Calorie Amount Myth
I get to give a free talk at PoleCon on how to calculate your basic caloric needs as an athlete to help us become the best we can be. Can’t wait to help as many people as I can!
If you have ever looked at the back of a food label you can see the breakdown according to calories or fuel amount. Not so long ago most boxes read breakdowns for a 1200 calorie daily diet but we now know that this amount would only nourish a child. And as we have learned more we have discovered that the general public, while over-fat and out of shape is probably severely undernourished! We now know that the average daily intake for a normally active woman is about 2000 calories a day. And as I have had my students log their daily food into “my fitness pal” I can see that most of them are starving themselves and when they do finally eat they choose too much of the wrong food.
The average 35 year old, healthy woman can burn 1600 calories laying in bed for 24 hours and doing nothing. Now we have to add in the calories she needs for energy to accomplish her daily tasks like brushing her teeth and being and amazing Pole athlete. The last thing you want is to be undernourished and have your body start eating its precious muscle for fuel because you didn’t eat correctly before and after a workout. For myself at 42 years old and 67 kilos I need about 1700 calories for daily body function and an additional 700 calories for daily activity and to teach all of my pole classes. Now if I was training to compete I would have to recalculate and add in additional calories to support the extra work I was doing.
Fad diets will never be the answer! Supplements may help if prescribed by your doctor BUT real whole food will provide everything you need from vitamins and minerals to protein, good carbs and healthy fats. It is a base line to say calories in vs calories out give us the health we want but that is actually like saying that unleaded gas gives your car the same benefit as premium gas. You cannot expect that 2000 calories worth of jelly beans would give you the same benefit as 2000 calories of lean meats, veggies, fruits, grains, dairies, and fats.
Hope to see you all at the nutrition class I am teaching at PoleCon 2016 so you can learn first hand how to change your menu so you can be the best Pole Star you can!
native to New Hampshire
favorite junk food – pepperoni pizza
owner/instructor – The Toy Box Pole Studio
I took ballet, tap and jazz for 11 years. Became an AFAA Cert Personal Trainer in 1994 and kept my cert current and up to date with continuing education every 2 years. I started teaching Pole at a gym in 2005, opened The Toy Box Pole Studio in Tacoma Wa and then got my degree in Health and Fitness.
As a kid I always wanted to be a singer and had a real chance but somehow fell into the fitness world and have been going strong ever since. When a student reaches a goal it makes my heart smile. The worst day at my job is 100x better than the best day working for someone else and I encourage anyone to try and make your dreams come true. Win or lose you know you gave it your all!
- Calorie Amount Myth - January 12, 2016
- Are your Pole Goals Your Priority? - December 29, 2015
- Example of a Normal Menu - December 11, 2015
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