In order for my body to function; meaning my organs working, body moving, breathing, doing day to day tasks, etc; it uses roughly 1,300 calories of energy a day. This is excluding workout. I eat roughly 1,800-2,000 calories a day. If I have a heavy workout I actually eat more. This is to make sure my body has the energy it needs to burn (fuel itself).
If I consumed only 1,300 calories a day even on workout days, I would be burning more than I was taking in. There are some trainers that encourage this. I think they’re wrong. (Just my personal opinion). When you look at the biomechanics of the body you can actually do yourself harm by not consuming enough energy calories. If your body doesn’t have what it needs to fuel itself, it begins to break down muscle. People automatically assume fat is the first to go. This is wrong! Your body will store the fat as “safety.” Your body needs fat as insulation so it will store the fat to protect itself and breakdown muscle as fuel instead. Muscle is what helps your body burn fat! If you are breaking down muscle, you can’t expect your body to burn fat!
I recently downloaded the app My Fitness Pal at someone’s recommendation. I put in my information and it said I should eat about 1,200 calories a day. My body needs more than that on a non workout day! I’m not trying to become tiny and skinny. I like my size. I like having muscle. This app is clearly not for someone like me. The only way for me to successfully hit a 1,200 calorie goal would be to cut down my protein amount, limit my carbs and up my vegetable amount. The last time I did this (back in 2005) I passed out due to lack of complex carbs. My body needed heavier carbs like brown rice and sweet potato to fuel itself for the amount I was working out.
I have heard people say “don’t worry about calories” or “ calories aren’t important if you’re working out.” That’s not true! Your body needs energy calories to function. Should you focus solely on calories alone? Absolutely not! Eating 120 calories of candy is not equivalent to eating 120 calories of an avocado (about half an avocado). Your body will use the fat and calories from the avocado as energy. The candy is straight sugar and can only be used minimally as energy. The rest gets stored in your body as fat.
Don’t get me wrong. I am absolutely not telling you to count calories every day. I am encouraging people to be aware of what they eat and how much they eat. Get an idea of how many calories you need a day to fuel your body and build your meals around that. You’ll eventually get good enough where you can pick foods and portions that will fuel your body enough without having to “count” those calories. Understand what fuel calories are vs fat calories.
Fuel your body! Don’t starve it. You only get ONE body here on earth.
I heard the best quote the other day. “You have two homes: Earth and your body. Take care of them.” I love this! When you think about it, often times we are careless with both. My biggest pet peeve is when people complain about how they constantly get sick or keep gaining weight. Are you taking care of your body? Are you eating vegetables, fruit, carbs, fat (good fat) and protein? Are you taking a multi vitamin? Are you limiting your alcohol intake and avoiding smoking? Do you workout at least 3 times a week? A lot of times the answers to this question are no. God only gave us one body. Take care of it! Fuel it properly and care for it so it will last!
Every morning ryder and I go for a 2-3 mile walk. It’s our way of getting out of the house to get some fresh air while also letting me get a little light cardio in. I’ve had SO many people tell me I need to start running. They tell me how “freeing it is” and how I’ll love it. Let me tell you what’s NOT freeing to someone with a tear in each meniscus, a right side MCL tear and a previously fractured knee cap……RUNNING! Would I like to run? Maybe. I never was a huge fan. I always said I only run if someone is chasing me. Lol
Swimsuit season is here. We are our own worst critics. I’m guilty of being too hard on myself regularly. I would say 80% of the time that I look in the mirror I focus on what still needs work. I beat myself down pretty often about how I look. I have to stop and remind myself I had a baby! That really takes a toll on your body. AND I’m not 20 years old anymore! My body doesn’t bounce back over night like it used to. I have to work harder now days.
Im starting to put a little muscle back on. It’s been a battle after pregnancy to put back on the muscle I had before. Your body definitely isn’t the same after you have a baby. Not to mention, feedings really take everything out of you. I’m slowly getting back to feeling like myself again. My strength and energy is back so I’m not as tired after workouts anymore. I still have a ways to go but I feel like I’m on a good path. Consistency in workouts would help but that’s difficult when you’re husband works late and you don’t have anyone to watch your little man. I’m going to try to start up on my in home workouts again. It’s hard with Ryder sometimes because he sees me doing something and thinks he can play too or wants to be held. So this could be interesting! Be on the lookout. I’ll post a few videos in upcoming weeks of my favorite in home workouts!
Fit Dallas Mom Blog 