Spoiler alert: Not really.
If you are lucky and you are under 25, your body lets you get away with fast food, sugars, takeaway meals, too much alcohol, and a lack of sleep – as long as you exercise.
But our body needs a bit more strategic help once we get older. If you enjoy being active, are out and about, hit the gym or run 5 times a week that’s brilliant – keep going! But if your recovery times seem to be endless, your energy levels are low even though you had enough sleep and you are struggling to gain muscle mass, you should look into your diet.
A young body can not only recover from strenuous exercise a lot quicker, it can do this whilst being fed an unhealthy diet. Most young people can pretty much train every day of the week and eat unhealthy foods, and they will still feel reasonably well. But don’t expect this to last.
If you are serious about your training, you should be serious about your nutrition.
I always encourage my clients to be as active as possible within their abilities. You will see experience so many benefits! But I still consider exercise almost more important for your mind than for your body: it simply makes your feel good and it sets your mind up for a healthier way of life.
And because wellbeing starts with the brain, getting your mindset right is your first step!
No matter if you are training to achieve better mental health or physical wellbeing, exercise and nutrition go hand in hand: Eat well, train well, get your mindset right and our performance will increase, you will need less recovery time and you will feel better. You will support your immune system and can forget about the usual infections in winter; your energy levels will increase and so will your body’s ability to gain and maintain muscle mass.
Find a plan that fits your lifestyle. Determine the reason why you eat well and work out: thoughts lead to beliefs, and beliefs lead to changes.
Don’t think in weeks, think in years. This is not a 6-week programme, this is your life!
Be consistent and be patient: train hard and eat the right foods at the right times. Focus on progress.
Change your habits and thoughts around food, exercise and you will see results. I see them every day in the people I work with.
Get in touch if you would like to become a corporate Athlete!
