4 Key Pillars

1. Recovery & Performance

Recovery & performance is going to mean different things for different people. To start it is about are you eating enough calories per day to support recovery and performance, then more specifically what kind of macronutrients are you consuming. We want to focus more specifically on carbohydrates. This is due to what is going to be fuelling our workouts, in terms of improving performance and endurance. If you’re training hard or doing strength training you will want to ensure you’re getting sufficient amount of calories & carbohydrates.

2. Digestion

Your nutrition plan needs to be set up in a way that optimises your digestion. This includes making sure you’re not having to large of meals at one time if this ends up causing yourself to either have bloating or distention. It is also going to be about avoiding foods that you know don’t digest well for your body. This is where you’ll have to do some experimentation, in terms of figuring out what the best option is for you to optimise digestion.

3. Micronutrients

Micronutrients are different to macronutrients, with micronutrients we are looking at vitamins and minerals with making sure we are meeting basic needs for all the essential vitamins and minerals per day.

4. Personal Lifestyle & Compliance

This is probably the most important pillar when it comes to setting up a nutrition plan. Simply because the best plan out there is one you can stick to long term. There is no use in following a plan if you cannot  stick to a nutrition plan. Every single person has their own life or personal context that allows them to eat a certain way or not, that’s something we need to be considering for ourselves.

We have a few more pillars to consider when it comes to setting up a nutrition plan.  These pillars are important, but not as important as the first 4 key pillars. For 90% of people out there these pillars below aren’t worth worrying about, especially if you haven’t focused on the previous pillars.

1. Macronutrient Ratios

Macronutrients is simply how much carbohydrates, protein & fats you’re consuming. Generally speaking, we would focus more on carbohydrates and fats. Manipulating these two throughout the week, a day or over a month to achieve your goals.

2. Peri Workout Nutrition

Peri workout nutrition is what you’re eating pre workout intra workout and post workout. This isn’t essential, but it may help a bit with your results.

3. Meal Timing & Varity

This is looking at your different food choices, whether it is changing from chicken breast to turkey breast, or from beef to fish. Also looking at when in the day are you having your meals. Do you have 4 meals or 6 meals or even 2 meals?. Or are you following something like intermitted fasting. Again, all of these aspects are a little more complex and are higher on the hierarchy of lower priorities.