Understanding Macronutrients - What Is Carbohydrate, Fat and Protein.

Becoming the expert on what our food is composed of will create understanding and better food choices for a healthier lifestyle. We see food labels containing carbohydrate, fats and protein content and these are the macronutrients.

Macronutrients are the building blocks of all food. We have all heard of them in some form or another, but do we know what they actually mean and how they affect our diet?

In this post I aim to break each macronutrient down and simplify its role within our diets, let's go.....

There are 3 Macronutrients, in no particular order:

1 . Carbohydrate

Carbohydrate is used within the body as "fuel" for energy, it has NO other role. 

It's the equivalent of Jet A1 fuel used in our aircraft engines!

When Carbohydrate is digested ALL carbohydrates are broken down to glucose (sugar) whether complex carbs or simple sugars.

Foods with the highest ratio of carbohydrates compared to the other macronutrients include starches and sweets, such as cereals, bread,  pasta, potatoes, sugar, and sweets. These carbohydrates can be used for energy, however, we typically over eat this type of food which is paramount to us GAINING weight and body fat. Also, there is very little nutrition associated with these types of carbohydrates.

Non starchy vegetables, defined as "vegetables you can eat raw", such as spinach, lettuce, onion, mushrooms and peppers (typically salad foods) are the BEST form of carbohydrates offering an abundance of nutrients for a "low calorie" intake of carbohydrates. 

Other than potatoes, all vegetables will form the majority proportion of your meals to ensure nutrient dense fullness with carbohydrates.

2 . Fat

The breakdown of fats in the digestive system results in fatty acids.

Fats are "essential" to a healthy body, that is why they are called ESSENTIAL FATS. The term essential is used because the body requires these fats to function. However, the body cannot produce these fats for itself and therefore we need to consume essential fats within our diet from food. 

Fats play a vital role in cell repair and recovery, for example our nails and skin are made up of millions of cells that fats help to maintain them looking healthy and feeling strong.

Without fats, the body is UNABLE to accept some micronutrients, vitamins A D E & K are just some of the "fat soluble vitamins" we need for optimum health. That is why your vitamin tablets state you should consume vitamin supplements "with food".

However, not all fats are created equal. To keep it simple, fats found in natural, real food such as avocado, red meat, chicken, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds provide us with an abundance of nutrients and essential fats.

Oils are 100% fat. Olive oil and coconut oil are used as part of the healthy way of living.  Use coconut oil to cook foods and use olive oil as a dressing.  An easy way to remember this is that coconut oil is solid at room temperature so heating it while cooking breaks it down. 

Dairy products such as milk and cheese, also provide fats in the diet, whilst butter can be used for cooking as an alternative to coconut oil.

Low quality fats found in fast food and processed foods will not provide you with the nutritional advantages of real food! 


3. Protein

Proteins are the building blocks of our living tissue, such as muscle. As carbohydrates are digested down to glucose, proteins are digested into amino acids. The body cannot produce all amino acids required for optimum health, therefore it is VITAL we consume high quality, complete proteins within our diet.

Protein is found in most foods, as with all the macronutrients. However, the highest quality proteins and most proteins per calorie can be found in foods such as the non starchy vegetables (spinach and broccoli), meat, fish and eggs....real food!

Some dairy products have a higher ratio of protein too, such as cottage cheese.

We all need to increase protein intake for improved health. Increased protein intake is key to weight loss with a real food diet. This is because protein makes you feel "fuller" for longer and this helps to avoid overeating wasteful calories that are otherwise stored as body fat!

The 3 Macronutrients.....

Thats the breakdown of the 3 Macronutrients within our foods, carbohydrate, fat and protein. They all form different ratios in all our food with a couple of exceptions:

1. Sugar = 100% carbohydrate
2. Oil = 100% fat

Understanding what the different macronutrients provide for us and what happens when we digest the food we eat is key to healthy choices and fuelling our body.  For example . If you have just undertaken a 60km bike ride that is now the time to fuel your body with carbohydrates and protein rich food to replace the energy used and rebuild muscle tissue.

Another example is one of a 4 hour flight sat on your backside. Minimal carbohydrates are needed as you are not using much energy. Protein and fat rich food (not processed) will help you feel full and no sugar spikes will help your concentration.

The common theme throughout the macronutrients is one of real food. The real food provides all the macronutrients in correct ratios and provides all essential nutrition for us....we just have to eat it!

Through greater understanding and armed with this basic knowledge of what makes up our food, you can make better decisions and food choices.

In further posts I'll dig a little deeper into each macronutrient and the science behind them...

All interesting stuff...don't miss out by adding your email address to my news feed newsletter on the top right of the screen and I'll send you my latest post straight to you.

Keep flying and live healthy,

G

How To Avoid Injury Through Warming Up Correctly

The definition of a warm up:

to prepare body and mind for physical exertion or a performance.

Everytime your body is about to exercise to an increased intensity it is extremely important that you perform a good warm up for 2 very important reasons:

1. Avoid Injury 

2. Maximise your performance

You will never see a professional athlete just perform one or two stretches before setting off on a 100m sprint, their muscles will probably tear not long after the starting blocks!

I always perform every warm up with a full body warm up to prepare the major muscles and joints that provide the majority of my movements and balance. Also, the increase in heart rate and lung capacity will prepare your cardiovascular system for increased intensity. I want to give you the basics of designing your warm up plan here.

This is how I break it down:

Overall Body Warm Up and Joint Mobility

Start the warm up with 5 minutes of continuous movement such as  light jogging or cycling on a stationary bike. 

Your warm up should use "Dynamic Stretching", this is where the muscles are not held in a static position but continually moving, helping increased blood flow through the muscle and triggering nerves to operate the muscles efficiently. Also, all ligaments and tendons around your joints will free up and movement becomes easier with less stress on the joints.

DON'T just bend over and touch your toes!

This is an example of a dynamic stretching routine,there are many other exercise that can can be incorporated but this simplified routine from "head to toe" works great:

Start with your neck muscles, roll your head in a circular motion, changing direction after 5 rotations.

Now work down your body, Shoulders next. Rotate your arms in circles, both forward and backward directions, at least 10 movements each direction.

Wrist Rotation. Rotate your wrists in a circular motion, 10 times in each direction.

Hands on hips to make a circular motion with your hips. Keep your knees slightly bent throughout and change direction after 10 rotations.

High knee lifts. Whilst standing lift one leg as high as you can in front of you as if you are climbing a high step. Keep balanced on the other foot. This is like marching on the spot, alternate each leg and keep the movement slow, controlled and stay balanced. 10 each leg.

Butt Kicks. Whilst standing bend your leg at the knee by taking your heel to your butt. Stay balanced on the other foot.10 each leg.

Ankle rotations. Raising your foot onto its big toe will allow you to rotate the ankle in a circular motion. Rotate 10 times in each direction.

There are many more dynamic stretching exercises you can complete. However, the above movements are a great start to ANY form of exercise.

Before you move into more intense exercise perform your specific movements at low weight or pace before advancing to the main form of exercise. For example:

If you are about to perform a set of press ups, start with a low number of reps in a slow and controlled manner. This will specifically warm up the muscles and joints used for this exercise and without fatiguing the muscles you WILL perform more reps or more weight during the higher intensity workout!

Try this today and measure your increased performance, it may surprise you, you'll feel stronger and ready to complete you exercise. If you can avoid injury you will continue to improve in every aspect of your exercise, sport or pastime. A structured warm up will help you achieve this.

Just before you go, why not sign up to my emails on the right of this page and receive all my new posts straight to your inbox, there is a lot more information to come your way!

For more ideas on dynamic stretching check out this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztN66R_hgOs

Diet Myths Revealed #2

Eating less will make you weigh less

Will eating less make you weigh less? The simple answer is NO.

It is a widespread belief that people who are overweight just need to eat less and exercise more. The idea that eating less will make you weigh less is based on so many assumptions. This idea leads to the thought that if you eat 500 fewer calories the body will give up 500 calories of fat, to make up the difference.This is the naivety and over simplified information used in the world of dieting today! The body does not exchange calories for fat.

For example, if an average person has a basal metabolic rate (BMR) requirement for 2000 calories a day (this is the number of calories the person would need if they were ill in bed all day just to survive), and say that they have a requirement for 500 additional calories if they are up and about.

This idea that a reduction of 500 calories will result in the body giving up 500 calories of fat assumes that neither the BMR requirement (2000 calories) nor the additional requirement (500 calories) change. 

However, both BMR and the additional requirement of calories will change. The person who eats less has less energy and they will likely do less additional activity that day, so they won’t go to the gym or walk to the shop,  they will be too tired. 

More importantly the body will reduce its maintenance for the day, it will save cell repair and building bone density for another day as there is not enough nutrition and food available, so it has cut back its functions. Cell repair is important for the maintenance of hair, skin and nails.

Look at it this way, if you stop flying tomorrow or you lose your job, you don’t automatically dip into savings, you cut your spending and the body does exactly the same. 

Eating less will not necessarily mean you will weigh less and in the meantime the health of your body is being damaged.

Best 5 Exercises For Your Hotel Room

Exercise is something you do to achieve your specific goal and HOW you exercise should be aimed at achieving that goal.

For example, if to run a marathon is your goal then expect to do a LOT of running! 

However, if your goal is to improve your health, lose some unwanted inches and just tone your body then resistance training is way you need to exercise to achieve this.

"But how can I train with resistance in my hotel room" I hear you say, and this is what many flight crew, pilots and cabin crew question.

I'm going to give you my top 5 resistance training exercises you can do in your hotel room or ANYWHERE really! So there's no excuses, turn off the TV and let's go.......

*Always warm up properly before exercise*

1.Squats

The squat uses your larger leg muscles predominantly quadriceps (thigh) and glutes (butt). 

Technique:

1. Arms extended in front of you or overhead

2. Squat until your bum is below your knees

3. Rise back up

4. Keep your knees behind your toes, your weight on your heels

5. Keep back straight while you squat

2.Lunges

The lunge is again another exercise that targets the larger leg muscles giving you more "bang for your buck"! You'll be using quadriceps (thigh), glutes (butt) and hamstrings (back of the thigh) during this move.

Technique:

1. Keep your upper body straight, with your shoulders back and relaxed and chin up (pick a point to stare at in front of you so you don't keep looking down). Always engage your core by holding your tummy and lower back muscles tight.

2. Step forward with one leg, lowering your hips until both knees are bent at about a 90-degree angle. Make sure your front knee is directly above your ankle, not pushed out too far, and your other knee doesn't touch the floor. Keep the weight in your heels as you push back up to the starting position.

3.Press Ups

An upper body move that targets your large chest muscles, the pecs, and also works your shoulders and triceps (back of the arm). 

Technique:

1. Get into plank position, with your hands under but slightly outside of your shoulders. 

2. Lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor.

3. As you lower yourself, tuck your elbows, pulling them close to your body so that your upper arms form a 45-degree angle when your torso is in the bottom position of the move.

4. Pause, then push back to the starting position as quickly as possible. Keep your core tight the entire time.

For beginners use your knees instead of your feet to hold the initial plank position, as shown below:

4.Bent Over Row

You'll need your crew bag for this one to work your lats (back muscles), shoulders and biceps (front of the arm). Targeting your large back muscles challenges more muscle in just one move, with the extra work being performed with your smaller shoulder and bicep muscles.

Technique:

• 1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• 2. Bend your knees and lean forward at the hips, not the waist.
• 3. Your back should be straight and your neck in line with your spine.
• 4. Let the bag hang straight down at around knee level.
• 5. Retract your shoulder blades and tense your core muscles (tummy and lower back) to stabilise your body.
• 6. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and pull the bag into your chest.
• 7. Lower the bag slowly to the start.
• 8. Hold your torso steady throughout the move.

5.The Plank

Let's not forget your core muscles. Your tummy and lower back is what we are here for right! The plank causes tension in all your abdominal (tummy) muscles and lower back muscles, whilst using all other muscle groups to stabilise you. A fantastic exercise to end the session on!

Technique:

1. Hold yourself in the following position, concentrating on holding your tummy and lower back muscles tight together and parallel with the floor.

Thats a full body workout for FREE and you've not even left the hotel room!

The key to making the most of the exercises is to concentrate on achieving the perfect technique. This will ensure you work the muscle groups that the exercises are intended for and most importantly AVOIDING INJURY.

Happy Exercise,

G

Diet Myths Revealed #1

Energy in equals energy out

When it comes to diet and exercise we have all heard the mantra “energy in equals energy out” just eat less and exercise more!

Diet "experts" even add the quote “we cannot change the laws of physics/the laws of the thermodynamics.”  But Is this what the laws of physics actually say?

This myth is fairly scientific, but if you can understand the mis-interpretations of these laws you will understand why so many diets based on calories DONT work if you wish for long term health and fat loss!

There are four laws of the thermodynamics, with only 2 laws that we apply to diet. The 2 laws we take into account are the first and  second laws, and neither of these say "energy in equals energy out".

The First Law 

"In a closed system, in thermal equilibrium, energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Energy can be changed from one form to another, but it shall be conserved."

HOWEVER, the human body is NOT a closed system and it is not in thermal equilibrium (although it is contstantly trying to achieve equilibrium). 

Therefore, we also need to consider the second law.

The Second Law - Entropy

Energy will be lost and energy will be used up in making available energy. We need to take both of these into account.

This second law is known as the law of common sense and this is the law that proves that a calorie is not a calorie!

For example, 

the energy it takes to make a carbohydrate available to the body for energy compared to the energy used up converting a protein to usable energy is substantially different. 

100 calories of carbohydrate eaten may make 93 calories of energy available to the body; 

100 calories of protein eaten may make only 70 calories of energy available 

That’s a significant advantage for dieters and helps to explain the effectiveness of low carbohydrate diets.

The Human Body is NOT a simple machine.

These ‘laws of physics' were developed during the industrial revolution to help understand if we could make a perfectly efficient steam engine. The laws were and are all about energy, not weight. 

The laws say nothing about weight being conserved – we jump between energy and weight as if they are the same in the world of dieting and so our conversions and assumptions are wrong.

The laws of thermodynamics were never intended to become the fundamental principles of dieting. They do have some relevance to dieting, but only when they are correctly applied and when all the caveats are taking into consideration.

There is simply no law that says energy in equals energy out. Even if there were, the corollary would surely be – less energy in equals less energy out! 

So energy in does NOT equal energy out.  Through this understanding we can start to tackle many of the diet myths to allow us to develop a better understanding of nutrition, food and how it affects out bodies. 

Why not subscribe to our email list not to miss Diet Myth Revealed #2 the minute it's launched.....

G