Jes Reynolds…Your Fitness Coach

Of course it’s important to know which workout ideas will help you achieve your goals, but sometimes the most valuable gym tips are those you’ll use when you’re living life outside the gym.  If you truly want to succeed, learning to create a healthy nutrition menu that considers your specific goals is a must.

Define your goal

It’s important to realize that a nutrition plan for a marathon runner is going to be entirely different than a plan for weight loss, bodybuilding, or sprint distances and recommendations should be tailored to your body and the responses you see and feel after shifting your nutrition.

Once you’ve determined your goal, make sure it’s defined clearly, using S.M.A.R.T. Goals is the method I recommend using to ensure goals set properly.

Create a step-by-step plan to achieve your goal

Like we’ve talked about in previous posts, effective goal achievment happens when you break your goal down into increments and work one step at a time towards the final result. Studies show that one reason diets fail is the lack of sustainability over time.

S.M.A.R.T. Goal Nutrition Example

A common goal among fitness enthusiasts is to lose 10 lbs. Basically, this is a smart goal, but it doesn’t include a time factor. Let’s use the example of wanting to lose 10 lbs in 8 weeks as a goal. Next, we create a map that leads us to that goal. While exercise will be a significant contributor to acheiving success, learning to create a healthy nutrition menu is paramount.

First, determine your current caloric intake.  Second, create a food log and track what and how much you eat for the first week.  Ad at least 3 20 minute workouts per week.  Cut out pop, juice, and late night snacks.  Follow these guidelines for 3 weeks and assess your results.  Did you lose weight?  Did you gain weight?  Once you understand your response to making a few small changes, you can adjust your healthy eating plan and exercise activities to accomplish more.  Remember to stop and asses the effect of the changes you’ve made before continuing forward for the entire 6 weeks.

I’ve also written an article that explains the importance of creating a healthy nutrition menu and why it’s one of the most important gym tipsyou can utilize.  Educating yourself in the subjects of nutrition and exercise will propell you forward so I encourage you to read this and offer me feedback or questions if you have them.