Nutrition FAQs
What Should I Eat for Optimum Health & Performance?
Nutrition 101 is very simple. The essential foundation for health, wellness and performance is based on two elements – macro nutrients and micro nutrients. Macro nutrients – carbs, proteins and fats – are essentially what is responsible for movement and recovery from movement. Micro nutrients – vitamins and minerals – interact with macro nutrients for energy production and recovery. Together, they provide the fuel for life and all desired activity. Therefore, a balanced diet should consist of complex carbohydrates (fruits & vegetables), lean proteins (amino acids), and healthy fats. The key is to stabilize blood sugar and never allow yourself to become hungry. What should you eat? A carb, protein and fat (real, raw food) every two hours.
How Do I Know If I am Consuming Enough Calories?
A simple and effective formula for understanding your daily caloric needs (not including exercise) is to take your body weight in pounds and add a zero (100 lb. person equals 1800 calories). It has been my experience as a physiologist that 99% of individuals do not eat enough calories to support and offset the various stresses associated with life (personal, professional, financial, athletic).
Offsetting the Negative Side Effects of Stress With Nutrition
Stress on the human body increases both the quality and quantity demands of our daily food and hydration habits. Just like a motorcycle, excessive stress “wears down” the motorcycle faster than normal wear or tear. If you run the motor with less than optimum oil levels, the motor becomes excessively stressed and prematurely fatigued – your body is the exact same way. As a racer, you must strive to find the correct balance of physical activity for health and performance improvements without tipping into the category of over training. Remember, the definition of over training is simply doing more than the body CAN absorb. The only way the human body can absorb training volume and intensity is with adequate food (quality and quantity) and sleep (quality and quantity).
How to Address Inflammation and Swelling With Nutrition
Every day that you document your morning body weight within the Body Analysis Resource your morning body weight is indicating the level of swelling and inflammation associated with exercise. In other words, if you did a hard workout, you may be puffy and sore due to the tear down of the muscle tissue. You could also be having an adverse reaction or inflammatory reaction associated with the foods that you ate the day before. Through consistent exercise, documentation, and daily evaluation, you will have the necessary data to make personalized adjustments to both your exercise and your eating habits.
The Negative Side Effects of High Intensity Training (HITT) and How to Offset With Nutrition
High intensity training has become more and more popular in the mainstream, and while it can beneficial to building power and lactate tolerance, the negative side effects far outweigh the benefits. Just like a motorcycle, as you bring the RPM’s up, you increase the amount of exhaust coming out the pipe – this is the byproduct of combustion. The exact same thing occurs within your body as you bring your heart rate up, however, the difference between you and a motorcycle is that the motorcycle has an outlet (exhaust pipe) and you are a closed system. As you bring the heart rate up your body converts stored sugar (glycogen) into energy. A byproduct of this process is lactic acid and free radicals which cause oxidative stress to the body. High levels of oxidative stress have damaging effects to the body such as premature aging, wrinkles, dry skin, dry hair, and excessive fatigue ultimately leading to chronic fatigue, adrenal fatigue, or Epstein Barr. This is where nutrition comes in. Many fruits and vegetables are high in antioxidants which serve to offset the damaging effects associated with HITT training. Vitamins and minerals found in fruits and vegetables also play a significant role in the support of your immune system, are catalysts for energy, and are important in offsetting oxidative stress. Now you know the science behind the importance of fruits and vegetables and why you should eat them with every meal.
Daily Nutrition
Coach Robb’s Weekly Nutrition Plans are intended to provide you some guidance on how to combine fruits, vegetables, grains and lean proteins throughout your day. The goal with daily nutrition is to provide your body with the necessary vitamins, minerals, and macro-nutrients (carbs, proteins and fats) for optimized mental clarity, consistent energy, and athletic performance.
You will notice that the 7-day Meal Plan are geared towards eating every two hours from the moment you get up until you go to bed. As you consume the suggested meals and snacks, you should not become hungry within the two-hour block. Note that fruits and vegetables are typically not high in calories, but because the quality of food is high, you will need to focus on increasing the quantity of food to eliminate hunger and meet your caloric needs. The dirty little secret behind this strategy is to maintain stabilized blood sugar levels throughout the day. When your blood sugar levels drop, you will experience foggy brain, low energy, and lack of strength and endurance during your workouts.
7-Day Meal Plans
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Snack Suggestions and Recipes for Every Day of the Week
Week 25
Week 26
Week 27
Week 28
Week 29
Week 30
Week 31
Week 32
Week 33
Week 34
Week 35
Week 36
Week 37
More Nutrition Ideas
For more ideas and recipes, check out Coach Robb’s Smoothie, Healthy Meals, Snacks, and Travel-Inspired Recipe books below. Available in both digital and print formats.
Coach Robb’s Smoothie Recipe Book features over 50 ways to combine fruits and vegetables to create delicious smoothies. Each provide essential nutrients while creating energy, helping with recovery, and supporting the immune system.
Coach Robb’s Healthy Meals Recipe Book features more than 40 simple and easy to make recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and even desserts. Each are made with real, raw foods that are conveniently available at your local grocery store and that support a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.
Coach Robb’s Snacks Recipe Book compiles 52 easy and nutritious snack favorites – a perfect snack for every week of the year! Take the confusion out of what to snack on throughout the day to keep your blood sugar stabilized, stay mentally focused, and perform to the best of your ability.
Coach Robb’s Travel-Inspired Recipe Book features 30 dishes based on places Coach Robb and his team have visited for camps, clinics, and races. The book also tells stories about where the recipes come from and offers nutritional insights into the ingredients. We love good food and these dishes have become favorites in the Coach Robb household!
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Sanford, FL 32771
Email: Contact@CoachRobb.com
Ph: 407.701.7586