Throughout my adolescent years and young adulthood, I’ve adhered to a vegetarian diet from time to time. I’ll go weeks or days each month without eating meat to switch things up and cleanse my system. We all know that eating our vegetables and fruits and getting the proper vitamins and protein in our bodies is essential to having a healthy life. All these things are also needed to properly fuel us for exercise, too.
Some might ask, how do you have energy to exercise when you haven’t eaten any meat for days or weeks? Easy. I increase my vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains to make up for the lack of protein in my diet. In fact I’ve noticed that when I lean more towards a vegetarian diet, I have more energy, strength, endurance and stamina when exercising. Believe it or not, I also notice an increase in awareness and clarity, which helps me to be more focused in the gym while doing an exercise. I spend less time in between sets. There’s more of a sense of urgency to accomplish my goals. The great thing about eating this way is that it benefits my life overall, not just in the gym. If you have a great fitness life it will surely have a positive effect on your work and personal life as well.
My favorite vegetable by far is spinach. Turns out, spinach has many known health benefits, such as promoting good eyesight, heightened cognition and concentration, blood pressure maintenance, muscle and bone strength, and healthy metabolism. Spinach is also high in folate, which is essential for healthy fetal development and growing babies.
Vegetables and fruits are like super heroes to our bodies, which is why we must make sure we’re consuming them on a daily basis. But who said eating veggies had to be boring? It’s easier than you think to incorporate fruit and veggies into your diet, even if you have to sneak them in things like quiche, zucchini bread, carrot cake cookies, or butternut squash bundt cake (so yummy!). And when you pair a balanced diet with a good exercise regimen, you will be well on your way to a healthier you in no time.