Small Changes Equal Big Wins in Body Composition
As we tell all of our members when they do their complimentary nutrition consultation…
You can train hard 5 days a week here at CPA (5 hours total), but what you do in your time outside of this facility is going to have a much bigger impact on your overall health.
The good news is that small, incremental changes can add up to big results if you’re committed to them.
Here are a few examples of small changes you can implement NOW to make a positive shift in your health:
Eat your protein first. Your body is a brilliant machine, and it’s wired to want a certain amount of protein to maintain proper function. So, when you’re eating a meal, your body usually won’t signal it’s “full” until it feels you’ve gotten adequate protein… no matter what the source is. That means if you’re having a big bowl of pasta, your body will signal you to continue eating until it’s had enough protein. If you start by eating your main protein source first (i.e. chicken, steak, fish, etc), your body will feel satiated faster, which will discourage overconsumption. Small change, big win over time!
Weigh/measure food out for a week or two to help you learn proper portion sizes, but don’t become obsessive about it. The goal is to create positive, easy habits for life, and learning proper portion sizes for your meals is a great way to spark change. However, if weighing and measuring food becomes a stressor, give it up. Two weeks is a good amount of time to learn proper portion sizes without it becoming the primary focus of your nutrition.
Cook at home a few more times per week. We don’t often consider how much additional oil, sugar, and calories we consume when we dine out. Restaurants need their food to be addictive, or people won’t come back as often. The way they get you hooked and make their food taste as good as possible is by adding hydrogenated oils, sugar, salt, butter, lard, and a bunch of other mystery ingredients we can hardly pronounce. So, try packing your lunches and cut down on dining out and delivery as much as you can. You’ll notice a difference in the way you feel almost immediately.
