Day 43 - Sports Nutrition Series: Fuel During the Workout

Imagine that you put fuel in your car that gets it from point A to point B but eventually clogs up the system with toxins. The car requires regular tune ups and oil changes to combat this by-product sludge. Would you choose that fuel at the pump, or fuel that was more pure and clean-burning? We consume sports drinks, energy gels and energy bars loaded with refined sugars, chemicals and additives and wonder why we are not the ultimate athlete. It can simply be because we are not eating food that is as efficient and worth-while.

Here are a couple key concepts for nutrition during exercise that include clean-burning fuel recipes:

• Never get too thirsty or hungry. (See tips below in Level One, Two and Three)
• Use natural and homemade SPORTS DRINKS to meet your electrolyte and fuel needs. 
• When we sweat we lose both water and mineral electrolytes. We need to replenish both otherwise we can develop muscle spasms and cramping that will reduce our performance level.
• Coconut Water: naturally rich in electrolytes this is nature's sports drink just for you!
• Level One Lemon & Lime Sports Drink: Juice of half a lemon and half a lime, mixed with 2 cups of water, pinch of sea salt and one soaked and mashed date.
• Level Two Coconut Lemon Sports Drink: Juice of a lemon, mixed with 2 cups of water, 3 dates, 1 teaspoon of coconut oil and sea salt to taste, blended. 
• Level Three Carob Booster Sports Drink: 2 cups of water, 3 dates, 2 teaspoons of cacao nibs (with a natural caffeine boost - remember to rest afterward to prevent adrenal fatigue), 1 teaspoon of coconut oil, 1 tablespoon of fresh mint and sea salt to taste. Blend.
• Do not use regular, store-bought sports drinks that have artificial colors, flavors and excess free sugars. These will prevent proper recovery and productivity later on.
• Use natural and homemade SPORT GELS AND ENERGY BARS.
• Direct Fuel Bites (recipe adapted from Professional Ironman Triathlete Brendan Brazier): 5 dates, 2 tablespoons coconut oil, 2 teaspoons of lemon zest, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and sea salt to taste. Process in a food processor, form mixture into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until slightly firm and cut into bit-sized pieces.
• Chocolate Protein Energy Gel (for Level Two and Three): 5 dates, 1 tablespoon of cacao nibs, 1 tablespoon of hemp protein powder, 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, 1 tablespoon of lemon or lime juice, 1 teaspoon of citrus zest and sea salt to taste. Process in a blender or food processor until a gel-like consistency. Put in a gel flask from running supply store or in plastic zip lock baggie.
• Banana Bread Energy Bar (recipe adapted from Professional Ironman Triathlete Brendan Brazier) (Level Two and Three): 1 small banana, 3/4 cup dates, 1/2 cup walnuts, 1/2 cup almonds, 1/4 cup ground sesame seeds, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, sea salt to taste. Process in food processor until totally smooth. Roll into balls or lay flat on plastic wrap as a large flat rectangle and cut into bars. Wrap individually in plastic wrap to grab on-the-go.

  Below you will find the general exercise level categories with the most effective fuel types:

1.  Level One | The Health-Minded Athlete: High intensity exercise that is shorter in time. 
1. Duration: One hour or less. 
2. Examples: Interval training, a three to six mile run, working out at the gym, a game of volleyball, tennis, soccer, football or other sport that requires intense movement and then periodical rest.
3. Best During-Workout Nutrition Tips for Level One:
1. At the on-set of thirst, have sips of water.
2. Sports drinks. 
2. Level Two | The Seasoned Athlete: Moderate intensity exercise for a moderate amount of time. 
1. Duration: Between one and three hours in duration. 
2. Examples: Half marathon, marathon, Olympic distance triathlon, extended cycling, hiking. These are activities  that require more sustained energy but less intensity as level one.
3. Best During-Workout Nutrition Tips for Level Two: 
1. At the on-set of thirst, have sips of water.
2. Sports drinks.
3. Exercise sessions exceeding two hours usually require easily digestible nutrients every half hour thereafter: Sports gel, bar or direct fuel bites.
3. Level Three | The Olympian: Lower intensity exercise for a longer period of time.
1. Duration: More than three hours long.
2. Examples: Ironman, mountain climbing, adventure racing, very long distance running, or stressful active days spent on your feet (this can include hard labor!).
3. Best During-Workout Nutrition Tips for Level Three:
1. At the on-set of thirst, have sips of water.
2. Sports drinks.
3. Sports gel, bar or direct fuel bites with protein.

All of the suggestions above are to be used based on your own intuitive feelings. If you are in Level One, and yet 45 minutes in feel better incorporating a sports gel with protein, follow that guidance and see how it works. Remember one thing though - the more that you fuel your body with fresh, natural and clean fuel, the more efficient and powerful you will become as an athlete. 


Nat

Day 39 - Sports Nutrition Series: Introduction to Rooted Nutrition for Athletes

I got interested in sports nutrition early on in my nutrition career. I was perplexed that some of the most fit people I knew, who were exercising and challenging their bodies on a regular basis, also happened to be the most unhealthy. They looked so much older than their age and their overall experience of happiness and vitality in life was expressed as being sub-par. They would express that even though they could run a 30 mile marathon their allergies were killing them, the knee injury from decades ago was flaring up and their insomnia was well beyond their ability to cope. Although they were just in their early 30's their face was tired, wrinkled and resembled that of a 40-50 year old. Yes, they may have been 'athletes' but they were miserable ones.

To me a true athlete is someone who is so intuitively in touch with their body that every movement is like a dance. They are intimately tuned in to their muscles, bones, joints and beating heart, treating every part of them like a tight knit family. They listen to the body as if it were constantly whispering - they are at one with every signal and cell and treat every part with respect, love and honor. Endurance is more to them than just the length of time they can continue to move; it is journeying gently and with intention beyond the confines of the moment. Performance is not for anyone else - no coach, judge or scorecard - it is for feeling the sensations of movement and appreciating every second. To the true athlete rest is just as important for their sport as training. The morning that they feel fatigued they allow the day to unfold softly, feeling the muscles and tissues of the body becoming more taut and thankful as the recovery process is instigated. Recovery is not the lull between the storms of movement - it is a divine expression of thankfulness to the body responding to our desires and needs.
Nutrition for athleticism and performance is as old as the Roman days of gladiators. It makes sense that what, when and how we eat will affect our sport or fitness task because food is what produces energy, rebuilds tissue and muscle and keeps us healthy for every movement.

The only problem is that the nutrition advice that is out there is still in the stone age. Conventional sports nutrition can leave us confused and a bit tattered as to why our body is not achieving its highest potential. You will know that if you are not receiving the results that you desire. Are you always getting injuries, cramps and extreme fatigue when you try to up the ante? Do you find that you get sick more often, benching you from following through? Are cravings and desires for certain foods pushing you to the edge? Then stone age sports nutrition may no longer be applicable to you.  

In the old paradigm of sports nutrition here are the basic tenants:

• Pre-workout nutrition: This usually entails a emphasis on carbohydrates, electrolyte hydration and for long range endurance athletes possible carbohydrate loading.
• Fuel during the workout: Energy bars, gels and sugary drinks.
• Post-workout recovery nutrition: Protein shakes, protein powder, protein bar. Protein. Little fat.

In the old way of sports nutrition our body is thought of as a meat suit that we use to complete our tasks and commands. With this approach the inevitable happens - you never reach your true athleticism potential because you are pushing away the most powerful asset of all - the positive feedback and sensation of the body.

Sports nutrition is not just about preparation, performance and recovery - it is about supporting the health and vitality of the body as a whole to create true athleticism, attractiveness and physical result.

As a true athlete you must understand one important concept: your athleticism is only the product of your fitness on the cellular level. Drinking sugary drinks and loading up on steaks is not going to feed your cells in the long run; and the results at the gym will eventually show it.

Basic concepts in Rooted Nutrition's Sports Program:

1. Awaken to the true athlete within with The Awake Eating Method. 
2. Reduce dietary and emotional stress that can overly toxify and stunt the system.
3. Recalibrate the body by removing stimulants, anti-nutrients and toxins from the diet.
4. Reconstitute the body with nutrient-dense, antioxidant-rich and easily-digestible foods. 
5. Use the new paradigm below to customize for your individual needs.

The new paradigm at Rooted Nutrition is much more complex and far reaching.

• Sports intention: What are your goals and why? This is a very significant first step in developing a program to become the ultimate athlete. Is it to look good, more youthful and sexy? Is it competitive - to rise ahead of other people on your team or whom you will be competing against? It is functional - to be able to lift more, perform better or even protect in your profession or personal life?
• Full day nutrition: You must be fed on a deep and consequential level on a regular basis. Working out and becoming an athlete is a product of your level of health over the time line of the day. Your health is not a product of you working out; it is well beyond that scope. If you are functioning on a flimsy foundation of health, that must be addressed before you can achieve the performance you desire. 
• Low, Moderate and High Intensity Levels of Movement: We all exercise and move in different ways. Classifying the level of your movement along with the below stages will customize a nutrition program that is right for you: 
  
• Pre-workout nutrition: Digestibility is key.
  
• Fuel during the workout: Never become thirsty or hungry.
  
• Post-workout nutrition: Use the fuel window with the basic concepts above in mind. Eat a balanced recovery meal after.

In the next couple weeks I will be providing an in-depth Sports Nutrition series on the blog, along with bits and pieces of my own work-out ventures, covering the above topics. If you have any specific questions on this subject feel free to email me; I will have a FAQ post near the end of the series.

Nat