Macro tracking as a way of unlocking your full potential through strategic nutrition
Macronutrients include proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Macro tacking is therefore the counting of these nutrients that you have had in a given meal or even in a given day. It is considered a crucial part of any fitness goal especially weight loss, muscle gain and improving athletic performance. There are several ways of tracing macro. A convenience is usually using a nutrition app such as MyfitnessPal. This article explores this concept of Macro tracking as well as potential benefits.
Macronutrients no their roles in the body
Like mentioned above, Macronutrients are essentially the 3 main nutrients; proteins, carbohydrates and fats.
• Proteins
These are considered the building blocks of the body. They repair and build tissue and form the enzyme and some hormones. Some of the sources include fish, eggs and lean meat.
● Carbohydrates
These are the sources of energy required to run the body. Founding foods such as grains, fruits and vegetables. They're usually broken down into glucose which is then utilized for energy production in muscles and brain.
● Fats
In addition to providing energy, Fats also have a role in protection, insulation as well as in helping with the absorption process. They may be found in avocados, nuts and olive oil.
How to count Macros
To count macros effectively, you can follow this guideline:
1. Determine daily calorie needs
This is done based on gender, weight, height, age, and inactivity as below:
Males
Calories per day= 10×weight(kg)+6.25×height(cm)-5×age(years)+5
Females
Calories per day= 10×weight(kg)+6.25×height(cm)-5×age(years)-161
2. Adjust for different levels of activity
To adjust your daily calorie target for the different level of activity, you multiply it with a specific activity factor as below:
● Sedentary: ×1.2(limited exercise)
● Lightly active: x 1.375 (light exercise less than 3 days per week)
● Moderately active: x 1.55 (moderate exercise most days of the week)
● Very active: x 1.725 (hard exercise every day)
● Extra active: x 1.9 (strenuous exercise two or more times per day)
Tracking macros and Calorie intake
Once you have established your caloric needs and adjusted them accordingly, the next steps include tracking them. Tracking entails monitoring and adjusting the intake of the macros so that everything aligns with your goals. One easy way to do this is by using a tracking app. MyFitnessPal is a popular option used by millions of people. You simply log your meals on the platform and it will help you track. You can then adjust your choices of foods so that then targeted macros are reached. This way, you are able to optimize your nutrition as you move towards your target.
What are the benefits of tracking macros?
Tracking macros has many potential benefits for those who want to improve their health and overall fitness.
These include:
● Improving diet quality
There is more to tracking macros than just for the sake Improving your health. For instance, by taking time to understand which meal is important and which is not, one gains a deeper understanding of what their body needs to keep going. One therefore is able to incorporate high quality meals into their diet which gives them a well-rounded diet.
● Promoting weight loss
For those who intend to Lose weight, then tracking of macros is very essential. One is able to create a calorie deficit that will enable them Lose weight if they are able to come up with specific macro ratios and then monitor their intake well.
● Achieving specific goals
Other than weight loss, tracking macros can be a way of achieving certain specific goals. These include building muscle, improving endurance and even in managing certain health conditions such as diabetes and obesity.
Macro tracking is therefore a very important aspect not only for fitness enthusiasts but also for people with health conditions such as diabetes. By tracking, one is able to achieve several goals and improve their overall health and fitness. Use of apps such as MyfitnessPal can be a more convenient way of tracking macros.
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