Nutrition

In a nutshell (pun inteneded)…EAT PLANTS!

I have had much in the way of help in this area and it has been an on-going reboot in how I see food and nutrition. I have had to really become present to what is healthy eating and what is marketed as healthy eating. They are not the same thing of course, as money can corrupt ones intentions.

My awareness around food started when I began training for Jan Bieber’s Running for your life project. Rick Richard had taken on training a group of running newbies to run the final leg of Jan’s journey from Victoria to Calgary. Rick is a holistic nutritionist and ironman athlete. His advice to me when I asked about nutrition was to read the China Study by Dr. Colin Campbell and then get back to him. I read the book and my awareness grew 10 fold about what I could do for my families health as well as my own as far as training was concerned. It changed my life!

I began taking Juice Plus veggie and fruit suppliments on his and Jody Checutti’s advice and have been helped along the way by her Mom, Trudy Ferguson, who is an avid juice plus advocate. I attended many talks hosted by Juice Plus and even listened to the legendary Dr. Sears to see what he had to say. Since then I have become vegetarian with no milk or dairy products in my diet as well (with cheese as the exception…I haven’t figured out an alternative for that yet).

My findings have been confirmed on so many levels as I have shared with many people to find out their thoughts. Ashley Meyers, an elite biking athlete, has taken on ensuring I get what I need in the way of training and competing. Fuel for my body has become my main focus and my eyes have really been opened as to what I need in order to succeed in all my crazy events.

Ron Jarrett has been a wealth of information as well, and when the winner of Toughest Calgarian speaks…you almost have to listen. I have changed the quality of my water as well as the quality of my food. I am presently putting a reverse osmosis filter in my house to eliminate the crap that is in our water. Thanks for the advice Ron!

I will eventually post the advice I have been givin in the way of training foods and I will include some great cookbook ideas. Green smoothies are becoming a habit and, after reading Brenden Brazier’s books( The Thrive Diet and Thrive Fitness) I am a big believer in Vega nutrition products. Brenden is THE elite athlete in Canada and he has developed a whole food suppliment system to support athletes…he is another amazing Canadian who is changing the way people see food.

I have also recently begun shopping at Amaranth Whole foods Market and I am impressed with their attitude towards food and customer service. It is a market where everything is organic including the people and they are about creating community. They are truly a pleasure to deal with and a wealth of information. I highly recommend a visit…your body and mind will thank you!…

After the Trans Rockies Race…Post race stress disorder…haha. I miss the race already. Its funny, you forget all the suffering and only remember the fun and the feeling of doing something great. It was pure focus, pure fun and like nothing I have ever done. I have seen the benefits of the process of training and diet. It allowed me to see what was possible when you really took on living for a purpose and being mindful of that goal and how you live your everyday life. Realizing that you need to be responsible for every moment and every aspect in your life, every thing that happens is because of what you do and what you think. So think positive thoughts and focus on what you can do each moment that is in line with your goal…think to yourself…does this potatoe chip put me closer to my goal or further away…the answer will come and you get to choose. You are always where you are at because of what you thought and did…remember that! That being said, watch what you eat, research and come up with your own views but do it mindfully…don’t believe what a corporation will tell you…they want your money not your health. Eat lots of plants…I did the entire race on vegetables so you can to, and manage your stress by doing things that you love that keep your mind in harmony( ( free from the constant mind chatter that keeps your body in high gear). Having a quiet mind will give you the peace of mind to create, heal, be patient and most importantly..love!

Suppliments I recommend that have helped me along the way ( most have been recommended to me by people that know a lot more than I do about nutrition, recovery and performance)

Vega Products…I love em all, especially vega sport for pre work out fueling and the protein for post work out. I also love the whole food optimzer for meal replacements. These products are well thought out, whole food, and completely vegan…need I say more.

Juice plus.

You can’t get enough veggies and fruits…there isn’t enough time in our busy lives. Do juice plus…the benefits are massive, medically documented and studied, and just plain great. My entire family takes this daily.

Vitamin D

you need more of this…take it!

Greens

I use Barleens Greens Daily to keep my body Alkaline…cancer and disease can’t live in an alkaline environment…need I say more.

Hammer nutrition products.

These are all vegetarian and are awesome products for getting the most performance out of your body. I thought it was my secret weapon until I looked in Ricky Johnson’s support vehicle and saw a bottle of Perpeteum. Now I know their secrets….haha…your mine Ricky!

Magnesium–Calming, relaxing ingredient for muscles and it’ll keep you regular! Take it at night before you sleep.

Salba or Chia seeds

Don’t take my word for it…read Born to Run. Those guys get rip roarin drunk, sleep for 4 hours and then run 150 miles across the desert…they eat chia seeds along the way…I eat em daily now too…going for a 100 km run next week…wanna come?

Fish oil-Drink this…you’ll swim like a fish and the benefits are too massive to list here.

Co-enzyme q-10…great heart support( heart patients take this daily)…take the ubiquinol not ubiquinone

Complex B

Glutimine…for immune system support as well as glycogen and muscle recovery.

Maca root

Supports my extremely overworked adrenal glands and makes me great in the sack to boot…( ie good for vitality and fertility as well…my wife may or may not support this last claim…haha)

Lastly, I use a joint care formula that tastes like crap but keeps my body together. I have beaten the crap out of my body and it, quite frankly, shouldn’t have been able to do what it did and what it does on a daily basis. My friends, doctors, and surgeons can attest to this. Its called Nutriflex by a company called Naka.

Feel free to e-mail me questions regarding any of this. I have learned a tonne and learned that I can learn a helk of a lot more.

…oh ya…drink plenty of filtered, remineralized water from something other than plastic…drink it from a cowboy boot if you have to but stay away from plastic!

As a final note to follow up….my resting heart rate ,as recorded by many anxious nurses at a recent Hospital visit for a plate I have in my jaw, is now below 40 and my blood pressure sets off the machines alarms. They all ask…are you a runner or something? I had no idea I could make such changes in my body…and you can to…dare to dream!