FOOD FOR THOUGHT: CAN WE HAVE OUR CAKE AND EAT IT?

Food is truly wonderful and a huge part of life for us; in my experience as a fitness, nutrition and pole coach BALANCE generally wins when it comes to longer lasting results (and happy humans who love their lifestyle and don t feel restricted)

But can we really have our cake and eat it? Yes I believe you can, but best in moderation

I like to think of the 80-20 approach when it comes to so many things in life, health and fitness and it can also be a really effective approach to apply to your nutrition too.

Think about this: Should we work at our careers every single day even if it means on paper we could earn more money and achieve more? Hell no – because in reality we would lose focus, be less creative, burn out and probably achieve much less than if we work for 5 days and rest for 2 for example.

Should we go to the gym and lift weights every single day of the week – probably not – in fact certainly not if growing muscle and getting strong is your goal – rest and recovery is so important – and its been proven that muscle growth and strength gains are higher when we take adequate rest each week (and depending on the person and their lifestyle and goals 1-3 days rest a week is optimal)

So the point is – shouldn't we have a similar approach to our nutrition and lifestyle in general instead of starting a ‘diet’ and going cold turkey on all the soul foods we adore and social occasions that make our souls happy?

When thinking about nutrition being ‘strict’ all week and then going bananas at the weekend (all these food puns!) might not be the best approach because you could feel very sluggish on Monday morning. In my experience working with clients instead of cutting out everything you love on day 1 that might be a little processed (and reaching for the chicken, rice and broccoli diet) including those soul foods that you just adore in moderation throughout the week – perhaps thinking of healthier versions – can be a really effective (and sustainable!!) approach, just making sure that the MAJORITY of foods you consume on a weekly basis are healthy and nutritious wholefoods that are going to supply your wonderful body with the nutrients you need to feel healthy and amazing.

In short: if you love a bagel eat the bagel.

If you love a pizza  – just perhaps consider a lower calorie version to fit within your calories and so you can still fuel up on lots of highly nutritious food that day aswell so that you feel amazing. The same with sweeter foods – don t cut them out completely – have a look at wholefood alternatives – yes – but if you love a sticky toffee pudding and cream (my favourite!) – it would be a travesty to not enjoy it every so often.

Whether you’re tracking calories and macros or eating intuitively – remember food is more than just calories and macros – it’s a huge part of our lives – the foods we eat can make us feel healthy, energetic and amazing or really lethargic and rubbish if we are eating poorer quality foods constantly. But if we incorporate the wonderful approach of BALANCE – we can indeed have our cake (and broccoli!) and eat it.

If you would like any further help and guidance with your nutrition and lifestyle I would love to hear from you. Drop me an email on coachingwithkate1@gmail.com

Lots of love,

Kate xxx