Fitness Friday: Goals, Temptations — It's Close

Fitness Friday: Eat According to Your Goals

What does this rule mean to you?

Here are a few guidelines:

1. Protein for Muscles: Less is More
If your attempting to gain muscle mass, a common mistake is to eat too much protein. Protein is thermogenic. It aids in burning more calories. The body can't digest more than 25-30 grams of protein at one time. So when you drink a shake that contains 40-50 grams of protein your body gets rid of the excess, as waste.

2. Protein for Weight Loss: More is Better
For those who are eating for weight loss, more protein may do the trick. Consuming too many carbohydrates may spike blood glucose levels. This causes the body to produce more insulin, which is what dictates how the cells store fat. Shoot for 55-60 percent of your calories coming from protein.

3. Stay Ahead of the Eating Curve
With practice, you will be able to time your meals to every four hours or so. Although this may sound counterproductive for weight loss, it's not — eating smaller meals more often during the day provides more energy during the day and allows you to burn extra calories.

4. Stay Hydrated
Along with meals be sure to drink plenty of fluids. Your body will have a tough time digesting food, and keeping your energy stores up if it's not properly hydrated.

Fitness Friday: Know Where You're Going