I have not written in a while (one year to be precise), and not because there's nothing to write about, rather there are too many things I would like to write about and in the multitude of voices I try to accommodate in my head none of them is clear enough to follow through. But I guess any time is better than never, and any topic that I am passionate about will be a good start.I wanted to start with fitness and healthy lifestyle, as it has become a crucial part of my identity. I meet a lot of people complimenting me on my fitness, most of them being women.
I always feel flattered and humbled, however each time I do mention that I was not born like that. It is not an innate quality, though yes, my body has always been an athletic type. Nonetheless, it took me 3 years of regular exercise paired with the right nutrition to be as fit as I am today. There is no express way to become fit or have a shaped/lean body. Following a certain routine allows me to be in shape and have an above than average physical preparation. Above all, the aesthetic aspect is just a nice collateral perk, as to me my body is functional first of all, and only second I appreciate it in terms of looks.I want to shed some light on one of the main parts of my lifestyle that made a big difference in my fitness: my nutrition.
To be clear, what I describe below works for me, but it might not work for somebody else. Similarly I encourage everyone to find an individual nutrition plan that works for their schedule and gastronomic preferences. I never skip breakfast. To be honest, breakfast is one of the most exciting things I wake up for in the morning. I also eat 4 times a day at roughly following hours: 9am, 1pm, 4-5pm, and 8-9pm. My breakfast usually consists of boiled eggs, omelette or eggs benedict. I also add leafy greens such as rucola or spinach, if I do not have any I will add some vegetables: peppers or tomatoes, and pieces of sheep cheese. For beverages I make myself a fresh smoothie out of bananas and oranges, or just a tea/water with lemon. My first, and only coffee, I drink around 10am when I get to the office. My lunch is split in two meals that I eat at an interval of 2-3 hours. First I eat a soup at 1pm. And then at 4-5pm I eat my second lunch consisting of a chicken fillet(around 250grams) and salad (carrots, cabbage, sea weed, celery, zucchini).
My dinner is lately made out of several salads, so vegetables based only, accompanied with fish if any. My breakfasts and dinners are always home cooked. I do order lunch from a local restaurant (soup on the spot and second course as take-away), and Friday evenings are usually spent having dinner with my friends somewhere out in the city.
I try my best to limit eating out, main reason being simply the fact that I do not know all the ingredients that are used in the foods.Besides my numerous meals, it's been a year since I excluded from my daily nutrition pastries, cereals, and foods high in cabrohydrates such as potatoes. As a result I do not eat pasta, noodles, spaghetti, oatmeal, any cereals, rice, or potatoes. I rarely eat pizzas, buns, pancakes or, very popular in Moldova, placintas. As you can see from the breakdown above, my food basically consists of eggs, chicken fillets/steaks, vegetables, sheep cheese and fruits.
Needless to say any supermarket visit is basically me going to 2-3 aisles maximum, since the rest of the aisles are packed with food that I just do not eat, as most of it is either processed, frozen, canned or it is snack food, such as chips.I also drink my coffee and tea without sugar, and I do my best to minimize sweets in my diet. I do love chocolate, however I do my best to treat myself with pomegranate as a sweet dessert or honey with tea in the evening instead.
These nutrition choices have become a part of my every day life such that it does not feel like a burden or restriction. The benefit of following the same meal schedule every day is enormous. My body knows that it will receive food every 4 hours or so, hence it does not need to store any additional "reserves", which would happen if one would regularly skip meals. I never crave food or quick snacks at spontaneous hours, since my food intake hours have been the same for months. When I happen to be at a social event where there is food that is not in my usual diet, even if I take a bite, it does not have that much of an effect on my overall health. Above all, it's a habit which does not require much thought any more. But most importantly, it's perfect to 'fuel' my physical training during the week, which I will dive into in my next post.