I’m not a big meat eater and don’t really like vegetables. I like things like pasta and whole wheat bread. How can I eat better if I don’t like veggies? I also follow the Core Secrets home workout videos 3-4 times a week for exercise. Is this a good choice for weight training or should I actually go into the gym to do my workouts? What can I do so my body doesn’t get used to the workout routines I do each week? I have 3 different fitness videos that I use.
This is interesting because normally, not eating meat would make you a vegetarian but you also don’t eat vegetables so would it be safe to say you are a pastaterian? Just a funny thought but now I’ll get on with answering your question. Let’s first establish that eating serves two equally important functions. We eat in order to provide our body with sufficient calories to meet its energy demands and we also eat to provide our body with a sufficient amount of nutrients to maintain healthy biological functions. Meeting the first requirement is very easy because you can eat virtually ANY food to meet this demand. Pasta, bread, chips, cookies and cake all supply plenty of calories but they are almost entirely void of nutrients. So eating better really means that we need to eat foods that not only provide calories but also provide the most amount of nutrients. Clearly this means eating more fruits and vegetables as there is no doubt that these foods contain the optimal amount of nutrition. So if you’re not eating any vegetables, you are truly handicapping your nutrition. There is simply no way around this fact.
Since you are also not eating meat this further reduces your food options to fruit, nuts and processed foods. And since processed foods are the number one culprit to weight gain you are left with a pretty scarce amount of foods by which to draw your nutrition. Your only option then is to supplement your diet with manufactured protein and nutrients. There are many products on the market for this and with a little research you can find a protein powder and vegetable replacement powder suitable to your needs. But I think it goes without saying that a powder made in a factory is not going to provide the same level of nutrition as something that grows naturally on this planet. The human body is, after all, a biological organism that runs on organic fuel. So my most sincere advice would be to try to find at least a few vegetables you can eat that will provide your body with some very important vitamins, minerals and fiber.
When it comes to your workouts, I have to say that I am not familiar with the “Core Secrets” video workout. But from the name of the videos I am going to assume that it involves workouts designed to strengthen your core muscles. This is a very good place to start as the core muscles are important for providing a base for almost all of our movements. I wouldn’t put too much emphasis on your body getting used to it because this is really just another way of saying that your body is getting stronger and acclimating to the movements. If you are finding that the workouts are getting easier to perform that is a good sign. With your core muscles, we are only trying to achieve a general amount of strength for them to stabilize the body. So the important thing is to keep them strong by consistently working them as opposed to trying to constantly get them stronger. It just isn’t necessary. If you are looking to improve your fitness, your time will be better served by adding in some cardiovascular exercise to supplement these workouts. Doing 20-30 minutes of walking, jogging or aerobics a few times a week is a great place to start.
