What is this blog about?
People who know me, know that I am pretty (OK.. Super) disciplined about what I eat. I am that way because I have found it makes a huge difference for my energy levels and performance as an athlete. I am very passionate about my nutrition, health and training and how different components of these things interact and affect the body.
I have always been a pretty clean eater and have eaten Paleo for the last 2 years or so. Until recently, I felt that was enough to make sure my body was getting what it needed. A few months ago, my coach, Ben Bergeron (man, he knows his stuff!) recommended that my fiance and I try Zone. I had considered Zone before, but was always intimidated by the seeming complexity of it so had never given it a shot. I figured I was eating well and felt good with Paleo so there was no need to further complicate things. Ben made a valid point,
"Everything you do in training is based on the ability to measure quality of movement and quantity of movement. Why you wouldn't you do the same with your diet and nutrition to make sure you are maximizing your performance?"Touché, Ben, Touché.
He walked both Max and I through a normal day and showed us when and how to incorporate each of our blocked meals into the mix. We were all in so I bought us a scale that night to start weighing and measuring. We were off on this new adventure together. If you can someone to join you at the start of the process, do it. After about three months, I undoubtedly think that this is best nutrition regimen for athletes who are looking to maximize their training and performance.
That is my purpose with this blog - to share my knowledge and experience and to decrease the intimidation and complexity factors of the Zone diet.
Things to remember:
1: There is a transition period. Every body is different and will react differently to a new routine. Stick it out for at least two weeks to let your body adapt and learn to function off of the new regimen -- adjust blocks, times, and food types until you feel that you have reached a state of balance.
2: You will become a walking zone, block calculator for the things you eat (which you will find are probably a lot of the same things). This will kick in after the first 2 weeks or so, but you will not need to depend on a guide or chart for a majority of
3: Keep it simple -- carbs, protein, fat -- that's it. If you think in these terms, it will be easy to create meals or snack of any block size.
4: Zone is highly adaptable, especially for athletes. You can adjust timing and blocks based on your training regimen and volume so manipulate accordingly.
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