Good nutrition and a healthy diet should be a key component to any training or fitness program, even if you are not training for a specific race. However, most people seem to overlook this aspect rationalizing that since they exercise or run that they can eat whatever they want. If you want to know why that’s a bad idea read this post.
On the flip side is another group of fitness warriors who go on extreme or restrictive diets. These diets are usually not sustainable long term. Even worse they often don’t provide you with the right nutrients to properly fuel your workouts. The result is a breakdown in the immune system which can lead to chronic illnesses and/or injuries.
Here’s the deal: eating healthy doesn’t have to be time consuming, complicated or boring! However, it does take a little planning and a small investment of your time. If you are running consistently then you are already planning when you will run and investing your time to train. It’s the same thing you need to do to consistently eat healthy. Ultimately you have to make a choice to eat healthy.
The simplest way to get on the healthy eating bandwagon and stay there is to change your mindset. To do this you have to look at eating healthy 80% of the time as part of your training program. Why do you do speed workouts? Why do you do long runs? Why do you get up while the rest of the world is still sleeping to do hill repeats? You do it to get better, to get faster, and to be prepared for your next race. These are the same reasons you choose to eat healthy.
If you are struggling to consistently make healthy choices then I challenge you to change your mindset and view it as a MUST for your training. Once it becomes a “no matter what” in your head like running is, then it will become easier to find the time to plan your meals, to purchase healthier foods, and remove the foods that cause you to stumble from your house.
To change your mindset, visualize yourself successfully achieving your goals. Think of how good it will feel to run that PR or complete that marathon. Imagine crossing the finish line and feeling great. Now picture yourself doing the daily work to get there. Picture yourself running your workouts. Picture yourself eating healthy meals that fuel your body and help it recover. Imagine how good it will feel to have have the energy you need to train and not feel tired all the time.
Now that you have a strong mental image in your head and you are really clear about what you want, write it down and refer to is weekly or even daily. Constantly remembering this mental image will change your mindset and make it a whole lot easier to action and do the work to follow through and meet your goals.
