In my previous two posts, I discussed the first two steps to fitness results, whether it be improved health, general fitness goals, or athletic success: mental preparation and nutrition.  In this post, written by both myself and one of my clients Julia Berman, I will discuss some of the psychological aspects of nutrition using Julia as a real world example.

As you can see, Julia had many beliefs about food that were driving her away from her goals.  When I first started working with Juila, not only was she was working out waaaaaaayyyyyy more than necessary, she was also causing injury to her body by over training, lack of sleep, and lack of proper nutrition.  She hadn’t applied the proper logic to her nutritional plan, in fact I am not sure she had a plan at that point.  But even beyond that, the real issue was that even though Julia did not have the results she wanted, she refused (because of fear) to step back and objectively assess what was happening so she could make necessary changes to get results.

Julia had sortof trapped herself in a place where it SEEMED impossible to make changes or achieve her goals.  But, as usual, I definitely had something to say about this.  Over the course of MANY MANY MANY MANY discussions, I was able to coax her into using the SMART method (or a slightly modified version I guess).  We created a plan for her to follow each month, a plan that included ways to cope with some of her food behaviors and a structured exercise plan to follow.

At first, Julia basically rejected the entire thing and stayed on her own plan.  Although she was really frustrating me by doing this (to the point of being suspended (SHE IS NOT ALONE!!)), she wasn’t doing it on purpose.  Her beliefs and psychology were controlling 90% of her behavior (I got 10%).  After weeks, months, and years of persistence (Jes being a total bossy controlling traininer), Julia started to adhere to both the exercise and nutrition plan.  And wala…she started to see her goals were slowly being acheived!

Listen to what Julia says now (over a year later):

Another nutritional goal I am working on with Jes is understanding my body’s nutritional needs in order to function properly. The focus of nutrition for me has always been focused on weight and calories, but proper nutrition is crucial in order for the body to perform optimally; which includes healing and repairing itself. I have had many injuries over the past few years, and my body has not fully healed from any of them. It wasn’t until the last few weeks that I started to understand that part of my body not healing and performing the way I want could be due to nutritional deficit (that doesn’t just imply calories).

Part of developing a positive attitude towards food has been changing how I view food. Jes is helping me learn to enjoy food. Who knew food could be fun? I think of food as fuel; it’s a source of energy, not a source of pleasure. Jes is helping me to become less rigid and experience some foods that most people would describe as enjoyable (e.g. ice cream and pizza), without feeling that my results will go out the window. I am working towards understanding how these foods can be incorporated in moderation, and not to be scared of them causing me to stay trapped in a place of hating food.

What I would like to point out here is that while Julia felt her goals were far far far away and maybe even impossible, all she needed was a proven method, some encouragement, and the right guidance to get herself onto a healthy path.  She had many behaviors and habits that were actually taking away from her overall health that she didn’t understand, but we were able to work through them so that she could put herself on a new and effective path to success.

By telling this story I hope that everyone would be encouraged that no matter where you are right now, it is only a starting point, and you have the ability to change your course and go forward to achieve your goals.  You can start now by reading about and implementing step 1 and step 2, if you have questions, email me at jes@jesreynolds.com and I will do my best to help you go forward.

In my previous post, I reviewed the basic ideas that should be considered when developing a performance oriented nutrition strategy.  Things like nutrient timing, caloric intake, and balance of macronutrients are keys to developing the right plan that correlates with your specific fitness goal.   In this post, I want to go beyond basic strategy and discuss some additional topics that are common practice among athletes ranging from high school to pro.  

Topics for this Post
Natural Supplements

• Flax Seed or Flax Seed Oil
• Chocolate Milk
• Cherry Juice

Sports Drinks & Gels

• Gatorade
• Race Goo

Flax Oil
While the NLM and NIH seem to disregard the effectiveness of flaxseed oil for many of it’s proclaimed uses, it’s popularity as a natural health supplement cannot be denied.  Flaxseed and similar Omega-3 rich oils are used to improve overall cellular function and prevent or improve various health conditions.

When you train for a specific event, sport, distance, or race, you challenge your not only your mental focus and capacity to push to higher levels, you also challenge your bodies ability to perform on multiple levels ranging from gross motor function to cell physiology.  Therefore, athletic performance at it’s most basic level, is reliant upon effective and efficient cellular function.  The use of flax seed oil in athletes is meant to enhance basic cellular function by improving nutrient transfer and waste removal across the cell membrane.  The improved efficiency of the cell allows the body to sustain a higher level of performance.

Chocolate Milk
Over the past 5 years (maybe more?), chocolate milk has grown in popularity as a workout recovery drink.  According to both formal studies and articles written in popular fitness magazines, drinking chocolate milk as opposed to only water not only allows for re-hydration, but also provides additional nutrients that are important for optimum recovery.

Chocolate milk is easily accessible and has a desirable combination of both carbohydrates and protein that replenishes muscles with necessary glycogen and proteins.  It’s high water content makes it an excellent method for hydrating the body and it also contains both calcium and sodium.  These nutrients are important for optimum cellular function and can often be depleted from heavy or intense exercise.


Cherry Juice
There are a number of studies indicating the efficacy of cherry juice in reducing muscle damage incurred from exercise including reducing inflammation and oxidative stress (oxidative stress is a state of imbalance in the cell which causes damage to almost all components of the cell and impedes recovery and performance).  Cherry juice has also been indicated as a means to reduce symptoms of muscle damage incurred from physical activity.

Consuming cherry juice following bouts of intense exercise such as demanding training sessions and performance oriented competitions will ideally improve workout recovery time and assist in readiness for the next training session and/or competition. 

To Learn More about Cherry Juice: 
http://www.cherrypharm.com/science.html
http://www.choosecherries.com/Uploads/Content/Red%20Recovery%20Routine%20FINAL.pdf

Sports Drinks
While chocolate milk has similar carbohydrate content to many carbohydrate replacement drinks such as Gatorade and Powerade, the idea of downing chocolate milk during a race or in the middle of a game is not appealing (gross!).

It’s commonly understood that hydration is imperative for optimum muscular function & cellular performance.  Since both muscular function and cell function are key to optimal performance, hydration is a huge focus for athletes.  As you probably know, it’s common for athletes to lose extreme amounts of fluids during either training or performance events.  Not only that, intense periods of exertion can also severely deplete blood & muscle glycogen.  While water is a good method for re-hydration, research shows that sports drinks can be more ideal under certain conditions.  

Sports drinks such as Gatorade and Powerade not only hydrate the body, but also supply both carbohydrates and electrolytes to speed fluid and carbohydrate into the bloodstream.  The hydrating ability of sports drinks can also help with other heat-related problems such as cramps, light headedness and heat exhaustion.  

Race Goo/Gel
Race gel is generally used during long distance training events and races.  Gels such as PowerGel allow you to replenish glycogen stores conveniently with minimal impact on the stomach.  Since the body can store, at most, about 22 miles’ worth of carbohydrate, gels can help you avoid the dreaded Wall during an endurance race such as a marathon or distance triathlon.

Learn more about race goo/gel: http://www.active.com/running/Articles/Making_sense_of_performance_gels.htm

Aside from race goo & gel, I have personally used each of these supplements at various times during my life as a fitness and sports enthusiast.  The main limitation I experienced is consistency of use.  When I did get into a pattern of using these supplements, I did feel healthier but found it difficult to consciously recognize an improvement in my performance.  I think I neglected to recognize the general feeling of improved health as a means for improved motivation and the ability to perform at even a slightly higher rate.  Now that I’ve written this, I think I’ll get started using both flax seed oil and cherry juice again asap!  In my next post, I’ll discuss manufactured supplements and pre and post workout meals.