The cost of getting lean

THE COST OF GETTING LEAN: IS IT REALLY WORTH THE TRADE-OFF? SIX-PACK ABS. TIGHT BUTTS. LEAN, VIBRANT, FLAWLESS HEALTH. THAT'S THE IMAGE THE FITNESS INDUSTRY IS SELLING. But have you ever wondered what it really costs to achieve that cover model look? What you have to do more of? What you have to give up? Make no mistake, there are real trade-offs. Let's talk about what they are. UNHEALTHY Athletes at this ↑ DO MORE level of body fat Almost none. Eat processed foods. Benefits Eat big portions. Easy fallback for some folks. Eat quickly. Does not require much thought or work. DO LESS Tradeoffs Poor health. Exercise of any kind, Low energy levels. Eat fewer whole foods. Poorer life expectancy. Sleep less. Risks of metabolic syndrome. May need medications to manage various conditions. >20% >30% VERY EASY TRANSITION HEALTHY Athletes at this DO MORE level of body fat Eat slowly until satisfied at 60% of your meals. College aged athletes. Off-season elite bodybuilders. Olympic shot putters. Include 1-2 palms of protein dense foods in 1-2 meals per day. Benefits Include 1-2 fists of vegetables in 1-2 meals per day. Improved health & energy. Improved sleep. Exercise 3-5 times per week, any activity you enjoy, o any intensity level. Exercise is easy and enjoyable. Tradeoffs DO LESS Requires some thought and planning. You'll look good but not super lean. Eat fewer desserts and processed foods. Drink fewer caloric beverages - 15-20% 25-30% EASY TRANSITION HEALTHY Athletes at this DO MORE level of body fat Eat slowly until satisfied at 75% of your meals. Olympic canoe and kayak athletes. Professional baseball players. Include 1-2 palms of protein dense foods in 2-3 meals per day. Professional softball players. Benefits Include 1-2 fists of vegetables in 2-3 meals per day. Fairly easy to maintain. Energy levels will continue to improve. Exercise 30-45 minutes daily, with 1-2 sessions breaking a sweat Sleep at least 7 hours per night. Will probably be able to reduce or eliminate many medications. Zz. Tradeoffs DO LESS Requires some planning and may require minor social sacrifices, e.g. exercising instead of hanging out with friends at a bar. Eat desserts / processed foods 3-5 times per week, within reason. Drink up to 3-5 caloric beverages per week. May require effort and attention to maintain this much sleep. 13-15% 23-25% May require some increased food prep skills and effort. MEDIUM TRANSITION HEALTHY Athletes at this DO MORE level of body fat Eat slowly until satisfied at 90% of your meals. Olympic swimmers. Professional hockey players. Include 1-2 palms of protein dense foods in each meal. Olympic volleyball players. Include 1-2 fists of vegetables in each meal. Benefits Fit appearance and good overall health. Include 1-2 thumbs of healthy fats and 1-2 cupped handfuls of quality carbs at most meals. Fewer food cravings due to balanced diet and exercise regime. Relatively easy to maintain once practices become habitual. Exercise 45-60 minutes daily, with 3-4 sessions breaking a sweat. Sleep at least 7-8 hours per night. Tradeoffs Requires more planning and greater overall attention to diet. DO LESS Requires a greater time commitment for the more Eat desserts / processed foods 1-2 times per week, within reason. consistent exercise regime. Drink up to 1-2 caloric beverages per week. May need assistance or coaching to achieve this amount of consistency. 10-12% 20-22% HARD TRANSITION HEALTHY Athletes at this ↑ DO MORE level of body fat Eat slowly until satisfied at 95% of your meals. Olympic level boxers and wrestlers. Olympic sprinters (100-400 meters). Include 1-2 palms of protein dense foods in each meal. Olympic level gymnasts. Include 1-2 fists of fibrous Benefits vegetables in each meal. Will probably look extremely lean; will have that six-pack. Include 1-2 thumbs of healthy fats in each meal. Overall health will probably be good due to carefully balanced and minimally processed diet. Exercise 60-75 minutes daily, with 4-5 sessions breaking a sweat. Sleep at least 8 hours per night. Will likely have high work capacity and good stamina. DO LESS Tradeoffs Limit carbs to post-workout or designated higher carb days. May struggle in social situations, especially those involving food. Eat desserts / processed foods once every 1-2 weeks, within reason. May not have time for social Drink a caloric beverage once opportunities outside of exercise. 6-9% 16-19% every 1-2 weeks. May have to give up other hobbies and interests outside fitness. VERY HARD TRANSITION UNHEALTHY Athletes at this DO MORE level of body fat Eat slowly until satisfied at 99.9% of your meals. Elite bodybuilders on contest day. Fitness models on the day of the photoshoot. Incorporate calorie/carb cycling. o Follow meal plan with predeter- mined foods and amounts, Benefits and measure food specifically. May feel pride at achieving an athletic goal. Include exact amount of lean proteins, fibrous veggies, and healthy fats in each meal. Tradeoffs Exercise 45-75 minutes, Will have difficulty socializing in most typical situations where food is involved. twice daily, with 6-7 sessions breaking a sweat. Sleep at least 8-9 hours per night. May miss out on fun events with family and friends. DO LESS Big time commitment to measure, weigh, and track all foods. Limit carbs to post-workout Hyper focus on diet and exercise may contribute to disordered eating. or designated higher carb days. Time required for exercise may Eat desserts / processed foods <6% <16% once every 10-12 weeks. crowd out all other pursuits and interests. Avoid caloric beverages. SIX-PACK ABS: A LOOK BEHIND THE SCENES Aside from the heavy airbrushing and photoshop done in most magazines, cover models often diet strictly for photo shoots. This means they only look "cover-ready" for a short time. The rest of the time they're much less "ripped". MAGAZINE FITNESS SIX-PACK ABS THE LEVELS OF LEANNESS SEEN ON COVER MODELS ISN'T NECESSARILY HEALTHY. In fact, the type of severe dieting they often use can lead to: O LOSS OF SEX DRIVE O AMENORRHEA (IN WOMEN) O DISORDERED EATING 9 LOW TESTOSTERONE (IN MEN) SOCIAL ISOLATION AN UNBALANCED LIFE HEALTHY, ATHLETICALLY LEAN, OR SUPER LEAN? IT ALL DEPENDS ON YOUR PRIORITIES AND GOALS. FIRST, FIGURE THEM OUT. If you don't know what your priorities are, now's a great time to explore that. NEXT, DECIDE WHAT YOU'RE WILLING TO DO. What will you do to serve those goals and priorities? Why? NEXT, DECIDE FREQUENCY. How often, how consistently, and how precisely, are you willing to do those things? NEXT, DECIDE WHAT YOU'RE NOT WILLING TO DO. What are you unwilling to do? To trade off? To give up? Now you can make better decisions, leading to the body you really want, while living the life you really enjoy. For the full article explaining this infographic: www.precisionnutrition.com/cost-of-getting-lean Pn PrecisionNutrition