Cooked food on black bowl
Athletes are inundated with information on how to train and recover; they don't need the added pressure of dietary information overload. Food choices affect performance, but too often we get caught up in looking for the magic bullet and honing in on specifics only to ignore the big picture.
The truth is, the majority of people seeking fitness gains benefit from backing off a bit and getting back to basics — for example: Consuming a routine diet that includes a variety of colorful, nutritious whole foods.
1. TRACK FOR ENERGY INTAKE
Man doing karate stunts on gym
Photo by Uriel Soberanes on UnsplashEnergy intake relative to exercise energy expenditure is known as energy availability. It could be tempting to up exercise without increasing the fuel to support the effort in order to get lean. However, too many athletes succumb to over-restriction and caloric deficits, which results in the body being forced to use lean tissue as fuel. Ultimately, this hinders performance and body composition.
Instead of micromanaging macronutrient breakdown, milligrams of a specific vitamin, or supplement intake, aim to have a daily balance of calories you consume versus burn. Ensuring your overall energy needs are being met is a huge game changer in how you feel and consequently how you perform.
2. REDUCE THE JUNK
Selective focus photography of burger patty, mayonnaise, and French fries served on platter
Photo by Robin Stickel on UnsplashAll foods can fit into an overall healthy diet, however, consuming foods low in nutrient density is like loading up on the 'junk miles' in your workouts. It's fuel, but it isn't making you any better. Aim to reduce the amount of low nutrient density foods consumed day to day. The best athletes indulge occasionally, but know 80% of their intake should be high-quality calories — Think: complex carbohydrates, plant proteins, omega and unsaturated fatty acids and colorful produce — to best fuel their health and performance needs. Skipping packaged foods is the best way to start eliminating poor quality foods.
3. BUILD YOUR PLATE
Meat with vegetable on plate
Photo by Caroline Attwood on UnsplashA great place to start simplifying your diet is to focus on balance, and the plate method is a great example of how to do this. Instead of measuring or weighing your food, you can use the plate's template to add protein, carbohydrates (grains or starchy vegetables) and produce, in the designated areas. This method focuses on balance — having different food types represented — and since each food type has its place, portion control comes naturally. It also provides some structure without being overbearing or restrictive. Start with a simple meal of grilled chicken, sweet potato and a salad drizzled with vinaigrette, before exploring more adventurous meals.
4. STICK TO A ROUTINE
Yellow and white alarm clock at 10 10
Photo by Laura Chouette on UnsplashMake day-to-day eating easy by sticking to a handful of high-quality meal or ingredient staples. Many professional and elite athletes eat the same meals and reach for the same snacks repeatedly. This helps reduce decision fatigue and stress, factors that increase low level inflammation and potential weight gain — the opposite of what most athletes want.
Make a list of three meals you fall back on for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Rotating the same few meals makes shopping and meal prep easy.
| Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|
| Oatmeal with berries and yoghurt | Chopped chicken salad | Peanut tempeh with mixed vegetables and quinoa |
| Whole-grain toast with avocado and eggs | Bean burrito bowl | Steak with baked sweet potato and green beans |
| Tofu scramble burrito with fruit | Turkey and hummus on whole-grain bread with an apple and yoghurt | Salmon poke bowl with brown rice |
Keke “Keep a Job” Palmer, as social media has deemed her, has experienced various sides of the entertainment industry. From acting, hosting, Broadway, and more to creating opportunities for other creatives through her digital network KeyTV, it feels like there’s nothing she hasn’t explored and conquered. However, when you talk to her about her passion for music and layered views on growing up in the spotlight, it’s clear that everything hasn’t always been as picture-perfect as it seems.
In this exclusive conversation with xoNecole, Keke shares insight into the struggles she battled within the music industry, what audiences can expect from the Big Boss visual album release, and the impact love and motherhood have brought to her life.
The visual album is a little over 40 minutes long, but in that short amount of time, it taps into many of the multihyphenate’s emotions and experiences, like unhealthy relationships, therapy, family dynamics, and more – all while showcasing Keke’s bops and fire dance moves. One scene that resonated with me most is when she walks into a music studio with someone in the music industry she thought she could trust, played by Harlem’s Robert Ri'chard.
You expect to be greeted by the studio norms, but instead, the room is filled with dead animals and people eating raw meat, while everyone is strangely oblivious to it. Just from that startling scene, it’s clear that her experience within the music industry was a dark one. She explains, saying, “The biggest struggle, simply put, was misogyny and politics, just trying to get people on board with you, people are so clicky and don’t see success for you. It’s just a lot of drama that’s not based on talent, and it gets really exhausting and tears at your spirit."
She continues, “Every artist is sensitive and trying to grow, learn, and be safe in their career, and it’s constantly halted with all of the other stuff. The people I was choosing to be around were not for me. It’s the same people that continued the negative narrative that I became conditioned with from my first record deal.”
As the art continues to dig into what she went through in the industry. It also explores her personal relationships with loved ones and how she unpacked them through therapy. In one emotional scene, she opens up about not fitting in. She tells her mother: “I feel trapped. It’s like knowing exactly who you are, and everyone’s looking at you and seeing something different.” I don’t know if it was the fact that Mama Palmer was actually playing herself or the power of Keke’s words, but it felt very honest, and it made me wonder where it stemmed from.
She expounded on the scene, saying, “Everybody is perceived as someone now in the social media era, but I was coming from my own personal story, growing up in front of people and being seen since I was a kid. I can never go back from that; I can never be a new person again. I’m always going to be whoever people invented me to be. My mom used to say this quote to me, ‘never let other people’s perception of you be a perception of yourself,’ that is hard to do. But I finally had to live up to the quote and resist the temptation to allow people to tell me who I’m going to be and what’s there for me, which specifically happens a lot in the music industry.”
"My mom used to say this quote to me, ‘Never let other people’s perception of you be a perception of yourself,’ that is hard to do. But I finally had to live up to the quote and resist the temptation to allow people to tell me who I’m going to be and what’s there for me, which specifically happens a lot in the music industry.”
You can tell sis is feeling real liberated, and the art isn’t the only reason. She credits the love from her relationship and son for sparking something new in her. “I have such a beautiful bond with my mother, but it’s not something I thought I could realistically have outside of my family,” the new mom explains. “The kind of unconditional support and love they give me is so selfless. I just wanted a partner that felt like my family – one that wasn’t burdened or intimidated by my success, and I think hoping that and thinking about it brought it into my life.”
Keke also feels like motherhood has impacted her creatively and brings a sense of peace. “Nothing is more important to me than my son. It’s this sense of ease because there’s nothing I care about more than him. Everything will be okay. That ease has brought tons of inspiration, courage, and power,” she says. “He’s my everything. At one time, all I had was my career, then it went to building a bond with my partner, and that was the beginning of me really having something of my own. It’s not a part of entertainment; it’s my family, so for that to keep growing, it just makes me that much more creative and full.”
Wait a second – speaking of things her son gave her. We had to get into her mom-bod. Like many, motherhood has changed her body, and the millennial diva looks bomb AF, while she mentioned being appreciative of all the love she’s getting online about it, it made us discuss the pressure women sometimes face trying to fit an aesthetic.
“I think I’ve always been body conscious because so much is about your body in the industry. But after having my son – I’m just like, who gives a shit? I still want to be on point because that’s part of my industry. But I think a lot of moms feel that snapback culture because of celebrities and social media."
She continues, “I try to stay on point because of the opportunities I want, but it’s never to the point where it’s life and death. I think there’s a level of confidence I have in this new body. It’s really about how I feel inside, more than what it looks like outside. I never thought I would have this (hips, thighs, etc.), but now it’s here, and I’m so confident. I feel better than ever.”
“I think I’ve always been body conscious because so much is about your body in the industry. But after having my son – I’m just like, who gives a shit? I still want to be on point because that’s part of my industry. But I think a lot of moms feel that snapback culture because of celebrities and social media."
From Barbershop and Akeelah and the Bee to Nope and Hustlers to the endless viral digital moments, Keke continuously works and keeps us entertained. But one of my personal favorite things about her is how inspiring she is, and the Big Boss music and film is a clear example of that. “I think I’ve seen a lot of benefits to the seeds I’ve sown. I overcame a lot. Specifically, I’m not afraid to be my biggest champion. I’m not in a place where I need people to agree. I feel so secure, and that was kinda the energy that we [her and her EP, Grammy award-winning Tricky Stewart] put into the project.
"This Big Boss era is ultimately about ownership, independence, and strength. There’s been moments in my life where there might have been hesitation or confusion, but now everything is solution-based.” Keke embodies the idea that you can do what you love with who you love on your terms. And I really love this Big Boss Era for her and can’t wait to add the music to my playlist. It’s giving, summer 2023 is gonna be one for the books!
Big Boss, the film is available Friday, May 12, 2023, exclusively on KeyTV and available for streaming wherever you stream your music.
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Feature image courtesy of Keke Palmer
The Great Report
2020 Global Report Sheet
