It’s not 90% Nutrition! Exercise comes first!

PLEASE Remember it’s not 90% Nutrition!
Exercise first then Nutrition! I can never tell myself or any client or athlete how many calories they need until I setup our Exercise/Training plans and know how Active I/they are away from our workouts at home, school, or work.

Knowing our Exercise and Activity levels comes first then we can know how much to eat. Each of us burns calories differently like if we are simply lazy, or just do Cardio, or just do Strength Training, or do Strength Training & Cardio Training, and we have to factor-in if we have a physically active job or do we just sit at a desk all day.

We burn calories while training in Strength Training workouts and also the muscle we build from Strength Training (firming/toning) burns calories 24/7 even while we sleep. A firm and toned body requires more daily calories than a thin and flabby body.

We burn calories doing cardio (walking, elliptical, biking, hiking, running, etc) and then working in yard, gardening, sight seeing as a tourist, being a brick layer instead of sitting at a desk etc. Most of these Exercises & Activities only burn calories at the time they are performed with no residual calorie burn later. A fast paced 20 minute walk can burn around 200 calories so if done 5 times weekly that’s an extra 1000 calories burned but no muscle is built so no residual calories are burned after the walk.

Here’s an EXAMPLE:

Let’s use me as an example if I were to follow a 2,000 calorie diet many recommend for a guy my size. I’m 6’2 250lbs mostly muscle.

Dave 1) If I told myself to eat 2,000 calories a day but I was thin & flabby, I never exercised or worked in the yard, and was a lazy lump on a log then that’s too many calories for me. I would need a more restrictive diet.

Dave 2) If I was moderately active lifting weights (Strength Training) a few times weekly, doing cardio a few times, and working in my yard then I’d need maybe 2,000 to 2,500 calories a day depending on how long and intense my Strength & Cardio workouts are.

Dave 3) If I was who I am now Strength Training 3-4 hours a day, doing moderate cardio daily 20-30 minutes, and some working in the yard then I need around 3,000 calories.

Dave 4) When I am Dave getting ready for Survival Run, Nicaragua or Semi-Pro Football each year and Strength Training 6-7 hours a day, swimming twice weekly, 30-60 minutes of stair stepper twice weekly, 2 of my 45 min sprinting spin bike sessions weekly, and 2-3 Runs ranging from 5-15 miles each run then I need 5,000, 6,000, or even 7,000 calories daily.

You see it would not be correct to tell me I need “X” amount of calories until you know what my exercise and activity levels are going to be.

Knowing Exercise & Activity levels comes first before knowing Nutrition!

• Dave Gluhareff