Have you ever heard of the three legged stool? At Fitness Together, we empower our clients to achieve life changing fitness results by ensuring they understand the analogy of the three legged stool.  Each leg represents one critical component of their program.  As the analogy goes, the first leg represents the nutritional component of their program while the second and third legs correspond to the resistance training and cardio-respiratory components, respectively.

We explain to our clients that failure to implement any one of the three components will have a negative impact on the overall effectiveness of their program, similar to how a stool lacking one or more of its legs becomes less stable, losing its ability to function as it was designed.   Implement all three components consistently and the program’s effectiveness is multiplied.  It’s the synergy created between the three that’s greater than their sum.

I’ve spoken about each of these components over the course of the last several months.  This month, in recognition of the introduction of our new, personalized, one-on-one nutrition program called Nutrition Together, I want to revisit the nutrition leg of the stool.  Nutrition Together has been designed and written by our National Director of Nutrition, Dr. Janet Brill, a registered dietician and PhD exercise physiologist.

Nutrition Together has been designed to empower our clients to implement sensible strategies for eating healthy and staying fit, including grocery shopping and pantry organization skills, tips on making more nutritious choices when eating in or out, and taking control of unhealthy eating behaviors, all with the ultimate goal of instilling and maintaining healthy habits for life.

The Nutrition Together program has been founded on ten specific strategies.  I want to take this month’s article to share the first five with you (next month I’ll cover strategies 6 - 10).

Eat Healthy to Stay Healthy

What you eat impacts your health.  Those who eat an unhealthy diet loaded with fast food meals, sugary drinks, high-fat snacks, lots of sweets, and low in fruits and vegetables have significantly higher rates of chronic diseases.  Nutrition Together provides clear, uncomplicated nutrition advice making it easy for you to make more nutritious food choices.

Lose Weight at a Safe Rate

When it comes to losing weight and keeping it off, slow and steady wins the race every time.  Weight loss that occurs too quickly often returns.  A good rule of thumb is losing no more than two pounds of body fat per week.

Learn to Control Emotional Eating

Experts estimate that 75 percent of overeating is caused by emotions.  If you want to be successful at losing weight, you have to learn how to apply behavior modification tools to deal with emotional overeating.  Nutrition Together helps you identify what triggers your emotional eating, teaching you healthful techniques to help manage these emotions.

Control Calories and Portions

Research has proven time and time again that to lose weight you have to eat fewer calories than you expend. With Nutrition Together, we take the tedious task of calorie counting and make it quick and easy with a simple calorie translation system.  It’s not effortless, but it’s not a struggle either.

Keep a Journal

Those most successful at maintaining healthy eating habits watch and record the type and quantity of food they consume.  With our Nutrition Together program, we provide you with a user-friendly “Accountability Journal” to help you track daily eating and exercise choices.

That’s the first five strategies.  Next month we’ll look at the last five. If you would like to learn more about our new Nutrition Together program and how it integrates with our state-of-the-art customized, one-on-one private personal training programs, contact me at 407-208-0620 for your free consultation.

Call Glenn at 407-208-0620 and schedule a complimentary fitness consultation to learn how Fitness Together can make it happen for you.

Glenn is the owner/operator of Fitness Together of East Orlando. To learn more about his private one on one personal training studio visit www.FitnessTogether.com/EastOrlando or call 407-208-0620. The studio is located at 11317 Lake Underhill Rd., Suite 500 (across from Legacy Middle School). You can also email Glenn at glennbeard@fitnesstogether.com. Visit the Fitness Together of East Orlando You Tube channel with exclusive video content and client testimonials at www.youtube.com/fteastorlando.

Article by Glenn Beard