Nutrition Goals
Proper exercise all starts with putting the right fuel in your body. For humans, this fuel comes in the form of food. Setting nutrition goals is a great way to start focusing on supplying your body with the required elements of nutrition it needs to perform at its maximum potential (there are already enough obstacles out there and nutrition is definitely one of the easiest to maintain control of with strong will power). The food groups available for targeting are:
- Grains
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Dairy
- Meats / Beans
- Fats / Oils (Not really a group but still important for the body)
Increase or Decrease Food Intake for Calories
An established goal to gain or lose weight, begins with taking a look at one’s diet and determining how many calories are being consumed on a daily basis then figuring out how many are being expended. Once the individual starts expending more calories than they consume, weight loss occurs and the weight loss goals established start to become realized. The opposite is also true, in order to gain weight, one must determine how many calories are being burned in order to find how many calories must be consumed to be greater than that amount and lead to weight gain.
Targeting Food Groups
With a dependency on the specific end result, individuals may target specific food groups more often than others in efforts to give an edge to their needs. Someone looking to put on a lot of lean muscle will most likely target high protein food groups (like meats and beans) more than someone just looking to lose weight (more emphasis on fruits and vegetables). See "High Protein Diet / Food Plan" for more information.
One looking to achieve a weight gain goals may target the fats and oils group a bit more. The higher calorie count in the food allows for weight gain without having load up on less calorie dense foods.
Balance is Still Key
While targeting specific food groups to address a specific dietary need, it is highly advised to not completely cut out any one particular group as the human body needs all groups to run effectively and efficiently.