ANYONE CAN DO IT!
Achieving a good physique is possible for anyone, but requires understanding, patience & commitment more
than anything else. In this guide, I break down how to improve not only your body but also your health by
following simple steps/cadence. Below I will show you 8 Ninja Hacks that can help you in losing weight or fat,
maintaining, or gaining muscle.
Who is this guide for
If you identify yourself with any of the following points then this is for You:
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You want to build more muscle, tone up, or just lose some fat/weight.
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You have been on diets for a long time and you always keep bouncing back to your previous weight.
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You haven’t been able to get a 6-pack no matter how little you eat.
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You want to build more muscle, tone up, or just lose some fat/weight.
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You’ve been waiting for the next Holiday or Social event to pass for you to go back to Training
or Dieting because you’ll eat or drink things you are not supposed to.
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You’ve cataloged food in good & bad groups.
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You don’t want to be on a strict regimen and want to enjoy life, and food and not restrict
yourself.
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You are confused with all the contradicting information about Fitness.
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You don’t have much time to work out.
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You eat out a lot either socially or due to traveling.
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You are frustrated with not accomplishing your goals.
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You are looking for a Coach or method applicable to YOUR lifestyle.
FOCUS ON YOUR NUTRITION
So you want to have Bigger ARMS, Bigger GLUTES, just get bigger? Or maybe you want to maintain
your weight consistently? Or maybe you are trying to get ABS, look “Toned”, with the nice muscular
definition? No matter how hard you train, without the proper Nutrition Plan, you’ll keep spinning
your wheels. Reach out to us for a Nutrition or Work out Plan.
Before I got into Fitness I used to think you would just work out and automatically your body
will change depending on the number of repetitions or workout plan you do. Obviously, that only
worked during my newbie gains which happen to be the time when you grow or show more development,
and is only for approximately 1 year. Little did I know that you could also maximize those gains
and instead of only increasing 1-2 pounds per week, I only got a fraction of that due to poor
nutrition. My performance could’ve been better as well as my health therein.
I found that “good nutrition” varies depending on goals, you can have nutrition that will get you
a nice physique, but won’t necessarily be a healthy diet. The same goes for a healthy diet that may
not be ideal for performance and vice versa. Let’s define first what proper nutrition consists of.
For simplicity, we can categorize them into multiple groups. Nutrition for:
a) Health
b) Performance
c) Physique
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Health- The more information & scientific studies you look at, you’ll find that everything can
harm you and benefit you. Even water can kill you in excessive amounts! If you are a vegan or
vegetarian you might come back to me with research on how meat clogs the arteries and that
vegetables are the best of the best. If you are a carnivore you might want to tell me how
harmful spinach or nuts can be and about all the chemicals that go to the plants when harvested.
Or how Keto is the best of the best because when you get
into ketosis, your body utilizes the fat as energy, therefore you lose more fat. Some people
might claim that intermittent fasting is the best as it “resets” your system. If done it all,
you should too.
Give it a try, and see what works best for you. Develop that self-awareness so you acknowledge
how you feel about certain food groups, diets, and even the amount of times you eat a day.
Truth is, there is no one fits all diet or nutrition. As a general rule, I would start with
having a few selections of foods and incorporate more as you go so you can tell the difference
when eating that in particular.
If I had to give you a guideline of the ideal plate for health then I will suggest you have the
following:
1. Serve at least 1/3 of your plate or the size of your fist of vegetables. Make it colorful!
Each color of those veggies indicates different micro-nutrients.
2. Keep your protein .3 to .4 per lb. bodyweight. 2 meals a day with 40g chicken i.e would
suffice. For simplicity make it a third of your plate, or the size of your fist.
3. Get most of your carbs from whole foods such as rice, fruit, legumes, and sweet potatoes.
Portion size should be 1/3 of your plate or one palm of your hand for reference.
4. Eat foods that come as close to the source as possible, the best nutrients will come from
what nature gives us.
5. Shoot for 80% Whole Foods and 20% processed foods at the most. The reason is, that most
processed food doesn’t have as many nutrients as whole foods & most of them have either sugar,
preservatives, or ingredients not optimal for your health. In plain and simple words, if you
eat 4 times a day, you are “allowed” to have 6 processed meals, I would even do 1 meal a day
with something processed and shouldn’t be impactful at all to your health. Is better to throw
occasional treats throughout the week instead of having one cheat day. Forget restrictive diets!
6. As far as Fat goes shoot for no more than 35% Fat of your daily calorie intake.
7. Drink lots of water! Hydration plays a huge role in weight management as well as health &
performance. Don’t underestimate the power of keeping yourself hydrated.
8. Most importantly, make it simple and doable for you! Find a way not only that work for you,
but also that you enjoy.
Ninja Hacks-
* For instance, my sister likes to cook everything on the spot since she is a ninja in the
kitchen. I am not so I just batch cook, meaning, do as much as I can in one day. It takes me
about 4 hours but then I’m done for the rest of the week. I just throw half of the food in
the freezer and take it down to unfreeze and eat the rest. Super easy and practical!
* Always keep canned foods such as chicken, tuna, and vegetables, those can be such a lifesaver
when you are in a rush. Sometimes I carry it with me in case I run into unexpected situations
that take me long before getting home.
* Frozen fruit, vegetables & almost anything is great to preserve food, I always have food
readily available as I’m not always in the mood of preparing something. This is absolutely
normal. By default we’ll turn into the easiest way of obtaining food, I rather have something
quick that turns into chips or other filling foods with empty calories.
* Discover the power of gadgets such as the Air Fryer, InstaPot, and food processor. Once you
turn into these kitchen appliances there’s no turning back. On the InstaPot you can throw
everything in there, leave it overnight, and the next day you’ll have a delicious meal.
Same with the AirFryer, not to mention the varieties of textures and flavors you can get
with seasonings. Keep in mind spices have 0 calories and add lots of flavors, just be
aware of sodium content.
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Performance- You might be surprised that the diet for performance not necessarily is the
healthiest one. In this type of nutrition plan, you are aiming for the maximum output.
Those gels they sell for endurance athletes full of sugar and all kinds of things in
there might help you keep going, but are definitely not the best for your health.
For non-professional athletes my advice is to get everything from food, it might
not be practical sometimes but there are ways around it. I’ll elaborate on that note.
1. Keep your protein from .6-.8grams per bodyweight in pounds. Portion Size is 1 Fist
or a handful of protein.
2. Carbs in any form will give you energy. Complex carbs such as fruits will be your
best source of immediate energy. Oats, rice, and pasta are great for pre-loading or
for energy after your body already utilized the glucose from fruits. Simple carbs
such as sugar are highly used, but personally, I avoid them since it gives
you the energy, but not in the healthiest way.
3. Although vegetables don’t really give you significant energy, the nutrients they
carry will increase your
performance and most importantly, how you feel. Portion size is 1-2 Fists.
4. Find what works best for you. It is recommended to eat anywhere between 20-40g
of carbs every couple of hours of cardio to replenish glucose levels and keep energy
levels up. I do better eating a couple of minutes before exercising although the
recommendation is 30 minutes prior.
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Physique-
Most of the good results you’ll get from having an adequate energy balance & the proper
progressive overload plan. Namely, regardless of your nutrition plan, your workout plan
should vary in volume (sets x reps x weight), always improving in some form.
Focusing on improving your strength or form will bring really good dividends. Before
we get into the details I would like to mention that this is not the healthiest of the
essence. Yes, it will make you look way better, but oftentimes it lacks nutrients as
the key is consistency in caloric intake & protein, carbs & fat ratio. To put it
differently, your body learns to assimilate nutrients, use what is needed, and store
what is left.
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Keep your protein intake high. A minimum of .4g per body weight in pounds.
Bodybuilders take 1.2 up to 1.5grams
per lbs-bodyweight. 1 palm per meal should do it, although you can go the extra
mile first.
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Most veggies have virtually no calories, just go for as many as you want after
eating your protein. 1 to 2 palms should be enough.
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1-2 palms of Carbohydrates per meal should do it (this goes according to your weight).
Fruit, oats, rice, sweet potato, potato, all those are complex carbs that will help
you fill more satisfied. That is of course if you haven’t before then.
General Hacks- For you to change your body not only do you need to watch for your Macros
& workouts, but also the amount of calories that are consumed. The easiest way to tell
whether you are on a deficit or surplus diet is by your satiety & hunger levels.
Means, If you are constantly hungry you most likely are at a loss, if you feel comfortable
with what you are eating will be a maintenance, or if you are full most of the day then
on a surplus diet. This is called Intuitive Eating and is possible to get there after
being in tune with your body.
If you are not there yet is OK, you can start by sticking as much as you can to a nutrition
plan and as you learn to portion control, about Micro-Macro nutrients & while you see how
you feel with different Macros ratios. I could help you If you are tired of spinning your
wheels without getting nowhere. This is what Yummy Meal Preps do for you: Healthy balanced
meal prep, being one of the best meal prep companies in Riverside, CA that delivers in the
Inland Empire & within a 30 mile radius.
About the Author: Alfonso Aramburo
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Certified Fitness & Sports Nutrition Coach.
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Certified Yoga Instructor
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Advocate of Resistance Training
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Sports & Nutrition for Health Mindset
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Outdoors Enthusiast (kayak, Standup Paddle Board, camping, nature lover)
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Love Trail Running, Mountain Biking.
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Triathlete
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Dad of a very energetic Kid.
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Engineer by trade.
