For years, I felt weighed down and sluggish, despite being active, dieting and what I pursuing what I believed to be a healthy lifestyle. I wondered what was the cause of my lack of energy. I was frustrated at my weight, despite my hours of cardio in the gym. I ate a pretty good diet, watching my caloric intake, or so I thought. I decided to take a personal inventory of what I was eating in conjunction with my activities and how I felt in response. .
The first step was I literally tore my pantry apart and rummaged through the refrigerator, doing what I called "research." I read labels, ingredients, kept track of eating and exercise habits for the course of a month, and after becoming a bit obsessed, I came to the realization I hadn't been eating as well as I thought. Granted my kitchen contained a lot of diet friendly products, "low fat, low-calorie, low-sugar, sugar-free etc.", many of them lacked nutrition. .
The body needs vitamins, fibers, proteins, and carbohydrates for fuel. The products I was fueling my body with were packed full of chemicals, artificial sweeteners, the worst kind of sugars, high in sodium, fats and oils I'd never heard of. .
My personal inventory empowered me to make change through awareness. I noticed that despite meeting my caloric needs, most days I would frequently skip out on meals, making up for it later by eating larger amounts or snacking. Sugar I also learned made up a large amount of the calories I consumed. Sugar seemed to be hiding in everything! I wasn't properly keeping my body fueled throughout the day. There was also a lack of consistency. I never ate the same proportions, amounts, or even at the same times during the day. After school or work, a lot of meals came from a box or the freezer. My exercise habits were consistent. I ran the same amount of miles every week, did the same routine in the gym, and despite this I still wasn't challenging my body's strength or endurance.