There are simple health strategies you can implement to develop unstoppable energy levels while simultaneously increasing your overall health. Unfortunately, many athletes are quick to reach for energy fixes that are often “crash and burn,” such as gas station energy drinks, soda, coffee, or sugary foods. While these choices will adversely affect your health and performance, the six points below will help you to create higher energy levels in a healthy and sustainable way and enable you to get more from your training and competitions.

1. Hydrate ~ Filtered water is important to every function of the human body. A 5% drop in body fluids will cause a 25-30% loss of energy in most athletes. Even mild dehydration can slow our metabolism, so rehydration can also support weight loss.

2. Rebound ~ Jumping on a mini-trampoline for 10-15 minutes daily is easy, low-weight bearing, and the benefits are wide-ranging. Also, like jogging, this is one of the most efficient and effective ways to improve fitness as it is great for the lymphatic system, tones muscle, rebuilds cells (slows aging), burns fat, increases metabolism, strengthens the heart and greatly increases energy.

3. Breath Deep ~ This is a great way to fully utilize your physiology and energy levels. When you take the time to breath deeply into your stomach, you fill your blood stream with wonderful acid fighting oxygen and expel carbon dioxide, cleansing the body of acid waste and harmful by-products.

4. Green Foods ~ Green foods should be a cornerstone of your diet to maximize energy levels. Chlorophyll is miraculous and has so many health benefits such as cleansing the body, fighting infection, promoting circulatory health, as well as the health of the digestive, immune, and detoxification systems. Also, the health of our red blood cells is critical and eating or drinking chlorophyll increases the quality AND quantity of your red blood cells.

5. High Quality Nutritional Supplements ~ Vitamin and mineral supplements build up your natural immune system and build up your natural antioxidant defense system. With supplements, you are able to optimize your energy levels and maximize your bodies defense against chronic degenerative disease.

6. Essential Fatty Acids ~ EFA’s are called essential because the body requires them to function, yet it cannot manufacture them. These “omega oils” increase metabolic rate, energy levels, and stamina. Also, increased metabolic rate means we burn more calories. Some of the best sources of these “good fats” are avocado, fish, nuts, olive oil, UDO’s oil, and flax seed.

Health is energy, which is a metabolic state that you create by exercising, breathing properly and putting the right things in your body. Ensure that your body is getting what it needs by continually refining the ways you create energy so that you can have a positive impact on your athletic performance and health today, AND for the rest of your life.

The single measurement most important to your health is the pH of your blood – how acid or alkaline it is. An overly acid environment is at the root of all sickness and disease.

As you know, the earth and your body are both 70% water. Ideally, your plate should match this as closely as possible – that is, 70% of your food should be water based vegetables, fruits, sprouts, and legumes or otherwise alkalizing foods such as almonds, sunflower seeds, soy, and grains.

That’s right – 70%.

Now it’s easy to see that number and say “70%, come on, that’s not possible for me.” However, my hope is that you will see the importance and close the gap from your current alkaline food percentage (average is about 10-30%) and move towards 70%. When you make even a minor adjustment to your current percentage, the reward is immediate quality of life and physiological benefits and staggering long-term health benefits. An added benefit of this shift is that you will no longer crave foods that make you sick and an alkaline diet promotes effortless weight loss when coupled with consistent, easy, aerobic exercise.

You are not eating the wrong things, you are just not eating enough of the right (alkaline) things! pH level affects every cell in our bodies and over-acidity interferes with life itself. When you consistently consume acidic foods, you are literally living in a plague of “microforms,” including yeasts, fungus, and molds, as well as bacteria and viruses. Microforms thrive in an acid environment and literally eat us alive (bummer). Then, they send their waste products (acids) out into the bloodstream, as well as inside the cells, further polluting the system. This is the reason a lot of people get sick right after the holidays. It’s not “going around,” your body is just too acidic to remain healthy. Luckily, there are simple and profound things that you can do to create a healthy environment.

1. Eat a big salad or vegetable soup with as many meals as possible. When you prepare a salad for dinner, why not prepare another salad in a container for lunch? This saves time and money. Also, make sure you cook soups at a medium temperature (118 degrees or lower) so you don’t destroy all the enzymes. Vegetables are a plentiful source of the enzymes that are needed for just about every one of the thousands of chemical activities in the human body.

Also, the most alkalizing fruits are avocado (delicious!), grapefruit, lemon, lemon juice, and tomato so include them as much as possible.

2. Juice or eat more fresh vegetables. Wheat grass gets my vote for the best food you can possibly consume. It is able to absorb 92 of the 102 minerals available in the soil (such as calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium) and contains large amounts of Vitamin A, B, C and E.

Additionally, cucumber, broccoli, spinach, sprouts, celery, green pepper, green beans, asparagus, or any other green vegetable that appeals to you is wonderful. Instead of cooking vegetables in oil – steam them lightly and then add olive oil to them.

4. Eat less red meat. Getting meat out of your diet is painless when you go gradually. Beef, pork and lamb should be phased out of your diet first and then (if you choose) you can shoot for chicken and then turkey. There is plenty of protein in vegetables. How do you think gorillas and elephants get so strong? For occasional animal protein, I recommend trout or salmon as they are relatively safe, and they are rich in Omega-3 oils, which are essential fatty acids.

5. Phase out or otherwise minimize sugar, sugary cereals, desserts and acid addictions like coffee ,soda, and gas station energy drinks. Green tea is a wonderful, alkalizing alternative to coffee .

6. Drink at least 50 ounces of water daily (ideally with lemon juice in it) and take a pharmaceutical grade multi-vitamin. High-quality supplements will help you achieve and maintain pH balance.

7. Cook and prepare your own food more frequently. Who is going to create a healthier meal for you – you or a corporation? Again, it is easy to say “you have no idea, I don’t have the time.” I believe we make time for the things we love – so do not hesitate to make a little more time for something that is very important to your life – your body!

The power of alkalinity is yours when you go green and consciously choose and prepare your foods. While it may be different than what you see advertised on TV, it is possible to eat a salad or vegetable soup with every meal – or at a minimum – SOMETHING green. When you go to the grocery store, sometimes you should go to the vegetable section…and that’s it! If you get this right, and just a couple other things – like essential fatty acids and aerobic exercise – your health will likely be amazing for your entire life and people will ask YOU why you have so much energy and feel so great all the time! Salad anyone?

http://www.energiseforlife.com/list_of_alkaline_foods.php

As more and more people realize the tremendous benefits of incorporating fresh, healthy, whole foods into their diets, organic produce and food choices have become a staple within the “Enlightened American Diet.” As you know, organic produce and other ingredients are grown without the use of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers.

Some of the most important fruits and vegetables to buy organically are strawberries, peaches, celery, apples, blueberries, spinach, bell peppers, cherries, cantaloupes, green beans, grapes, nectarines, carrots, pears, and tomatoes. You should buy organic when you shop for these 15 delicious foods and especially the first 5 listed as they typically have the highest pesticide residue.

Additionally, while I believe that meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products should be consumed in moderation, it is also important that you choose organically so that the animals that produce these foods are not given antibiotics or growth hormones.

Here are some of the numerous benefits of implementing organic food choices into your everyday diet:

1. For Better Taste

In my experience, the difference in taste and crispness of an organic apple for example is profound. Organic farming begins with the nourishment of the soil, which leads to the nourishment of the plant and, ultimately, a better product is created without the use of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. Ask the many chefs who prefer the quality of organic foods.

2. To Keep Chemicals Off Your Plate
Pesticides and herbicides are poisons created to kill living organisms and can also harm humans. In addition to cancer, pesticides are implicated in birth defects, nerve damage and genetic manipulations. Chances are very good that organic food, on the whole, is more nutritious than chemically grown food. But, regardless of whether or not your organic apple has more potassium than it’s non-organic brother, it definitely does NOT have the same load of poisons.

3. To Promote Biodiversity
Conventional farmers use large plots of land for the same crop year after year. This approach leaves the crops more susceptible to pests and the soil severely depleted of natural minerals and nutrients, which have to be replaced by chemical fertilizers in increasing amounts. Converting land to organic status is a three-year process and builds up the fertility of the land and organic farmers practice crop rotation to add even more health and energy to the soil.

4. To Support a True Economy
If the hidden environmental and social costs of chemically-produced conventional produce were added to that produce, it would be more than double the price of organic food. Also, every time you go to the store you are voting with your dollars. As the demand for organics continues to grow, the cost will continue to come down.

5. To Protect Future Generations
We are borrowing the earth from our children and grandchildren. Pesticides and other chemicals widely contaminate ground water and rivers and pollute our primary source of drinking water. When our soil is free of chemicals, the creatures in the river are safer and the creatures that eat them are safer.

Organic food presents consumers with a perceived and tangible set of attributes that align food production with environmentally acceptable and renewable production techniques that minimize the risk of contamination from pesticides, and also delivers food that is wholesome and nutritious.

On a larger scale, when we understand the impact that we collectively have on the earth, it makes a lot of sense to spread the word so that the system, from plant to soil, from river to fish, will be returned to what is natural and healthy.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37396355/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/?gt1=43001

It is very easy to get caught up in training for your sport and day to day activities and not pay much attention to what you are putting into your body. As a former First Team All-Academic Pac-10 steeplechaser for the UCLA Track & Field Team, I often went through my days without planning meals or giving nutrition much thought at all. As an athlete, putting in countless hours of training with much at stake, it makes sense to maximize your chances of success in all ethical ways.

It is surprising how clear nutritional science is on the benefits of a core nutrition program in both protecting health and maximizing athletic performance, yet it is something that is so under the radar. I did not receive any training on nutrition at UCLA, and looking back, my running career suffered as a result. The good news is that it is relatively easy to take your health to the next level and some of the benefits that people experience are a stronger immune system, increased energy levels, quicker recover and improved brain function. To that point, when I implemented a core nutrition program a few years ago, I noticed it first in races, where I ran personal bests in the marathon and half marathon at age 31 (and then again as a 32 year old) and had better recovery time than when I was a student at UCLA.

Here are six nutritional tips you can utilize to give yourself the “slight edge” over your competition and feel increased strength and vitality along the way.

1. Establish the habit of drinking 10 oz purified water first thing in the morning and steadily throughout the day. Ideally you should shoot for half of your body weight in ounces daily (i.e. if you weigh 150lbs – 75 ounces daily is a great standard).

2. You’ve heard it your whole life and here it is, the #1 health habit you could ever develop; eat six serving of vegetables daily. Why? They are rich in antioxidants which help to prevent oxidative damage (aging) of your cells. You should also regularly include three low-sugar members from the fruit category; avocado, tomato and bell pepper.

3. Consume dark leafy greens, such as spinach, daily. Greens are made of chlorophyll and heal and cleanse your organs while destroying harmful substances. They also promote bodily homeostasis, give you lots of insoluble fiber that rids your body of toxins, and greens are alkaline which promotes healthy cells and improved recovery.

4. Processed carbohydrates are largely to blame for our countries health woes and MUST be minimized. Fast food, instant everything, enriched bleached flour, chips, bagels and baked goods are marketed to us incessantly and are convenient choices. The problem with these high-glycemic “foods” is that they spike your blood sugar levels, do not provide sustainable energy, and leave you hungry for more when your blood sugar rapidly drops back down. Focus on a balance of low-glycemic carbohydrates (such as – whole grains, pasta, greek yogurt, vegetables, fruits), lean sources of protein (organic chicken, grass fed beef, salmon, almonds, vegetables), and healthy fats (fish, avocado, olive oil, nuts) as a foundation of your diet and you will have more sustainable energy throughout your day.

5. Take a pharmaceutical grade, absorbable multi-vitamin, everyday, even if your diet is ideal. Quality supplements help to prevent sickness and disease, fill in the gaps in your diet, minimize oxidative (free radical) damage, and enable you to recover more quickly from workouts.

6. Educate yourself and keep updating your nutritional strategies. You will find it very empowering to know the benefits of your little bit of extra effort and attention. Some great books on the topic are “The pH Miracle,” “Healthy for Life,” and “The Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements.” Two great DVD’s are “Food, Inc.” and “Super Size Me.”

Incorporating even one of these habits into your daily routine will have a tremendous benefit to you in your athletic endeavors and beyond. Incorporating all of them into your active and athletic lifestyle will put your health above and beyond your peers, enable you to maximize your athletic talents and most importantly, will drastically reduce your chances of developing chronic degenerative disease.

You will find that when your health and energy levels improve, your athletic performance and every other area of your life will improve simultaneously. Also, the positive influence that you will have for those in your peer group will have an impact greater than you know. So I challenge you, to give yourself the “slight edge” of optimal nutrition and you will reap the benefits immediately and for the rest of your life.

Let’s get your game on! How you fuel and train your body should depend on your game, what you play and how you want to play it. In my last article we talked about the three different energy systems used in athletic performance: the phosphagen system, the anaerobic system, and the aerobic system. Today, we’ll talk about the energy systems used for short term energy use and how to optimize your fuel consumption for your energy needs.

A swimmer dives off the starting block; a batter hits the ball; a tennis player serves up the ace. These are all examples of energy expenditures in the phosphagen and anaerobic systems. An athlete’s body can access either of these systems for quick burst, intense activities.

The body uses the phosphagen system when you need quick power. Think explosive when you think of the fuel stored in our muscles called creatine phosphate. CP helps to create ATP very rapidly and thus burns it very rapidly as well. Foods that contain creatine include meats, poultry, and fish. The occasional protein bar or creatine shake won’t hurt you, but these simply can’t provide the nutritional support, the big bang, that a slab of real grilled salmon provides. When this energy becomes exhausted the anaerobic system then becomes active to provide support for more high intensity, short burst activities.

The term anaerobic refers to processes that do not require oxygen. The anaerobic energy system relies on glucose as it’s major source of ATP. Glucose is simply a form of sugar easily used by the body. Carbohydrates are the major source of glucose and are stored in the form of glycogen within our muscles and liver. This system is called into action when an athlete first begins activity and will continue to provide energy until oxygen is available to help meet the body’s demands for activity over three minutes in duration. When a football player catches the ball in the end zone and runs at lightning speed for the return, the athlete is using up glucose. High quality carbohydrates are crucial for an athlete, male or female of any age or weight. You can’t simply power down a powdered sugar donut for this fuel – the donut is burned up or turned to fat entirely too soon to improve performance. Instead, eat smaller portions of quality carbs more often, like whole grain pasta, brown rice, or whole wheat bread. If an athlete chooses the powdered sugar donut as their fuel of choice, glycogen stores will be low resulting in low production of ATP and lower energy levels which have a negative impact on athletic performance. During elevated levels of activity, the body will start to accumulate lactic acid at a rate that exceeds the liver’s ability to eliminate it if the athlete cuts the carbs too far back. So, if you get an intense side ache during practice, it is a reminder that powdered sugar donuts are poor fuel for the anaerobic system.

So, what’s your game? Do you need power? Do you need quick, short bursts of intense speed? Do you need to keep going and going and going? Can anybody play? Probably. But, if you want to play better, perform better, then think of food as fuel for your amazing energy systems. In part 4 of Eating to Win, we’ll talk about the role of our aerobic energy system!

Are you really bringing your “A” game every day? How would you know? You see, it isn’t just about getting the workout done, it is about believing in your body and mind, and about knowing you’ve prepared yourself to achieve all you are truly capable of achieving. Athletes, both young and old, often treat nutrition as an afterthought to their workout. Showing up to a practice on an empty stomach or eating junk food prior to a grueling strength training session means you are showing up with a “C” game mentality and you’re sabotaging your body, your mind, your game.

In my previous article, I talked about the importance of eating five small meals a day to maintain proper blood sugar levels and to allow for optimal energy. The amounts and types of food that an athlete puts into their bodies directly influence the body’s ability to digest, absorb, and use nutrients. The energy needed for muscle repair, growth, development, and recovery during the season is not going to come from a one-time bar or protein shake; it can only come from consistent and optimized nutrition during pre-season, early season, in season and game day. You might get away with cheating for a while, but eventually, you will see the results from your lack of discipline in your athletic performance on game day. Likewise, when you give your body the right kinds and amounts of fuel, you are less likely to get injured, heal faster if you do get injured, and have more energy available for both the short burst energy expenditures and longer energy use.

Now for a lesson in nutrition and how the body gets energy from nutrition for exercise, otherwise known as metabolism. Another way to think of metabolism is as the chemical reactions that occur in an athlete’s body everyday at a cellular level where energy is being stored and released to allow muscles to do their work. All cells use ATP (adenosine triphosphate) as their major fuel source and when the bonds of this molecule are broken, the result is the release of large amounts of energy. The human body is such an amazing machine that it is constantly forming, breaking down, and then reforming these bonds as a continuous energy source used in muscle activity, repair, and growth. There are a total of three energy systems in the body that are capable of generating ATP and each of them are used in different types of sports activities: the phosphagen system, the anaerobic system, and the aerobic system. The length of the activity and type of activity the athlete is performing determines which of these systems the body uses.

The next article will expand on the foods that support these energy systems. Till then, eat well, train well, and bring your “A”game!

–To learn more about athlete nutrition and Optimal Nutrition visit: http://optimalnutritioninc.com/

“Work harder” say the coaches. I say eat better if you want to work harder. My 18 year old niece trains seven days a week to become the best collegiate swimmer possible. Every weight training session, every 6 am practice, she is there with a smile and enthusiasm that screams, “Bring it on!” Yet, as I asked her about her eating habits the other day, I stopped dead in my tracks. It appears that Rubio’s has been the greatest nutritional component of her training as of late.

As a sports nutritionist, I focus on guiding professional and amateur athletes in various sports from MMA fighters and major league baseball players to pleasure surfers, and I have neglected my own flesh and blood. Let me explain myself before continuing because I feel there are many parents and athletes who might relate and learn a few things. As a young teenager my niece wisely stopped drinking sodas and decided to never eat fast food. Movies like Fast Food Nation had an impact on her, so I decided she was a rather healthy individual. But does my niece eat anywhere near the quality of nutrition she should as a hardcore athlete? Not even close! Thus, the inspiration to write this article was born and I hope it can help those who seek to achieve optimum athletic conditioning and are showing up at 6 am while their peers are sleeping in. I will be writing this article in several parts with this being part one, so stay tuned and take notes. We will start with the foundation today.

Eating 5 Small Meals a Day

As a nutritionist, I see people (myself included!) struggle to eat 5 small meals a day. It is even more challenging for busy teenage athletes going 100 miles an hour to eat well and more often. In typical teenage invincible-mode, they often believe they can skip meals without negative consequences. Worse yet, young female athletes sometimes intentionally skip meals thinking this will help them control their weight. Why is it so important to eat smaller amounts of food more frequently throughout the day?

Eating more often keeps you feeling great and full of energy. This practice helps to keep your blood-sugar level stable and avoids the highs and lows associated with other eating habits. Eating smaller, well balanced meals containing lean proteins, complex carbs, and healthy fats will result in a healthy body ready for challenge. It also provides fuel needed for muscle repair and growth, development, and recovery. We will explore each of these areas in the next article.

–To learn more about athlete nutrition and Optimal Nutrition visit: http://optimalnutritioninc.com/

As a student athlete ready to take the next step in competing at the college level, you want to give yourself every advantage you can. An often overlooked aspect in gaining that competitive edge is nutrition. All the hard work put in on the field and in the training room can be wasted if you don’t have the same discipline with your nutritional habits. Also, with good habits you can ensure that, come game time, your body will be running at its peak performance level.

So Where Do You Start?

The best way to think about the right way to eat is to think of food as fuel for your body. If you eat a lot of junk, that is what your body will be running on. The better quality gas you put into your car the better it runs. The same thing is true for the food you put into your body. If your diet consists of foods that are high in processed sugar, bad fats (trans and saturated) and fast food then your body going to run poorly.

Breakfast is Key!

Breakfast is the foundation for starting your day with good eating habits. After going with no food for 7-9 hours because you have been sleeping your body is craving nutrients. Getting food into your body within the first 30-45 min of waking up will provide a base for your energy levels throughout the day. It gets your “motor” running and prepares your body for whatever activity it will be doing for the day. It should consist of protein and high quality carbohydrates. It doesn’t have to be a huge breakfast. It can simply be peanut butter and banana or some whole wheat toast and eggs. Another quick option is grabbing a nutritional bar and piece of fruit. A bowl of high sugar processed cereal may taste good but provides little nutrition value for your body and zero protein.

Eating Throughout the Day

Eating throughout the day is also a staple in any successful athlete’s nutrition plan. Instead of the standard three meals a day, you should be eating 5-6 times throughout the day. You can still have standard breakfast, lunch and dinner times. But you should fill the gaps between those meals with some snacks. Everyone loves snack time. By snacks I am not talking about chips or a candy bar. Good snack choices include nuts (almonds, peanuts, pistachios) fruit (apples, orange, and bananas) and certain nutritional bars (balance bars, zone bars, tigers milk and others that provide a balance between carbs, protein and fat). Snacking also makes it easier not to overeat or make bad food choice because you are “starving” when meal time comes around.

Plan Ahead with a Good Nutritional Game Plan

A lot of times the key to good nutrition is having a good game plan. If your day is filled with classes, practice and a workout it might be hard to be able to find the right food choices when you need it. If you plan ahead and carry the right foods with you, you’ll be less tempted to make bad food choices when your body is in need of nutrition.

Stay tuned as we will explore more nutritional topics and give you the best advice on eating for optimal performance.