Article 21 - ZONE NUTRITION -100723

TURN IT UP

You are now entering a point where, as athletes, you are seeing an increase in the volume of exercise that is programmed for a 1 hour session. As a result, your endurance levels are getting increasingly better. New movements, new time domains and an overall constant variation on the exercises performed. Constantly turning it up. Presenting your body with new challenges everyday will keep you in that evolutionary cycle. But, how do I continue to get better outside the confines of training? One approach is exposed below. I advise you read on.

THE BASE OF THE PYRAMID

Think of a pyramid for a second. Now think of the biggest part of that pyramid. It's the base right? Positioned as the foundation of everything we do, there lies an everpresent determinant on the outcome of performance. At that base lies the performance enhancer that I am referring to. This is not all that different from the cream or the clear in that, if incorporated into your lifestyle properly, it can and will improve performance as well as general health dramatically. I am referring to your body composition. More directly, what you are putting into your system in the way of nutrition will ultimately determine the outcome of how you perform on and off the field. And yes, there is a constant theme here. How you balance your nutrition is the single most important thing that you do everyday. The message here is to start making it a priority. Not so much that you go crazy, but at least enough so that you have some peripheral understanding of how to balance your plate with carbs, protein and clean fats.

The Plan

The initial goal is 70/30. In other words 70% of what put down your cakehole should be zone compliant, at least for the next 90 days. That's 7 out of 10 primary meals. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner; 3 per day, 7 days per week = 21 primary meals per week. That means that a little more than 6 of those 21 meals can be non-zone meals. This doesn't mean that we go rogue and ingest inordinate amounts of fried foods. What it really means it that you can plan some meals with the evil potato, rice or bread. The key is that you never repeat two non-zone meals in a row. So as a general rule, help yourself and hit 2 out of 3 each day. The snacks should be a no-brainer. Nuts, limited fruit, veggies, jerky....get creative and give yourself variety.

BREAK UP

To help break it up a bit, I am introducing you to what is know as

CrossFit Journal Article #21. It is a comprehensive overview of the Zone Performance method. More importantly, it lays out Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner recipes and examples for you to experiment with. Variety! This means that you can actually look civilized at the dinner table and more importantly enjoy the foods that you're eating. Take a look and as always, hit me with questions.

CrossFit Journal Article 21:
http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/cfjissue21_May04.pdf

Stay Strong!
-Johnny