Nell Stephenson's Blog, page 115

Paleo Fueling For Every Day Workouts

I’ve written a lot about how I fuel for the long haul; ironman training and racing, as well marathoning and ultra running.

But what about if you don’t consider yourself an athlete?  Or you’re working out and keeping active a few days per week?  How can Paleo fit into the picture then?

Recently, I received the following inquiry:

“I am not an athlete – I am 72 years old, I do cardio 2 miles @15 elevation @3.5-4 mph every day, I do weights 3 x a week, I do ballet and yoga. I have found over the past few years my muscle mass is declining. I used to exercise on an empty stomach but recently began drinking a protein shake before my weight lifting days. I usually eat a veg omelet afterwords with a little parmesan, and a combination pure cherry, pure cranberry and carrot juice.  What are the best food to eat before and after exercise? Should I be eating before the cardio as well?“

I thought it was a great blog topic.

Here are the basics:

Incorporating some fasted training (not eating before a workout) can be indicated if the workout is a strength session or if it’s a cardio session in order to help the body become more efficient at using fat as a substrate.
For a strength session, having a small meal of just protein about thirty to forty-five minutes post workout helps the body release Hgh, which is essential in the recovery process.
For a cardio session, having a meal of a higher glycemic fruit, like a ripe banana, with an easily digestible protein, like a soft boiled egg, is a great way to recover.
In both cases, when your body tells you it’s time to eat, then the next meal should be back to the lovely Paleo balance of fresh veggies, with some protein and some fat.
Listening to your body’s cues is one of the most important ways to ensure success on the Paleo diet.  Eat regularly, in balance of the three macro nutrients and often throughout the day.    If you’re hungry, it’s time to eat!

Holiday Help

Along the same line as yesterday’s post, I’d like to make the Holiday Blogs a bit more interactive.  

What specific question have you got that pertains to staying healthfully Paleo during what may be a particularly tricky time of year to stick to your guns?

Whether it’s help Paleoizing a traditional family recipe, or you need advice on handling the holiday Christmas party, send me your requests for a blog post and we’ll approach the festivities together!

More likely than not, there are many other readers who’ll have the same questions you’ve got so email your inquiries today! 

November 1st- The Holidays Don’t Have to Mean A Two Month Binge

Imagine a spending a New Year’s Day not feeling as though you need to be on a restrictive, punitive eating plan along with an exercise regime you hate because, guess what?  You’re already at your lean, ideal, healthy weight and you did it in a healthy way!

It’s no surprise to anyone that most of us do not stick to our resolutions.   How could it be that everyone who needs to lose weight (a very common New  Year’s resolution) is ready to do so on the same day, which happens to be January 1st?

One of the main strategies I encourage clients to implement is to chose a time when it suits them best to make lasting changes; not when they’re about to move, start a new job or go on vacation.

So why am I posting about New Year’s when it’s two months away?

To plant the proverbial seed in your head.  If you’re ready to make positive changes now, and you have weight loss as a goal, to continue with that example, if you become active, or increase your activity, and go Paleo,  you could easily be ten pounds lighter (if not more, if you’ve got a lot of fat to lose) by the time January rolls around.

Stay tuned to more blog posts on the subject and email me if you need some one on one guidance!

Paleo Halloween Choices for Kids

A reprise of a blog I’ve posted before; for no other reason than I still feel there are alternative ways to approach this kids’ holiday, rather than inundating them with copious amounts of sugar.

For adults who opt to celebrate, does candy really even need to factor into it at all?  Really?

Don’t worry, I’m not going to suggest you give out boxes of raisins to the cute little trick-or-treaters that ring your bell tonight (although, I will admit that’s what my mom did and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that idea!:).

Pieces of fresh fruit also sound like a viable option but I’m aware that lots of parents are leery of anything not in a package (ironic, though, that they’re fine with their kids eating packaged junk, but I’m not even going there!).

So how about something that is not even meant to be eaten?

No reason to earn yourself the reputation of the ‘mean lady or man that doesn’t give out anything to the kids on Halloween’; how about giving out something creative in the sense that it’s something other than candy?

One woman I spoke with the other day mentioned that she’d bought a stack of $5 gift cards from Gap Kids to hand out.  Yes, more costly than a bag of m&m’s, but I thought it was a cool concept.
Another client, who is an elementary school teacher hands out small boxes of crayons.
Yet another client stated he gives quarters out!

Whether or not you think the three examples I listed are silly, you see my point; you don’t have to feel compelled to buy and distribute processed, refined, high-in-real-or-fake-sugar, artificially dyed and flavored, wax coated candy in order to participate in the neighborhood festivities.

Of course, you might end up opting to go ahead to go with the flow of buying the safe bet- candy- but at least you’re aware that there are other options!

Many clients report that they find their best balance to be keeping Paleo at home, while keeping in mind that when the kids are at school or at friends’ parties, they’re likely going to fill up with sugar.      If that is the rare occasion, you’re still going to be keeping your kids far healthier than the norm, so good on you!

 Happy Halloween!

Eating Before Bed

Is it a bad idea to eat before bed?

It depends on several factors and I don’t feel there is a blanket answer.

No, I wouldn’t suggest eating a pint of ice cream while you drift off to sleep; actually, I wouldn’t suggest eating a pint of ice cream any time, for that matter!

I also don’t recommend eating a giant meal right before heading off to bed for the night, but at the same time, if you’ve had a day which was out of the norm, putting you in a position where you weren’t able to eat your dinner at the normal time, I wouldn’t advise skipping the meal entirely.

Would it be any better to wake in the middle of the night with your stomach growling and eat a meal then?  Not so much.

In that case, perhaps have a lighter meal and know that in the morning you may need to eat a little more as you may be in a bit of a caloric deficit after not eating enough the day before.

I came upon one study which recommend eating carbohydrates as a means to facilitate the body falling asleep faster;I still am a fan of keeping all the meals balanced in terms of the Paleo macro nutrient ratio of roughly 40/30/30 as a general rule of thumb.

A handful of berries or an apple, however, would be an acceptable little extra if you felt the inclination to have a little bite to eat before catching your zzzzz’s!

Squeezable Oatmeal in Plastic for Kids- What’s Next?

I can understand the thinking that old fashioned oatmeal might be a good breakfast for kids.  

Don’t agree with the grains, of course, however, it’s easy to see why one might think a hearty bowl of oats and fresh berries might be a better way to start the day compared to a bowl of brightly-dyed, dried-grain, sugary cereal covered with some bovine bodily fluid (milk).

Here’s what I don’t get- why on Earth is it necessary to take said oats, put them in a plastic, squeezy package, add some butter and cream, some quinoa and some fruit along with ‘traces of wheat’ and then give it to your kids?

The company’s site states that the packaging is BPA-free, but it’s still packaging.

Can’t we just give the kids a piece of fruit?

Sheesh!

Are Solid Foods Necessary During Training?

Absolutely not.  In fact, quite the opposite; depending on the type, duration and intensity of a training session, they can actually be the opposite of what an athlete wants to ingest.

Yes, it will vary a bit from person to person, but keep in mind that the higher the intensity of a session, the more blood that is diverted away from the gut and to the skeletal muscles in order to provide them with fuel.   

On the flip side, if you’re doing a long, aerobic effort, this is a situation where solid food may come in handy.  If I’m doing an early season base ride of four to five hours, for example, I might bring along some paleo friendly yams with sea salt in a zippie bag, along with some coconut oil.

However, for the short/hard/fast sessions and certainly when I race, I personally opt not to go with solids.

Incidentally, it’s not only solids that can wreak havoc with your gut; choosing the wrong sugars, those which don’t empty at the proper rate from the gut into the bloodstream, can also create a situation where you’re putting the calories in your mouth, but they’re not getting to the muscles fast enough.  

Ever had a ‘sloshy’ stomach?  That’s exactly what’s happened, in that case.  The calories are going in, not emptying from the gut, staying in the stomach too long and as you continue to ingest more of the wrong sugars, the gut slowly begins to distend and an unplanned trip to the porta potty becomes inevitable; and the race may be a downward spiral from there on in.

Other factors to consider are climate (if you’re in a hot environment and sweating profusely, dehydration becomes and issue as well, resulting in even less ability to digest solids) and your personal fitness goals (if your goal is to achieve a leaner physique, fasted training can be integrated for some of your training in order to optimize for the body to become more efficient at utilizing fat as a substrate; the thing to remember, however, is to ease into this.  Don’t head out for a six hour ride with no fuel!).

As with everything else pertaining to fueling for training and racing, practice, practice and then practice some more to see exactly what works for you, and what doesn’t.  

Finding this out well before race day will allow you to rest assured when you toe that start line that you’ve taken care of everything in your control to avoid bonking and GI distress, and can plan on a day with optimal fueling.

Paleo FX 2013

I’m thrilled to announce I’ll be speaking next spring at the second annual PaleoFX Symposium in Austin, TX, March 28-30, 2013. 

The symposium will focus on the cutting-edge of nutrition, movement, and human health and well-being generally. There will also be top strength, conditioning, and natural movement coaches giving hands-on demonstrations. The symposium is intended for laypersons and professionals alike.

Tickets are now on sale. For details, visit us at www.therealpaleofx.com and www.facebook.com/paleofx.

What is the Deal with this Halloween Candy for Adults?

OK, I’m not trying to be that mean lady around the corner who begrudges children who are trick or treating.  Far from it.

Some of the little ones dressed in their costumes are adorable, and I remember for myself as a kid enjoying the festive parties, bobbing for apples (at age seven, I didn’t seem to think too much about the fact that all the other kids were likely spitting in the water, but that’s besides the point!), attending haunted hayrides and trying to win a prize for the best costume.

What I don’t get is why there is this seeming need for candy to be omnipresent at places where there are no kids to be seen anywhere.

Just the other day as I was in the lobby of a doctor’s office, I noticed the proverbial orange plastic pumpkin on the desk, filled to the rim with candies and sweets.

Why?

If sixty percent of the population is obese, and many of them gripe about being too tempted when away from home, in they event they’ve gone to the effort to clean out their own kitchen, who decides to bring this junk to work?

It’s just so easy to avoid!

Finally… A No-Grain “Granola” That’s Really Paleo!

I receive a lot of requests to sample and then endorse different foods, books and other products, some of which claim to be Paleo but are not.

Recently, I had the opportunity to try a sample of a no-grain ‘granola’ that actually was not only Paleo, but it tasted fantastic!

Using only Organic Coconut, Almonds, Prunes (unsweetened, unsulfured), Carrots, Himalayan Sea Salt (remember that adding salt to the Paleo endurance athlete’s diet is a good thing!), the Primal Paleo Concepts brand has created an unsweetened granola that would be perfect as a post long workout alternative.

I’m  happy to add this product to my list of recommended products and to announce the special offer to visitors from my site to theirs: Paleoista friends will receive 10% off all orders, coupon code “paleoista”

Click HERE to learn more!