It's Been Awhile...

I haven't posted in a while partly because I am lazy and partly because I haven't been impressed with my training as of late. I experimented with the Zone diet for a little over 2 weeks and I felt great throughout the day; I wasn't tired and I was able to think clearly all day long, but when it came time to workout, my energy level wasn't really there. I wasn't tired but I wasn't "psyched up" to workout. And as a result, I had decent workouts but nothing spectacular.

For the past week and a half I haven't stuck to any type of diet plan and for the past week and a half my energy levels have had many peaks and valleys. My ability to concentrate, especially at work, varies throughout the day. I never really feel great but I don't feel bad either. However, I have had more energy when I get to the gym and I feel more ready to compete in each day's WOD.

This paradigm has driven me to learn more about how diet affects us both throughout the day and while working out. Over the past month I have seen how much your diet can affect everything you do and I want to find, not only what works best for me, but something I can actually stick to. Early last week I started reading a book I bought about a year ago but never finished called "Better Than Steroids" by Dr. Warren Willey. The book is geared more towards nutrition for body builders but the concept is basically the same for anyone who wants to burn fat and build lean mass. It also follows closely to the Zone in terms of type and quantity of food. What interests me the most so far is the food timing aspect of diet. Dr. Willey spends several chapters discussing the importance of what you eat and when, and how controlling your insulin levels is key in performance gains.

I haven't finished the book yet but I plan on finishing it this week and starting my new diet plan on Monday. The two meals I will be focusing on the most will be my breakfast and my post workout meal / shake. These are the two times in the day when your body needs the most nutrients. I hope that by dialing in on these, as well as eating healthily throughout the rest of the day, my energy levels will no longer peak nor valley, but I will also have the "psyched up" feeling I need when working out.