This is a huge topic for anyone looking to improve their health and fitness and with so much information out there it can be very difficult to know where to start!
When looking to improve your Golf Swing, your overall Health and Fitness and to change your body you have to make intentional choices and focus in on consistency over the long term with your diet and nutrition.
Here are foundational factors to consider no matter what you choose to eat in your search to find the optimal approach for you:
Basal Metabolic Rate:
The total number of calories your body needs for baseline function. Hit the website tdeecalculator.net to establish this figure for yourself. It’s working from this figure that will allow you to tailor your nutrition and your total calorie intake. The higher your BMR, the higher your need for fuel also.
Activity Level:
So here is where it gets fun. Simply, the more work you do the more fuel you need. But you have to account for all factors including those we have already looked at. A measuring device, Whoop for example, can be a real help here but it is also something you can learn over time. The type of macros required will not only vary from person to person, but also activity to activity, more below.
Thermic Effect of Food:
Who knew eating food burns calories?! Most of you probably but again, within this lies opportunity for progress and becoming optimal. The right foods at the right times will maximise results as well as performance.
Hormonal Regulation:
Type and timing will also affect mood, energy, digestion, stress and more. Again very individual, but your body is always looking to create homeostasis, your baseline, of function. Too much food, too little, the wrong thing at the wrong time and this can easily be thrown off. We’ve all Been there.
Foundation:
This is where it can get subjective and opinionated. You really do have to work closely on your own nutrition to establish what works best for you. But for the most part, myself included, the best approach is to cover your physiological needs first, that means quality Protein & Fat relative to your BMR etc. Then you start to account for the additional fuel with an increase of all macros, though specifically Carbohydrates. Easy to digest and utilise as fuel, the correct balance can deliver performance results for everyone.
Training to lose Weight:
The goal here is to maintain lean body mass whilst releasing fat stores due to the caloric deficit and need for fuel. Protein is your ally with the general consensus being 0.7-1.2 Grams of Protein per pound of bodyweight. Then you need to balance Fat & Carbs to hit your daily total. Due to the nature of digestion and use, having appropriate levels of fat throughout the day alongside protein and other nutrients will aid satiety, hormonal balance etc and keep your body close to where it wants to be. You can then focus in the appropriate Carbs around your peak levels of activity. This means performance will be boosted via the functions provided with the Carbs but they will also be far less likely to store in the body. The overall deficit will be the defining factor alongside your activity, but this can be a great strategy!
Training to build Muscle:
Put simply, we need the opposite of the previous - a surplus! Protein holds true though, again those numbers are generally regarded as pretty solid, however increasing protein as a part of your surplus is likely to be beneficial relative to other factors. Carbs can become much more available in the diet as we look to create an anabolic state where muscle can be built. Understanding how much of a surplus is needed can be huge and will
always differ, but if you can get it right and own your training - Gains.
Performance Based Lifestyle Approach:
This is essentially where we all aim to get to. Eating to fuel performance, optimise health and feel good every single day. Your Fat & Carb ratio will be established relative to each individual day and you will intrinsically know what is needed to be at your best. Over time you will also know exactly which foods work best with your body, have the discipline and awareness to remove what doesn’t work and have the continued desire to continue making progress in this way. This does not mean you will be perfect every minute of every day, rather be comfortable with the thought of how each meal, each day affects the overall and within that find the optimal balance of nutrition, performance and lifestyle.
Our Recommendation:
There is no one way to eat for all people, so our recommendation is to look through the above details, align yourself to where you are right now and then set yourself short and long terms goals relative to you specifically.
From there, stack up the small wins, build momentum and be very aware of how each strategy and each specific food affects your body, mind and your performance. That is where the answer lies, there are no tricks or hacks, just consistent application to progress.
Just like your Golf Swing and your Fitness Progressions, eating right is not a one time fix - you need to work on this, keep your goals in mind and stay on track wherever possible. The more experienced you are over time the more you can understand how your body works and from there you can start to feel at your best!
Finally, always start today #DRVN
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