Do you ever stop to think about all of the amazing things your body does for you?
It gets you up and moving in the morning, physically taking you through getting ready for the day while you mentally warm up.
Your body takes you from point A to B to C and all the way down to Z in a day.
Your body welcomes the stress presented and does whatever it can to keep you functioning.
Personally, I take it for granted, and typically only point out what it “cannot” do or how it is “failing” me.
But when I really look at it all and think about why I cannot do something, I can always find the answer.
My body has all the answers. Your body has all the answers. We just have to stop and look for them.
What are we looking for?
Our body gives us surface level answers like weight and body composition, but the answers we’re searching for lie beneath the surface.
You wake up in the morning and head right to the bathroom scale only to find that number to be the same as the last week.
Then you head to the gym set on grinding hard with the hope of FINALLY dropping that number on the scale.
After your workout, a glance in the mirror shows that your stomach still isn’t flat after that core blaster workout and the gym scale still shows no change.
On the surface, there’s no change, but what’s really happening to your body during as you diet hard and push yourself to the max in your workouts?
Did you check in and really ask how your body it is feeling?
Did your body feeling recovered when you woke up? Or was it sluggish, sore, and tired?
How many hours of sleep did you get the night before? Was it restful?
What was your nutrition like the day prior? Did you eat too much? Too little?
These are all questions you need to be asking yourself to better understand why those surface level factors stay the same.
These are measures of biofeedback.
Biofeedback is the hot new thing many coaches, including myself, claim will get you the results you want.
So what is it?
Biofeedback is a full body assessment and a representation of the different signs presented by the body to identify how well (or not) we are functioning. It is a check in with the metabolic portion of our body that helps to indicate whether your body is ready for more, content with where it’s at, or that you have gone too far.
There are numerous ways to evaluate biofeedback, but here are the 6 that I utilize with every client to help set up his or her program:
Hunger & Cravings
Questions to Ask:
- How hungry were you for the day? Did you find yourself feeling like you were starving or were you too full to eat?
- How did you feel after each meal – stuffed, satisfied, or still hungry?
- Was there a point in your day where you felt abnormally hungry?
- Did you have any cravings – salty, sweet, or otherwise? What time of day did you feel this?
What It Could Mean:
Too Hungry
- Your metabolism is quickly burning through what is being put into the system.
- You have not consumed enough calories.
- You are tired, bored, or stressed.
- Protein levels are too low.
- You are short on vegetables, thus some key micronutrients.
Too Full
- Your metabolism is not burning at a rate that matches what is being put in.
- You have over consumed on calories.
- Your gut is unsettled and not in a place to digest.
- You are anxious, worried, or stressed.
- You have filled yourself with too many carbohydrates and fats.
Cravings
- You are short on vegetables, thus some key micronutrients related to cravings.
- You have not met your protein requirements.
- You are short on calories.
- You are tired, bored, or stressed.
Energy & Motivation Level
Questions to Ask:
- Did you feel energized for your day?
- Did you feel tired or sluggish at any point during your day? If so, when?
- What time of day did you feel most energized and least energized?
- Describe your level of motivation for the day.
- Did you feel motivated to go about your daily activities?
What It Could Mean:
- You were underfed the day prior.
- You mistimed your meals or certain macronutrients.
- You did not get enough quality sleep to leave you feeling restful.
- You are lacking in various micronutrients.
- You have an underlying gut issue that could be preventing you from taking in nutrients.
Gym Performance
Questions to Ask:
- Did you workout? If so, describe how you felt.
- Did you feel adequately recovered for your workout?
- Did you feel you had enough energy to complete the workout?
- Did you increase your weights, add any rounds, or speed up your pace for your workout?
What It Could Mean:
- You did not allow your body to adequately recover from the prior workout.
- You were underfed the day before or leading up to this workout.
- You were lacking specific macro- or micronutrients the day prior.
- You did not get enough quality sleep to leave you feeling restful.
- You pushed yourself too hard the day prior.
Sleep
Questions to Ask:
- How many hours of sleep did you get?
- How would you describe your sleep – deep, restful sleep or easily disturbed, distressed sleep?
- Did you wake up feeling rested and energized?
- Did you follow your nighttime routine to wind down for sleep time?
What It Could Mean:
- You ate too much late in the day.
- You consumed too many carbohydrates or caffeine late in the day.
- Your body is struggling to digest.
- You did not let yourself properly wind down or go about a nighttime routine.
- Your stress levels are elevated.
- You were too active prior to bedtime.
- Your circadian rhythms have been altered as a result of your day-to-day activities.
Stress
Questions to Ask:
- Describe your stress level.
- Did you feel at ease, appropriately stressed, or overly stressed for the day?
- What was the source of your stress?
- Did you feel any physical manifestations of stress?
What It Could Mean:
- Your overall consumption – calories, macronutrients, and micronutrients – are off and not allowing proper fuel for the system.
- You are not allowing yourself enough time for physical and mental recovery.
- It may be time to take a break from the diet.
- Your workouts are requiring too much energy and leaving you without proper fuel sources for the remainder of your day.
- You are overcommitted.
Sex Drive
Questions to Ask:
- Describe your sex drive for the week.
- Did you feel interested in or desiring of sex?
- Did you at all feel uninterested in sex?
What It Could Mean:
- You have dieted too long influencing your male and female sex hormones.
- You are not receiving adequate calories and macronutrients.
- You are not allowing yourself enough time for physical and mental recovery.
- Your stress levels are elevated in other areas of your life.
Our body has all of the answers.
Yes, the scale matters.
Yes, progress in the gym matters.
Yes, body composition matters.
These are goals you have set, so they are important; however, if you’re only focused on the surface level information, dieting harder, and grinding in the gym you will get tired of lack of results and feeling like dirt.
Results cannot last when you only focus on the surface level information.
Biofeedback has the information we need to create and modify programs that keep us on track for results AND feeling great.
I will never guarantee you results, but if you start to regularly check in with these biofeedback markers, I do guarantee you will begin to view your body in a different light, one that takes you beyond the surface and to closer to an overall healthy lifestyle. If you want to see results AND start feeling great again, click HERE and let’s talk about what that would take for your life.
