Stress

So many of my clients come to me with a high level of stress. Whether it is their jobs, relationships, the environment they are in or the food they are putting into their bodies.  Stress plays an enormous role in how our body functions. It is important to keep our stress levels to a minimum.  Its been said that 40% of our stress is from nutrition.  The goods news is that you have control over that. 

The more energy the body must expend to digest and utilize the nutrients in the food we give it, the less energy we are left with. What do you think is easier for our body to digest; a McDonalds Cheeseburger or a banana?  When we eat poorly (refined foods) extra blood is needed and drawn to the stomach to aid digestion.  Because it is drawn from other parts of the body, those functions slow down and cause stress in the body.

You want to try and think of eating low stress, easily digestible foods that will give your body the most energy and therefore improve your athletic performance. This includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes.  Raw foods can be very beneficial as there is very little energy needed to breakdown in your body as the enzymes are still intact making digestion quick and efficient (This is why smoothies are such a great recovery meal). With less energy spent on breaking down food- more energy can go to working out.

Recovering quickly from exercise should be the number one goal of all athletes. The closer the workouts to each other, the quicker you will improve. Training combined with adequate rest and proper nutrition is the recipe for improved performance. The better the nutrition, the less rest needed; therefore, the faster performance improves. When you workout, you deplete the glycogen stores in your muscles. These stores provide energy for your body during a workout. Therefore it is essential to refuel them so that you are ready to go for your next session. This is especially important for days when you are doing two training sessions.

What Should You Consume?

After a training session you have a 30-minute window to refuel your body. It is essential that you replenish your glycogen stores in this period so as to not injure or fatigue yourself. The best things to consume during this period are easily digestible carbohydrates and a small amount of protein. The protein further speeds the uptake of sugar into your system.The more easily digestible the carbohydrate and protein, the less work and energy your body needs to use and instead can use that energy for repair and cellular regeneration. You should be consuming a snack of 100-400 calories based on your size and intensity of workout.

It is also beneficial to consume an antioxidant rich recovery meal which will fend off muscle soreness (see recipe on sidebar)
Here are my favorite options for recovery snacks.

• Smoothie with tofu or hemp protein
  
• Fruit Salad
  
• Banana/Apple and Nut Butter
• Recovery drink with 4:1 carb to protein ratio
• Veggies and Hummus
• Fig Newmans (Can be found at Whole Foods)
• Chicken Noodle Soup
• Sandwich on whole grain bread with lean meat
• Oatmeal
  

In addition to replenishing your glycogen stores its important to replace the fluids you lost during sweating. An easy way to measure that you are drinking enough water is to look at the color of your urine. It should be clear to very light yellow in color.