First and foremost I am NOT a nutritionist. However I usually have to work long days, holding pads for Mongoloids, grappling with them, dealing with paperwork and administration stuff and getting my own training in. So hopefully I can share some stuff on nutrition. These are my random thoughts on nutrition:
- Drink a lot of water. Even though I am a coffee advocate, coffee does not count. If you can drink a small bottle of water 1st thing in the morning. You will be dehydrated when you wake up. Thirst is a poor indicator of hydration. It’s too late; drink all day (not alcohol). During hot days I like ELOAD or any other electrolyte drink.
- Eat a lot of small meals a day. I typically graze all day. A small meal can mean half a sub, a sandwich, half a pizza...
- Eat and drink for your activities. This is a tricky one. It depends on how your digestive system works. If you are going to come in and take a class (like a torturous Muay Thai or Linda’s insane Konditioning class) you have to eat something. I cannot believe how many people come in, and their last meal was at 12 PM, which consisted of a muffin and a coffee. YOU WILL DIE in the class. You will have to gauge how much time to allow yourself to digest your food. I actually set an alarm to go off every 2 hrs, and I must find food within 1 hr of that alarm, or I will kill someone.
- Eat within 30 minutes of completing your workout. Have a protein bar / shake for the ride home. Than when you get home have a complete “real” meal.
- Supplements are just that: supplements. Nothing replaces eating whole foods. Make sure to rely on whole foods; it teaches your body how to properly break down organic materials for raw energy.
- Eat white meat: turkey, eggs (whole eggs), chicken and sea food. Beef and red meat is also good, but in moderation.
- Give your plate color. The more colourful your plate the healthier it is. This means eat your vegetables!!!
- Here is a trick I use when I eat out. Let’s suppose I have a chicken, with rice and a side of vegetables. If I start to get full, I usually push the rice away and concentrate on the veggies (I know, strange for an Oriental to give up on the rice).
- Eating properly is a daily life long task. Make small adjustments here and there. For example I was always drinking double double coffees. I cut that to regular, than straight black. The weight started coming off. Cut down / out on the alcohol. Slimmer waistline and thicker wallet.
- If I am not training that day, than I insure that I eat properly. I make an effort to work on my “diet”.
