To be naturally fit you should provide your body with wholesome, natural nutrition — foods that are found naturally occurring in the world around us, not processed or produced by manufacturers. The same can be said for your fitness regimen. Doing bicep curls all day will give you bigger biceps; however, it is not a practical or functional movement. On the other hand, exercising to help you pick up something heavy off of the floor without hurting yourself is functional and practical.
Balanced Eating
Calories for energy come from three different macronutrient sources; carbohydrates, fat and protein. Though some diets promote a restriction or exclusion of one of these macronutrients, all of them are important for proper function of your body. For instance, carbohydrates are your body’s main source of energy, and they help the central nervous system function properly. Fats help cushion and protect your organs and act as an energy reserve. Protein helps build and preserve lean muscle, repair tissue and aid in proper function of your immune system. Try to obtain 40 percent of your calories from carbohydrates, 30 percent from fat and 30 percent from protein for a naturally fit diet.
Carbohydrates
When people think carbohydrates, they tend to think bread or pasta. No wonder carbohydrates have gotten such a bad rep. These processed, refined and easily digested carbohydrates promote weight gain and interfere with weight loss. Instead, consume your carbohydrates from healthy, all natural sources like fruits and vegetables, which are full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. Fiber helps regulate your digestive system; it binds to fatty substances and excretes them as waste, and it helps keep you full between meal times.
Healthy Fats
Like carbohydrates, all fats are not created equally. Be wary of fats that come from trans and saturated sources like baked and fired foods since they promote high cholesterol and heart disease; healthy fats, on the other hand, from monounsaturated sources reverse these effects and help promote good cholesterol. Consume sources of fat like almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, flax seed, flax oil and olive oil.
Lean Protein
Choose protein sources from lean meats like skinless poultry and fish and only lean cuts of red meat and pork — the tenderloin or loin chop. Fatty meats like duck, goose and lamb contain high amounts of saturated fat. Your body already makes all the saturated fat you need, so consuming more through your diet will negatively affect your cholesterol. Consuming saturated fat will increase your LDL cholesterol. When you have too much LDL cholesterol in your blood fat deposits will begin to form along your arterial walls. Overtime these deposits will turn into plaque increasing your risk fro heart attack, stroke and heart disease.
Exercise
Not only should your diet be natural, but so should your exercise. Many machines at local gyms or the ones promoted on television do not promote natural movements you do in everyday life. For instance the butterfly press machine and the seated leg extension machine do not encourage movements that you use in everyday life. On the other hand, you will probably see someone squatting to pick something up or look at food on a shelf at a grocery store. Familiarize yourself with exercises like the air and weighted squat, push-ups, pull ups, deadlifts, overhead presses and rowing. Ask the assistance of a fitness professional to help you with these movements if you are unsure how to do them properly.
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