Did you know that juggernautPT has its very own in-house nutritionist, Cara? But that's not all, the entire team of trainers is passionate about nutrition as well. And the great thing is that they are more than happy to share their tips with us mere mortals, who try really hard to convince ourselves that chocolate has nutritional benefits. Or is that just me?
Anyway, I thought I'd share on here some of the tips I've gotten from Gary and Mitch over the last few weeks:
- Aim for over half of your food intake to be raw. This way you do not lose most of the nutrients in the cooking process. When I first heard this, it seemed like a really tough one, but after a while I could think of many ways to have raw food: add a few spinach leaves to your plate (or any other green leaves), snack on chunks of carrots, fill up on salads in general and let's not forget we usually eat most fruits raw. And of course I assume my addiction to sushi fits in!
- Chew on a clove of garlic to help kick out any cold or flu that's threatening to strike. I hear that garlic tablets are also just as effective (and less likely to scare people away from you). Until now, I've been taking echinacea tablets regularly and they do work a treat.
- Gary also gave me a pot of organic Matcha tea, a Japanese green tea meant to help boost your immune system. Another way to fight off colds this winter!
- Control your sweet tooth by snacking on cacao beans (being the purest form of cocoa, they taste pretty bitter) mixed with goji berries.
- Another nutritional and easy on-the-go snack: nuts. Almonds and macadamia nuts are among the best. Choose them unsalted, and do not forget that although healthy, they are fairly high in calories, so as Gary says "Don't go nuts on the nuts!".
And a more general tip: make sure you eat before training! I personally do not like excercising on a full stomach but having a (healthy!) snack a couple of hours before is more that advisable if you do not want to be running low on energy right in the middle of your push-ups!
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Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau