Fitness Fuel and Recovery

Proper nutrition is not just for professional athletes. The nutritional needs of active people that are committed to regular exercise and involved in a busy lifestyle, are also important. We know that the consumption of high-quality food help us perform better and regular exercise improves the body's ability to utilize the nutrients from these foods. Food provides fuel for exercise, as well as essential elements for growth, maintenance and repair of body tissues. Without the right type and amount of fuel, the body cannot perform at its peak. Meeting nutritional needs is a daily challenge as nutrition and physical conditioning go hand in hand.

People can vary in their abilities to tolerate food before exercise, so you will need to experiment with different foods and schedules. Food made up of carbohydrates feed the brain, maintain blood-glucose levels and fuel muscles that contribute to enhancing stamina and endurance. keeping hydrated with water is also of prime importance. People generally do not drink enough water because they usually rely on thirst to determine when and how much to drink. Thirst is not a good indicator, as thirst really indicates slight dehydration.

After a prolonged exercise the body is left depleted of fueled carbohydrate and/or dehydration, leaving you feeling fatigued. Some people argue that consuming carbohydrates immediately after exercise will ensure rapid recovery. Here are some helpful tips for enhancing recovery post-exercise;

Hydration - drink with the next workout in mind. Re-hydrating is a major part of post-exercise recovery.

Carbohydrates - the best tool for refuelling is carbohydrates. Its required to provide energy and refuel muscles and fluids which are most receptive to replacing depleted glycogen storage. It also helps your body begin rebuilding muscles quickly. We should consume carbohydrates before, during and after exercise to maintain performance and replenish exhausted energy reserves.

Protein - intense exercise and sports involve the breakdown of muscle tissue. Workouts that intensify can shock the body and lead to micro-tears in muscle tissue. Amino acids (the building blocks of protein) are key in repairing muscle tissue and advancing muscle development. Consider adding protein along with carbohydrates for nutrition recovery.

Antioxidants - taking an antioxidant supplement may help to destroy free radicals that cause inflammation to stressed muscles.

Also, remember to always stretch your body after exercise to avoid lactic acid build-up. When we truly understand the functions of our body during exercise and the roles the foods play supporting that function, we can easily keep motivated to achieve the fitness goals that we lay out for ourselves. Sharing your goals with friends and family is another way to maintain motivation for achievement.

"Persistence is to the character of man as carbon is to steel" - Napoleon Hill

Metabolic Boosters

• Frequent Eating - eating 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day helps to increase your metabolism
• Muscle Boosting - resistance training helps shape your body with lean muscles, and continues to burn calories while at rest
• Aerobic Exercises - cardiovascular training for 30mins, 3x's a week
• Water - drink half your body weight in ounces (ie. weighing 160lbs would drink 80 ounces)
• Sleep - body needs 7-8hrs of sleep for optimal function
• Sauna - try to enjoy time in a sauna 2-3x's per week, 30mins is like running a 5 mile race
• Cleansing and Detoxification - assists the body to refresh and reset the organs and systems to function efficiently

"Laugh as much as you breathe and love as long as you live"

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Connection

The benefits of fitness are beyond physical appearance. It sets the tone for each cell in our body to unify and function as it was designed to be. To strengthen each system, leaving yourself open to connect with your entire being, that of body, mind and spirit.

My personal experience so far today has been incredibly heightened starting simply with a fitness class. I left the gym feeling strong, detoxed, appreciated and motivated :)

I meditated and prayed, and decided to be open to receive what life brings knowing that my response can determine my destiny. I choose to learn and grow, to live and not be afraid, to give and love.

So remember the possibilities of a whole experience your workout can be!

I guess this is my testimony to fitness ;) I wanna hear yours :)

Cheers,

Camille

Eat Natural

Summer is great for many things. When it comes to eating, there's many fresh foods that are abundantly available. Fruits like cherries, strawberries, peaches, and plums are refreshing to enjoy on a hot summer day. To eat natural is eating clean! Not processed, not killed with heat and than injected with preservatives. Eating my food exactly how it was created, naturally. By doing that I'm eating my vitamins, minerals, proteins, complex carbs and fats in its natural state. All the fundamentals and building blocks for a strong, resilient and lively body! A reflection of life in its truest form to be clean in body, mind and spirit. Some people may argue that by eating completely raw can extend your life along with many other wonderful benefits.

So back to my main point. I'm making subtle changes to the increased amount of raw foods I'll eat opposed to heated and cook foods. By doing so, I've noticed an increase in energy and an improvement with digestion. For me, I believe my natural path begins here. I've learned that health begins with the gut. During the embryonic stage of life, many organs bud out from the gut. So it's good to keep the gut/stomach and intestines clean and healthy with proper foods that are living and not dead by ways of cooking. To even eat meat, it must first ferment in the stomach before passing through the intestines. That's insane! To imagine sitting there with rotting meat inside you with no way out! My apologies to the people that do eat meat, no offence intended...heck I've eaten meat! This is how I help myself to overstand the truth of natural eating, cause that ain't!

I am walking this path, and sharing my experience with you. If it influences you, embrace it and we can do it together.

So cheers to eating naturally, one step at a time :)

-Camille