Jessi Stensland - Adventures in Endurance Performance

The MovementU Menu

When I sat down and wrote the full-day curriculum for MovementU's  first workshop SWIM BIKE RUN Movement Efficiency and Performance held this past fall, it was obvious to me that I not only wanted to provide food, but that NUTRITION had to be included in the experience.  From the moment participants step in the workshop MovementU aims to exemplify how to feed the needs of the body from the inside out. 

By following a few basic nutritional rules for health and performance, I created the Fall 2009 MovementU Menu: 

Eat colorful, less-processed, nutrient dense whole foods,
in smaller, balanced meals throughout the day. 

During the day it is ideal to keep adding "fuel to the fire" as Mark Verstegen points out in Core Performance. I also recall nutritionist Sunny Blende explaining that the body would love to have 4 calories per minute.  Not realistic, but if you think in terms of the shoot-for-the-moon-land-among-the-stars idea, it helps put things in perspective. Ideally you would eat upon waking up and then eat a mid-morning snack a few hours later, and certainly before and after a morning workout if you were to do one.  At MovementU, water, bananas and a variety of organic energy bars are always on hand.  Additionally we serve a post-workout, mid-morning snack around 9:30am and lunch between noon and 1pm.  Each meal is individually created  and packaged for each participant, using many organic nutrient dense whole foods.

We kick things off with a workout first thing in the morning.  After workout participants get a break to change clothes and have their post-workout, mid-morning snack:

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Yogurt Parfait

• 3/4 c Organic Fat-Free Plain Yogurt lightly sweetened with agave nectar.
  
• A few slices of kiwi
• A few slices of tangerine
• Scoop of Organic Pumpkin Flax Granola 

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Shortly thereafter, class reconvenes with students that are happy, fed, content and ready to focus.

Lunchtime is another treat...

Red Pepper Hummus Wrap and Quinoa Salad with Lime and Fresh Mint

I knew I had to make a balanced meal, but I also had a budget to stick to.  The budget would not allow me to buy "clean" meat, so I opted for a high protein grain called quinoa to supply the majority of the 20g of protein. I realize that when most people think of lunch and certainly sandwiches, they think of meat.  Most people at the workshops would not be those that would opt for the hummus veggie wrap over a chicken or turkey sandwich, but I thought it wouldn't kill people to try something new, and might even inspire them to try something they'd never tried and see just how good it might taste.  I wasn't afraid to try!  And that's exactly what happened. We had many first time triers of everything from agave nectar to kiwi to hummus to quinoa and according to their testimonials, they loved it!

Recipes are below, but first, a few quotes from participants:

"That was definitely tasty!!!   They achieved a level of awesomeness I thought impossible for something not containing bacon and/or carnitas!"  - Peter B

"I want to thank you for personally preparing our break and lunch menu!  I've never had an instructor do that before in ANY clinic that I've attended over the years.  It really shows you care for us." - Gerry F

"I really enjoyed the personal touch of the meals. If we were at a place and those choices were available, I would not have chosen them. However, I really enjoyed trying new foods. I expanded my horizons in a different way. It tasted very good and fresh." - Gerald J

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Red Pepper Hummus Wrap

• 1 Whole Grain Wrap
• 1/4 C Red Pepper Hummus spread evenly on the wrap
• Layer of sliced, raw red bell pepper
• Layer of sliced, raw cucumber
• Handful of baby spinach spread evenly on the wrap
• Roll and go!

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 Quinoa Salad with Fresh Squeezed Lime and Fresh Mint

**Thank you Gluten Free Goddess for the recipe!  To see the original, click HERE.

I modified it a bit...  

• 1 cup dry quinoa
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Juice from 2 limes
• 2-3 fresh mint sprigs, leaves removed and chopped
• Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
• A handful of sweet and ripe cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered.

Cook the quinoa and add the rest of the ingredients.  Voila!!

Makes 4-6 servings.

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Try them for yourself!!  I'm in the process of creating the 2010 MovementU Menu.  Yum!

MY RACE DAY NUTRITION ROUTINE

My race nutrition routine has evolved over the years and continues to evolve, especially as I adventure into new sports, distances, and race environments. It seems though that the basics continue to stay the same.

I’ve learned from other athletes and professionals, from literature, and from my own experiences in training and in racing. I’ve especially learned from my mistakes!

• I’ve eaten what I thought was too little and had one of the strongest finishes of my life.
• I’ve eaten way too much the night before and felt super sluggish all race.
• I’ve eaten too much of one particular thing the night before and had to pit-stop during the race.
• I was having a yummy cookies n’ cream protein bar minutes prior to one of my first triathlons when a seasoned pro came up to me and told me that’s the last thing I should be eating.
• I added up my pre-race nutrition for another seasoned pro who’d asked me: 900 calories (450 liquid plus one banana plus one CLIF Bar in the two hours before a race) and was told that was WAY too much.
• I’ve had too many electrolytes the night before and gotten severe cramps.
• I’ve had too little electrolytes the morning of and gotten severe cramps.
• I’ve split my calories needed on the bike between liquid and gels but my body rebelled against taking the gels in the heat.
• I’ve brought food along with me that became too hard to chew due to cold temperatures on race day.

Everyone is different, but this is what works for me.

PRE-RACE

Leading up to the race start, my routine is the same no matter what type of race or distance.

1. Upon waking up I have two scoops of SportQuest CarboPro (224 calories of pure complex carbohydrate) with water and a bit of juice and drink it with four SportQuest Recover capsules. Doing this immediately in the morning is ideal because the body is craving hydration and carbohydrate after having been starved during the hours of your sleep. Because the complex carbohydrates are in liquid form, they are easily digestible and get the digestive system woken up quickly which helps to eliminate waste from the previous day in plenty of time before race start.

2. I prepare two water bottles: one for pre-race and one for post-race. They each have two scoops of CarboPro and some electrolytes (SportQuest Thermolyte or Nuun.) I will sip on one bottle leading up to the race start. If I am not hungry for real food, I’ll finish that whole bottle, which makes 450 calories total. If I do feel like eating food, I’ll have a banana and a CLIF Bar with me to nibble on. I try not to eat anything solid during the two hours before the race. Between the food and the calories in the water bottle, I’ll try not to exceed 500 calories total pre-race. I also have another water bottle on hand with water only to sip on if I feel like it during those hours as well. I usually bring it with me to the race start for the last few sips.

3. Thirty minutes prior to the race I take four SportQuest Vantage VO2Max capsules and two SportQuest Motivator capsules.

DURING THE RACE

This depends on what type of race.

Running: I won’t take additional calories with me in races up to 60 minutes which is roughly a 10 miler or 15k. Over and above that I will take a gel packet every 20-30 minutes with water.

Triathlon: I take 200-250 calories per hour on the bike. In sprint to olympic distance races I take one bottle with me on the bike with two scoops of Carbo Pro plus electrolytes. On the run, I bring one gel pack with me and take it in the first ten minutes of the run. In half-ironman distances (the longest I’ve done) where the bike takes two and a half to three hours, I split 750 calories of CarboPro plus electrolyte between two bottles and then take water only from the aid stations as needed. On the run I will take one gel packet every 20-30 minutes.

POST-RACE

I grab the bottle I’d mixed earlier that morning that has two scoops of CarboPro plus electrolytes and drink it along with four Recover capsules within the thirty minutes following the race. I’ll have a banana and CLIF bar on hand to supplement that or take advantage of any good options the race might provide. Later that day I usually plan to have a balanced meal. Typically though I’ll admit, I do indulge in whatever my mind desires, and get back on the program the following day! I’m only human : )

Happy trails!

WHAT I EAT vs WHAT U WANT TO HEAR

NOTE:  I realized after I wrote this that with the holidays coming up this might not be the BEST time to post it, so I apologize in advance :)

I'm often asked, "What do you eat?" 

And my answer nowadays is:  "Do want me to tell you how I eat or do you just want me to tell you what you want to hear?" 

Haha...That's because it started to feel like every single time I gave my pretty simple, concise, no fluff (and ok, probably boring, but its nutrition, not nunchucks) answer, it just would NOT be enough, and the conversation that ensued always seemed to be trying so hard to justify other nutritional habits albeit with a slight grin or knowing tone that says "AH I know, but...!!"   Prefacing my answer with the question above has seemed to help. A bit.

Yes there are guidelines, see below, that are not rocket science; they are not trends; and we've all heard them before.  

My number one rule of thumb is to first: 

EAT LIKE A HEALTHY PERSON SHOULD EAT...then add on nutrition as needed for workouts/races and overall training load. 

Too often I've seen people spending too much time worrying about supplementing, yet not giving their body a great springboard with a simple healthy diet.  Check out PhenomeNall Nutrition for just this kind of approach from Olympic Swimmer (and someone i adore) Anita Nall Richesson. 

I'll discuss my sports nutrition in an upcoming blog that will feed off this one (no pun intended!)

More often what is more important are the SOLUTIONS that help stick to the guidelines.  For example here's one that worked for me:

Pick one rule to stick to first.  That's what I needed to do when I was getting back on the wagon after my two year hiatus during which, i'll admit, I allowed myself to have no rules (that said, lucky for me, I was raised with some basic principles - thanks to Mom - that I could never fall TOO far off of good nutrition.) For my first rule I decided on this:  "Whatever you eat, eat clean." I didn't care how much I put in my body or when or what, as long as it was always clean food (minimally processed, minimal ingredients, local, fresh, raw when possible.)  That alone changed my shopping habits to a degree:  It made me explore new products and had me frequenting the smaller, local, healthful grocers, all the time, instead of the big chain grocery stores, which I now utilize only in emergencies, though I realize i'm lucky and have a few great options very close to my home.  There is just SO little in those bigger stores that is unprocessed or even minimally processed. 

THE B - A - S - I - C - S

HYDRATE, THEN EAT...
 
UNPROCESSED

the fewer steps energy has taken to get from the sun to your body, the better.

COLORFUL

colors represent vitamins and minerals in whole foods.  Make it multi!

WHOLE FOODS

brown rice, quinoa or couscous instead of packaged side dishes.

BALANCED MEALS + SNACKS

good protein, carbohydrate, fats every time.

SMALLER MEALS

keep fuel on the fire**

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Practically speaking, here are a couple of breakfast faves:

1 cup non-fat plain yogurt
slivered almonds
whole oats OR Ezekiel Sprouted Grains Cereal
banana or berries
honey or agave syrup to taste

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2 eggs
2 slices whole grain (local when possible...its SO good!)
1 Tbsp almond butter on the toast
1 orange
1/4 avocado if i've got it

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1/2 cup whole oats (1 cup cooked)
1 Tbsp peanut butter
1 banana
honey to taste

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And one lunch fav for now:

Super Satisfying Sandwich

2 slices local bread...for example...look at these ingredients...SO GOOD!

Julian Bakery's Wonderful Bread:  Fresh ground whole grains of golden *wheat, oats, *rye, *corn, brown rice, *millet, seeds of sunflower, flax, sesame, poppy, pumpkin, pinto beans, honey, yeast & sea salt.

1/2 avocado
Lots of hummus
and anything else you've got like...
roasted red peppers, sprouts, cucumbers, lettuce, tomato, carrots

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More to come - but for now - happy eats!!

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**I've learned a bit about ayurvedic practices that focus on eating 3 larger meals vs. 6 smaller meals based upon the idea that the body needs the time to fully digest each meal before eating more.  Which makes sense.  I think as athletes, especially with training sessions throughout a day, eating more often is a necessity.  So find a balance or switch it up from time to time and see how your energy level is.

Post-race Nutrition?

You just treated your body to a refreshing bout of exercise.  Maybe it was a Mutt Mile or 5k Fun Run/Walk or let's take my own example from today, a 10-Miler (at which the photos below were taken.)

Now, you tell me, does THIS look like what your body would choose to follow that up with, if it was able to choose?

• PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL
• MSG
• CORN SYRUP
• SUGAR
• CARAMEL COLOR

How about this:

This race offered all of the above, plus water.

Time of day after race?  8am. 

Who even eats snack mix or chocolate cookies at 8am? 

Apparently people who treat themselves to 10 Milers.  Kind of backwards isn't it? 

Nutrition note:  Your body wants to replenish its glycogen stores immediately post-race.  That equals approx. 200 to 400 calories of quality carbohydrate.  Which equals a banana, orange and 20oz sports drink, for example; typical offerings at races.  So next time, skip the marketing laden, gotta-provide-SOMEthing calorie dense (as opposed to nutrient dense) foods at the finish line.  Best case scenario, bring your own post-race food like a carbohydrate heavy energy bar or drink just in case.  I bring a Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch Clif Bar (my fav) and/or a pre-mixed bottle with 2 scoops Carbo-Pro mixed into water/juice.  Follow-up with some quality protein within a few hours, or at lunchtime.

THAT would be the real TREAT :)

Enjoy you!