Being healthy is a CHOICE, not an EXCUSE.
I will share you the tools and healthy habits that changed my life:
Being conscious of what I eat. Choosing foods to support my athletic performance and my overall HEALTH. We are athletes, so we spend
more energy and time training that the average person, so we have different nutritional needs to meet. Knowing what food and healthy habits to stick to can radically change the way you feel, thus , the way you play. I will share healthy choices you can start incorporating in your diet today:
Aim to eat big meals at least 3 hours prior, and smaller meals/snacks at least 2 hours prior. You want to feel light and energized, not sluggish and full.
Beets: having beets, whether raw or cooked, boosts your levels of nitric oxide in the blood and can boost circulation, giving you a good pump and more energy.
Complex carbs, like oatmeal, sweet potatoes, brown rice. Avoid gluten prior to a game as it can cause bloating and inflammation, slowing you down
POST WORKOUT/MATCH
Electrolytes: don't rely on commercial drinks like Gatorade, which are filled with sugar or artificial sweeteners, flavorings, and colorings. Even the light/zero options are not the best for your body, especially if consumed often and over the long term. Replenish your electrolytes after a sweat by adding a pinch of sea salt into your water, or by drinking coconut water, which has naturally occurring electrolytes
After a match, or a workout, you will want to refuel your body with a protein-rich meal.
NUTRITION:
what we are adding:
1 tablespoon of milled flaxseed daily for omega 3’s, fiber, blood sugar balance. You can mix it into smoothies, oatmeal, juices or even water! Just know that, if you let it sit in water, it will become a jelly-like texture, so don't sip too slowly if you do not enjoy the sound of that! Flax has a light, nutty flavor and mixes well into pretty much anything.
A daily multivitamin to cover your micronutrient needs. Even with a balanced diet, you may still be lacking some nutrients, so it is best to supplement with a solid multivitamin! My favorite brand is called V SOLGAR.
Leafy greens EVERY DAY! Choose between kale, spinach, bok choy, arugula and incorporate them into your daily meals.
Some ideas:
· blend spinach or kale into smoothies
· eat sauteed bok choy in a stir fry
· eat a bit of arugula with olive oil + balsamic vinegar before your lunch
Include cruciferous veggies like brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower, with your preferred seasonings (add mustard seed powder to activate the sulforaphane, a cancer preventing and fighting compound found in these vegetables)
HYDRATION: at least 6 cups of water every day! Add a small pinch of himalayan pink salt, or sea salt to your water to boost mineral content. Remember, fruits have water too and they are a great way to hydrate and take in nourishing vitamins and antioxidants!
Proteins:
When consuming animal proteins, aim to eat grass fed beef, hormone + antibiotic free meats and pasture raised eggs
Tempeh, tofu, edamame are very versatile proteins and can be prepared in multiple ways:
Tempeh: season with coconut aminos or soy sauce and air fry
Tofu: use firm tofu for scrambles. Seasoned with garlic powder, turmeric, paprika, salt and pepper, it will taste very similar to scrambled eggs, with none of the cholesterol! You can also cut tofu into cubes, marinate it in soy sauce or coconut aminos, and then air fry it on high for a crispy texture!
Edamame: boil edamame for 4 minutes until tender, then toss it with sesame oil and air fry it for a crispy treat. You can also skip the air fryer and enjoy edamame with some sushi rice, spicy mayo and a veggie stir fry.
Beans, chickpeas, lentils (they become a complete protein when paired with grains like rice or quinoa!)
Organic Bone Broth (Bonafide Provisions is the best brand i have found, you can find it at Whole Foods). This is a very nutrient dense and high protein food, it helps your gut, and it's extremely high in college,, which will support your bones, joints and skin.
Fats:
Nuts and seeds are healthy fats, but aim for dry roasted. If it does not specify this, it most likely has seed oils that are best to avoid.
Cook with Avocado oil when you are using high heat, and with olive oil when you are using lower temperatures!
Different oils have different smoke points, and cooking with an oil at a temperature past its smoke point creates toxic compounds that are not good for you!
Carbs:
Cooking and refrigerating carbs like rice and sweet potatoes builds gut-healthy resistant starch which will help with blood sugar regulation.
Experiment with different ways to enjoy oatmeal! It's a complex carb that digests easily and smoothly. It's also packed with fiber and will help you with digestive regularity. Try baked oats, overnight oats, oatmeal pancakes, etc and see what you like best!
what we are avoiding + BETTER FOR YOU SWAPS:
In general, avoid processed foods and refined sugars and flours. I encourage you to read ingredient lists OVER nutrition labels. Yes, macros are important, but ingredients matter a great deal too. Avoid consuming highly processed foods with a long list of ingredients that you don't understand. Especially in the US, the food industry still allows the use of hundreds of chemicals that have been banned in other countries due to long term toxicity. It's best to eat whole foods!
If you notice your body feels tired or bloated after eating gluten, avoid eating this on MD-1 and MD. You can slowly remove it from your diet, and you can find tasty alternatives!
mayonnaise - silken tofu mixed with olive oil, garlic powder, paprika, cilantro and any other spices you like
regular protein bars or sweet treats - lara bars(any flavor)
white sugar - monk fruit, stevia, coconut sugar
regular pasta- gluten free pasta made with chickpeas or lentils (i love Banza brand!)
margarine and butter - ghee
White bread - whole wheat or sprouted bread like Ezekiel or Dave’s Killer Bread. Sourdough is a great one too!
regular meat - look for grass fed and finished if possible.
The grocery store:
When in a grocery store aim to grab most of your food items around the perimeter of the store, where you will find less processed foods
BETTER FOR YOU SWAPS:
mayonnaise - silken tofu mixed with EVOO, garlic powder, paprika, cilantro and any other spices you like
ice cream - lara bar(any flavor)
white sugar - monk fruit, stevia, coconut sugar
regular pasta- gluten free pasta made with chickpeas or lentils (i love Banza brand!)
margarine and butter - ghee
white bread - sprouted bread like Ezekiel or Dave’s Killer Bread. Sourdough is a great one too!
SLEEP:
aim for 8 hours of sleep every night
dim the lights or turn them off around bedtime.
turn on the lights as soon as you wake up (bonus points if you can go outside for a couple minutes and be under direct sunlight!) this will help regulate your circadian rhythm, and believe it or not, you will have better sleep at night after doing this consistently!
If you want a natural alternative to melatonin, drink a shot of unsweetened tart cherry juice or add that shot to a cup of raspberry leaf tea or sparkling water, this will increase your melatonin production naturally!
SUPPLEMENTS
Multivitamin daily
Omega 3 supplement (vegan is algae oil) (I prefer iwi brand from Whole Foods)
Magnesium supplement every night. Citrate and/or glycinate are my favorite forms of magnesium to recommend. There is one brand that provides 7 different forms of magnesium for best absorption and bioavailability.
for200mg daily MAGNESIUM(at night)
PROTEIN POWDER ( ORGAIN IS MY FAVORITE BRAND)
CREATINE ( BIOHEALTH )IF YOU NEED TO GAIN MUSCLE
AMINACOIDS ( OPTIONAL ) IT WILL HELPS WITH FAST RECOVERY.
MEDITATION
Tools like meditation, mindfulness and visualization are KEY if you want to be mentally prepared for a game.
If when you play your thoughts are bad or you are always in a negative cycle with negative comments about your game is time to change this. When you have a constant negative self-talk in your head, it affects TREMENDOUSLY your game. But don´t worry I´m here to help you change this today.
If you want to start having a positive mindset during the game, you need to practice it. Start by meditating 5-10 mins per day or being mindful (this means when you are cleaning the dishes or taking a shower or in the gym you practice being present, focusing on your breathing and on whatever you are doing) and see how it goes. When we meditate, the idea is not to clear completely our minds, all our thoughts, that´s very difficult to do, even more if we are starting to practice it. What I want you to do is to allow any thought that comes into your mind, acknowledge it and let it go, don´t react to it. Close your eyes for 5-10 mins, go to a quiet spot, where there is no noise, you can put a relaxing music or just be in silence. Breath in and breath out, through your nose and just focus on your breath, feel how your belly expands and feel your body. See how in minutes your body and your mind are going to be more relaxed, more at ease. Imagine coming into the field with this tranquility, this mindset. I CAN ASSURE you are going to be a different player. The idea is that you practice meditation 5/10/20/30 mins per day. The more you practice, the more you will feel it when you play. I´m not saying this is EASY! But the mind is like a muscle, the more we train it the better we will feel. So, stop whatever you are doing now and just close your eyes for 5-10 mins. If you are at work, go to the restroom and sit in the toilet. NO EXCUSES! You can also start with guided meditations; you have plenty in youtube. If not, I use an app called OPEN but you need to pay a membership ($20 monthly)
YOGA: Calm your mind and relax your body the night before the game. Do some static stretching (15-20 seconds each muscle) and combine it with some dynamic movements shown in the video. You can finish your YOGA with 10 mins of meditation, just feeling your breath and calming your mind. Trust me, you are going to wake up differently.VISUALIZATION: Visualize yourself doing good things in the game. Don´t visualize yourself scoring an olimpico or doing a crazy golazo, be more real. Visualize yourself being calm in the game, asking for the ball, playing simple, moving constantly and being in the present moment. When you allow yourself to just be in the moment, or ¨ in the zone¨ everything flows, you play naturally, and you stop overthinking. Focus on that when using this powerful tool a lot of pro players use.
7. JOURNAL: Write down whatever you think you can improve and master for your next game. When writing down you set a specific intention you want to achieve in the game. This powerful tool allows you to be more focused and aware. A great example would be, ¨ today I want to check my back before I receive the ball, so I know if I can turn or play it back¨. or ¨ today I want to move more without the ball always checking my surroundings so I can receive and have more time and space to think when I get the ball¨
TRAINING: If you need help with your training you know I got you!
Go to www.ldcfitness.online (Last chance to get any training program at half price) Use the discount code: FOOTBALLER at checkout page and you will have a 50% discount automatically. Don´t miss this unique opportunity, CODE: FOOTBALLER
If you like this GUIDE share it with your teammates, friends and help them become MORE conscious about their daily habits!! Hope this help you baller, LOVE YOU!
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