Happy Wednesday! It's been a while since my last post. It's funny in life how one day you either start something or stop something. When you stop doing something for a while, then it almost becomes a little awkward to do it again. I don't know why that is but it seems that way to me.
My yoga teacher Bryan Kest always says when we are in plow pose: this is half a somersault. Do you remember the time you did your last one? A few months ago I started taking pictures of sunsets. It just kind of happened and now that is just part of my day. I think it's the quiet time and being in nature; it's good for my soul. I think the same goes for exercise and nutrition for people. One day, you just make a decision that you are going to get healthy. Once you decide that, then everything works for you. You start seeing things, you never saw before.
When it comes to exercise, I LOVE it! I could do it all day! I know a lot of people want to do the minimum when it comes to that but with me it's quite the opposite. So, when I look at my eating, it's geared towards that. When I first heard Brendan Brazier's concept (ironman triathlete), his goal was with making the most out of his training. If you take in the most nutrient dense food, then your body spends less energy on digestion and reduces cortisol in the body which increases your recovery time. Reducing stress on the body is key and by eliminating all of the processed foods, then you are able to train more and recover faster. It's all about stress reduction on the body. When eating processed foods, you end up eating a lot more calories because the body is constantly striving for nutrients and processed foods are full of fillers--they are designed that way so you will eat more of it. Combined with the presentation of Matthew Kenney's artistic dishes, then you have a masterpiece of artwork and nutrition for the body. It really makes me look at food differently.
My class started on Monday but I got a jump start on Sunday and I have to say I feel amazing! I eat really well already but by taking it up a notch and I have to say that I leap out of bed at 2:40am. That's my usual rise time but I feel such a big difference in my energy only after a couple of days. I feel super rested and the flavor of the foods and variety of textures and the beauty of the dishes really makes a huge impact on my recovery time. My body feels super rested and I am very satisfied. It does take a bit of work in preparation but it's so worth it! I'm always striving to make my meals look pretty :). It's the whole experience of eating, from the moment you sit down. I have music, candles, flowers and just really appreciate my food. It's my health care and it gives me my energy and I feel that by giving appreciation to that my body appreciates it more. If you begin to look at food from that perspective, it changes what you put in your body. Ask yourself this question before you eat something: Is this going to benefit me? Is it going to get me to my goals? You see everything is either propelling us forward or pulling us back. If you get your nutrition on point, then you have the extra edge. You have fuel that no one else has because you are either giving yourself energy by eating or taking energy away by eating. I don't know about you but my goal with eating is to nourish my body, not make it work harder because it's not supposed to take in processed foods.
For instance with your car, you put gas in it. If you were to put anything else in it, then it wouldn't run properly. I don't know why we put stuff in our bodies that we shouldn't. It eventually breaks down. Maybe not right away but eventually it does. My goal is to feel my absolute best and I am choosing to put the best nutrients in it. It makes ALL the difference!!
Here's to better health! Let the games begin! You are super powerful and you can have the extra edge by taking care of your health through better nutrition! It's your call! For me, I want the extra edge :). It's 3:38 am and it's workout time for me :)
April
Below are some of my creations from class:
Day One: Matthew Kenney / Brendan Brazier Sports Nutrition Course
Day Two: Matthew Kenney / Brendan Brazier Sports Nutrition Course:
