Garfield's Challenge: Diet

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Garfield Wilson is the owner of a personal training company called Forward Fitness and one of the trainers from CBC's Village on a Diet. He's challenged Canadians to a weekly National Endurance Test. To find out more read his first article here. Or go straight to the challenge to start participating!

Photo: Garfield's daily meals for an 8-10 hour work day. Clockwise from left: unsalted rice cakes and almond butter, Boneless/skinless cicken breast baked and seasoned with no-salt chicken spice with red peppers, apple, steal-cut oats with blueberries, more chicken and yams, and chicken with red and orange peppers.

How is everyone doing after your first endurance test? I remember asking the good people of Taylor - from CBC's Village on a Diet - that same question, and responses ranged from "I am hurting all over!" to "When does this get easier?". So congratulations to all of you who got out there and did it. Well done!

Over the next 10 weeks we will be setting the building blocks for you to achieve your health and fitness goals. It is the new year, and for some of us it's a new beginning in how we want to look and feel. The first place we are going to start is with our diet.

FOOD IS FUEL

(Photo: Garfield eating his favourite breakfast: Steel cut oats (no sugar), blueberries and grapefruit juice.)

"I never eat breakfast - I feel fine with just a coffee until lunch". "By 2pm I'm exhausted and can't focus." "To save on calories I skip lunch and have a big dinner."

Unfortunately, our bodies are one of the first things we tend to take for granted. Back in college I drove a beat-up, lime green 1976 Chevy Nova with plaid interior. I neglected to book a regular oil change, and didn't get my tune-ups done when I should have, and I ended up driving that car into the ground. Imagine the care I would have given my car if it were a shiny new Porsche? Or, better yet, a BMW M6 (I love the M6!).

Like the M6, our bodies are complex machines that need the right combination of fuels to keep them running efficiently. Our food is our fuel, and we need to make the most of it to get the results we want to see with our body.

This week I'm challenging you to make a few simple changes in how you eat, to give you more energy and have you feeling fantastic throughout the day.

Don't skip breakfast! And sugary toaster treats aren't breakfast. Try some whole grain toast and a piece of fruit, or make an omelet with more whites than yolks. (Make this a goal and take the challenge!)
Eat every 2 ½ - 3 hours. Not an entire meal, but a handful of almonds with some cheese can carry you through until lunch or dinner. (And don't forget to Eat Three Meals a Day!

Eat smaller portions. We live in an abundant society, but just because it's there, doesn't mean you should eat it. Eat slowly to allow your stomach time to acknowledge it's full, and don't be afraid to leave something on your plate.
Drink more water. Cut back on coffee and soft drinks. Water flushes your body of toxins, assists with digestion, and actually helps deter water retention. Plus, often when you think you're hungry, you're actually thirsty.
Add more protein and veggies... and stay away from starches, carbs and other empty calories like muffins and chips. This is a basic rule, but something we need to remind ourselves of. The more healthy food you eat, the more you'll crave, and vice-versa for the bad stuff. So put down that bag of chips and grab an apple.

Be sure to share these goals with each other, and stick with it as a group. Keep me posted on your progress, and let me know how you're doing.

Recipes » see all

Brown Rice Paella with Shrimp and Baby Peas

Brown rice is the whole grain, including the bran layer, so it is higher in fibre than white rice. Raw brown rice takes longer to cook than white rice, but our frozen rice speeds things up for you, making a perfect and nutritious base for this wonderful shrimp paella.