Nutrition - Performance Nutrition

If you are trying to build up muscle or burn off the fat and your eating habits
are not optimal... this letter is for you. It's the 4 (four) Rules of
Nutrition.

Normally I don't like to use the word 'rule' as it sounds like I'm being an
absolutist and it's my way or the highway. That isn't how I mean it at all.
But generally speaking, if you aren't doing these 4 things when it comes to
nutrition, you will not succeed at your performance goals.

What exactly is a rule?

"A generalized statement that describes what is true in most or all cases" -
Dictionary.com

For starters, I've been receiving a whole lot of emails recently from people who
are desperate to build muscle quickly or to burn off some fat for an event
(wedding comes to mind). These people don't track what they eat and have no
idea about what to eat, when to eat or why eating
frequently would be something they would even want to do.

More often then not, when you mention frequent eating, the first response goes
like, "There's no way I can eat 5-6 big meals a day!"

Frankly, if you are not following these simple rules, it's not really shocking
you aren't getting to where you want.

[Print this letter out NOW before you forget and for 2 days, monitor your own
eating habits. If you are not following these rules, you have found a problem
that you can easily solve without spending a dime.]

:: Nutrition Rule #1 ::

Always eat at least 5 times a day. Two or three meals simply isn't enough. Two
of the meals can be considered snacks as long as the nutrition ratios are
correct as I'm about to describe in Rule 2.

Why is eating so frequently a must they ask?

* blood sugar levels will be controlled (you won't be as famished as your
friends who binge on anything in sight as they are starving*

* you will be feeding yourself protein throughout the entire day. This means
you will be anabolic and supporting muscle growth (more muscle = leaner you).
Your recovery will be better.

* body fat will not be stored but used as energy. By providing yourself with a
steady flow of required calories thru the day, your body's need to store it as
fat will be reduced. Compared this to when you eat infrequently and your body
detects this as a famine situation. At this point, too much of the food you
consume is stored as fat.

:: Nutrition Rule #2 ::

In planning each of your daily meals (or snacks), a caloric ratio of
approximately 1 part fat, 2 parts protein, and 3 parts carbohydrate is a good
place to begin. What you will see in Rule 3 below, is this is just an estimate
for average people. You can adjust this to fit your needs.
Keep in mind, you do not want to eliminate the healthy fats from your diet.

This rule preaches consuming enough protein to support muscle growth and enough
carbohydrates to ensure you have fuel for your workouts and you are able to
recovery.

Low glycemic carbs are optimal for the choices in this stage. Remember that
carbohydrates are your body's preferred fuel source!

:: Nutrition Rule #3 ::

Ask yourself, "What am I going to be doing in the next hour?" If you won't be
active, then lower the amount of carbs you consume; if you will be training,
then bump up the carbs you will consume so you'll have the energy to train.
Alter your carbohydrate intake depending on your
anticipated activities.

Remember that low glycemic carbs are optimal for pre- workout consumption.

:: Nutrition Rule #4 ::

If you want to build muscle and lose fat at the same time? Pick a new goal.

Simply put:

Building muscle requires a calorie surplus.

Burning fat requires a calorie deficit.

As you can see, clearly the goals are in conflict. And while it's true that
beginners can do both (their bodies are easily changed) the rest of you will
find this an inefficient task.

It's best to alternate periods of negative calorie balance with periods of
positive calorie balance You'll ultimately build more muscle and burn more fat
if you simply pick a single goal.

If you want to listen to a better explanation of this, feel free to crank up the
speakers and listen at:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/bodybuildinglive?m=147

:: Secret Nutrition Rule 5 ::

I'm not entirely sure I agree with this one but it does make realistic sense to
the common person who has a job, maybe married with kids and can't be a full
time cook or simply doesn't have the time to prepare foods.

This rule says that it's almost impossible to get all of the nutrients your body
needs to remain healthy and active from food alone; especially if you are on
some sort of diet. Therefore, it is important to supplement your diet with
vitamins, minerals and carefully selected supplements.

Let's get real here (I fully expect fall-out from this statement)... I'm not
preaching you HAVE to take supplements. In fact, many programs out there
including my own do not require it any way shape or form. And if you can
carefully select your foods, you will be just fine.

Personally I know of one bodybuilder who doesn't take any supplements and is
ripped to sheds and his workouts make me cry. He's dedicated and proves every
time he steps into the gym, natural, supplement-free bodybuilding is the way to
go.

But it's crazy not to at least mention the arguments for this secret nutrition
rule because as a bodybuilder myself with a life and who's occasionally time
constrained, these next points happen to most of us.

There's not a person who's reading this letter now that hasn't felt like, no
matter how hard you try, no matter how good a cook you are, or where you buy
your food:

* You cannot always eat 5-6 times a day

* There are instances when your body might need a certain substance in greater
amounts then you and provide with food alone

* Soil depletion has left some foods less nutritious then you would expect. If
you shop organic and are extremely careful in your selection, you might avoid
this but for us big stores discount shoppers, an apple isn't always an apple.

* Periods of high stress sometimes lead to higher nutrient needs without an
increase in caloric needs.

:: Additional Tips ::

* Eliminate the junk food. Refined sugars and processed foods are usually
higher in fats. Neither of these things will be beneficial to you. All these
foods really do is promote a rise in your blood sugar level and then a swift
decline. You'll end up hungrier than before.

* Drink plenty of water a day. A really quick formula is to drink 1/2 your body
weight in ounces. Drink water during the day in 15 minute increments; not all
at once. It replaces water lose from exercise and keeps you hydrated. Your body
is 55-75% water you know!

* Determine your daily protein needs. As you know, protein is required for
muscle growth. By ensuring that you are getting enough protein all throughout
the day, you will keep your nitrogen levels high and your body in a anabolic
(growth and repair) state.

* Consume foods higher in fiber. Not only does fiber help lower your
cholesterol but it helps lower the glycemic response of some meals and aids in
efficient digestion.

* Increase your lean body weight thru resistance training. The more muscle you
have, the more calories you burn. The more calories you burn, the leaner you
can be. If you want to burn more fat then build more muscle. By having more
muscle, you also strengthen joints, tendons, ligaments and bones for greater
overall health. Building muscle is a primary goal of any program! Even people
who want to burn fat should build muscle as it aids in doing exactly that.


RESOURCE BOX: To learn more about these nutrition rules and the training rules,
you'll want to see what all the fuss is about in the Beginner's Guide to Fitness
and Bodybuilding. This 250 page jam-packed book is full of insights like this
and any more that will get your the results you want today. Take a look at what
it's all about at:
http://www.beginning-bodybuilding.com