Day 42 - Sports Nutrition Series: Pre-Workout Nutrition

You are going to get moving and need to make sure that you provide your body with what it needs to perform like the athlete you want to be. So, what are the guidelines for foods that fuel our movement? The key with pre-workout nutrition is eating foods that are easily digestible so that your body is not stressed or depleted during the food's breakdown. Although you will use the below categories to understand the basics of classifying your nutrient ratio needs, the key is experimentation within that category to find out your own energizing menu.

Are you going to the gym to lift weights for 20 minutes? Going on a 20 mile run? Or doing an hour and a half yoga session? Use the below breakdown to see where your workout demands fit.

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 Pre-Workout Fuel: THINK QUICK WHOLE FOOD

1. Whole Food Quick-Burning Carbohydrates: Glucose is a fuel that burns quickly for immediate energy while fructose is burned a bit slower. Fructose kicks in at a slower rate, providing an energy that lasts a bit longer. These two sugars combined are the perfect fuel for high intensity energy demands for shorter periods of time. Dates, bananas, mangos, papayas, pineapple and any of your other favorite fruits are the perfect choice! 
2. Medium Chain Triglycerides: These are fatty acids that are burned immediately by the liver for quick energy. Coconut oil is the best source!
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 Pre-Workout Fuel: THINK QUICK WHOLE FOOD W/ A DAB OF PROTEIN & FAT
1. Whole Food Quick-Burning Carbohydrates: You can use fruit like above, or add in whole grains. 
2. 3:1:1 Carb to Protein to Fat Ratio: I abhor ratios, so take it with a grain of salt. What you should really get from this is that you still need carbohydrates for immediate fuel, but couple it with small amounts easily digestible protein and fat. 
3. Here are some of my favorites that feel good in my body. Discover your own. Make sure to apply Step 4 in The Awake Eating Method to experiment with what feeds your unique biochemistry.
1. Hemp seeds, hemp protein powder, almonds, flaxseeds, coconut oil or coconut milk, olives, olive oil, avocado, pistachios, quinoa, amaranth.
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 Pre-Workout Fuel: THINK QUICK WHOLE FOOD W/ A MINI MEAL
1. Whole Food Quick-Burning Carbohydrates: You can use fruit like above, or add in whole grains.
2. Combo of Complex Carbohydrate, Fat and Protein. Think of the pre-workout snack for level three, like a mini meal and cover all your bases. It is important to pay attention to what foods in each category feels good. For instance, eating steak as your protein source is much too heavy and dense for endurance athletes and depletes performance. Experiment during training with what works best.

Start by adding in the foods you love that are in the specified category that your activity for the day fits into. Get used to the basic concept of the general nutrient needs and then branch out and try new combinations and amounts. If you get a bit confused or need more guidance, adding a Nutritionist onto the training team can be invaluable for pointing you in the right direction.

Nat

For more questions on how to increase health, endurance and vitality in the realm of sports performance and beyond, contact Natalie for a nutrition consultation. 

Day 41 - Sports Nutrition Series: Full Day Nutrition

There is the common misconception that sports nutrition is solely in reaction to the workout. We have the pre, during and post workout nutrition protocol that we follow to the T. The error here, though, is that our level of health is a product of the whole day, week or month. If we feed our body in reaction to movement or center our awareness on only the athlete self we will no doubt develop roadblocks in our journey.

Here are my tips for discovering your own full-day nutrition program:

1. Step 1 - Cleanse: Drink an 8-16 ounces glass of water before every meal or snack. Our body as a whole is made up of around 70% water; our muscles a whopping 75%. It is so common to focus on every morsel we eat and to ignore this essential mega-nutrient that actually increases your strength gains, protects the joint and aids in digestion. Water promotes a muscle and athletic-building environment in  the body. 
2. Step 2 - Be Present: Release distractions and focus on chewing when you eat. You can eat the healthiest food and have it go to waste if you do not allow your body to utilize it. If you are multi-tasking while eating you are decreasing the memory bank of food in your body and upping the stress hormones that store fat. 
3. Step 3 - Savor: Un-apologetically enjoy your food. If you look at food as just a means to an end your body will eventually betray you. The reason why you are in a body is not to just move and compete, but to have moments of pure pleasure and taste sensation that feed your soul. 
4. Step 4 - Feel: Feel your body, it is the wisest gauge. Honor your hunger; eat when you are hungry. Feel your fullness; stop when you are full. The eating process is a practice for becoming the most powerful athlete that exists - an intuitive one. 'Professionals' will always have numbers, figures, and techniques for you to follow yet none of them will have meaning if you do not listen to the vehicle of your body. You will know how much food is enough, and what foods are best for feeding your own unique physiology. When you become a master at this it expands its way into your sport; you begin to listen to the knee, glute muscle or sniffle that is lingering forward you respond faster than any competitor.

Although the above may not seem like the usual 'nutrition' advice, the Awake Eating Method steps above provide the foundation for a healthy and 'tuned in' relationship with fuel - fuel that gives us energy and makes every single physical part of us exist. It is a marriage of food with intuitive body that will make an athlete become the best they can be.

Nat

Day 40 - Shoot. I Just Ate Too Much

For lunch I had filled a Tupperware bowl full of my curry chicken stew leftovers (I made it again last night!) to take to work. After having my usual smoothie in the morning I rushed to the office and began working. I found myself looking at the clock in 15 minute intervals. 'When will it be lunchtime, I am so hungry,' I thought. I drank a big glass of water to find out whether my unusual hunger was really just the common thirst signal. Still, my mouth watered and my muscles ached for food. My mind could not stop entertaining the thought of the long and smoothly coated chicken strips in the coconut curry slowly being broken apart in my mouth. How odd. Food obsession for me has not been a common occurrence.

It hit 11:45 am. Close enough. I sat down and wolfed up every bit. I recall that near the end of the bowl I watched myself objectively, thinking how curious it was that I was so ravenous and could not get enough that the bowl was directly underneath my chin to prevent any stew-shrapnel from carelessly falling astray. The bowl was meant to be spanned across two to three meals throughout my day. That is what I do everyday and it allows me to be fed on a regular basis and never go into red-flag hunger. Yet I ended up eating until I hit the bottom of the bowl and the sensation of my stomach was tight from fullness. Now I am left with a feeling of discomfort and six more hours without fuel. What happened?

This is the all-too-common stress dynamic. I have talked about it in previous blogs (No-Sleep Sabotage and The Secret to Overeating). I wanted to post this experience again to remind everyone that there is no perfection in the process of nutrition. It does not matter how much professional experience, knowledge and school years you have racked up in your corner - we all as human beings have biological drives that intensely influence our decisions. No one is immune to biological hunger or the need for rest and relaxation. The key is discovering what your triggers are and using that information wisely.

The culprit this time? Sleep, stress and high expectations for a day that should have been about recovery.

Last night my daughter and I had our weekly slumber party. We ended up going to bed around 11pm (which is still late for me) but the full moon glared into the room and pried my eyes open throughout the night. I could recall every movement of my daughter's body. The cat jumping on the end of the bed and kneading; kicking her off. Being too hot with the winter comforter suffocating my body, peeling it off slowly, then becoming cold. Pillow was too squishy, head sunk in too far. Left-side sleeping? No. Right-side sleeping? No. Laying-on-the-back coffin sleeping? Ok. Dog pawing at me, husband yelling for her. Other dog wagging tail on the other side of the wall. Brief silence.

I have no idea exactly how much sleep I got. That is the mistake that many of us make. If we cannot figure out the exact number or if we were not up for a solid stint than we disregard it as having any consequence. Now, though, I am yet again reminded of the importance of better awareness and self-care during the recovery process of these anxious nights. 

When I eventually decided to rise I tried my best to amp up my energy. Today my husband and I celebrate our 10 year anniversary and I wanted to look like a million bucks. I stressed about the outfit I would wear and the overall look for the dinner that night. I ended up slopping too much gel onto my new short hair-do giving myself a barbie-boyfriend-Ken-like plastic head piece (circa 1980's). I thought, 'Well, all I have to do now is put on a large golden chain necklace and leather jacket and I will look like a teenage Italian boy from the Bronx." The dress that I chose, a cinnamon colored 1950's vintage number, coupled with my knee high winter boots seemed initially exciting. That is, until I realized that today was going to be warmer than any other day this winter. Now as I sit here my pits are reservoirs of sweat cesspools and the winter tights coating my legs feels like a waist-down straight jacket.

We all have these days where we are reminded that sometimes joy comes from letting go. I say to myself now, "Shoot. I just ate too much, I am stuck in layers of clothing hell and my hair resembles an impermeable layer of oil-slick on the gulf. At least there is not a seagull dying in there." And moving on.

 Nat 

Day 40 - Sports Nutrition Series: What Are Your Intentions?

True Athletes Have Deep & Profound Intentions

Before you can embark on a renewed athletic journey with your body you have to pin point what exactly you want and why. This is vital because it takes us away from merely using our body to actually awaking to the deeper aspects of athleticism; profound motivation for achieving something deep and significant with the union of body and mind.

Look over the following categories and see which one you fit into the most. Take note of the suggested rooted intentions at the end of each category to shift your intention from one that could lead you to heartache, to unparalleled success:

FUNCTIONAL

• You have a profession that requires endurance and strength like a policeman, firefighter or hard laborer.
• You want to be able to participate in an active lifestyle with friends and family.
• You have a desire to use exercise and movement as a way to be healthier, so you can do everyday tasks with ease and grace.

Caution:  If you are doing this for someone or something outside of yourself than you are on the wrong track. True functional athleticism is not about getting the job done. Rather, it is about doing the job because you enjoy every moment of it. You must recognize that true function comes from moving for yourself.

Suggested rooted intention: I intend to enjoy being capable, strong and useful in this body.

AESTHETICS

• You want to feel more confident in how you look.
• You have a specific type of body in mind that you desire to achieve.
• You want to lose weight.
• You want to gain muscle.
• You want to get 'bikini-body' ready.
• You would love to appear attractive to others and get more sexual attention.

Caution:  The most common pitfall here is to have a number (in terms of body fat percentage, or pounds) or specific body type in mind. Attractiveness and confidence is not derived from the size of your pants or the width of your biceps. Beauty comes from health and vibrancy so real and unadulterated that any one can see it seeping out of your pores. Sports nutrition and your exercise routine is just one minute part of that journey.

Suggested rooted intention: I intend to love and appreciate my body.

COMPETITION

• You are involved in a professional sport that requires tip-top athleticism.
• You want to look better or perform better than your peers or team mates. 
• You want to be better able to support and perform for your teammates. 

Caution: Playing the comparison game is the downfall of every athlete. Comparing is the process of degrading our own one-of-a-kind uniqueness for another's. Although in the sports arena we value the process of measurement and scoring this is really the ultimate illusion. Those that are the most successful athletes do not gauge themselves by trophies, awards or accolades but by how much they enjoy the process of playful interaction. It is not the opponent, score or opposite team that should drive you - it is the experience of expanding your skill that should.

Suggested rooted intention: I intend to invest in my unique skills and talents.

SPIRITUAL

• You are in need of purpose. 
• You feel lost.
• You want to achieve the highest potential possible with your body.
• You believe that one of the reasons why you exist is to progress and evolve.

Caution: Perfection can be instigated from a deep desire to have spiritual purpose in the body. We may subconsciously want to mimic the divine by attempting to achieve a flawless and ideal god-like body and performance. We may project our feelings of lack and little purpose onto the body. True spiritual athleticism comes when we view honor all experiences, feelings and movements from the body.

Suggested rooted intention: I intend to be present for all the sensations of my body.

HOBBY

• You have always wanted to compete or strive for some excitement.
• You are bored!
• You have always wanted to participate in sports or activities but have yet to figure out how. 
• You want to train for a recreational, temporary sports function like a marathon.

Caution: Athleticism can become your crutch for hiding growth and action in other areas of your life. What may be a pursuit for a hobby is really the desire for a distraction from the inhibition, fear and doubt that you may be experiencing in your life.

Suggested rooted intention: I intend on following through on my desires and dreams.

As you read through this Sports Nutrition series, always keep in mind your original intention. Bring it with you when you eat, sleep and train. This is a foundation for a penetrating success that will move into all areas of your life.

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

Day 38 - Step 3 in The Awake Eating Method: Savor

Savor. To appreciate fully; enjoy or relish. When was the last time that you allowed yourself to completely revel in the sensations of eating? Step 3 in my exclusive program, The Awake Eating Method, is all about that.

How do we have a healthy relationship with food? Is it possible to love the pleasures of eating without consuming our way into a food-induced coma?

Here is an abbreviated version of the instructions for the Savor step. For more detailed ones, purchase the e-book here.

• Take note of the taste, texture, temperature and aroma as you eat. Become a food critic at every meal asking yourself what you love and appreciate about its every detail.
• Chew the food thoroughly until it is mostly a thick liquid. 
• Take small bites so as to not overwhelm the mechanics of your mouth.

The benefits of the Savor step are vast! When we properly chew (or masticate) our food it has far reaching effects on every area in the body. The food that was once whole and unable to be used is now broken down into small enough bits that the body can absorb, transport and use it for everything from creating energy and getting rid of toxins, to building tissue or muscle.

Because you are eating slowly and savoring every bite your body's hormonal system has enough time to send out signals of satiety or fullness. You have clearer and more precise signals that tell you when you have provided enough. You end up eating less, enjoying more and losing excess weight.

The sense of taste is not just for pleasure. It is also a instinctual regulator of your body's nutrient needs. The sensations that you experience while savoring send an inventory of your intake, setting the stage for a intuitive memory system that can be used as a compass later on. It is like a record bank that gets the message to the body that sweetness, salty, savory or creamy is on its way - and to subsequently alter requests that have been put into motion.

In session, applying the Savor step can be the most complex and challenging topic. The feeling that most clients get is a sense of anxiousness and overwhelm at the thought of being receptive to the joys of food. They think that it is because they love food so much that they are not experiencing the weight or the health that they desire. Yet this could not be further from the truth. The belief that you should not enjoy food is precisely what is starving you and making you have insatiable hunger.

During counseling sessions here are some of the necessary topics that I cover to fully implement the Savor step:

• Make peace with food. It can be hard to savor when you have a long list of beliefs, rules and regulations around food. You must empty the cup of your mind to truly savor objectively and with power.
1. Deprivation Effect: The mere perception that a food is banned or forbidden can trigger overeating and binge eating regardless of calories.  
2. There are no good or bad foods, just foods that create different experiences.
3. Give yourself unconditional permission to eat. This has been researched and is coined, food habituation. The more we are exposed to a food the more it loses its appeal.
1. Write a list of foods that you love.
2. Circle the items on the list that you have been restricting or that are forbidden.
3. Choose one item from the list and go buy it at the grocery store or order it in a restaurant.
4. Apply The Awake Eating Method. Check in with yourself to see if it really tastes good. If you really do like it, continue to allow yourself to buy and order it. 
5. Make sure to keep enough of this forbidden food around so that you know it will always be there if you want it.
• Challenge the food police. The food police can be friends, family, the media and your own inner psyche that shouts negative thoughts, phrases and guilt-provoking indictments about what you are eating. 
• "Our beliefs about food (both individually and as a society) resemble dietary laws of a false religion - we pay homage to its dieting and rules, but it doesn't work." - Evelyn Tribole, RD
• Clean the slate of your food beliefs. Every snack or meal is a brand new opportunity to savor and feel what that food means to you. 
• Observe, do not judge. Trust yourself to discover the foods and eating experiences that you need to thrive. Your body is always sending you in the direction of well-being, you just have to listen. 

Today I will be interviewed by my dearest friend, Gina Renee, L.Ac. (check out her information-packed website here) on KNRY's Health Talk. Listen in at 4:05 PM on AM 1240 on the Monterey Peninsula or listen online at www.knry.com. The topic will be all of the above - how to savor and enjoy the beauty of food to receive stellar results!

Nat

Day 37 - Poop Anxiety

I sat on the toilet yesterday taking a poop (do not act surprised, you did it yesterday too!). The bathroom in my office is adjacent to another - and just feet away from the door I could hear the gentlemen rolling his chair on the cement floor as he repaired guitars on a bench just on the other side of the wall. Absolutely any noise (a occasional poof, fart, plop, splash or grunt depending) was going to be heard. I tried to time every sphincter action with the ebb and flow of his movement to cancel out any sound. I had to hold onto what little reputation I had left. Then I thought, what am I doing? Why do I feel so self-conscious about doing something that is not only necessary but healthy and across-the-board normal in every living being? Imagine, a woman who poops! How long has this anxiety been going on?

The first time that my would-be husband stayed the night at my apartment I had to go in the morning. I lay in bed thinking about how I could execute the task without being discovered. I ended up taking an early shower to mask the action.

It seems that every time I enter a bookstore or library I have to go. I am convinced that there is something about looking at shelves of books that signals peristalsis in the intestines. Seriously. I usually have to end up leaving before I am able to truly shuffle through the magnificent stacks of brilliant writing.

In public restroom stalls I would choose the furthest one from the door in the hopes that no one would notice that my feet were immovable while I sat there, waiting. Other women filtered in and out with their polished Mary-Jane shoes, brief tinkles and soon-after-flush, primping their face and hair with a sudden pout-face at the mirror before exiting. Was I the only one that ever had to go? Was this some conspiracy of feminine hygiene taking precedence over a necessary biological function?

Everyone is affected by poop anxiety. Still to this day I do not know if my husband has ever gone in his life. Every morning he enters the bathroom, locks the door and turns on either the faucet or the shower. Who knows - maybe he is a time traveler and the running water is the catalyst. He has very specific parameters of where he can go to the bathroom when on trips. The only acceptable place for such an act is the hotel bathroom. I think he has gone days without just for this reason. If the urge comes on without the right outlets in place then his body is out of luck.

My daughter's classroom has a bathroom that is right next to all the desks. She says that she just cannot stand the thought of going there. So, the moment she gets home she has her after-school poop (we sometimes sing a song called 'Poopy time' to celebrate the occasion)- a moment of pure relief from the anxiety of holding it in all day. One of my dearest friends in high school would always do the same. We would walk home from school together and then he would disappear for 15 minutes when we got to his house.

Your prim and proper mother does it. Your teachers, friends, colleagues and bosses do, too. Every famous person goes everyday, just like you. Come to terms and let go of the inhibition!

You may have poop anxiety if you do any of the following:

• Can only go at home.
• When in public restrooms can only go if no one else is there.
• Let half of it out only to squeeze your bumhole for a break off because it has been just too long and someone might find you out.
• Flush the moment the first one falls.
• Use different toilets or bathrooms at work so you do not become 'known' as the work-shitter.
• Turn on the faucet or shower to mask any noise.
• Have left a party or event because of having to go.
• Wait for someone else to flush before you do.

Defecating, although it may seem like a funny topic, is actually an important action that is necessary for health and vitality. If you hold it in then you are also holding in the waste, congestion, excess mucous, fat and toxins that your body is trying to get rid of.  Here are some of the benefits of letting it go:

• More energy
• Feeling lighter 
• Weight management
• Stronger immunity
• Relaxation
• Clearer mind
• Clearer skin

I challenge you to go when you feel the need!

Nat