Mary Teunis

Nutrition + Fitness

Nutrition

Rest Days

By

Rest Days

Are rest days important when it comes to reaching your goals?

How often should you be resting?

What happens when you do not rest?

Working out is a stress on the body. For the body to recover and muscles to grow, you must rest! Trust me I know this is an extremely hard concept to come to terms with, for those of us who love fitness and have been taught “Work hard or go home”.

What if I told you that for you to start seeing results, you might need to exercise less and eat more?

Think of the human body as an overly complex car. You cannot drive your car efficiently without a charged battery and gas in the tank. Our bodies are way more precious than a physical object, like a car. So, what is stopping you from giving your body a little TLC? Why are you so afraid to rest?

In the past, and still sometimes today, I was afraid to rest because I would have to face the deep inner thoughts and feelings I was trying to avoid. Feelings of trauma and pain. Feeling of fear and insecurity. When I crushed my body in a workout, my body and mind would numb.

This led me to a loss of period, greater anxiety, isolation, and even more obsession with food and my body.

Let’s reflect-

You have two people. Those who rest too much and those who do not rest at all. The people that have found the balance between work and rest, kudos to you! You are crushing it.

Pre and Post-workout Nutrition

By

Pre and Post-workout Nutrition

If you want to feel good while training and maximize recovery it is suggested to eat 60-90 minutes before hitting the gym. If you prefer to train early in the morning it is okay to train fast, but it is important to get in a large dinner filled with protein and carbs the night before. Below is a guide on how to feel good and be well-fueled during a training session.

Before working out fuel the body with a high amount of lean protein and carbs. Keep fat and fiber content low to avoid bloating. Pre-training example meals include egg whites and English muffins, grilled chicken and rice, or ground turkey and sweet potatoes. 

If you are exercising for longer than 60 minutes you may need a mid-workout snack. Intra workout snacks should be quick, easily digestible carbs. Liquid protein shakes are also a good option. Examples include dried fruit, rice cakes, apple sauce, protein shakes.

After the workout, the body will need fuel for optimal recovery. It is suggested to consume a balanced meal that includes lots of lean protein and carbs. Post-workout meals include lean ground beef, brown rice, broccoli, avocado, and a side of fruit. 

No fancy supplements are needed to feel great and look good. Fuel your body with high-quality, nutrient-dense meals, and train smart!

Chronic Dieting and Excessive Exercising

By

Chronic Dieting and Excessive Exercising

Many females struggle with hormonal imbalances due to chronic dieting and overexercising. When we eat below maintenance calories our hormone level drops, which can cause major health complications and may play a role in why we are not achieving the aesthetic or performance goals we have. Below are key points to consider when building a balanced and sustainable diet and exercise routine that supports hormone health.

1.       Maintenance calories for most active females are well beyond 1,800-2,000 calories. If you have been switching from diet to diet, your body will need some time to maintenance calories. Eating 1,200 calories is not enough for your body to repair. Consider working with a nutrition professional who can slowly help build you back to eating maintenance.  

2.       Eating a diet that contains proper portions of carbs and fat will help create happy hormones. When we consume a consistent low carb and low-fat diet, we may experience hormone and period problems. Most active females should eat a minimum of 60 grams of fat and 150-200 g of protein. Remember that macronutrient breakdown will be based on the person’s lifestyle, genetics, and goals. A sustainable diet should include all three macronutrients: Protein, carbs, and fat.

3.       Eating whole food meals frequently throughout the day will help the body’s blood sugar levels remain stable. When building a meal choose minimally processed foods and include protein, carb, fat, veggie, and fiber at every meal. Eat at least 25 grams of fiber and add veggies including broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts to aid healthy levels of estrogen in the body.  

4.       Sleep 7-10 hours and keep caffeine consumption less 200-300 mg.

5.       Drink ½ your body weight of water in fluid oz daily.

6.       Workout 3-5 x a week in a way that you enjoy and walk 7-10k steps daily. If you are repairing hormone health consider taking a break from high-intensity training like CrossFit, Orange Theory, Spin, or Bootcamp classes.

Making simple nutrition and lifestyle changes can result in positive outcomes when it comes to our health and how we feel, and guess what? When we chase health aesthetics will follow. Instead of focusing on a short-term diet plan that will change the body for a short period of time, we need to create a sustainable and balanced diet that makes both our bodies and minds healthy. A diet is not something you do for 30 days, a diet is a lifestyle, something that both your body and mind can sustain over a long period of time. 

FACTS about FAD dieting

By

FACTS about FAD dieting

Fad diets are trendy weight loss plans that promise quick results over a short period of time. These types of diets involve a great amount of nutrient restriction making the diet unsustainable and does not offer long term weight loss. The most popular FAD diets today are the keto diet and intermittent fasting.

When looking at diets we must look at the facts. If the diet seems too good to be true it usually is. If the diet worked great for your neighbor and they tell everyone to try it, it will most likely fail many others, even If they follow the plan with 100% compliance. Why does this happen? Look at science. We are all unique humans with different genetic makeup, living in different environments, with different personal lifestyle habits.

When starting any new diet it is highly encouraged to work with a  trained nutrition professional that helps you critically think through whether the diet makes any sense for you personally and has research to back it up. The key to long term weight loss is with a sustainable, habit-based approach that consistently helps you build healthier routines into your lifestyle, one step at a time. Short term results often never lead to long term results. So how do you tell If the diet is worth the money?

1.       Use common sense. If the person who is selling the diet has no credentials, or nutrition education, question the advice and ask them for some in-depth details.

2.       Look for science and research that backs up the diet. If there is no evidence-based research on the diet save your money.

Understand that there is no perfect diet and something as simple as nutrition should not be complicated. Looking to live a healthy lifestyle?  The average person can start by eating 3 meals a day that consists of the plate being ½ non-starchy veggies, ¼ lean protein, ¼ complex carbohydrates.

Let’s talk about body image…

By

Let’s talk about body image…

Let’s talk about body image. I want you to go in front of your mirror and tell yourself at least 3 things that you like about your body……. How long did that take you? If you have a poor relationship with your body, then I can guess that you are still in front of the mirror trying to figure out what you do like about your body. Or maybe you lost focus and analyzed all your flaws instead.

I was this girl. I spent hours in front of the mirror beating myself up over every imperfection I saw. Too short, big thighs, cellulite on my butt, flat hair, bolder shoulders… I could name a million and one things I disliked my body, but I could not even name one thing that I loved. I remember being 5 years old crying to my mom because I thought my strong legs were too big. Yes, you heard that FIVE YEARS OLD. It took me 19 years to finally look in the mirror and compliment myself. I did not just wake up one day after a therapy session and boom I was happy with my body. I didn’t lose weight and create the “perfect body” and bam now I am happy. Because let’s face the hard truth no matter how much or how little your weight is, it will never be enough!

Take my story for an example. I was 13 years old when I was first diagnosed with an eating disorder. I thought that if I got to this magic weight, I would be happy. Well, guess what? I got 25 lbs. lighter than that magic number and I still was not happy, in fact, I was depressed, anxious, and dying on both the inside and outside.

So how did I start to see my imperfections as beauty? I did the hard work. I went to years and years and years of therapy. Seriously I have been in therapy for 12 years digging up the dirty mess inside of me. Notice I said INSIDE. Guys you must work on the inside for the outside to shine. You must give yourself love, grace, and respect. We are humans. Not one person on earth is perfect, even if Instagram says they are. We are ALL suffering in our own ways. That girl with the “perfect body” on Instagram, what if she goes to extreme measures to look like that? What if she is in an abusive relationship where looks are the sole purpose of their relationship? What if her parents told her that she was overweight all her life, so to earn love she feels as if she needs to look a certain way? You never know what someone is going through just by looking at their pictures.

It is time we stop judging by appearance. It is time we make conversation, get to know our peers, and connect with people on a deeper level despite their appearance. We need to stand up and teach the next generation to love their bodies for what they can do and not for what they look like. We need to teach the young girls to fuel to get stronger, not smaller. It starts with us. We are the role models and how we talk to ourselves in the mirror will directly impact the younger generation.

So how do we change our relationship with our body? Well, first I would strongly encourage you to seek out help from a licensed therapist and surround yourself with positive and uplifting people. Next, I would ask you to unfollow anyone on social media that makes you feel bad about yourself. Then practice these 3 tools EVERY single day. They will feel silly, they will not work right away, but just keep practicing. Fake it until you make it!

1.       Stop comparing yourself to others. You are not them! You are unique and you do not compare to anyone on this earth.

2.       Express gratitude to your body. You are alive and breathing. Thank your feet and legs for supporting you and thank your hands for helping you connect with others. If you can’t find something positive to say about your body yet, thank your body for simply keeping you alive.

3.       Eat and exercise from intuition. Forget the STRICT diet and exercise plan and tune into your body. Ask your body what it needs. Does it feel good? Yes, get a killer workout in. Are you tired and beat up? Well, rest that day! Is your body sluggish, are you hungry and moody? Well, eat a balanced meal. Did you have a hard day? Eat the serving of ice cream! Out with friends? Have a glass of wine. The body will tell you what it needs, we just must be smart enough to listen.

Do you or someone else in your life struggle with relationships with food and exercise? Are you sick and tired of wasting your life away being unhappy with your body!? I want to help you create the life that you deserve!

Email maryteunisnutrition@gmail.com or contact me through my website.

It is okay to both love your body and want to work on yourself too. You only have one body. It is time to embrace that beautiful gift!