Yes, I said it, NO SNACKING

For regular individuals that aren’t in any special case scenario like sickness, pregnancy, diabetes or under a specific training protocol prescribed by a professional snacking is not only over emphasized and over rated, but actually dangerous.

We become addicted to the very habit of snacking, feeling like we cannot go on with a day or with a workout unless we have ‘fuel’ in our body.

 

Lets examine the ‘modern man/ woman’

People sit most of their day. Even if you are an active individual, you are still sitting for work, sitting for much of your daily recreation (surfing the net, watching a movie, reading), your socialization is often at dinner or a party where you sit or stand without much momement, and you eat and rest sitting or laying down.

 

Of the 30% of the population who report exercising on a regular basis, only 5% exercise vigorously.

We take mass transit, cars and elevators to get around.

Then lets say we do workout, or do an activity.

Lets say you go to the gym to lift weights, or you do a KB DVD at home. If youre doing it correctly yo are engaging sedentary muscles, training appropriately enough to facilitate muscle growth and explore your bodies natural motions, all while aiming to correct any imbalances and strengthen the body.

The truth is that you have more then enough ‘fuel’ in your body from both breakfast and lunch in order to sustain a workout for 30 to 60 minutes, even 90 without any need for so called ‘fuel’.

Similarly with getting active after or before work, like going to run, playing a sport  or lets say going to a martial arts or dance class.

 Your body has no use for the added calories you’ve just taken in, it will burn those instead of using the ones it has already stored during lunch and breakfast, not only expanding your stomach but also mentally giving you a crutch.

If I had a dollar for every time someone ate a ‘fuel’ bar or drank a ‘fuel’ drink after sitting all day at work and coming into a KB class – its sad guys. It’s sad that we let the misinformation dictate what and how we do things for so long.  We have somehow allowed people with a limited education or an agenda to sell us on something help us develop a very unhealthy dependency on food.

I am active 3 to 4 hours in my day, but unless I will be training for the Superbowl, a Muay Thai match, a JiujJitsu competition or a marathon (and I mean training multiple times a day like a pro), pre and post workout snack have nothing to do with me. These are pescriptions made for professional athelete in peak training season, and specifically for endurance based training to somehow creep into our life and make fools of our bodies.

And it’s not about skinny or fat (that’s a different post all together), but it’s about how we take anything that is available to us and just do it, instead of doing the research and understanding what we (you) truly need.

If you are hungry in the day, drink a glass of water. Don’t eat snacks. My guess is that you’ll survive. You’ll also experience a wonderful exercise in discipline.

Them suddenly after a few days you wont require snacking anymore.

Then, if you feel like you may melt without your snack – do something radical – I actually dare you…

Wake up, get dressed, go to work, do your entire day, drink water but don’t eat. You heard me, spend the entire day without food –

Why?

Because the average person living in a developed area of the world doesn’t know what hunger is. And when you can’t identify hunger you mistake it, and that need in your belly every day at 3pm isn’t hunger after all, not real hunger anyway, and believe it or not, that ‘faint’ feeling you feel if you don’t have a snack (and I don’t care if its an apple or a candy bar) that’s not really real either.

Truth is, this is a pretty essential exercise, but you’ve got to be ready for it.

Okay-Okay – feel free to SNACK on your bday 🙂

 (took this pic in Japan, when we did a massive breakfast tasting for my step-dads bday)

If you must snack, my favorites list

• berries

• greet yogurt

• avocado toast

• egg whites

• a simple apple