Reading time: 4 min
Some thoughts on this week’s post:
💙 I am grateful for this public commitment I made: prepare a post weekly for 10 weeks. Regardless of my mood, I follow the plan and gather data points for a proper analysis at the end. To be very honest, this was one of those weeks when I was lacking motivation, energy, and looking for excuses. Since you read this now, we can count it as 1 to 0 for the disciplined self.
💙 How did October fly so fast?! I am not yet ready for “All I Want for Christmas Is You”.
💙 I am testing the waters with the topic today, so let’s see how this goes.
I promised nutrition and exercise last week, so that’s our topic today.
Taking care of the body checks the self-leadership box because it starts with taking care of the SELF through the basics.
As a disclaimer, AI isn’t here to replace experts. It’s here to give us more clarity. Having a tool that helps us learn and verify/or do things for ourselves is a superpower.
Nutrition and Meal Planning
Some prompt ideas to build your meal plan based on your nutrition goals.
You are a certified nutritionist and fitness coach.
Create a 7 day meal plan with calories and full macro breakdown for each day. Include grocery list at the end.
My profile:
Gender: [insert]
Age: [insert]
Height: [insert]
Weight: [insert]
Body fat estimate: [insert if known]
Activity level: [insert]
Allergies or food restrictions: [insert]
Cooking skills: [insert]
Goal: [lose weight, build muscle, lose fat while building muscle]
Target calories and macros: calculate based on goal and data shared
Constraints and preferences: [Add yours. Some of my examples, so give as many details!
- I want to make it easy, so no daily changing recipes.
- I am cooking every other 2 days, so plan accordingly.
- I don't have a blender, so don’t add smoothies.
- I like edamame as a protein snack.
- I prefer 2 meals a day and a snack.
- Minimal groceries list.
- Go to protein source: eggs, salmon, chicken.
- For fruits, I prefer mango and pineapple.
- I consume protein powder, usually mixed with Greek yogurt and frozen berries.]
I want:
- a day-by-day plan
- each meal as bullet points
- calories and macros per day
- short grocery list grouped by category
- friendly short tips for success
Before generating the plan, ask 3 quick clarifying questions and wait for my answers.
Fun idea for the lazy ones
Use a simple AI chat to track your daily calories (if you feel too lazy to add them in an app).
Just open the chat and add this:
Track my food for today, calories & macros.
Each time I add a new food or drink, estimate calories and macros and update a table.
Table columns: Item, Quantity, Calories, Protein, Carbs, Fat.
Show running totals at the bottom after every update.
If needed, ask me one short clarifying question about portion or product type.
If I say “Reset” start a new day and new table.
Start by saying: “Ready. What did you eat?”
Then just keep eating and updating. The AI does the math.
An example
Exercise and Workout Routines
Some other prompts for workouts.
You are a certified fitness coach and exercise physiologist.
Create a personalized [4 to 12 week] training plan with clear progression. Combine strength, cardio and mobility based on my goals.
I am:
Gender: [insert]
Age: [insert]
Height: [insert]
Weight: [insert]
Training level: [beginner or intermediate or advanced]
Primary goal: [fat loss or hypertrophy or strength or conditioning or recomposition]
Secondary goal: [optional]
Training constraints and preferences:
Sessions per week: [insert]
Preferred training days: [insert]
Time per session: [insert]
Equipment available: [insert]
Dislikes or limits:
[Choose any that apply and personalize:
- I hate barbell squats, use the minimum needed, but still train those muscles
- I prefer free weights instead of machines
- I get bored with long cardio sessions, keep it short and intense
- I want a longer running session during the week
- I avoid chest pressing because of discomfort
- I need low noise workouts because neighbors complain]
Injuries or mobility limits: [insert if any]
Output format:
- Plan organized by week (if I repeat the same workouts for multiple weeks, return it only once)
- Workouts assigned by day
- Exercises listed as bullets with sets, reps, rest or duration
- Include short warm up and cool down suggestions
- Progression explained week by week
Optional extras:
- One simple active recovery day routine
- One 20 minute full body backup workout
- Guidelines for increasing weight or reps and when to deload
Ask 2 quick clarifying questions if something is unclear before creating the plan
You are [a fitness trainer or a professional running coach].
My goal: [for example, 5 pull ups in 8 weeks or run a marathon in 6 months]
Build a weekly plan to reach this goal. Include accessory exercises that support the main goal.
About me:
Age: [insert]
Gender: [insert]
Current level: [insert for example beginner or can do 1 pull up or can run 5 km]
Schedule: [insert number of sessions per week]
Time per session: [insert]
Equipment: [insert]
Injuries or limits: [insert if any]
Preferences: [for example short cardio sessions or no pull up bands or prefer running outdoors]
Output format: Week by week plan with workouts listed by day. Keep it simple and progressive. Include tips for when to increase difficulty.
Ask one clarifying question if needed before creating the plan.
Learning Concepts
Ask the AI to explain fitness, nutrition, or health science in simple, actionable terms. The reality is that we can get better answers from AI once we sharpen our knowledge and learn to ask the right questions.
Let me help with some examples:
Hypertrophy vs Strength
Act as a certified strength coach. Explain the difference between hypertrophy and strength training for a beginner who wants to set realistic goals. Include the specific training variables that change (load, volume, reps, tempo, rest) and give 2 simple examples for each.
Protein Synthesis
Act as a nutrition expert in muscle building. Explain how muscle protein synthesis works after resistance training. Break the process step by step, keep it short and clear, and include the role of protein timing and dosage.
RIR, Tempo, Volume
Act as my personal fitness coach. Explain beginner-friendly definitions for RIR, tempo notation (ex. 3112), training volume, and sets to failure. Use bullet points and give a quick example of how to apply each in a weekly strength plan. Then list other key concepts I should know and define them too.
HIIT vs Steady State
You are an expert in sports performance and personal training. My goal is to […] and I want to include cardio. Compare the main energy systems used in HIIT vs steady-state cardio. Use bullet points and give a simple recommendation tailored to my goal. Ask only the follow up questions needed to refine the plan.
Intermittent Fasting
Use deep research for this one!
Use high-quality scientific research only. Explain the current evidence on intermittent fasting for women. Summarize benefits, risks, and what is still unknown in max 300 words with bullet points. Avoid dramatic claims. Include if any groups should avoid it.
No matter the prompt, when creating a diet plan or workout routine, the secret is in the follow-up questions. Challenge the answers, ask for clarifications, and go one layer deeper to really understand.
Well, enough for this week. If this is useful in any way, I’ll share later a fun conversational GPT to help with sugar cravings (inspired by someone who built something similar to quit nicotine).
Wishing you a great end of October and sunny days ahead!
Silvia
