Eating Paleo and Kettlebell Training

Eating Paleo and Kettlebell Training:

Many of my clients come to me for kettlebell training and often resist talking about their diet at first. However, most know on some level that these changes must happen one at a time in order to ensure long term success. Diet is a very important aspect of health and I often encourage people to follow the paleo diet. The paleo diet focuses on doing what is in sync with human biology and only eating the foods that are ancient to man. Kettlebell training is also a paleo way of exercising, it is ancient in your biology and works with nature. Eating paleo often helps people see an improvement in their sleep, energy and overall health when eating this way. By eating only foods that are in sync with your biology and eliminating all processed foods you will help reshape your body with minimal effort.

I have been featured on many different paleo blogs including Paleo Mom and Whole9 as well as Paleo Magazine. Many people see that I support this way of eating and ask me how I get enough carbs while eating paleo and kettlebell training. First, it’s important to remember that what works for you may not be the same as what works for someone else. I encourage you to take a metabolic typing test to help you find out the ratio of fats, carbohydrates and protein your unique body requires. Listen closely to your body, if you know you need more carbs or more protein than make sure to adjust your diet accordingly. While paleo eating may lend itself well to the “polar” metabolic type, the equatorial types need more carbs to maintain normal energy.

Despite some beliefs, it’s possible to still get enough carbohydrates in your diet through only whole foods and avoiding agricultural foods such as grain and legumes. Both grains and legumes aren’t considered paleo but root vegetables are. Sweet potatoes and squash are two excellent foods to include in your diet for increased carbohydrates. If you end up training extra hard and need a little booster, a bowl of rice probably isn’t going to cause you any setbacks either. In general I recommend trying to avoid grains. However, if you do choose to eat some grains, sprouted are a better alternative. Grains and legumes contain anti nutrients that can cause damage to your body whereas sprouted grain minimizes the anti nutrient factor. Sprouted grains are also gluten free and are therefore even less likely to cause digestive distress.

When kettlebell training or participating in any challenging physical activity it’s extremely important consume enough high quality fats and protein. When minimizing sugar in your diet and eating paleo your body learns to get it’s energy from fat rather than sugar. My post workout meals always include a good amount of high quality protein and fat. As I mentioned before, what works for me may not be exactly what your individual body needs so make sure to listen to what it’s telling you.

Thank you for reading,
Peter Hirsh