Current trends show damaging calorie diets (i.e. low calorie, crash diets) disrupt the balance of crucial systems of the body. To prevent such negative occurrence, we can look to effective coaching, exercise and nutritional support to serve the body and mind.
Exercise alone is less effective than diet and exercise combined. It is incredibly beneficial for fitness professionals to know the client’s goals and a client’s limiting factor(s) towards goal achievements. Having this awareness gives clear direction for the professional coach to offer advice to concerning clients.
Here we discuss important factors that may affect the prescription and outcome of nutritional advice given to clients.
Body Type
Varying ethnicities, somatotypes and genotypes present a real challenge to the professional in prescribing exercise and nutrition concerning individual requirements and limitations. However, these physiological imbalances impede results and should not be used as an overall excuse for non-implementation of strategic nutritional planning long term for optimal health development.
Mindset
A significant factor in the dieting realm is the mindset of both client and coach. Mindset is believed to be drawn from experience, often from the competitive domain, and with this experience, a positive attitude needs to be repeatedly implemented daily. This ensures nutritional intake becomes as habitual as getting ready in the morning. A positive mindset will positively affect decision-making, leading to benefits physiologically, psychologically and emotionally.
Nutrition
Nutrition is widely considered of paramount importance for a client in meeting their goals optimally. Without adequate nutritional support, performance will be affected. Poor nutrition will always hold an individual back regardless of plans or training.
Once the limiting factors have been considered, then a nutritional plan should be designed with the correct mindset to implement a fundamental change. As many variable(s) are considered when writing a nutritional plan, here are some tips on planning a primary food plan.
A Nutritional Plan Should
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Be sustainable for both the individual and the environment.
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Ensure that health, body composition, and performance makers are achievable.
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Provide nutrient density.
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Control homeostatic responses (calories in, calories out).
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Even be able to contain a cheat day
Basic Food Knowledge Tips For Non-Dieters Attaining A Better Quality Of Life:
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If a food’s ingredient list looks more like a chemistry lab (guar gum, Xanthium gum, ammonium sulphate) than your grandmother’s pantry / spice rack then DON’T eat it.
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Sugar is simply sugar and any ingredient list with an ‘ose’ at the end (fructose, dextrose etc). Any foods that contain these within the top 3 on the ingredient list should not be regularly consumed within an eating plan.
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Try to encourage foods that have an ingredient list of 6 or less, and are unprocessed.
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If they don’t come with an ingredient list but could run, swim, fly and have a face, they should be okay. If they have none of these, then make sure they are organic and naturally processed.
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‘Good’ foods don’t need to advertise themselves as good – it’s marketing jargon that we see every day to promote an inadequate product that is supposed to give us more effective nutritional content.
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Stay away from imitation foods and buzz words that marketing campaigners choose to use to entice the consumer, such as sugar-free, low calorie and lite, think of these as chemical broth, as these foods will no doubt be worse than the original you were about to buy.
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