Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Fuel for the Extreme




 Nutrition for health, fitness & performance

What energizes your mind and body day in and day out? Whether you are climbing the steepest mountains in the roughest, toughest terrain in the world, pushing through the last mile of your run, finishing your last set in the gym, or finding the energy to cook dinner for your family; your body needs fuel for the extreme. Optimizing your health, fitness and performance starts with the fuel you provide your body; there is nothing more powerful than optimal nutrition and hard training.

I have prepared some general guidelines and tips to help you achieve higher energy and performance levels from the fuel you feed your body.


General tips
  • Drink 3-6 Liters (96-192 Ounces) of water per day.
  • Eat within an hour of waking, then every 3 1/2 - 4 hours after, up until 2 hours before bed.
  • Eat two (2) meals with fresh fruit and two (2) meals with vegetables every day.
  • Do not have more than a third of your meals per day as a meal substitute (protein shakes, meal replacement shakes, bars). Use shakes and bars only as needed for convenience in order to maintain the eating pattern of a meal every 3 1/2 - 4 hours.
Jim Brennan enjoying a Wilderness Athlete Performance bar.

                      Recommended Bars
                                    WildernessAthlete Performance Bars
                                    Think Thin (Trader Joe’s)
                                    Power Bar (Protein Plus)
                                    Balance Gold CarbWell
                                    Twisted
                                    AdvantEdge
                                    Myoplex Light
                                    Kristy's Home Made Protein Bar Recipes
                      
                     Recommended Meal Replacement
                                    Wilderness Athlete Meal Replacement & Recovery Shake
                                    Muscle Milk Light
                                    Muscle Milk
                                    Extreme
                                    Oh Yeah!
                                    Pure Pros
                      
                     Recommended Protein Powder
                                    Wilderness Athlete Protein Plus
                                    Premier Protein (Costco)
                                    MetRx Protein
                                                            EggWhite Protein Powder

There are three nutrients that directly provide the fuel our bodies require to function. These fuel sources are Protein, Carbohydrates and Fat. Below I am going to break down these three fuel sources into three classifications; Class 1 foods are the least refined and processed, whereas Class 3 foods are highly refined and typically contain large amounts of food chemicals and additives. Class 2 foods fall in between these two groups. 

Try eating most of the food (fuel) you consume out of the Class 1 group, a few foods out of the Class 2 group, and try to avoid eating out of the Class 3 group as much as possible.

Protein

Class 1                                              class 2                                              class 3
Chicken Breast                                     Milk                                                     Protein Bars
Lean Red Meat                                    Cheese                                                 Protein Powders
Fish                                                      Yogurt                                                 Liquid Protein
Eggs
Turkey

Carbohydrates

Class 1                                              class 2                                              class 3
Potatoes                                               Bagels                                                  Fat Free Cookies
Whole Grain Rice                                 White Rice                                           Fat Free Cakes
Yams                                                    Muffins                                                Fat Free Icecream
Hot Cerials                                            Breads                                                Fat Free Candy
Fresh Fruit                                             Pasta                                                   Cold Cerials
Fresh Vegetables                                  Crackers                                               Pancakes/Waffles

Fats

Class 1                                              class 2                                              class 3
Seeds                                                   Nut Butters                                          Butter
Nuts                                                     Vegetable Oils                                     Cream
Grains                                                  Wheat Germ/Oil                                   Sour Cream
Legumes                                               Trail Mix                                              Lard
Avocado                                                                                                          Mayonnaise
                                                                                                                        Salad Dressing


Free Foods
Use your free food list as needed, but pay attention to the free foods that have a limit of 2 per day.
Condiments:              Vegetables:               Free w/ a limit of 2 per day:
Balsamic Vinegar                    Alfalfa Sprouts                         Apple Butter (2 Tbsp)
Butter Buds                              Asparagus                               Light Dressings (2 Tbsp)
Coffee/ Tea (black)                  Bamboo Shoots                       Fat Free Dressings (6 Tbsp)
Crystal Light                            Bean Sprouts                           Wishbone Spray dressings
Diet Soda                                 Broccoli                                   Sugar Free Jam  (2 Tbsp)
Club Soda                                Cabbage                                  Fat Free Sour Cream (2 Tbsp)
Seltzer Water                           Cauliflower                               Sugar Free Hot Chocolate Mix (1pkt)
Cooking Spray                         Celery                                      Sugar Free Pancake Syrup  (4Tbsp)
Ketchup                                   Cucumber                                Sugar Free Jell-O (1 serving)   
Mustard                                   Lettuce/ Spinach                       Sugar Free Popsicles (1)
Fat Free Mayo                         White Mushrooms                    Sugar Free Fudge cycles
Salsa                                       Onions                                       Fudge cycle Brand (1 bar)
Spices                                      Bell Peppers                              Healthy Choice (1/2  bar)
Extracts                                   Dill Pickles
Soy Sauce                               Radish            
Sugar Substitutes                     Tomato
Worcestershire Sauce             Zucchini
 

Fuel your body for the extreme; by training hard and eating whole natural food, you will increase your performance, health, accelerate weight loss & muscle gain, and increase your endurance.  



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