Mind
Body
Nutrition Health Tips
Jump Ball | First Quarter | Second Quarter | Halftime | Third Quarter | Fourth Quarter | Overtime
JUMP BALL
Bio: How I Got Here 🙂
Before you delve into my insights and suggestions to improve and/or enhance your personal health and fitness journey, I want to provide a little background on how I got to this position in my life.
I grew up and am a product of the area of Hickory, NC (2004 Fred T. Foard graduate) and was a multi-sport athlete growing up. I excelled at volleyball and basketball at the high school level, but volleyball won out in my post-high school scholarship endeavors after winning two state championships and two state MVP honors. I went on to play at Gardner-Webb University, putting together a pretty successful 4 seasons.
After GWU, I went on to be a Graduate Assistant Volleyball Coach while pursuing my Master’s of Science in Exercise Physiology from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas. It was there that the “bug” for health and fitness started as I got to work with the US Men’s Cycling team aiding in their training, testing, recovery and pulmonary studies.
The College of William and Mary was my next stop where I coached at the Division 1 level as an Assistant Coach for the volleyball team for 5 seasons. I learned a lot….being on that side of the whistle 🙂 During my tenure there, I was allocated the responsibility of putting together training regimens for the players in the off season and then eventually granted the responsibility of in-season conditioning. I learned a lot about training, timing, recovery, etc (just to name a few) and immediately became fascinated with the world of performance enhancement.
I left that role but stayed in Williamsburg, VA and transitioned into the title of Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at a performance center there with the responsibility of training groups, individuals, military and first responders, youth, post-injury, you name it! A couple other jobs and one 350mile move later, here I am.
I moved back to Hickory, N.C. (never thought I would) in July of 2019 and wanted to give back to the youth of the area. That’s when I decided I would try my hand at officiating, volleyball, that is. A couple of individuals (Al Graves being one of them), ushered me in the direction of basketball so I gave it a shot. Talk about an eye opening experience.
My first season as an official was, for a lack of better wording, educational. I learned a lot (more) about the game including what to watch (not always the ball), when to watch or expect certain scenarios, how to communicate with coaches/officials, what a 3-man crew did compared to a 2-man crew, and tons more. I received a ton of help from everyone that I worked with and when asked if I would take part in this “section” of the website, it was an easy answer for me with a way to give back to those that have already helped me so much.
I currently work, part-time, as a Performance Coach at The Athletes Lab in Maiden. We are a relatively new facility where I do group VertiMax, Speed & Agility and Strength sessions for the local athletes gearing them up for their competitive seasons, programming maintenance cycles in the offseason, and aiding in the rehabilitation of athletes that maybe have been shutdown for a time due to an injury.
My personal history with exercise, fitness, nutrition and recovery is vast. I’ve had reconstructive shoulder, wrist and knee surgery, three other repairs on my knee, foot and elbow and have dealt with more “dealing with pain” through Advil and Tylenol in my 34 years on this Earth than I would like to admit. A couple of years ago, I searched drastically for a balance to help my body feel better and recover better so that I could keep pushing myself for whatever physical battle I had coming up.
I am currently using a bodybuilding training style as I prepared for my second show in two years after spending a lot of time and years in various training outlets (Olympic Lifting, Powerlifting, CrossFit, General Physical Preparedness, etc.). I’ve worked around my own injuries and I’ve programmed for any and all of my athletes with different needs and consider that to be a specialty of mine. If you need help adapting movements, ask me. If you need help in the nutritional side of things, ask me. If you want to know how to physically handle a long week of games on top of a full-time job, ask me. I might not be able to give you all the answers, but I can definitely help you move in the right direction.
FIRST QUARTER
Nutrition In a Nutshell:
This part is the easiest part to overlook or under-assess. The word “nutrition” literally means “the process of providing or obtaining the food necessary for health and growth”. Not every individual can follow a “template of foods” and have the same result. Some people have intolerances, some people have allergies, some people have deficiencies where they need to consume more of a key element, you name it.
1. Water-
The one thing that everyone needs is water. This is the first and easiest step in the preparation of having my clients to make better nutritional choices. Not only are you running up and down the court (and you definitely need to hydrate before, during and after), but how your body is prepared via hydration (not the hoppy, carbonated kind either) the night before and the day leading up to competition.
A good rule of thumb to start is to try to drink 1oz of water for every 1.5lbs of bodyweight. So if I weigh 150lbs, I should consume, at a minimum, 75oz of water daily. And this is not referencing days where you will be sweating in a hot gym for a couple of games. This is daily, to help with your weight management and daily organ functioning needs. Once this task is easier and your body starts to adapt, start increasing the intake until you are closer to 1oz of water for every 1.25lbs of bodyweight (150lb individual would drink closer to 112oz).
2. Sweets-
Regardless of what you may think, your body does not “need” sweets. And I’m talking the baked, fabricated, bought in your grocery store’s baked goods section or candy aisle. Your brain’s response to sweets is actually to crave more sweets, so the desire is actually habit forming rather than a need.
My rule of thumb is this: If you are one of those people that has to have sweets, then no more than 2x weekly (yes, weekly) and no more than 30g at a time. The nutritional label is your best friend when looking at how much of something you are consuming. Also the question I get all the time is “if I only eat 15g of sweets now, can I save the other 15g for tomorrow?” The answer is a hard NO (and then I tell them that’s a good question but sugar is non-negotiable)! No more than 30g at a time is referencing the upper limit of what you should consume in one sitting before chaos erupts inside of your body.
Take a pack of Reese’s, for example:
Two Reese’s cups is 21g of sugar (sugar is a direct correlative for a carbohydrate). Not only is this a sugar, but it is a simple sugar in that your body has to have a more in-depth processing and breakdown which oftentimes leads to storage of sugars, liver issues and diabetes or cardiovascular disease.
So am I saying to cut out sugars? Yes….but not entirely. If you know you have an event coming up (like a party or a nice dinner out) and you will be diving head first into that dessert tray, then I recommend you do that. Eat it. Treat yourself (but not until you are sick), but you better make sure that your food choices the day of and the day after do not snowball into compounding poor decisions. Also, that water consumption previously discussed, you need to up that. Big time. 🙂
3. Carbohydrates –
Unlike many people think, foods that contain carbohydrates are not “bad” for you. Foods that contain simple carbohydrates, in monitored moderation, are not necessarily bad for you either (like the sugar from the Reese’s above if only eaten 2x total per week and no other simple sugar is consumed). Complex carbohydrates are your best bet when it comes to energy sources and longevity.
Some examples of good, complex carbohydrates are: Whole wheats, rice, sweet potatoes, blueberries, whole grains, most veggies, pumpkin, black beans, some fruits (black-, blue-, straw- and acai berries), etc…
Some examples of less nutritious, simple carbohydrates are: sugar, foods containing corn syrup, most breakfast cereals, fruit juices, baked goods, sodas, etc.
My rule of thumb for carbs: MODERATION is key. The reference to moderation when speaking on simple carbs would be like the sugar option, no more than 2x TOTAL per week. That includes all meals. When referencing moderation and good, complex carbohydrates, that means serving sizes. There is such thing as too much of a good thing.
I use a food scale to weight ALL of my food while training and my go-to number for carbohydrates is 6oz in weight OR based on a food nutrition label, typically anywhere from 45-50g.
Take this Organic Penne Pasta label for example:
One serving (which weighs before cooking at 56 grams), yields 36grams of carbohydrates. If you were to cook the entire box, which most people do, you could potentially be cooking and eating upwards of 4-5 servings (36g carbs x 4 servings = 144g of carbohydrates for that one meal!). Carbohydrate total should be anywhere between (based on a 2k/day calorie goal) 225 and 325g. So this one meal is close to half of the TOTAL daily carbohydrate intake.
I could go all day and talk about labels and such….
4. Protein-
Again, another easy component to overdo in regards to what you think you should be consuming. And before I go any further, here is my PSA for the day: Peanut butter is not a protein source.
Lean meats (93% or less) are your best bets. Egg whites, turkey, chicken, seafood are your best go-to options for lean meats. You can eat red meats and you can eat some of your fattier options like sausages, brats or the ballpark burger on the occasion, but just because it has protein in it does not make it a viable protein source.
How do you calculate how much fat is in the meat? (Think at the grocery store and it does not directly say on label) – Take this packet of breaded chicken strips from Applegate:
Discretion: (Even though this is a good indicator of lean meat, it is relatively misleading because the amount of total carbohydrates is still high (because this is a breaded product). You should not have a lean meat that is lower in total grams protein than total grams carbohydrates – 11g protein versus 13g carbs in this example).
My rule of thumb for protein intake and weight loss is to average .5 grams per pound of bodyweight per day. This number is just an average as some individuals should consume more based on their resting metabolic rates or daily energy expenditure compared to a more sedentary individual (due to work or lifestyle) of whom may need to consume as low as .35g per pound of bodyweight.
5. Fat –
Fat sources are abundant. Just like carbohydrates, there are better, good and bad options. Fat is needed for daily bodily functioning. A “low fat” diet has proven to not necessarily yield a low fat body type, so picking options that are better for you will help you feel fuller, longer.
Good fat (Monounsaturated): (always need to emphasize moderation) Extra virgin olive oil, nuts and seeds, avocado, natural peanut butter, hummus
“Eh…ok” fat (Saturated): Fatty meats (beef, pork, lamb), dark chicken meat, whole milk, butter, cheese, sour cream, ice cream, etc.
Bad fat (Trans fats): Fried Foods (fries, doughnuts, fast food), margarine, vegetable shortening, baked goods, processed snack foods (crackers, microwave popcorn), etc.
My rule of thumb is no more than 45-55g of fat per day, and no more than 20 of those grams come from a saturated fat and no more than 10g of those in Trans fats. Also – most people think they are being healthy by eating almonds….and yea, it is a good source, but take a look at the nutritional label and think about how many would be good for a snack/meal (considering your other meals are low in fat or there is no fat existent):
Nutritional Takeaways:
I could go into nutritional needs and breakdowns and allotments and sources and utilization for days. This is simply the “beginning” steps to start looking at when evaluating your own choices and your own options.
Everyone has a choice on what they put in their body. I treat my nutrition like it is a game. I have 6 opportunities a day to get a point: 3 meals/3 snacks. I can get a total of 6 points a day. Those points add up until I have a score at the end of the week of 42 possible opportunities. If I only score on 35 of those 42, I’m really missing out on some major improvements in my own health and nutrition aspirations.
Be consistent weekly. Enjoy yourself at times. Don’t get carried away. Stay the course and watch how things change!
Food for thought, right?
SECOND QUARTER
Strength Training: Gym Access/Home Gym SetUp
Assuming you have access to a weight room or “some” equipment at home, this template will give you a crash course on strength training and my recommended sets (how many total times you are completing a movement), repetitions (how many times the movement is performed before you are done with that movement) and volume (cumulative amount of sets/reps).
For someone that has access to weighted equipment and has the capacity to increase or decrease the load (or weight), I typically allocate the following sets/reps in a 4 month timespan:
Weeks 1 – 4 : 4 sets of 12-15 reps (light/moderate/ load)
Weeks 5 – 8 : 4 sets of 10-12 reps (moderate load)
Weeks 9 – 12 : 4 sets 8-10 reps (moderate/heavier load)
Weeks 13 – 16 : 5 sets 5-8 reps (heavier load)
Once the client has been able to perform these movements under this timeframe, I would restart them on the sets and reps from Weeks 1 – 4 – What typically happens is the “light” weight they were using for Weeks 1-4 the first time are much lighter and they are able to increase the load (weight) slightly.
This style of cyclical training eventually leads to progressive adaptations of the body. At some point, the increases in weight will plateau, and that is the moment in which I would change the programming style – instead of 4 sets of 10 reps, they may do 5 sets of 10 reps with timed rest or some cardiovascular movement between sets.
I am a huge proponent of record keeping. Making sure you know what weights you are using for different days and points in the strength cycle will help you to understand how your body is adapting as well as provide you with the loads to use each time you train.
I am also a huge proponent of full-body strengthening. During bodybuilding prep, I basically train body parts. One day is back, another is shoulders, another is legs, etc. I don’t mind this style because I feel as though I do, over the course of the week, hit all the major muscle groups pretty hard. But for someone looking to get stronger overall and/or lose weight, this style of training can be misleading.
So here goes my “template” for full-body strengthening in a Week 1 – 4 scenario:
*Note: perform all movements from top to bottom, then repeat for the amount of sets indicated on the sheet. Try to minimize rest time between movements; treat this like a strength circuit.
| Week 1 & 3 ; Workout 1 | |||||
| Weight / Assistance | |||||
| Movement | Reps | Sets | Week 1 | Week 3 | |
| Core: | Standard Crunch | x30 | x3 (wk1) ; x4(wk 3) | ||
| Elastic: | Kettlebell Swing | x20 | x3 (wk1) ; x4(wk 3) | ||
| Lowerbody: | Goblet Squat | x12 | x3 (wk1) ; x4(wk 3) | ||
| Lowerbody: | Dumbbell Step-Up | x12 R/L | x3 (wk1) ; x4(wk 3) | ||
| Upperbody Push: | Flat Bench DB Press | x15 | x3 (wk1) ; x4(wk 3) | ||
| Upperbody Pull: | Lat. Pull Down (Wide Grip) | x15 | x3 (wk1) ; x4(wk 3) | ||
| Supplemental | |||||
| Week 1 & 3 ; Workout 2 | |||||
| Weight / Assistance | |||||
| Movement | Reps | Sets | Week 1 | Week 3 | |
| Core: | Bicycle Crunch | x15 R/L | x3 (wk1) ; x4(wk 3) | ||
| Elastic: | Jump Rope | 50reps / 1:00 | x3 (wk1) ; x4(wk 3) | ||
| Lowerbody: | Leg Extension | x12 | x3 (wk1) ; x4(wk 3) | ||
| Lowerbody: | Hamstring Curls | x12 | x3 (wk1) ; x4(wk 3) | ||
| Upperbody Push: | Incline Dumbbell Press | x15 | x3 (wk1) ; x4(wk 3) | ||
| Upperbody Pull: | Seated Rows (Regular Grip) | x15 | x3 (wk1) ; x4(wk 3) | ||
| Supplemental | I’s, Y’s, T’s | x5 | x3 | Light – 2.5lbs | |
| Week 1 & 3 ; Workout 3 | |||||
| Weight / Assistance | |||||
| Movement | Reps | Sets | Week 1 | Week 3 | |
| Core: | Plank ; Side ; Side | 1:00 | x4 | ||
| Elastic: | |||||
| Lowerbody: | Back/Front/Overhead Squat | x15 | x4 | ||
| Lowerbody: | Dumbbell Deadlift | x15 | x4 | ||
| Upperbody Push: | Cable Crossovers | x15 | x4 | ||
| Upperbody Pull: | PullUps (assisted) | x10 | x4 | ||
| Supplemental | |||||
| Week 2 & 4 ; Workout 1 | |||||
| Weight / Assistance | |||||
| Movement | Reps | Sets | Week 1 | Week 3 | |
| Core: | Reverse Crunch | x 15 | x 3(wk2) ; x4(wk4) | ||
| Elastic: | Band Pull Aparts | x 20 | x 3(wk2) ; x4(wk4) | ||
| Lowerbody: | Dumbbell Lateral Step Ups | x 12 R/L | x 3(wk2) ; x4(wk4) | ||
| Lowerbody: | Deadlift (Straight Bar or Hex) | x12 | x 3(wk2) ; x4(wk4) | ||
| Upperbody Push: | Incline/Cable Fly | x15 | x 3(wk2) ; x4(wk4) | ||
| Upperbody Pull: | 1-Arm Dumbbell Rows | x15 R/L | x 3(wk2) ; x4(wk4) | ||
| Supplemental | Supermans/Hyperextensions | x15 | |||
| Week 2 & 4 ; Workout 2 | |||||
| Weight / Assistance | |||||
| Movement | Reps | Sets | Week 1 | Week 3 | |
| Core: | Single Leg V-Ups | x15 R/L | x 3(wk2) ; x4(wk4) | ||
| Elastic: | Box Jump OR Negatives | x10 | x 3(wk2) ; x4(wk4) | ||
| Lowerbody: | Leg Press Wide Stance | x20 | x 3(wk2) ; x4(wk4) | ||
| Lowerbody: | Single Leg Extensions | x 12 R/L | x 3(wk2) ; x4(wk4) | ||
| Upperbody Push: | Barbell Bench Press | x12 | x 3(wk2) ; x4(wk4) | ||
| Upperbody Pull: | Reverse Grip (Chin Up) PullUp | x10 | x 3(wk2) ; x4(wk4) | ||
| Supplemental | |||||
| Week 2 & 4 ; Workout 3 | |||||
| Weight / Assistance | |||||
| Movement | Reps | Sets | Week 1 | Week 3 | |
| Core: | Plank ; Side ; Side | 1:00 | x 3(wk2) ; x4(wk4) | ||
| Elastic: | x 3(wk2) ; x4(wk4) | ||||
| Lowerbody: | Dumbbell Walking Lunges | x15 R/L | x 3(wk2) ; x4(wk4) | ||
| Lowerbody: | Single Leg Hamstring Curl | x12 R/L | x 3(wk2) ; x4(wk4) | ||
| Upperbody Push: | Overhead Dumbbell Press | x15 | x 3(wk2) ; x4(wk4) | ||
| Upperbody Pull: | Barbell/Dumbbell Reverse Grip Row | x15 | x 3(wk2) ; x4(wk4) | ||
| Supplemental |
For those individuals that do not have access to a gym or weights, you can still get strong and/or lose weight by doing bodyweight strengthening (not talking conditioning here). Although a little less expansive in movements, I would recommend something similar to the following workouts:
| Home Workout Strength #1 | ||
| 30seconds at a time / 30 seconds rest between movements | ||
| Repeat the movements all the way through for three consecutive rounds | ||
| Movement: | Work | Rest |
| Air Squat (regular stance) | 0:00 – 0:30 | 0:30 – 1:00 |
| PushUp / Incline Push Up | 1:00 – 1:30 | 1:30 – 2:00 |
| Crunches | 2:00 – 2:30 | 3:30 – 3:00 |
| Air Squat (wide stance) | 3:00 – 3:30 | 3:30 – 4:00 |
| * And repeat 2 more times | ||
| **Then at the end, perform 20 repetitions in a row of each movement as a “finisher” | ||
| Home Workout Strength #2 | ||
| Perform 4 sets of 12 reps of each | ||
| Repeat the movements all the way through for three consecutive rounds | ||
| Movement: | ||
| Bicycle Crunch | x12 R/L (24 total) | |
| Step-Ups (stair/stool/etc.) | x12 R/L (24 total) | |
| Side Oblique Crunch | x12 R/L (24 total) | |
| Tempo PushUps (lower to 4 count) | x12 | |
| Tempo Supermans (Pause 0:02 at top) | x12 | |
| Home Workout Strength #3 | ||
| Perform descending reps : 25 – 20 – 15 – 10 – 5 | ||
| “Rest” is Plank Position for :30 each time | ||
| 25 of each movement, then 20, then 15, etc. | ||
| Air Squats | ||
| Alternating Backwards Lunge | (right then left = 1) | |
| Heel Taps | (right then left = 1) | |
| Flutter Kicks | (right then left = 1) | |
| Lateral Lunges | (right then left = 1) | |
| Push Ups | ||
| * So 25 air squats, 25 on each side backwards stepping lunge, 25 to each side heel taps, etc, all the way through 25 push ups. Then Rest 30 seconds by holding a plank. Then repeat all the movements doing 20 repetitions, then 15, then 10, then 5! | ||
The biggest thing I “preach” to my clients is form. And range of motion. But mostly form. 🙂 If you have to hold on to something in order to perform a lunge, do it. If you need to use a stair/edge of a couch/a table edge as an incline for push ups so you can go full range of motion, do it. When you abbreviate or do not move to a full range of motion, you are typically only working one side of the working joints. Constantly repeating movements in a poor range of motion can lead to asymmetry of development or even injury.
HALFTIME
It’s time to (honestly) evaluate where you are at this point in the journey. This is the time to take notes of where you are and where you want to be. Weight loss, weight gain and weight maintenance are, by far, the most widely sought after domains of being more “fit” by a majority of people I know. Rightfully so. We are evolving creatures. We rarely look at ourselves with content. More often it’s quite the opposite in that we look at ourselves with contempt. And that is not OK.
You’ve reached this point in your life and are where you are, so this is the reality of what you have to work with. Embrace it. There are challenges ahead, especially if change is your end goal. But that is the entire point of taking the “halftime” break to gather your thoughts, gather your game plan and make adjustments that will help you to reach the goal you desire.
THIRD QUARTER
Body Conditioning:
Being a conditioned individual is relative to the demands of the individual. Not everyone needs to be in tip-top, magazine cover shape all of the time. And if you are, that’s amazing. You’ve earned that right. But most of us need to be functional in a capacity to do our jobs without creating detriment to our living, work or family arrangements.
For us, as officials, being conditioned means having the ability to stay engaged and ahead of the speed of the game for the entirety of the night’s assignments. Having confidence that our bodies can make it through eight or more quarters in a potentially devastatingly hot gym while also able to head home, get a good night’s sleep, work an entire workday and then be able to come back the next day for more games.
Sprinting, jogging, dodging, stopping, starting, rotating – everything our bodies must be able to do for the duration of the contest. Poor conditioning can lead to poor body posture, which can, in turn, lead you to be less confident in making calls or projecting the calls being reported to the table. Poor conditioning can also lead to an increased potential in injury, if not acute, then chronic injuries as well as poor movement patterns.
Ensuring that we are “more ready” for assignments is simple. Do the things that you are doing on the court, but start them before the first toss. Staying in a more conditioned state should be a year-round goal. Keeping the body primed for activity can only lead to an overall healthier lifestyle. There is no doubt that a break is needed to recover and recuperate, but the break should be just long enough that the body is anxious to get back to a schedule.
Conditioning can sometimes seem like a thankless task. It is easy to get into the mental space and convince your mind that your body has done enough or that missing this part of training won’t make a difference. The main issue with this is…. How many times are you telling yourself this over the course of a week? A month? A year? I bet the answer is more than might be realized and what ends up happening is a cyclical deferment of conditioning to convenience.
Put in the time, put in the work. The smallest changes make a big difference.
| Conditioning Workout #1 | |||
| Jog/Walk Intervals | |||
| 2x per week for 2 weeks – up to 3x per week after 2 weeks | |||
| Weeks: | Jog/Run | Rest | Rounds |
| 0-2 | 0:30 | 1:00 | 10 (15min) |
| 3-5 | :45 | 0:45 | 12 (18min) |
| 5-7 | 1:00 | :0:30 | 16 (24min) |
| 7-8 | 2:00 | 1:30 | 10 (35min) |
| Conditioning Workout #2 | |||
| Perform 4 rounds of :30 on / :30 off | |||
| Repeat the movement 4 times before moving to the next | |||
| Movement: | |||
| Line Hop | Front to Back | ||
| Burpees | Chest-to-Ground | ||
| Line Hop | Side-to-Side | ||
| Jumping Jacks | |||
| Jogging High Knees | Stay tall | ||
| Conditioning Workout #3 | |||
| On a treadmill | |||
| Time | Speed | Incline | |
| 0-5min | 3.2 | 0 | |
| 5-8min | 3.4 | 15 | |
| 8-11 | 3.6 | 13 | |
| 11-14 | 3.8 | 11 | |
| 14-17 | 3.8 | 9 | |
| 17-20 | 3.8 | 7 | |
| 20-30 | 5.5 or + (jog) | 0 |
Any of these workouts above can be modified or adjusted however you see fit. For the machine (treadmill in this case), it can be substituted out for another piece of equipment. For the body weight movements, you can swap out other options if you have time and space at home. For the running/jogging, adjust the times as needed. Maybe you just do distance rather than for time. Make it your workout. Make adjustments to give you a boost in your fitness.
FOURTH QUARTER
Nutrition: In-Depth Meal Plans and Analysis
Calories in versus calories out, right? It’s that simple. Or is it? Now is the time to be honest with yourself. If this motto is how you’ve viewed nutrition but are still not at a goal you might have set a while back, evaluate why you are still out of reach with that goal?
Not. All. Calories. Are. Equivalent.
Like our first quarter talk, being mindful of what you are eating and how much will get you taking the right steps towards being more healthy, overall. But to really achieve goals, habit-forming decisions and semi-permanent changes, the depth of nutrition must be addressed.
Below you will find a nutritional template for creating good habits with portion sizes recommended. Of course, this fluctuates based on the person, the body type, the body goal or biological makeup, but hopefully this will give you an idea of the general guidelines I use when promoting meal plan changes.
| **look at serving sizes for all things with a nutrition label. 1 serving will give an equivalency in weight (in grams usually on a scale), or volume (cups, tablespoons, etc.) | |||||
| Breakfast: Pick the recommended amount from each category | |||||
| Carbs x1 | 30g from Oatmeal (about 1/2 cup) | 2 Waffles | 1/2c. Granola Cereal (low sugar) | 1/2 Potato (hashbrowns/or in omelet) | 2 pieces whole wheat toast |
| Fats x1 | 1/2 avocado | 1tbsp peanut butter | 1 serving almonds/nuts | 3 egg yolks (whole eggs) | 3 slices of bacon |
| Dairy x1 | 1c. milk | 1/2 serving cheese | |||
| Protein x1-2 | 2 servings egg whites | 3 whole eggs (includes fat for the meal) | Turkey, Ham, chicken (4-5 slices) or 3-5oz | ||
| Natural Carbs x1 | 1 cup berries | 1 banana | 2 cups grapes | 1 apple |
| **look at serving sizes for all things with a nutrition label. 1 serving will give an equivalency in weight (in grams usually on a scale), or volume (cups, tablespoons, etc.) | ||||
| Snack – Pick up-to the recommended amount from each category (can be all or none!) | ||||
| Carbs x1 | 10 pretzels | 1 cup popcorn | 1/2 cup Granola | 2 slices of Whole Wheat Bread (Dave’s) |
| Fats x1 | 1 serving almonds/nuts | 1.5tbsp peanut butter | 2 hardboiled eggs | 1/2 Avocado |
| Veggies (unlimited) | Any – Raw or cooked | |||
| Protein x1 | Turkey, Ham, Chicken Slices (5-7) | Tuna Packet | 6oz Chicken, Turkey, Fish | |
| Natural Carbs x0.5 | 1 cup berries | 1 banana | 2 cups grapes | 1/2 apple |
| **Morning Snack – typically will be smaller – stick to the carbs and fat | ||||
| ***Afternoon snack should be larger – try to get carbs, fat and protein |
| **look at serving sizes for all things with a nutrition label. 1 serving will give an equivalency in weight (in grams usually on a scale), or volume (cups, tablespoons, etc.) | |||||
| Lunch: Stay within “reason” of what your body will need for the afternoon – If you anticipate a tough evening of officiating or have a a more strenuous matchup, load up more on the carbs/fats and less on proteins | |||||
| Dinner: Provide your body with proper recovery – if you had a tough night/workout or burned a lot of calories, try to eat lighter on the fats and go a little heavier on the protein and carbs. Keep the Veggies as a high priority and try to keep your sugar intake (even fruits) relatively low. And LIMIT/EXCLUDE THE ALCOHOL 🙂 | |||||
| Carbs x1 | Tacos – x2-3 (be mindful of “what” is on it) – with meat would be your protein | Spaghetti (same as tacos – be mindful!) | 1-1.5cup Rice | 6oz Potato | |
| Fats x1 | 1/2 avocado | 1tbsp peanut butter | 1 serving almonds/nuts | ||
| Veggies | BIG OLE SALAD! – loads of veggies (cooked or raw) – be careful about fats from cheese and nuts | ||||
| Protein x1 | 6oz Burger – Bun would be the carbs | Turkey, Ham, chicken (4-5 slices) or 3-5oz | 6oz Salmon | 6-8oz Meat (Leaner the better) | |
| Natural Carbs x0.5 | 1 cup berries | 1 banana | 2 cups grapes | 1/2 apple | |
| **Eat “what you want” but be careful what is included. Additional fats/carbs can really stress out your digestive system, especially if you have a game |
Again, this is just a “template” for a sample meal plan and could be as low as 1900 calories or as high as 3200 calories, depending on the selection. Regardless, maintaining a balance/equivalence of foods for the course of a week allows your body the opportunity to learn how to be efficient at using the nutrients as fuel. If you are constantly throwing your body out of whack by choosing extreme “types” of foods or extreme “volume” of foods, then your body can never truly reach a point of homeostasis at becoming economical in fuel utilization.
As far as meal times go, my recommendation would be something like the following:
Meal 1 (Breakfast) 7:30am
Meal 2 (Morning Snack) 10:30am – or 3 hours after breakfast
Meal 3 (Lunch) 1:30pm – or 3 hours after morning snack
Meal 4 (Afternoon Snack) – 4:30 – or 3 hours after lunch
Meal 5 (Dinner) 7:30 – or 3 hours after afternoon snack
Optional Meal 6 (Nighttime Snack) – 9:00 – this would entail zero fat sources and high protein – typically in the form of a protein powder or egg white option
OVERTIME
So you’ve made the decision to exercise and eat right and we are on the path to creating awesome lifestyle modifications for making you feel better all-around. But it doesn’t stop there!
Taking care of yourself through stretching, soft tissue mobilization and massage after realizing that your body is in a constant state of tension is key in longevity. We get older, we get tighter and we have a tendency to put aside prioritizing ourselves, and it adds up real quick.
Taking 10 minutes a day to stretch and mobilize is pivotal in really impacting how much more help our bodies need in addition to eating better and exercising.
I will include a video on these particular stretches to give a visual of the execution and recommendations for each. My go-to movements are listed below:
Stretches:
90-to-90
Inch Worms
World’s Greatest
Shoulder Dislocations
Trunk Twists
Pigeon Stretch
Soft Tissue Mobilization
Calves (it’s crazy how much tension we hold in our calves)
Upper Back/Neck
Glutes
Hamstrings
Quads
Soul