Day 45 - Sports Nutrition Series: Post-Workout Recovery Nutrition

You have sweat dripping down the crevices of your body. You are still gasping, heart pumping as the fresh oxygen-rich blood courses through your veins with good-feeling hormones. You can feel your muscles taut and toned from movement and attention. Your body aches and your desire for food is heightened from the increased demands. So, what do you eat that will not only feed your hunger, but will allow your body to continue to feel good? And what types of foods are best to eat for recovery?

It is important to understand that eating after exercise is a very symbolic event. Your body has just performed for you and done amazing feats. Every cell in your body is a loyal citizen to the leader that you are, and they are awaiting the arrival of your given supplies with excited expectation. They use the influx of energy and nutrients to build new muscle, store energy for later use, break down fat and combat any damage that may have been done from the sumo-state of fuel burning. Your cells deserve good nutrition.

There are two phases in post-workout recovery. Here is the first one:

#1: The Carbohydrate Fuel Window Snack

The 45 minutes after a workout is considered a 'fuel window' where it is the best time for us to consume high quality food. This window is like a portal that opens right after we finish (or rather since we began) and during this time the muscles in our body are better able to absorb the carbohydrate, speeding recovery. Carbohydrates restore the energy reserves that are needed in our muscles to recover and they also shuffle in other nutrients to overtime develop a biologically younger body. The key here, though, is quality. A carbohydrate of sugar water, or white bread is not going to cut it.

A fuel window carb need not come along with fat. Dietary fat is awesome - but it slows down delivery of fuel to the muscles in this window - so save that for the next phase in recovery. Focus on carbohydrates that are still in their whole food form. They will contain the essential enzymes, vitamins and minerals that are needed to properly burn and utilize the fuel.

You may hear that a small amount of protein with this post-workout snack can be beneficial. It has been found that a ratio of 20% protein to 80% carbohydrate helps speed up glycogen synthesis (the rate at which muscle absorbs carbohydrate). This means 4 part carbohydrate to 1 part protein in your recovery snack. Anymore protein than that, and it is thought to slow recovery. You can take this or leave it. As with all dietary advice, filter it through your Awake Eating Experience and find out what feels good for you.

Ideas for a post exercise snack:

• Fruit (high sugar fruits like banana, pineapple, mango and papaya are great choices and they also naturally contain anti-inflammatory plant chemicals for recovery)
• Dried fruit
• Recovery Smoothie - combine in a blender 1 banana with 1 cup of your favorite frozen berries, juice of 1 lemon,  1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 cup hemp protein and water for consistency that you desire. 
• Lemonade Recovery Drink - Juice of 1 lemon, 3 dates, 2 cups of water, 1 tablespoon hemp protein, 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, a tad of fresh ginger for anti-inflammation.

#2: Balanced, Nutrient-Rich Meal

After it has been an hour since you have finished working out it is now time to feed your body a more dense meal that will provide the long-term building blocks needed for faster recovery and faster strength gains. It is important to remember that a conventional heavy meal, perhaps a cheeseburger, steak and fries or meatloaf will actually inhibit recovery. These types of standard fair put an extra strain on your body by diverting precious blood flow away from recovery and into digestion. Below are a couple options for this step:

• Liquid Meal: If you have had a particularly intense workout where you pushed yourself extra hard it would be wise to eat a liquid meal. The energy demands required of digestion are reduced and your recovery is enhanced. Below is my favorite post workout smoothie that is packed with anti-inflammation, pro-recovery nutrition for optimal energy and athletic result:
• Antioxidant-Rich Recovery Smoothie - Banana Berry
• 1 Banana
• 1/2 Cup Frozen Berries (blueberries are my favorite!)
• 2 Cups Coconut Milk
• 1 Tablespoon Ground Flaxseed
• 1 Tablespoon Raw Hemp Protein
• Combine in a blender. Makes 2 servings.
• Full Meal: To aid in digestion and provide your body with a meal that is easily absorbed and digested I recommend to divide your place in the following ratios:
• 1/2 - Fresh salad, lightly steamed veggies, or lightly stir fried veggies.
• 1/4 - Protein source. Fish, poultry, free range grass fed beef, legumes (tofu, tempeh, black beans, garbanzo beans, lentils).
• 1/4 - Starch (potato, brown rice, whole grain pasta/bread) - This is not necessary because of the carbohydrates that come from the vegetables. You can substitute the veggies for this section.
• Healthy fat - olive oil, coconut oil and raw uncooked, avocado, flax seed or hemp seed oil can be drizzled over and used in the above dishes. Nuts and seeds can also be used here.

Experiment with the ideas above to find out what foods not only makes you feel good for your coming workouts but that are also satisfying to you. If you treat food with general detachment, using it only to fuel your body and not to fuel your pleasurable senses you will eventually fall into a rut of low quality living. Be aware, be present, savor, feel and you will be the best athlete you can.

Nat

Day 44 - The Immense Value of TV-Free Family Meals

I used to be a BIG advocate of eating in front of the TV. There was something so beautiful about it. A plate full of warm food and stimulation; What could be wrong with this?! Not only was I consuming a meal but it was supplemented and enhanced by moving pictures that took me somewhere beyond the confines of the house. I did not have to exert energy to talking with anyone else or even thinking; after a long day at work it was the ultimate in what I perceived was relaxation. As a family we each got to do our own thing; eat what we want, how we want, when we wanted to.

As I began researching what would eventually become The Awake Eating Method I was introduced to the benefits of mindful eating. The whole second principle of Be Present is all about releasing distractions and coming to terms with the entertainment value and nourishment from the meal alone. But this concept did not stick with me until something unexpected happened.

Last winter, a huge storm moved in and we got nearly ten feet of snow in a matter of days. I was so excited initially. The chaos of storms quiets my mind and brings me to a place of peace and surrender. I thought that as I stood at the top of the staircase, probably doing some silly dance before throwing an item in the trash, until a  huge crash let loose above my head. Trees were breaking and falling all over the forest and one fell right above my head. The whole family slept in the same bed, siphoned off in a safe corner of the house should the other large pine tree outside decide to cave and shoot through the roof. We had no power or water for ten days. We bathed by melting snow in pots on the wood burning stove and then taking bird baths with a bar of soap and a rag. I thought about having sex with my husband during this span of time - but then decided I would rather be a nun than risk the not-pleasantries of dirty body sex. We dug a hole in the forest outside that we used as a toilet; a bag was next to our front door that had a receptacle for toilet paper new and used. My neighbor's dog rolling in my feces was definitely a hilarious low point. 

The epiphany came with our meals. They were lit by candlelight and the food, although lacking in gourmet complexity, was downright delicious. The cooking process took so much effort (with a propane stove that I was convinced was going to blow up the house and sticking items experimentally in the fireplace to see what would char just enough to be edible) and so much time. When we finally dished out the portions and sat down at the dining room table each bite was divine and straight from the space gods. Our conversations were light and happy; after the manual labor of shoveling snow and stepping through the deceptively heavy sludge up to our waist, just being by the fire and eating was the ultimate in relaxation; pure gratitude. The meals lasted longer as we ooohhed and ahhhed at every spoonful or forkful. Our attention was only on the food and our bodies slowly sinking into the warm floor as our wet clothes hanging on the window sill dripped and dropped their way to dryness.

These meals were the best that I ever had. My daughter still talks about them to this day. The card games and board games we would play were our entertainment after the meal and then the natural circadian rhythm signaled us off to sleep.... at 8pm. After the power came back on, it was life as usual and I was so deeply impacted that I could not turn back.

Savoring food is dead. We place TV, radio, reading or multi-tasking ahead of the immense pleasure that is available to us from devotion to the pleasure of the eating process. Read my blog on The Effects of Distracted Eating for specific reasons why, even if you live alone, eating TV-free will be a huge first step in achieving the health you desire.

What about the effect of this TV-distraction on the family model? How does it affect our relationships with our children and spouse? How does it influence the physical health of each family member? Below are some bullets on research that has been done in this area. You may be surprised:

• In the Nurses' Health Study in 2003 researchers looked at 50,000 women aged 30 to 55, finding their odds of obesity rising 23 percent and their risk of type 2 diabetes rising 14 percent for every additional two hours of television time they logged.
• Neumark-Sztainer's study in 2007, published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior indicated that teens in families that watched TV while eating together had a lower-quality diet than children of families that had TV-free meals. Teens watching television ate fewer vegetables, calcium-rich food and grains; they also consumed more soft drinks than their peers who ate meals without the TV on.
• Published in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition in 2010, a study showed that school kids who spent prolonged hours in front of television tend to be overweight or obese. A national sample of adolescents indicated that 64 percent of 11- to 18-year-olds had the TV on during meals.
• In a recent Harvard Study researchers found that family dinners were more important to children’s language development than having parents who read to them or play with them. 
• A 10-year study by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse found that the more often a family eats together, the happier the experience becomes. They also found that most children wish they could eat together as a family more often.
• Other studies have found that the more often families eat together, the less likely children are to smoke, drink alcohol, use drugs, binge on junk food, become depressed, consider suicide and have sex at a young age. The family meal environment demands awareness and connection in the family on a regular basis.
• Researchers at Minnesota University girls who dined alone ate less fruit but had more soft drinks and snack foods, and consumed 14 percent fewer calories than girls who ate with their parents – suggesting that solo eating puts girls at a higher risk of suffering from eating disorders.
• David Burley, an assistant professor of sociology at Southeastern Louisiana University, states the following about TV-based meals.
• People eat slower and consume less food than when they are tied to the tube.
• Family meals without TV strengthen the family bond and the need for connection.
• TV-free family meals provide children with a stable outlet for learning social interaction like learning to listen to others and taking turns that otherwise would not be implemented.
•  My favorite quote on TV-free family meals by Miriam Weinstein:
• "[E]ating ordinary, average everyday supper with your family is strongly linked to lower incidence of bad outcomes such as teenage drug and alcohol use, and to good qualities like emotional stability. It correlates with kindergartners being better prepared to learn to read. . . . Regular family supper helps keep asthmatic kids out of hospitals. It discourages both obesity and eating disorders. It supports your staying more connected to your extended family, your ethnic heritage, your community of faith. It will help children and families to be more resilient, reacting positively to those curves and arrows that life throws our way. It will certainly keep you better nourished. The things we are likely to discuss at the supper table anchor our children more firmly in the world. Of course eating together teaches manners both trivial and momentous, putting you in touch with the deeper springs of human relations."  

Step 2 in The Awake Eating Method seems to be more than just a principle that clues us in to the feelings and signals of our body; it has a profound effect on family and relationship connection.

Nat

Sources:  David Burley, Ph.D., assistant professor, sociology, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, La.; Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, Ph.D., professor, epidemiology and community health, University of Minnesota; April 9, 2003, Journal of the American Medical Association; September/October 2007 Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior; July 21, 2010, International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition. HealthDay Articles, Soloman, Maureen, 01-27-2011.

Ties That Bind At Mealtime. Yardley, Jonathan. Washington Post. 08-30-2005. Web link.
Feeding the Family. Boniface, Linley. New Zealand Listener. 11-23-2007. Web link.  
The Importance of Family Meals. Olesen, Nancy. Minnesota Public Radio. 01-11-2008. Web link. 

Day 43 - "Tell Momma I Need Some More?"

Ice cream sandwiches; my daughter's new play food. She loves the thin layer of chocolate cake that holds the creamy three-toned brick of strawberry, vanilla and chocolate ice cream in place. This has been her new challenge for implementing her awakened and intuitive eater. I feel like a deer in headlights.

Last night Cammie and I ate a delicious Anastasio Hodgepodge Salad with free range pastrami turkey. In the background my husband had already finished dinner before climbing into his open-faced office for night shift writing. As he opened the freezer my daughter's peaked sense grabbed the unique one-of-a-kind whooshing sound of cold air meeting warm. He popped open the cardboard box of ice cream sandwiches and Cammie immediately responded.

"Poppa! Make sure to leave me four of them, okay? That means you get four and that you leave me with four." She waited nervously. I could see the subtle worry in what seemed to me to be initially a inconsequential issue.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay." He responded. He took out one and went to sit down.

Over the course of the rest of the meal Cammie rushed through each and every bite. When Mark would go grab another one, her pace would quicken. She did not want to savor the nourishing food or talk too much. She said she was full (which I always honor) yet I knew that she most likely was not. I urged her to make a decision based on how her body felt. She ate a little bit more and then rushed like a banshee to the big white fridge to secure her prize.

I watched her with curiosity. She ate the first one while fidgeting, her feet swinging back and forth and sometimes she would pulse up and down with her whole body. As she paced with anxiousness she mumbled to the cat but then would not play with the cat because of the misfortune of having to put down the dessert. She finished the first ice cream cake and went for the second. Again, she consumed it with fervor. She went for a third. From an outside perspective it looked as though she was ravenously hungry and incredibly anxiety-ridden. Her behavior was not one of a person savoring a favorite food and giving herself absolute unconditional permission to eat. Something was amiss. Should I stop the cycle and intervene?

When she reached for the fourth I asked her to wait ten minutes and take a bath with me. I explained that sometimes we just need to check in with our body and see if we really want the food right now or if we are trying to fill up something else that is empty besides our stomach. She assured me that she was feeling her body but agreed to hold off for a little bit.

When we took the bath it was time to awaken the intuitive eater.

"Cammie, why do you think that you are so hungry for those ice cream sandwiches? What makes you want to eat all of them?" She stopped her splashing around and thought deeply for a second.

"Well, I guess I am afraid that poppa will eat all of them and I will have none left."

"But Cam, I always tell you there will always be more. We can always buy more and give you more if that is what you want."

"I know but when I saw poppa eating them it made me want to eat all of them, too." With my husband's help I recalled that at a very early age, since Cammie was able to talk she would always preface a meal with one simple phrase: "Tell Momma I need some more?" She wanted to be ensured and comforted that if she were to want more there would be some left for her. I do not know where it came from. It could have been from when I stopped breastfeeding after only three months and no milk substitute seemed to work for her body. During her toddler years I had yet to learn how to cook properly and would prepare quick and thoughtless meals for her and myself. I even have one horrible memory where I was rushing and I forgot to feed her breakfast before dropping her off at pre-school. Whatever the root, this belief of 'not enough' had been triggered and this phrase was spoken the moment the plate hit the table in front of her until she was able to make meals herself.

"How would it feel if we get you play food that is only yours? We would buy play foods for you and poppa separately and you would know that it will always be there for you?"

"Yes! That sounds good."

"Do you think that would help you honor what your body needs because you do not have to worry about something being depleted or taken away?"

"I think that would help a LOT."

The beauty of nutrition is that it takes us deeper and deeper into ourselves. If we are willing to travel there we will find gems and treasures that we did not know we had. Cammie is constantly teaching me that nutrition is so much more than food. Nutrition is the process of us being the artist and food our sculpture. What are we expressing as an artist using the medium of food?

Here is my action plan for working with the above issue of 'not enough':

• Buy play foods for Cammie that are clearly labeled and put in places that she can easily reach. These are off limits to anyone else in the household.
• Do cognitive behavioral therapy with Cammie's old beliefs, replacing them with new ones on her dry erase board upstairs. (I will do a blog on this and take pictures soon!)
• Make sure that there are structured and balanced meals throughout the day! This is HUGE! It does not matter how much a person knows, if they get into red flag hunger it is only inevitable that they will stuff themselves. A vital key to the unconditional permission play foods exercise is to eat these foods when we are neutral with our hunger, not ravenous. A day that is not structured can trigger a cascade of hormones that changes our behavior with food.
• On further inspection she only had the following earlier that day: Half a cup of coconut smoothie for breakfast (and she said she felt very hungry at school immediately after), cheddar sticks for snack, brown rice spaghetti with marinara, and a WHOLE bag of cheese puffs afterschool. Woah. No wonder she had this experience! It is  the classic recipe for over eating. Not enough nourishing foods, too much play food and long spans of time without either. If we do not have a nourishing and structured day we tend to gorge ourselves on the play foods to lighten up the heaviness. 

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Cheers to pleasure-filled eating, knowing it is always available to us!


Nat

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 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