Well, I'm officially on my way to being a Certified Personal Trainer. I'm taking a class at one of our local gyms here in Anchorage, and so far it's amazing. We met with a registered dietitian on Thursday, and it was a fantastic two hours of discussing nutrition. I took away some great points about nutrition, and one of those was the fear of carbohydrates.
It's hard to not be weary of carbohydrates with all of the hype around them. People worry about eating fruit because of the carbs, people forgo bread because of the carbs. People want results and they want them now so they go to the extreme and cut out the carbs. I've been there. I tried the South Beach Diet in college. I made it a week and a half, and finally had to stop because I was having trouble concentrating in class or even understanding basic concepts. Write a paper? Not happening. When I bailed on the South Beach, I joked that I had to stop because it made me stupid. That's not as outlandish a statement as I previously thought.
Carbohydrates are THE energy source for your brain. Yep. And not only that, carbs are the primary energy source for your working muscles, ensure your nervous system is functioning properly and helps the body use body fat more efficiently. Want a good workout? Grab your carbs as they are the primary source of fuel for your workouts. Seriously. Keep this range in mind: 55-65%. That's the range of your caloric intake that should be from carbohydrates.
Mind you, these should be good carbohydrates, i.e., oatmeal, whole grains, whole grain bread/pasta, fruits & veggies. If you want to cut out carbs, the cut out the white bread, white flour, overly processed cookies as those really don't offer any nutritional value. Don't fear carbs, just be smart about 'em. :)
Happy Tuesday!
Court
It's hard to not be weary of carbohydrates with all of the hype around them. People worry about eating fruit because of the carbs, people forgo bread because of the carbs. People want results and they want them now so they go to the extreme and cut out the carbs. I've been there. I tried the South Beach Diet in college. I made it a week and a half, and finally had to stop because I was having trouble concentrating in class or even understanding basic concepts. Write a paper? Not happening. When I bailed on the South Beach, I joked that I had to stop because it made me stupid. That's not as outlandish a statement as I previously thought.
Carbohydrates are THE energy source for your brain. Yep. And not only that, carbs are the primary energy source for your working muscles, ensure your nervous system is functioning properly and helps the body use body fat more efficiently. Want a good workout? Grab your carbs as they are the primary source of fuel for your workouts. Seriously. Keep this range in mind: 55-65%. That's the range of your caloric intake that should be from carbohydrates.
Mind you, these should be good carbohydrates, i.e., oatmeal, whole grains, whole grain bread/pasta, fruits & veggies. If you want to cut out carbs, the cut out the white bread, white flour, overly processed cookies as those really don't offer any nutritional value. Don't fear carbs, just be smart about 'em. :)
Happy Tuesday!
Court
2 comments:
Personal trainer?!? Well that is just all kinds of fun! I'm so proud of you!
Thanks! I'm really excited about it! :)
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