On the Wagon

For those in Nashville, this is for real!

Well, its the start of another year and as I consistently attempt with each new year and this year is no different;   I elect to embark on a sudden withdrawal of sugar.  Yup, that's right, I get off the Sugar Wagon or on as it goes.
Let me tell you, sugar addiction is real.  The more you have, the more your body craves it and the more you want.  The month of December was horribly bad though.  I was not able to put the brakes on as I normally do.  I gained 5 lbs, but, it was more like 20 when I was getting dressed.  It's not a comfortable feeling.



So for anyone else trying this, start at the beginning of the week and be sure to check your calendar as you'll need a clean brake from functions, if you're going to be successful.  The first 3 days will be the most difficult as you skip carbs, wheat and other grains.  You'll also temporarily cut out fruits and dairy.  Yes, even cheese.  And wine, which is a whole other food group.  I feel pretty passionate about it getting a piece of pie on the Canadian Food Guide.  The premise of cutting dairy and fruit is to eliminate those sugars as well.  The lactose and fructose.  Pretty much anything that ends in "ose" can be translated to sugar.  Except for grandi"ose" which is the magnificent training plan and race plan we have all put together already.  I still have a few to decide on, but, I have committed to the major ones.  And, without the hangovers and sugar crashes you'll have more time and energy, so you can focus on your workouts.  Also, sweating during exercise encourages toxins to leave your body at a faster rate.  It is a trace amount as only the liver and kidneys can detoxify at any significant rate.  Milk Thistle tea is a good product to detoxify for the liver if interested.

So, that means a diet full of protein and vegetables.  Utilize fat to fight sugar, so eat nuts and avocados.  Now you can have fruit, but, limit it to just lemons and limes for the first 3 days.  Add them to your water as you'll want to focus on hydrating well during this time as well.  You can gradually add fruit, like an apple a day and add 1 serving of dairy a day as well.  The fructose will raise your blood sugar levels quite rapidly, so be prepared for the sudden spike.  Hold off on the wine for another week or so, unless you are so stressed that you may murder your husband or children.  Then, by all means, have the wine.  Have the bottle if it will calm you down.  In all seriousness, you may suffer from mood swings and headaches during the detox, so be ready for it and warn your friends and loved ones.

After a week, you may find that you are more focused and even happier.  The biggest take home for me was that I was suddenly sleeping through the night.  I read an article that suggested this may happen, but, I was doubtful.  So, plan those intense workouts as you will have increased energy. Usually, if I can maintain the absence of sugar in my diet for just 2-4 weeks and keep my regular running routing, I can usually drop 5-10 lbs.

So, leave the sweet cravings behind and ramp up the routine in the gym or outside if you're able to.  I'll be turning to by other addiction, albeit a much healthier one, running the trails or climbing on the trainer.  I've given a couple of options to ramp up your running program or just switch it up with some extra Tempo or Fartlek runs.  Be wary of ice if you're doing these outside.  Tis the season, but, at least we're burning up to 30% more calories by keeping core temperature being outside.

Option #1	Option #2
Run 1 mile warm up Repeat 8 times Run 1/4 at goal pace rest with 10 squats and 10 lunges per leg. Run 1 mile cool down / stretch	Run 1 mile at goal pace Repeat 4 times Run 1/2 mile at goal pace rest with 20 squats 10 / lunges per leg.Run 1 mile cool down/stretch

Happy Trails my Friends

Basic Nutrition Details for Body Building

Based on weight of 140lbs:

140g of protein; 280-420g of carbs; 3280 calories per day

Bodybuilding is more than 50% nutrition.  To make serious gains in strength and mass, you need a solid nutrition program.

 

Focus on Protein:  140g per day (1g per of protein per pound of bodyweight on a daily basis).  This amount is double than that of a typical person.  Protein provides the amino acids that are used as the building blocks of muscle protein.  Your protein choices should come mainly from lean animal proteins (chicken, turkey, beef, fish, eggs and dairy).  For chicken, thighs are a better alternative to breasts as they have the essential fat that you require.

Don’t avoid Fat: About 20-30% of your total daily calories should come from fat, with about 5-10% of those fat calories coming from saturated and monounsaturated to maintain testosterone levels.  Testosterone is essential for building muscle mass and strength and avoiding fat gain.  Choose red meats (steak and ground beef), avocados, mixed nuts, olive oil, olives and peanut butter for monounsaturated and fatty fish (salmon, trout –fresh not farmed), flaxseed oil and walnuts as good sources of essential, omega-3 polyunsaturated fats.  I would recommend using coconut oil (health benefits include but are not limited to: stress relief, maintaining cholesterol levels, weight loss, increased immunity, proper digestion and metabolism, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, dental care, and bone strength. These benefits of coconut oil can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, and its properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial, soothing, etc.)

Carb Up: 280-420g per day (2-3 grams of carbohydrates per pound of bodyweight each day). Carbs are stored in your muscles as glycogen and keep your muscles full and large and fuel during a work-out.  For the majority of most meals, stick with slow digesting carb sources like whole grains, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, beans, fruit and vegetables.

Eat the Carbs at the Right Time: Eat a slow carb 30 minutes pre workout and mainly fast carbs post workout.  Slower digesting carbs will provide more energy and less fatigue during exercise, but, burn more fat during training.  Good slow-carb choices include fruit, whole grain bread and oatmeal (add 2 teaspoons of sprouted ground chia seeds-good source of Omega 3 and provides sustained energy with slow release of carbs).   Post workout, choose fast digesting (high glycemic) carbs such as bagels or baked potatoes or a Sports drink (Gatorade, Powerade).  This will spike levels of the anabolic hormone insulin, which drives the carbs you eat into muscle cells where they’ll be stored as glycogen to be used for our next workout.  Insulin also helps amino acids get into the muscle cells to build muscle protein.  It is  critical in delivering creatine to the muscles and increases muscle protein synthesis-major process by which muscle fibres grow.

Calorie Count: to build muscle, consume 2800 calories per day (20 calories per pound).  You must stay in a positive calorie balance to gain quality mass.  If you take in less than you burn, your body will go into conservation mode and won’t support new muscle growth. 

Eat Frequently: Eat a meal that contains quality protein and carbs every 2-3 hours to ensure a steady supply of energy and amino acids for muscle growth all day long, helping you gain mass and stay lean.  The key is attempting to keep every meal around the same size.  Usually, any meals that contain calories in excess of what the body can process is stored as fat.  The goal would be to aim for 6-8 meals per day.

Shake it Up: Pre and post workout, get in at least 20 grams of protein in convenient shake form.  This is an important meal at critical times of the day.  This will prepare your body for the training and enable you to get a head start on the recovery process.  Drink a shake with 20g of whey protein 30 minutes prior to your workout and within 60 minutes post workout, another 20-40g along with 60-100g of faster digesting carbs (ie. Bagel).

Eat Before Bed: try to consume 30-40g of a micellar casein (major milk protein) protein shake or 1 cup of low-fat cottage cheese, as well as 2-3 tablespoons of flaxseed oil , 2 ounces of mixed nuts or 2-3 tablespoons of peanut butter.  As you sleep, with not food available, the body goes to your muscle fibers for amino acids to fuel your brain, which is why slow-digesting proteins and healthy fats are your best choice.  These foods help slow digestion and provide a steady supply of amino acids for fuel, thereby minimizing the body’s tendency to use muscle.   

Pre workout foods (30-60 minutes before)

Apple (110 calories, 30g carbs)
Banana (105 calories, 1g protein, 27g carbs)
Blueberries  - 1 cup (83 calories, 1g protein, 21g carbs)
Orange (86 calories, 2g protein, 22g carbs)
Raspberries – 1 cup (64 calories, 1g protein, 15g carbs, 1g fat)
Strawberries – 1 cup (46 calories, 1g protein, 11g carbs)
Multigrain Bread – 1 slice (65 calories, 3g protein, 12g carbs, 1g fat)
Oatmeal – 1 cup (147 calories, 6g protein, 25g carbs, 4g fat, 4g fibre)

Post workout foods (within an hour post workout)

Cantaloupe (188 calories, 5g protein, 45g carbs, 1g fat)
Bagel  (289 calories, 11g carbs, 56g carbs, 2g fat)
Cheerios – 1 cup (111 calories, 4g protein, 22g carbs, 2g fat)
English Muffin (134 calories, 4g protein, 26g carbs, 1g fat)
Protein Powder – 1 scoop (80 calories, 20g protein, 1g carbs, 0 fat)
Baked Potato (270 calories, 7g protein, 61g carbs, 0 fat, 7g fibre)

Mass building

Top Sirloin Steak – 8oz (288 calories, 48g protein, 8g fat)
Ground Turkey – 8oz (340 calories, 40g protein, 18g fat)
 Egg (17 calories, 4g protein)
Salmon – 8oz (416 calories, 45g protein,24g fat)
Skinless Chicken Thigh – 1 pieces (82 calories, 14g protein, 3g fat)
Low-fat Cottage Cheese – 8oz (163 calories, 28g protein, 6g carbs, 2g fat)
Tuna – 6oz (191 calories, 42g protein, 1g fat)
Baked Potato (270 calories, 7g protein, 61g carbs, 0 fat, 7g fibre)
Peas – 1 cup (118 calories, 8g protein, 21g carbs, 1g fat)
Sweet Potato (103 calories, 2g protein, 24g carbs)
Corn – 1 cup (133 calories, 4g protein, 30g carbs, 2g fat)

Apple (110 calories, 30g carbs)
Banana (105 calories, 1g protein, 27g carbs)
Blueberries  - 1 cup (83 calories, 1g protein, 21g carbs)
Orange (86 calories, 2g protein, 22g carbs)
Avocado – ½ medium (145 calories, 2g protein, 8g carbs, 13g fat)
Bagel  (289 calories, 11g carbs, 56g carbs, 2g fat)
Cheerios – 1 cup (111 calories, 4g protein, 22g carbs, 2g fat)
Oatmeal – 1 cup (147 calories, 6g protein, 25g carbs, 4g fat, 4g fibre)
Peanut Butter – 1 tbsp (94 calories, 4g protein, 3g carbs, 8g fat)
Almonds – 1 oz (169 calories, 6g protein, 5g carbs, 15g fat)
Protein Powder – 1 scoop (80 calories, 20g protein, 1g carbs, 0 fat)