What's the difference between having knowledge of training and nutrition and applying it?
Knowledge of Training
You already have the knowledge. You may not feel like you have the knowledge since it hasn't been applied consistently, but you do.
You know that completing exercise is healthful for your body. What you may not know is that the CDC recommends completing 150 minutes of exercise weekly and only 28% of Americans meet this recommendation. Less than two thirds! Thats 72% of Americans that are missing out on several health benefits.
A combination of resistance training and cardiovascular training is the key to reaping the benefits of exercise and ultimately living a longer, quality life.
You can learn how to strength train by hiring a personal trainer, watching YouTube videos from reputable trainers, and/or working out with a friend who may have more experience. Of course, I'm bias and suggest hiring a personal trainer to at least to get your exercise form down, but I also understand that hiring a trainer is not accessible to everyone.
So what do we do to apply this knowledge?
Application of Training
Applying your training knowledge is the tough part. You know it's smart to train, but how do you start? Break it down into the most simple pieces:
1. Pick out a workout outfit. It doesn't have to be fancy and matchy matchy. It just needs to be comfortable for you to move in.
2. Put your tennis shoes on.
3. Toss in your headphones and play your favorite pump up jams.
4. Move your body. Truly. You can move your body however your want. You can do this in your living room, your backyard, the park, or a gym.
Don't overcomplicate it. If your initial reaction to my 4 step process was "that's not going to do anything", I want you to ask yourself why you think it's not enough. Does it have anything to do with an all or nothing mindset? Or thinking that if you're not going to go to the gym for an hour and sweat like crazy, it's not worth it?
Exercise is so much closer than we think it is. Exercise can be done in your living room with a backpack full of water bottles. Exercise can be done on a park bench. But, it can also be done in the gym.
It's time to lower the barrier of entry. Start moving your body in a more simple way. As that becomes more of a habit, sure, lengthen your time of training, purchase more equipment for your home workouts, sign up for a gym membership, hire a trainer. Ultimately, you could choose any of those options as a first step, but don't let waiting for the stars to align to hire a trainer be the reason why you aren't starting to move your body now.
Learn more about ways to train with me.
Knowledge of Nutrition
Again, you already have the knowledge. You know that consuming lean meats, seafood, colorful vegetables and fruits, nuts and seeds, and whole grains are healthful. You know that if you ignore your hunger cues it can lead to not eating enough or overeating.
What you may not know is that only 10% of Americans consume the daily recommended amount of vegetables and only 12% of Americans consume the daily recommended amount of fruits.
So, what do we need to do to change that?
Application of Nutrition
First things first, take baby steps. Assess where you are at right now. It's common to want to change everything all at once and say, "I'm going to eat # of fruits, # of vegetables, only whole foods, only lean meats", etc. Although I understand why you may feel that way, it's hard to sustain jumping from Chapter 4 to Chapter 26 and assume it's going to stick forever. What if you met yourself where you are and build from there?
Examples:
If you're currently consuming 1 vegetable per day most days of the week, think about committing to either 1 vegetable per day every day or 1-2 vegetables per day most days.
If you're currently not consuming any fruits, think about committing to eating 1 fruit every other day.
If you're currently consuming 2 protein sources per day, think about increasing to 3 protein sources per day.
You can apply these habits in a small yet meaningful way. It likely will be more sustainable than changing your entire diet all at once, too.
Learn more about how to build nutritional habits with me.
