One of the most common pieces of advice anyone who is looking to get fit hears is that they should eat more often. Smaller meals are often touted as being better for you. After all, there is no set rule that says that everyone needs to eat three big meals three times a day. There are some excellent fitness advantages to eating smaller meals more often.

When you eat more often you can eat smaller meals. This allows you to have more energy and feel less lethargic. Eating larger meals encourages you to overeat and then you often feel too sleepy to work on being fit. This is because blood is shifted away from your nervous system and organs after a large meal and goes instead to your digestive system in order to handle the food. After a large meal, no one wants to do anything.

Another advantage to having smaller meals more often is that it boosts your metabolism rate. Your metabolism is what controls how much energy your body uses and whether it will turn what you eat into energy or store it as fat. The higher your metabolism is the easier it is to burn off fat and lose weight. Eating larger meals less often can actually slow down your metabolism, making you gain weight.

The body has a better chance to utilize the nutrients you take in when you eat smaller meals. The healthy fats, proteins, minerals, vitamins, and carbohydrates all will have more effect on your system because they will not be eaten with a huge amount of food. Because of this, it is important to be very selective about what you do eat when you have your smaller meals. If you choose healthy foods, the nutrients will enter your system faster but the same goes if you choose to eat foods that are not good for you. The unhealthy fats in fast food for example will move more quickly into your system, making you feel much worse than if you stuck to a healthy diet.

Eating smaller meals will encourage your body to store less fat. The kidneys and liver store energy for use immediately after a meal, but if they are overloaded with all the calories you give them, they will store that excess energy as fat. Smaller meals will encourage the body to use the energy for your basic needs as well as for your energy in workouts.

Your blood sugar is also regulated better when you eat smaller meals. The body releases and uses insulin in much more efficient ways. If you wait a long time between meals, you will find that you will have a drop in blood sugar and spikes in your insulin levels, all of which can make you very sick. It can even get so bad that you pass out, so it's always better to regulate your sugar through eating.

Another advantage: you won't be hungry during the day. Many people overeat because they feel hungry all day long. If you have smaller meals more often, you will not feel hungry throughout the day and you will actually eat less. This can be challenging if you are used to eating large meals, but is better for your body if you become used to it. You will feel lighter, healthier, and have much more energy to do the things that you want to do.