How to Start a New Year’s Diet Like a Boxer

Reframing how you look at dieting is the first step to keeping your New Year’s diet goals. A boxing diet plan puts the focus on overall health – boxers eat mindfully and with purpose. This improves their performance and keeps them in peak shape without it ever feeling like a chore.

The combination of boxing training and a boxer’s diet plan will transform your health in the New Year.

How Do You Start a New Year's Diet?

Starting a New Year’s diet is easy – make the decision to eat healthier. Actually sticking with a New Year’s diet past the first month is where things get difficult.
Here’s how to start a New Year’s diet plan that you can maintain:

Avoid Fads

There are a lot of drastic diet trends that make a lot of outlandish claims. Nutritionists agree that the science behind them is questionable at best. A healthy diet plan is a lot easier to achieve than many realize.

Don’t Starve Yourself

Right in line with avoiding fads, don’t fall for the hype about eliminating certain food groups. Also don’t focus on cutting calories. A New Year’s diet should be about more nutrition – not less – paired with exercise that helps you use that food as fuel.

Think Long-Term

Make realistic choices. Consider how much time you really have for meal preparation. If you have a busy lifestyle, don’t choose a diet plan that requires a lot of forethought and prep. Also, consider your own personal food preferences – you don’t have to cut out foods you like, just alter the portions.

Change Your Mindset

Diets should not be synonymous with misery. Look to professional athletes like boxers for inspiration. To a boxer, proper nutrition equals increased performance. A boxer’s diet plan is not punishment, it’s both an investment and a reward.

What Is The Best Diet For a Boxer?

The best diet for a boxer is about health and simplicity. Whole, fresh foods in the proper proportions are at the core of a boxing diet. Professional fighters will avoid a lot of processed or artificial foods in favor of lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats. Timing is also key in a boxing diet plan – the body has very different needs before and after a workout.

What Does a Boxer's Diet Consist Of?

The philosophy behind boxing nutrition is about nourishment. A boxer’s diet focuses directly on the body’s intent to use and exert energy. The foods a boxer eats all serve a purpose – to either prepare the muscles before a workout or to repair the muscles after a workout.

Complex Carbohydrates

Provide the raw energy to perform. Examples include:

• Whole grain bread

• Sweet potatoes

• Beans

• Fresh fruit

• Peas

• Rice

Lean Proteins

Contain the building blocks muscles need to repair. Examples include:

• Chicken

• Fish

• Eggs

• Low-fat dairy

Healthy Fats

A key source of essential fatty acids and helps the body absorb nutrients. Examples include:

• Nuts

• Seeds

• Olive oil

• Seafood

What Do Boxers Eat When Training?

When boxers are training, they adapt their meals to their workout schedule. Before a workout, the focus will be on complex carbohydrates to provide energy (What To Eat Before a Boxing Workout). After a workout, the focus will be on protein to feed their muscles (What To Eat After a Boxing Workout).

Snacks are important to keep energy levels constant throughout the day. Simple and easy snacks like a banana, apple slices with peanut butter, mixed nuts, or yogurt can offer an extra boost. You shouldn’t ever feel hungry on a boxer’s diet.
Protein shakes can also be a great addition to a boxer’s diet. It is vital not to skip a meal when training, so the convenience of a well-balanced protein shake makes it a great option when you’re short on time.

How Many Meals a Day Should a Boxer Eat?

A boxer should eat a minimum of three (3) full meals a day (not including snacks) but may eat as many as five (5)--or more!

Professional fighters preparing to compete may also adjust their number of meals to either gain or lose weight. This is not for aesthetics; this is to meet or stay within the requirements of their respective weight class.

For beginners who are following a boxing diet and exercise plan to improve overall health, the number of meals comes down to convenience, the individual’s size, and the intensity of the training.

Starting a New Year’s diet plan shouldn’t feel daunting. It also shouldn’t feel unrealistic to maintain. Eating like a boxer is all about fueling your body to perform at its best. Choosing a boxer’s diet plan in tandem with boxing training is easy, and enjoyable, and will have a tremendous impact on your health that will make you want to stick with it.

Start the New Year Like a Fighter

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