Nutrient Sources

OK.  You’re ready to start fueling your active lifestyle.  Let’s walk through this together.  Where to begin?  You weigh 180 pounds and are physically active (workout 4-5 times per week).  Take your weight in pounds and divide it by 10.  180 divided by 10 gives you 18.  18 is your new magic number to fueling your body properly.  18 is how many blocks of the items below you need to eat each day (18 blocks of protein, 18 blocks of carbohydrates, 18 blocks of fats).  Add your hydration guideline of body weight (180) in ounces, divided by 2, and you get 90—90 ounces per day of fluid you need to consume—not including fluids consumed during workouts.  Lastly, you take your time between meals (2-3 hours) and now you can figure on about 5-6 meals per day featuring 3-4 blocks of protein, 3-4 blocks of carbohydrate, 3-4 blocks of fat and 15 ounces of fluid—it’s that easy.  This blend should allow your body to fuel and repair your muscle appropriately to complete your training.  As one begins to spend 12+ hours per week in higher intensity training, your divider of 10 should be changed to 9 to reflect your body’s increased demands for calories.  Exercise regimens over 15 hrs per week should use a divider closer to 8.

Any significant change to one’s diet should be reviewed with that particular’s individual goals and needs in mind.  The outlines here are a cursory baseline of nutritional basics designed to give a broader understanding of the overall concepts of dietary diversity.

As always, happy training and happy fueling!

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