Exercising & Healthy Eating for the Casual Gym Goer

Written by Jonathan Neddo
Part of National Nutrition Month 2013






Today’s society has evolved rather dramatically over the past few decades regarding nutritional fallacies and dietary fads.  Some of which you have heard of or maybe even tried at one point.  These fad diets are often promoted via blogs and various other media outlets (books, news, etc), and are typically presented without scientific validation (such as the Paleolithic Diet).  One of these grossly overemphasized points is that there is an “anabolic window” of sorts after a casual gym goer’s lift, and that you need a protein shake with some carbohydrate cocktail to fully recover and maximize muscular growth.   This common occurrence, while not detrimental in its adherence, is not entirely necessary.

The primary focus should instead be the dietary intake throughout the entire day, outside of this “window” and whether it meets the needs for growing musculature.  While diets are very individualized based on varying degrees of activity and dependent upon goals, following MyPlate recommendations (illustrated by the image below) alongside a slightly improved protein intake (preferably from lean meat sources such as chicken, fish, or steak – totaling 0.55-0.73g of protein/lbs total bodyweight per day) will provide optimal nutrients for muscle growth.  So long as you eat a balanced meal within 4-5 hours either way of your lift, the amino acids (muscle’s building blocks) from this meal will still be circulating and thus able to rebuild your muscles from taxing them during a workout. 

Bodyweight	Daily Protein Intake
125 lbs	69 – 91g
150 lbs	83 – 110g
175 lbs	96 – 128g
200 lbs	110 – 146g
225 lbs	124 – 164g

The message is to eat as you feel necessary, whether that includes adding a post-workout shake in or instead waiting a few hours to prepare a balanced meal.  Both will notice the same muscle gain while the latter may even garner more micronutrients if the meal includes fruits and vegetables.  To assist meeting the daily intake, a quick rule of thumb is a deck of cards being equivalent to 3oz of meat and roughly 20g of protein.  

References

De Lira-Garcia, C., Bacardi-Gascon, M., & Jimenez-Cruz, A. (2012). Effectiveness of long-term consumption of nuts, seeds and seeds' oil on glucose and lipid levels; systematic review. Nutr Hosp, 27(4), 964-970. doi: 10.3305/nh.2012.27.4.5781

Erskine, R. M., Fletcher, G., Hanson, B., & Folland, J. P. (2012). Whey protein does not enhance the adaptations to elbow flexor resistance training. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 44(9), 1791-1800. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e318256c48d

Meal [Photograph].  Retrieved March 21, 2013, from:  http://img2.timeinc.net/health/images/slides/lean-chicken-digestive-400x400.jpg

MyPlate [Digital image].  Retrieved February 21, 2013, from:  http://www.choosemyplate.gov/images/MyPlateImages/JPG/myplate_white.jpg

Weisgarber, K. D., Candow, D. G., & Vogt, E. S. (2012). Whey protein before and during resistance exercise has no effect on muscle mass and strength in untrained young adults. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 22(6), 463-469.

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Color Brightens Your Diet

Written by Cindy Beam
Part of the National Nutrition Month initiative

An untouched coloring book seems a little pointless and dull without color. By simply adding a touch of color, it can turn a boring, plain picture into a vibrant and animated image. The same idea applies to your diet. You would much rather have a colorful plate of food than a bland one. What you eat greatly influences your lifestyle and can impact your personal health. Many people know very little about what they should eat and what is considered to be healthy. It is always important to consume all of the main food groups and make sure that you alter your choices for each meal. The best way to brighten your diet with nutrients is by adding color. An assortment of blues, reds, oranges, yellows, and even greens can be found in fruits and vegetables that surround us daily. Eating a variety of these fruits and vegetables can provide you with the nutrients you need such as fiber, calcium, potassium, vitamins, and so much more. By incorporating an array of these colors into a meal, it can boost the nutrients needed for a well balanced diet, as well as, spice up your meal. An effective way to track the nutrients you are consuming is by using MyPyramid. This website allows you to record what you eat and track your nutrients. Making improvements to your diet is simplified by seeing what foods you normally ignore and which ones you over consume. With ADA promoting National Nutrition Month 2011, their website offers a lot of information on eating right and maintaining good health. By following all of these suggestions, you can improve your eating habits while filling the pages of your coloring book (your diet) with vibrant colors. 

References

American Dietetic Association. (2011).  Eatright.org.  Retrieved from:  http://www.eatright.org/

LeQuier, S.  [Photograph] (2008).  Retrieved March 22, 2011, from:  http://asnailpace.com/blog/category/color/ 

United States Department of Agriculture. (2011, February 22).  MyPyramid.gov.  Retrieved from:  http://www.mypyramid.gov/

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