Good Health is the foundation of achieving results with your health and fitness goals.
Everything we do here at Results Driven Fitness is underpinned by striving for and maintaining good health.
Key Points:
Health is the foundation to fitness results
Hard training is what get results however, we can only tolerate training hard if we good health
Hydration, food, sleep and moving are the building blocks and foundation to which health is built upon
No matter your fitness goal(s) you need to have good health as a foundation if you are going to have sustainable results.
Training hard and being consistent is what yields results however, if you are not healthy enough to handle this added stress, your body will break in the form of injury or illness.
Unfortunately all too often I see people who have been neglecting their health and fitness jump right into extreme routines that they are simply are not ready for. It is most likely these individuals stress reserves are already being taxed due to:
Inadequate sleep quality, and duration
Poor nutrition
Excess body fat
Poor hydration
All these factors negatively impact low energy reserves leaving your health vulnerable. If you then proceed to train using a high intensity training programme aswell as a being in a significant calorie deficit it is only a matter of time before the wheels will come off and the body breaks down resulting in injury or illness.
This is why, at Results Driven Fitness we will assess your current health and fitness status before starting your training. Depending on your situation, initially you may need to put more energy into factors outside the gym such as cleaning up your nutrition and improving your sleep habits.
As your health improves and your energy levels increase, we will be able to increase your training accordingly, and appropriately. To get you started on your journey towards good health and great results, it is important to work on the basics, get them right and be consistent.
Hydration
Water is the single most important nutrient for health, growth, and development.
Good hydration is required for maintaining healthy blood flow, proper kidney function, correct sodium/potassium balance and proper digestive functions.
Dehydration leads to chronic inflammation draining energy reserves and negatively impacts fat loss progress. Drink 39ml per KG body weight of clean water every day.
Food / Nutrition
Move towards a simpler cleaner daily nutrition plan made up primarily of single ingredient foods.
Cut out inflammatory foods such as gluten, dairy, soy, and alcohol. This will take stress off the body.
Increase fresh vegetable intake for their fibre, minerals, and vitamins.
Eat adequate lean protein and fat to balance blood sugars, support detoxification and boost brain and joint health.
Sleep
Get adequate sleep – 7-9 hours during winter, 6-8 during summer nights.
Sleep will optimise your hormone levels during the day allowing you to get the most out of your body.
Sleep is the most underrated tool you have for recovery and restoration of both your muscles and brain
Poor sleep is like trying to function with your foot on the brake pedal, make sleep a priority.
Training
We are designed to move, sitting for eight hours a day in front of a computer screen is not normal. A lack of movement will stiffen your joints, you will lose lean muscle and your brain function will be impeded.
As an absolute minimum we should strive for an hour of physical activity a day; this can include a brisk walking through to intense conditioning circuit. The key is being consistent with a routine that you enjoy and that keeps yielding results such as improved energy levels, leaner body composition and improved performance levels.
Working with a qualified coach will help you structure a training plan that matches your wants and needs in this area.
Once you have started to lay the foundations of good health in the form of healthy sustainable habits you will have the resilience to start training your body in a more intense and consistent manner which is going to get you results.
Regardless of your goal(s), and where you want your training to take you it starts with laying the foundations for good health.
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