Food is Important. And Delicious. But More Importantly...Important.

We all love food. Food is great. It's delicious. It's often the center of many a social interaction. Again, we all love food.

I just have to take a minute to stress how important it is to make sure your body is getting all the right foods—or fuel—that it needs. I'm the key example of someone who can get lazy and just not want to think about food...or think about eating healthy. So maybe I skip a meal. Maybe I don't eat enough. Maybe I make a poor food decision and eat something that does not make me feel well.

The problem with doing this is that it is only the beginning of a cycle. When I make a poor food choice ONCE, I'm far more likely to make a second, third, fourth, even fifth poor food choice. My body starts craving foods that don't support my active lifestyle and this whole cycle leaves me drained and tired.

THIS IS NOT GOOD! Especially when I can feel energized, motivated, and HEALTHY with the same schedule with a well-fueled body. Sigh, I can't speak on the topic enough. And I hate it when I get sucked into that darn cycle.

I love this article "How to Fuel Your Body for Energy" from active.com. It speaks on the following topics:

• Timing: Keep fueling your body throughout the day. This is essential for keeping steady energy. You don't have to have those extreme highs and lows. Strive to eat three meals a day with snacks in between. This process will also lead to better food choices and less overeating. 
• Type: YOU are a high-quality individual and should want to live a high-quality life. So make sure to give your body high-quality food. Stick to whole grains, fruit, starchy vegetables and beans. Forget the over-processed options that have little to NO value for your body. 
• Combination: To maintain stable energy, pair your high-quality carb with a lean protein. Why? Our bodies break protein down more slowly, so protein+carbs allow us have energy AND stay full longer. 
• Consistency: Sometimes our bodies have to recover when we don't give fuel them properly. Follow the previous tips to maintain your energy. 

I typically do a pretty good job at this. Consistency is where I fail. Every couple months I just do horrible for a couple days. But then I get back on track. But my focus is consistency, consistency, consistency. :)