Are you getting the right nutrition for your body?

 

5 ways your body is telling you to up your nutrition game!

 

Struggling to get up earlier to fit that work out in before the kids need you? Or is finding the energy to exercise after work impossible? Stopping cooking your healthy meals & opting for take out? Or really anxious about eating out with friends.

Eating the right foods for your body will affect all of the above issues & it’s so much more important than ‘just diet’. The key to achieving your recovery & fitness goals is in what you decide to fuel your body with – have a read & see.

 

1. If you still feel fatigue & you’re getting the recommended 7-9 hours sleep a night!

 

If you’re getting enough sleep & you’re still tired – this is a warning sign that you are not fuelling your body with the right foods! This could mean that you need to eat MORE (yes more)! OR add in some extra protein, vitamins or minerals to get you through the day. One of the most common mistakes people make when trying to exercise & lose weight is stop eating OR eat ‘healthy’ fast food that doesn’t really give your body everything it needs!

TIP: Make sure you’re eating a portion of protein at every snack & meal, for example, a boiled egg or a protein shake for a mid-morning snack OR an apple & cashew butter in the afternoon. Include proteins into your main meals so you have a plate full of protein, veg, healthy fats & carbs too!

 

2. Sugar Cravings!

 

You’re starving, tired & craving something sweet, before you know it you’re three biscuits down & you don’t feel any better, & in an hour’s time your insulin levels have crashed again and you crave even more sugar. This starts a really unhealthy cycle which prevents you eating the right foods to build muscle & lose fat if you want to. When you’re having sugar cravings it means you’re not eating the right food – you’re eating too much sugar OR too much hidden sugar in ‘healthy’ convenience food OR you’re not eating enough at meal times or snack times.

 

DID YOU KNOW? Not only is sugar bad for your body but it’s bad for your skin, stress levels, fatigue levels & your sex drive. Replace sugary snacks with proteins & fresh fruit & veg.

 

3. You plan your days around food OR avoid going to social events due to anxiety around food!

 

When you start to put food above all else it shows that you might be developing an unhealthy relationship with it & becoming too restrictive. There are a lot of emotional & social aspects related to meals that are really good for our mental health & a well-balanced diet is really important. Its important to not make it the top priority all the time & enjoy going out for meals or having treats at home too.

 

TIP: Make sure you plan treat meals in to your weekly planner to make sure your having the best of both worlds.

 

4. You are hangry. A LOT.

 

Once your body digests the nutrients you put in it & they’re not replaced, the brain struggles to maintain a calm balance – thus making you irritable. If you find yourself snapping or getting angry more often – try adding small snacks into your day to hold off the hanger moments (we’ve all been there).

 

5. Not seeing the progress/gains you would like?

 

This is actually pretty common & totally overlooked. If you’re looking to build muscle or lose fat – a diet high in protein is essential to repair those muscles & encourage the body to burn fat & not just the intake of carbohydrates it receives from your diet. It’s also really important to eat you’re 5 a day as the minerals & vitamins found in fruit and veg are imperative to your bodies recovery & repair, which is what allows you to build muscle, increase your metabolic rate & burn fat.

 

TIP: Check out our recipe guides for some go to meals & our C-section guide for more in-depth info on postnatal nutrition!