| Nutrition is made complicated by the volume of information that is thrown at you. It's really hard to work out what to do. You're not alone even fitness professionals, trainers and coaches get confused and frustrated too. Here are some simple places to start. 1. Take a step back from fads. Current fads are low-carb, ketogenic diets, fasting, paleo, vegetarian, “detox”. All these diets and tactics require pretty difficult, unreasonable and in most cases unnecessary changes that won’t help you with your actual goal. 2. Ask yourself “What am I doing this for?” “Body composition, religious beliefs, ethical beliefs or because of a nagging fear that I am unhealthy? Or just because I saw it in a magazine or on Instagram.” In general, the media has to keep promoting new things otherwise they run out of content and they stop selling publications, that doesn’t mean you should do all or even any of the diets they write about. 3. Ask yourself “What do I enjoy?” Then make sure you're eating it inside your plan! It feels good to deny ourselves everything but it is really unnecessary for most goals. 4. Start with what you can add. Yes, that includes when you go to compete. You will get way less hungry if you’re eating nutrient and fiber dense foods so adding veggies is a great start. 5. Keep a food diary. This is the number one intervention. Keep a food diary and start paying attention to what you actually eat. For most of the girls, I meet they are drastically under-eating. 6. Calculate your baseline. Human metabolism its understood really well. Use an online calculator to get an estimate on your current baseline. You can download my Ultimate Macro Plan here. Or get a DEXA scan to work out where you are now 7. Consistently eat that amount of food. Track what happens to your body, change the amount of food you eat depending on your results and goals. 8. Get some help. Do this with your partner, enlist your girlfriends or get some coaching. Work with a coach or nutritionist who has experience with the goals you have and helps you with changing your behavior and is not only focused on her method or a particular strategy. 9. Monitor your thoughts. We can very quickly turn nutrition into a form of punishment. We can attempt to solve our negative self-talk by denying ourselves food or eating a whole heap of it. It is better to use techniques for thoughts rather than food as a method to deal with those thoughts. Start to a journal, begin a meditation practice or look to understand where your thoughts come from instead. Get some help with that from a professional if you're ready. 10. Pay attention. Food is one of the great pleasures in life. Pay attention to it. Take the time to observe it and taste what your eating. Maybe give thanks for the bounty that you receive every day. It’s the fuel for our lives. Have you ever said “She has great energy!” Well, that energy literally came from what she ate. When we deny ourselves food, we starve ourselves of energy and we don’t get to be THAT GIRL, the bright shining version of ourselves. As you shine you give permission for others too. You can be the one who teaches your girlfriends and nieces and your daughters to examine their thoughts and nourish their bodies with food. In fact, this is embedded in one of the most important concepts I teach in the sports model project the principle of Radical Leadership “As I let my light shine brighter I give space for others to do the same.” I will lead by doing. I will tell by showing. I will talk by listening. I will make things easy by working hard. I will hold myself to the highest standard of self-compassion. I will hold myself to the highest standard of self-love." "I am inspiring others to do the same." I have a team of bright shining lights. It's not for everybody because we are the hardest workers in the room. It's called The Sports Model Project. Entry is via application and a discovery call with WBFF Pro Caterina Ruberto. If you're a good fit, Caterina will offer you a spot in my team. If not no hard feelings. Cat will push you, she will discover what needs work and then she will instruct you how to take action. You can apply to join by clicking this link. Love and gratitude Hattie xoxo Click this link to apply for The Sports Model Project |
