Today I reflect on the importance of eating healthy throughout the day (More importantly the timing of nutrition.) I don’t claim to be an expert by any sense of the term; however I can remember what I learned through First Line Therapy (FLT) three years ago when I dropped from 215 pounds, and learned of all of my food intolerances. In the fall of 2011, I had food allergy testing done which indicated I was intolerant to gluten, wheat, egg white and yolk, black beans, and all cow dairy. Yikes! What to eat??? At the same time, I began FLT under the guidance of Dr. Krystal Tellier. What I learned was that it was critical to eat meals throughout the day, never skimp on breakfast, and make sure you eat a TON of fruits and vegetables. Within a few months I dropped to 180 pounds, and couldn’t have been happier. I was knee deep in triathlon training and fell in love with the endurance sporting community.
Why is all of this important? As I continue on my journey to compete in Ironman, timing nutrition after a hard workout is critical! There can be consequences later in the day which are a result of poor decisions post-workout. After my stomp session on the indoor trainer, I foam rolled, drank a recovery shake from the Vitamix within 30 minutes, and then went off to work. By 10am, I had eaten my entire lunch except for veges, and was unfortunately ravenous by the time I left the office. The result? I skipped my evening swim which I normally do Tuesday nights in exchange for food! While I feel guilty, I reflect on all of the many lessons I have learned, and this is one that I seem to make time and time again. Note to self- Eat a HEARTY breakfast which will replenish calories lost post-workout. Maybe putting my habits onto the interweb will force me to hold myself accountable. Until tomorrow….
Thursday
Morning indoor trainer biking session.
10 min easy warm up
10 min power increase @ 133 average watts with 124 average heart rate
10 min stomp @ 193 watts and 146 bpm
10 min high cadence recovery spin @ 127 watts and 135 bpm
10 min stomp @ 199 watts and 154 bpm
10 min high cadence recovery spin @ 119 watts and 137bpm
Total : 1:00 @ 160 watts Normalized Power and 133 bpm
-Paul Tellier