce stiffened and misshapen membranes, and are difficult for the body to get rid of once the cell has had its day. They are unsuitable for membrane making, but, in the absence of other materials, the body will use them and things will go along more or less normally for a while. Too many of these substandard membranes and you start to get inflammation setting in; eventually the body is unable to compensate, and things go seriously wrong. But that can take a long time. So, when you (or I, in this case) decide to start being fitter as well as healthier, it is going to take a while. I need to make sure that I am getting my macronutrients - fats, proteins, carbohydrates, as well as adequate micronutrients, to both meet my current need and slowly replace the rubbish materials my body has had to use to maintain itself.
For good basic nutrition, eat a diet with rainbow vegetables and fruits, varied whole grains, modest portions of protein from varied sources, and uncooked healthy fats from nuts and seeds. In addition, especially if your diet has hitherto not been stellar, consider a good quality multivitamin from Viridian, Nature’s Plus, or Wild Nutrition.
Calories
We pretty much all know about counting calories, and that if you burn more than you take in, you lose weight. But, a calorie from white sugar and a calorie from kale, for example, are not the same. While that might seems obvious, let’s break it down. A calorie from kale comes with fibre to keep your digestion working well and to moderate blood sugar; anti-oxidants including lutein and zeaxanthin, beneficial for for eye health; nutrients including potassium, calcium, iron, zinc, phosphorus, and sulphur; vitamins including A, B, C, and K; essential fatty acids (omega oils); and protein (1.3g per 10 calories). A calorie from white sugar, say in a chocolate chip cookie, comes with trans fats (created by heating fats - even “healthy” ones - during baking); sodium; and, thanks to the egg, minuscule amounts of protein, B vitamins, and trace minerals. Sugar is calorifically dense. You get nearly 4 calories from a single gram, whereas there is 2g of kale to a calorie. If we scale that up, in a 110 calorie chocolate chip cookie (one homemade Toll House cookie - I’ve done the math), you are getting the previously mentioned transfats, and less than 4% of your daily intake of protein, fibre, sodium, iron, and vitamin A. The same 110 calories of kale will give you less sodium than the cookie, plus 30% of your daily potassium and calcium, 20% of your iron, 12% of your fibre, 600% of your vitamin A, 450% of your vitamin C, and so on. A calorie is not just a calorie; there is a great deal (or not) that it is dragging along with it. So, the first important step in fitness is making health promoting choices. You cannot nourish your body or perform well in any lasting way living on chocolate chip cookies.
A bit more about sugar:
The UK recommended daily intake of sugar (simple carbs) is a maximum of 90g (200g in the US), and that includes all sources of sugar - fruit, vegetables, milk, honey, molasses, and refined sugars. Carbohydrates as a group - from potatoes, root vegetables, grains, beans, peas, etc. - come in at 260g in the UK and 250g in the US. But back to 90g. That’s not a lot. Apples, for example, contain about 12% sugar on average and a big one will get up to 20-25g of sugars. Not to say you shouldn’t eat apples, you should, but the point is that your sugar quotient for the day can easily come entirely from the fruits and vegetables you eat. Ideally, it would. But this is not an ideal world.
So let’s talk about those enticing protein bars they sell at the gym, the ones with forceful fonts and flavours like caramel toffee and chocolate peanut butter. The ones that let you think they are healthy, foods that taste like candy but are actually stern and sober protein. They’re not. They are in fact candy bars with protein thrown in, and the vaguely unpleasant dirt-like taste just keeps the illusion going. Mutton dressed as lamb dressed as mutton. Sugar, rice syrup, evaporated cane juice, and other guises of refined sugar, litter the ingredient lists, along with whey protein. If you really fancy a Mars Bar, have one, but don’t eat rubbish-dressed-as-healthy-dressed-as-rubbish.
Back to sugar. Sugar is a big problem partly because it is in so many things. Studies abound linking sugar consumption with obesity, cancer, heart and vascular disease, dental problems, mental health problems, diabetes, and a host of chronic diseases. It contributes to inflammation in a big way, itself linked to the aforementioned horrors of modern life. It ages your body. It contributes to premature morbidity and death. And all that is with moderate consumption. Ideally, we would avoid it altogether, but to be totally sugar free is rather unsociable and more than most people are prepared to do. Artificial sweeteners also have a great deal to answer for.
Reducing our taste for sweets, rather than replacing them with cheap and equally dangerous imitations, is the best course. So make it count. Bake cookies with your children on a rainy Sunday and enjoy them still melty and warm from the oven. Don’t buy sad packaged biscuits that taste of dextrose and mediocrity. Food is one of life’s great pleasures; make it so.
Protein
When you hear the words “nutrition” and “fitness” you might think “protein”. I do. Protein is a mainstay of the fitness set., and rightly so. It aids tissue repair, so the tiny tears and injuries that accrue as part of simply using your body can heal better and faster. Protein also helps build and maintain muscle mass, so if you want to increase or maintain muscle strength, protein is essential. If you do have an injury, protein helps it heal. And, protein helps improve overall performance - strength, efficiency, and recovery times. If you’re getting fit, protein is a vital part of the journey.
Whey protein is the gold standard. It is well studied, and as an animal protein, it contains all the essential amino acids, including the BCAAs (Branched Chain Amino Acids), as they are called, a group of amino acids essential for protein synthesis and muscle growth. Whey protein comes in several forms, including isolate, concentrate, and hydrolysate, and is quite cheap for manufacturers. Whey is a by-product of cheesemaking - essentially an industrial waste, marketed as healthy, and giving gym goers terrible wind, cramps, and high cholesterol, along with nice bods. Like sugar, it doesn’t add much nutrition besides the amino acids. But you can do better. Rice protein blows whey out of the water for most nutrients, including the vital BCAAs, but rice has the unfortunate habit of collecting arsenic. As the plant grows, it pulls up silica compounds from the soil, and arsenic compounds, being very similar in structure, also get pulled up. So it is best to blend the rice with other things. A blend of brown rice, pumpkin seed, and pea proteins, provides a very good mix of nutrients when compared to whey, and won’t overload you with arsenic. You may have to make up the equal parts mix yourself, but the individual powders are fairly inexpensive and available from bulk health food suppliers.
As a supplement, protein mixed into a shake or smoothies is great post workout to boost muscle repair and building. If you are using the plant sources, it also provides the electrolytes lost while sweating, so you recover faster and rehydrate better. There are many plant-based protein powders available; Sunwarrior are some of the best, being organic, spouted to further boost nutritional value as well as absorbability, and well researched.
Water
The courses of your body run with water. Water carries nutrients to your cells, carries wastes away from them, delivers oxygen, removes carbon dioxide, lubricates your tissues so they move freely, permits the efficient movement of immune cells both on patrol and when fighting infection, permits the removal of wastes from the digestive tract and through the kidneys, and keeps the body from overheating. You are mostly water. Drinking enough of it is absolutely vital for good health, both in and out of the gym. But in the gym, doubly so, because you lose water when you sweat, and with exercise your cells generate a lot of metabolic wastes from increased activity, and they need water to get out of your body. So keeping properly hydrated is very very important. If you know you don’t drink enough water, keep track over your next few workout of your bench marks. Then make an extra effort and notice how much more you can do and how much better you perform. Dehydration is a real thing. Aim to drink 2 litres of water a day, more when exercising, and drink when you are thirsty. As you begin to take in adequate water, you will start to get thirstier and drink more without effort. Caffein, alcohol, and sugar are dehydrating and do not count; you will need to compensate for tea, coffee, alcohol, energy drinks, sodas, etc.
Herbal tea, hot or cold, is a great way to both up your water intake and get your herbs. Think about Chamomile, Fennel, Nettle, Dandelion, and Hibiscus-containing fruit teas that tend to be red and tart, post workout and as part of a healthy lifestyle. They all help to reduce inflammation and aid the removal of cellular wastes. Our Ramblers Tea, with anti-inflammatory and gently pain relieving herbs, and plants that help detoxification, is formulated especially for use after vigorous exercise to aid recovery and mitigate pain.
Other Measures
To get an extra boost of micronutrients over and above your healthy diet, consider adding a green powder such as spirulina, chlorella, wheat or barley grass, or a superfood blend such as NitroGreens to your smoothie. Useful powders to add nutrition include maca root, raw cacoa, blueberry, cherry, and other brightly coloured fruits. Other tasty additions to your diet can be turmeric lattes (delicious gently spicy milk drinks - use almond or coconut milk for added nutrients); homemade protein snacks made from superfood powders and nut butter with optional additions of dried fruits and whole grain oats; and fermented foods like kombucha and kefir.
Get enough sleep. It sounds trite and obvious, but you cannot perform well, in the gym, at work, or in life, without having slept. Sleeping allows your body, mind, and emotions, the time to heal themselves and integrate the experiences of the day. If you have trouble sleeping, exercise is one of the best cures for insomnia. If you are still struggling even after starting an energetic workout routine, try that Chamomile tea again at bed time. Other herbal choices include teas of Lemonbalm, Limeflower, Lemon Verbena (Lippia citriodora, often called by its French name vervain - not to be confused with the bitter-tasting medicinal herb called vervain in English, Verbena officinalis), Passionflower, our Sleep Tea blend, or our Sweet Sleeps herbal formula.
Relax, destress daily, and get some time away from your gadgets. Social media is stressful, interesting though it may be, and the constant need to be available to everyone all the time is deleterious to one’s health. We need time for ourselves, to look after our own physical, mental and emotional needs. Time out is a very important part of our health-promoting self care. Get some offline self care time everyday.
Being healthy is an ongoing and dynamic process, but with some attention paid to diet and nutrition, adequate hydration, and a few key lifestyle points, we can all enjoy both fitness and good health. Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s a sunny day and I’m off for walk.