Top 5 Questions Our Clients Ask about Fitness and Nutrition
Pursuit Training clients come from all walks of life, but there are top questions that seem to get asked no matter where folks are coming from or what their goals are. So we have asked our coaches and trainers to submit their top Q&A for this post.
Q: What Diet Should I Follow for Fat Loss?
A: A high protein, unprocessed diet that is rich in fibre is the most straight-forward answer we can give you. Eating lean proteins, such as chicken breast, tilapia, and ground turkey, plus loading up on leafy greens, such as broccoli, spinach, and kale. Avoiding sugars, which includes most processed foods and alcohol. It is also advisable to ensure you have a goodly amount of healthy fats found in fish, avocado, and nuts. Drink plenty of water, too! Keep calories proportionate to your fitness level, if you are very active, you will need more calories than someone who is sedentary.
Q: If Women Lift Weights, Won’t They Get Bulky?
A: No. Just no. If you’re picturing a female version of Conan the Barbarian because you picked up a set of dumbbells, you’ve let your imagination run wild. Women who engage in weight training and build lean muscle experience better fitness outcomes than those that don’t. Weight training is the best way to an awesome physique that is strong and healthy looking, with great curves. The only way women “get bulky” is through a bodybuilding and diet program designed for massive gains—if that’s not your goal, your Pursuit Training team isn’t going to set you on that path; if you have specified that you would like to get a “beach body” or you want to improve your overall health and fitness, you can bet weight training will be on the menu.
Q: How Often Do I Need to Work Out to See Results?
A: It depends on your fitness level, goals, and overall lifestyle. For someone that works in an office at a desk all day, they will need to incorporate more movement into their day than someone with a job that requires physical movement for long periods. Pursuit Training coaches try to build programs that work with our clients’ lifestyles, but we do encourage most people to commit to 3 days each week where they can get in a specific workout. However, if your goals are hardcore, your time in the gym may be equivalently hardcore to get you there. And consider that optimal health includes some type of physical activity each day!
Q: How important is diet, really?
A: While strength training and physical activity are key to achieving your health and fitness goals, the importance of diet can’t be overstated. If we were to draw a pie chart, diet would take up 80%, and training would take up 20%. You are what you eat—if you’re eating whole, nutritious foods with healthy fats and high protein, lots of leafy greens, nuts, and whole grains, your workouts are going to be fuelled with the right stuff. Sure, you’re not a robot, so maybe you like to have a cheat here and there, but that 80:20 rule applies to diet, too: try and make 80% of your diet the good fuel your body needs and reserve 20% for those things that are worth the extra time in the gym or the extra lap at the pool.
Q: How can I stay motivated when I’m not seeing the scale move in the right direction?
A: First, get off the scale! Whether you are looking to lose weight or make gains, your incremental progress toward those goals may be happening off-scale. Find other ways to measure your success, here are a few questions to ask yourself or tactics to try that don’t involve a weigh-in:
- How are your clothes fitting? Have you noticed a change in the way they fit?
- How are you feeling? Do you feel energized? Are you happier?
- Has anyone given you a compliment on your progress lately?
- Are you feeling stronger? In what ways?
- How is your endurance during your workout? During your day?
Working toward a healthier, fitter lifestyle and specific goals doesn’t always mean you will see a change in your weight; you will oftentimes see a change in body composition. A great example of this is one of our past clients competed in a bikini competition at 147 lbs. She had been 147 lbs and a dress size 8 previously, with about 24% body fat. When she was competing, she stepped on stage at 147 lbs and a dress size 2, with body fat of just 8%. Good thing she didn’t let the scale be her metric for success!
The second part of this answer is to come back to your goals. Why did you start this journey? What will you gain when you reach your goals? How will you feel? Throw on a new playlist; shake up your routine; workout with a buddy; try something new. Whatever you do, keep pushing, you will thank yourself later.
Do you have a question for a Pursuit Training coach or nutritionist? Drop us a line on Facebook
Your Pursuit Training Team
Sign up to receive our monthly newsletter:
[contact-form-7 id=”726″ title=”Mailing list”]