A-Z Fitness - Nutrition

No matter what your goals for fitness are, keeping tabs on your nutrition is paramount. Without being aware of what you are eating, or more importantly what's in what you are eating, you will have little success. For the most part, anything we purchase in the store has a nutrition label. When's the last time you took a peek at what you are eating? There are key things to look for: Carbohydrates, Protein, Fat and Fiber are just a few things to search for. Foods higher in fat are certainly not good for you, but you probably know that already. A little isn't bad, you'll find fat of some sort in most foods you eat. The trick is discovering how fiber and carbohydrates relate as well. The higher the carbs and protein, the higher the calories are generally going to be. So if you keep tabs on calories you'll want to be aware of that.

Tips: Everyone has a set number of calories they should be eating in a day. Do you know what yours are? Slight changes in fiber, protein and carbohydrates can affect how good the calories you eat are. A quick search on-line and you'll find dietary calculators which can help guide you in making proper choices.

Remember: Let's face it. Not all calories are created equal. It's not like the old trick question, which weighs more a pound of lead or a pound of feathers because 100 calories of fruits is certainly not the same as 100 calories of a Twinkie. That's why you need to identify what you are eating, and how it affects the food you are eating.

Goal: Keep an eye on nutrition labels. Compare a few of the same items and you'll see big differences. Cereals for example can differ wildly. This week take a 'comfort food' and really look at the nutrition label. If your comfort food is something like home baked cookies, your task might be a bit more daunting but it can be done. Just keep track of the nutrition labels of all ingredients as you make the cookies.

Last Weeks Goal: What did you discover when searching for your motivation last week? Did you find anything new to motivate you? Or did you discover your original motivations were enough?

What fitness words starting with the letter "N" inspire you?