With fitness advice coming at you from every direction, it can feel like you need to try every new supplement, buy the latest equipment or follow every viral workout to reach your goals. But do you really need to chase every fitness trend to make progress? Not necessarily. Instead, focusing on getting the basics right and building habits you can stick to may get you further.
Protein is a key building block of fitness, playing an important role in building and maintaining muscle while also supporting satiety and helping manage cravings and overeating. However, prioritising protein does not mean every food you eat needs to be fortified with it.
Raj explains, “You need about one to 1.5 grams of protein per kilo of body weight every day, and that’s important. But do you have to start eating protein biscuits, protein powders, protein bars? No. The one single thing that will make the biggest difference for you is to build a protein eating habit. That means in every meal – breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, doesn’t matter – make sure there is some form of protein. Once you build this habit, everything else will fall in place. Raj highlights, “The best equipment, the best gym, the best coach – none of this is important. What you need to do is to show up at your gym regularly, two to three times every week, and do these five movements: some form of squat, some form of hinge, some form of push, some form of pull, and some form of carry. That’s it. Do this consistently and you will get all the benefits of strength training. The fitness coach explains, “The one thing that you need to do: build a habit of eating vegetables and fruits in every meal. Just like protein – breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, doesn’t matter. Whenever you eat, make sure there is some form of vegetables or some kind of fruit on your plate. Just doing this will make sure you get sufficient fibre and all the benefits of fibre.”
