The nutrition 'hack' you might not know

If working out is the building block for a strong and able body, then nutrition is the glue that holds it together.

I've been working with clients for almost a decade now and without a doubt nutrition has always been one of the biggest issues, if not the biggest.

At this stage, everyone and their dog knows that a calorie deficit is required to elicit fat loss.

Like business, successful nutrition requires a certain level of tracking.

After all, what gets tracked gets measured.

The most common form of calorie tracking is using an app to log your calories - I'm sure you've heard of MyFitnessPal.

But not everyone wants to track their calories in this way, nor should they, so we need an alternative.

And that alternative is called...

Hand Portion Guides

Yep, it's described exactly how it sounds, using your hands to measure your calorie and macronutrient intake.

I've had more than a handful (see what I did there 😉) of clients see incredible fat loss results by successfully implementing hand portions as a way of measuring their caloric intake.

I'll be honest when I learned about this 5 years ago on a nutrition course I was a bit sceptical, but it's brilliant for several reasons:

• It's a great alternative for those who don't want to use the traditional method of tracking, maybe because they have a prior or current poor emotional relationship with food.
• It's very quick and doesn't require the use of scales, measuring jugs, etc.
• It's easy to stay consistent as your hands don't change in size.

As you can see from the infographic below, implementing hand portion guides is simple.

 

You use your palm to measure protein, your fist for vegetables, a cupped hand for carbohydrates, and your thumb for fat.

Measure foods in the form you plan to eat them as this makes it easier to track consistently.

If you're not in the mood to track with an app, then I highly suggest you give hand portions a go.

The goal isn't to be tracking for life, but rather to build up an awareness around the foods and drinks you consume and this is an excellent tool for doing just that.

 

 

The sleep pyramid

I was a guest on a podcast this week and the topic of sleep came up quite a few times.

One of the points I made was how important it is to view sleep as the foundation upon which everything else is built upon.

Fat loss, strength, productivity, energy, and mental health are all impacted by sleep.

Get enough great quality sleep and you'll see greater success with these.

Don't get enough great quality sleep and instead, you can expect to see sub-par results.

To show you what I mean in a more visual way, here are some infographics from a previous live training I delivered to my private coaching clients.

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see, sleep is the building block for success.

Whether you want to lose 20 pounds or achieve levels of performance in the boardroom,

Sleep will play a major role in how successful you will be.

I've said it numerous times before but sleep is without doubt one of the greatest entrepreneurial tools there are.

Aim for 7-8 hours of great quality sleep each night and watch your results explode!

Don't let yourself down

I've always been a very empathetic person.

It's certainly one of the reasons behind my career choice and I've had quite a few clients mention it to me.

I've noticed that the older I get, the more 'emotional' I seem to be getting as well.

Not emotional in a bad way. I'm not here screaming at the wall and tearing my hair out.

Rather I've noticed myself getting more impacted when I see someone at a disadvantage physically.

For instance, if I see a blind person I get an enormous sense of gratitude for my sight.

A few days ago cycling back from the gym I saw this old man, probably in his late 60s, early 70s.

Crutches in hand, he was struggling to get into a taxi, even with the help of the driver.

Now clearly I don't know his backstory and what was behind his need for crutches, but once again it made me feel extremely grateful for my health.

Having the ability to move with freedom is something none of us should take for granted, yet a lot do.

I live the life I do and I have certain habits because I never want to lose my ability to move.

Health isn't promised to anyone.

Tomorrow it could all be taken away from you.

But barring any potential illnesses or accidents that are out of your hands, your destiny is well and truly in your hands.

Please don't throw it away.

I for one plan to do everything in my power to maintain that freedom!

Quote for the day

If you have taken the time to read to the end of this email, it tells me that you are probably keen to learn.

I'd also hedge my bets and say you've seen success in your career.

I do not doubt that one of the reasons behind that success was your level of focus on what needed to be done to move the needle forward.

Your health and fitness require that same focus.

Not a fleeting hour here and there, it needs your undivided attention if you truly want to make the most out of it.

All the best,

- Mark

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here’s a few ways I can help you:

• Are you an ambitious entrepreneur or professional who wants to get strong, lean, and boost your energy? ​Then find out more about my 1-1 coaching here.​​
• Grab a FREE copy of my Ultimate Health Guide by ​Clicking here now​.