Top 10 for 10: Moderation

Top 10 for 10: Moderation.  Number 7 on our Top 10 for 10 is really all about balance.  Everything we do has an effect on everything else. If we swing too far to one side, even for a moment, something is going to force us to swing back the other way.  Keep that in mind when you are making choices surrounding food and learn to love the middle ground.  Moderation pertains to training as well but I’ll have another post on that next time.

A great rule of thumb to follow is the 80/20 rule.  Many people say everything in moderation, but really they have no concept of what moderation is.  We tend to over estimate the good foods we eat and under estimate the foods that shouldn’t be in our diets.  It’s not until we log our food and look back at it, that we see what we really eat.  So aim to eat healthy 80% of the time and 20% of the time it’s ok if you eat foods that are a little less healthy.  However, since you are trying to achieve specific goals and out comes you might need to be more 90/10, where 90% of the time you consume healthy choices.

Food logging.  I recommend writing it down or putting it in an email.  Apps are a pain and I never trust the info, especially community entries.  Plus they focus you too much on the calories and not enough on the micronutrients or food quality!

Here’s an interesting article on balance and the cost of getting lean from our friends at Precision Nutrition.  For those of you who seek the extremes- is it healthy or attainable? The cost of getting lean.