Blog
Getting ‘In Shape’ on the Inside
Lots of us fall into the trap of focusing exclusively on the way we look, especially those unwanted kilos you can see when you get up in the morning.
Today I want to challenge that thought process and instead of you thinking about how you look on the outside, start thinking about being healthy on the inside and knowing that the healthier you are inside, the more your appearance and body shape will benefit in the long term.
So how do you do this? You can start focusing on taking care of your blood and cells as these are the two important things that determine your overall health and help avoid disease. Your blood and cells need lots of water, whole fresh foods, protein, good fats and good sources of carbohydrates to stay ‘in shape’ on the inside.
The key is to change things slowly and not get caught up in having to be perfect 100% of the time. I talk about an 80/20 balance where you are eating well 80% of the time and maybe indulging a bit with the 20%. If you are a person who eats three meals (5-6 meals per day is what I prefer) a day this means making sure you eat well for at least 16 of your 21 meals per week.
What your body doesn’t need is too much sugar, saturated fat and processed food. All of these things are what puts your body into internal chaos and can make you feel bloated, continually hungry and tired. Feeling like this constantly is a symptom of your body not functioning correctly.
Eating well means thinking about food in terms of fuel and nourishing your body with fresh whole natural foods and making sure you are balancing the right foods in each meal. I won’t list examples today (but you can find a few on my website under recipes) but basically if you stick to the rule of eating fresh food and steering clear of anything that has a long shelf life, then this a good place to start**.
Sugar is another thing you need to think about seriously if you want to get ‘in shape on the inside’. Unfortunately a lot of people find themselves addicted to sugar today and this is not helped by the big food companies loading both their savoury and sweet products with sugar. Sugar makes your insulin levels spike and when this happens it’s impossible for your body to ever get in a position to burn fat. Giving up processed sugar is one of the best things you can do for your body on the inside and out.
Once you make the change to thinking about food in terms of what you are doing on the ‘inside’, you will find that the ‘outside’ starts to take care of itself.
It’s a wonderful feeling when you get into the rhythm of eating well, training hard and knowing that every time you eat you are helping yourself get a little more ‘ripped’ on the inside!
Kim x