Healthy From the Inside Out

Hi everyone! Welcome back if you have been following along for this blog series or thank you for checking this out if you're new here!

This week the topic to be covered is getting healthy from the inside to the outside. We all know that being in the gym and being active makes improvements to how your body looks and feels. But, to truly have great results and feel like the best version of yourself, you have to make sure you are treating the inside of your body great too!

The reality is, you can work out as much as you want, but if you are not properly fueling your body, you will see minimized results. So where do you start to have the inside of your body be as healthy as the exterior? The answer is diet and sleep! And no, I am not talking about dieting; I am simply referring to diet as the food you put into your body.

Diet will be very personalized to everyone, so following the latest trends or what celebrities eat probably isn't your best bet. Instead, find food that fits your fitness goal. Eat a higher amount of protein to gain lean muscle mass or eat a higher amount of carbs to gain simple weight.

I am focused on maintaining or slightly lowering weight and building some muscle mass. This will result in a more 'toned' look. To help achieve this, I am being sure to eat a good portion of protein with each meal, intake carbs for fast energy before a lift, drink lots of water, and get at least 7 hours of sleep each night.

While some people take supplements to help fill in dietary shorts, I prefer to get my needed vitamins straight from food if possible. In addition, it is becoming popular to take creatine (a monohydrate) if you are lifting. I can say that I have tried creatine, and while I saw the results of 'keeping your pump longer' and a little bit more stamina in the gym, I also saw several downsides.

I noticed I was carrying extra water weight throughout my body (making it appear that I had gained weight), was consistently overwhelming myself with the amount of water I had to consume while taking it, and my quality of sleep significantly decreased.

All of this to say, I think that once you are in a more experienced position in the gym, it would be a supplement I would recommend trying. It interacts with everyone's body differently, so if it works for you, then it has some great benefits!

Overall, make sure you're fueling yourself, eating well, drinking a good amount of water, and getting good sleep each night to show off all the progress you're making by being in the gym.

Follow along next week for my recommendations on gym accessories that will make your lift just that much better!