It’s not rocket science…
While there is a lot that goes into nutrition, you really don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know how to fuel your body. As athletes, we are always pushing for an edge… more… better… faster, but when we get down to it, if we aren’t covering the basics, the rest won’t matter.
What does covering the basics look like?
Protein… The building blocks of muscle.
There are tons of calculators out there that will tell you exactly how many grams of protein you need for your body weight and based on your goals. As a former figure competitor and competitive fitness coach, I know all too well about measuring, weighing, and timing grams of protein. Those days are long gone and I no longer have to obsess about such numbers because I boiled it all down to I consume 15-30 grams of protein in 3-5 meals each day depending on my level of activity and how much sleep I’ve gotten.
Carbohydrates… This includes fruits, veggies, and starches such as rice, oats, potatoes, winter squash, etc.
Like protein intake, you can calculate your recommended. That’s a great way to get a feel for what your body needs and to bring awareness to portion size, but at the end of the day, most of us aren’t going to measure, weigh, and log our food. Just like protein, I have some sort of carbohydrate in each meal. Sometimes it is a starch, like sweet potato, and sometimes it is fruit, but I try to have green veggies in just about every meal I eat. Even in my shakes… if you don’t like the kale in your shake, opt for frozen spinach. You can’t even taste it! The biggest thing to watch out for here is PROCESSED foods… if it had to go through a process, it is processed.
Fats… Fat doesn’t make fat, so eat it!
Fats are incredibly important for our health and our happiness, but we need to watch out for which kinds of fats. This is always up for debate, so be careful what you read. As a general rule, stick with good fats such as avocados, raw nuts (roasting can damage the fats), coconut oil, and grass fed butter. More and more research shows that olive oil shouldn’t be used for cooking, and shouldn’t be used as much as we have been using it in general. Fats also keep you satiated, so if you have some mean sugar cravings, take a look at your fat intake. Increasing your fat intake a bit may be all you need to change.
Stephanie’s Daily Nutrition Give or Take…
6AM IsaLean Pro Shake + 1/2 avocado +1/4 cup blueberries + 1/2 cup frozen kale or spinach +1/4 cup frozen beets
9AM 3 Eggs + 2 slices bacon +1/2 grapefruit
12PM 6 ounces protein (chicken or fish) + at least 2 cups of greens + 1/2 medium sweet potato
3PM IsaLean Shake + 1/2 avocado +1/4 cup blueberries + 1/2 cup frozen kale or spinach + 1/4 cup frozen beets
6PM 5 ounces grass fed beef + 1 cup of green veg + 1/2 cup brown rice
9PM 3 egg whites + 1T coconut oil
We use plenty of pink himalayan sea salt!
Stephen’s Daily Nutrition Give or Take…
Steve’s nutrition is very similar with larger portions to fuel the extra muscle he carries.
Pre-Race Nutrition
Pickle juice and chicken broth are incorporated into the week of race nutrition. Sodium is your friend when you are getting ready for an obstacle course race.
Your pre-race nutrition should be pretty much the same as your daily nutrition, but maybe add in an extra sweet potato before you go to b...
