How your eating habits master your energy
Your eating habits run your life. Agree? This subject is complicated; it is not just a question of nourishment and energy, but also a subject of feelings and memories. Food is used for nourishment and celebration and as comforter. It is also used as a drug. For some business leaders the eating issue is a big problem. They need to attend a lot of representing activities – often combined with a meal and a glass of wine. Why would that be a problem?
Let’s go back to the purpose of eating? Basically it is to get energy to live our daily life. Seems like a simple problem to solve BUT there are many opinions about what to eat, when to eat, and how to eat. There are countless variations of diets, supplements and so on. How do you get a good healthy meal out of this?
And why is the business leader at risk? Well, let’s try to sort this out. Some basic facts:
The body needs food (energy) on a regular basis, I use a simple “reminder” 3-2-1 – 3 meals a day, 2 snacks (fruit or wholegrain sandwich) a day and 1 portion each time. That way the body and especially the brain get continuous supply of energy in the right amount.
The body needs food with good and useful ingredients – not empty calories. It needs energy and building material for the biological processes that constantly is going on in the body and it needs helper material (antioxidants) for the fight with the destroying processes.
If we instead of healthy products just eat so called junk food we will get a lot of calories but no material for the good processes in the body. We will instead get material that is of no need for the body that will destroy instead. Like all the fat that will stick to the inside of our blood vessels and build arteriosclerosis as an example. And we will gain weight from too much calories.
Of course the food at the evening meeting may be of good quality but usually it comes in too large amounts and at the wrong time. Often in the evening just before going to bed and we don’t use the calories.
If you also add alcohol you add lots of more calories. Alcohol has almost double amount of calories per gram (7kcal) compared to carbohydrates and proteins (4kcal). Almost as much as in fat (9 kcal). That may add a lot of extra calories at a time when the body don’t need them, instead it will be saved as fat. Ever heard of a “beer-stomach”? Talking about this there is of course also the risk for becoming addicted to alcohol – but that is maybe a subject for another blogpost.
What to do instead? Many of these evening meetings are essential for your business so it is not a question to skip them. Instead you need to learn to choose good food in smaller amounts and replace the alcoholic beverages with water. That will help you keep your mind clear and your body more fit.
Will that make you a boring person? Will it make you less powerful or will it make you even more powerful? Please comment with your best tips. Maybe you can inspire someone to make a change.
Need help or information feel free to send a note.
Until next week – keep smiling
