Here at Gracie Barra Mansfield, we are all about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, but we are really passionate about health. We believe that Jiu Jitsu is a lifestyle and it is for everyone. That is why Dojo Diva (moi) is heading to the KITCHEN today!
I even wore my favorite apron 😀 .
For any kind of training to have benefits, we must approach it holistically. It is very hard to out-train a poor diet. Diet provides us with all the building materials, but what exactly are those materials? What are we supplying?
If you were to build your dream home, would you want to make it out of cardboard, wire hangars, bubblegum and pressboard? Or would you prefer concrete, mahogany, mortar and stone? If you had your dream car, would you wash it with sugary sodas? Okay, not soda, just sweet tea 😉 . Or would you use clean water?
If we envision our bodies as a structure that we are constantly building, repairing or remodeling, it is easy to be pretty horrified with what we are doing to ourselves with diet. Since I have about a GAZILLION food allergies, I have been forced to become somewhat of an armchair nutrition expert, so we are going to talk about some simple nutrition fixes that can improve your energy levels, your fitness and your overall health.
I guarantee if you do these THREE things for the next 90 days, you won’t believe the improvement.
Get Enough Protein
This is one I get nailed on ALL the time. Since I work from home, it is easy for me to get distracted and forget to eat. We need to consume .82 grams of protein per pound of lean muscle weight. Research suggests that anything beyond the .82 grams is not effectively used and can actually turn into fat. But, I WILL say that while men who chug protein drinks are at risk for overdoing the protein, I imagine many of us are probably deficient so that’s where we will focus today.
If the average person inhales coffee on the way to work and maybe gets some kind of a carb (muffin) then a quick lunch and bad snacks and a hasty dinner, odds are, protein consumption is WAY LOW.
There are a number of problems that can come with lack of protein. First, most convenience foods are high in refined carbs and sugar, which will stimulate appetite. If we have enough protein, we will feel full longer. Additionally, if we aren’t getting enough protein in our diet, our body will start cannibalizing its own muscle.
This is bad for the guys who maybe want to build size because not enough protein means not enough “bricks” to build more muscle. Also, if you are deficient, your body is tearing down and using the muscles you already worked to build.
Lack of protein is also bad for the gals. The more lean muscle mass we possess, the faster our resting metabolic rate (that part where our body burns calories without us thinking about it). The less muscle we have, the slooooower the metabolism and age does NOT help this. A fabulous way to rev up a sluggish metabolism is to add more lean muscle. Hit the mats AND the weights.
Protein helps us lose weight, build muscle, burn fat, have energy and stay healthy. One major cause of compromised immunity is malnutrition. For instance, immunoglobulin (the gooey stuff in our blood stream that EATS germs) is made of amino acids (protein). So prepare for cold and flu season with a healthy serving of eggs, fish or chicken.
HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE!
We need to make sure we are getting enough water. How much is enough, though. Take your total body weigh and divide it in half. That number is the number of ounces you need per day simply to sustain LIFE. This does not include additional hydration we might need because it is hot outside, or we are sweating hard with training or we had a caffeinated drink that will dehydrate us.
Remember, we need two servings of water to compensate for every ONE serving of caffeine. So have an 8 oz. cup of coffee? Okay. But add another 16 oz. of water to make up for the dehydrating affect of the caffeine.
If you are feeling sluggish, sleepy, depressed, or like you can’t think, instead of grabbing an energy drink, try water. Those are usually signs of dehydration. Our body is a hydroelectric system. We have electrical signals firing all over at any given time, but they can’t function if we are dehydrated.
Also, our lymphatic system relies on us having enough water. This web of glands acts as the body’s drainage system and without it, our immune system and cardiovascular systems would shut down. If our lymphatic system is thick and sluggish with toxins, that’s when disease and cancer set up shop.
Remember that water carries out waste. So when you train super hard at Jiu Jistu, those muscles need water. Water will carry away toxins and lactic acid that build up and this can help ease soreness and fatigue and aid in a faster recovery time.
Go Caveman
I am not a proponent of any kind of fad diet, but I will say that I eat Paleo because it is a really great way to eat healthy without having to do a lot of math (I.e. counting calories) or thinking (How many points is that?). Since I am highly allergic to gluten, dairy (casein) soy and some nuts, this way of eating helps me be able to eat and cook without having to think a lot.
Recipe for THIS beauty HERE.
What does it mean to eat Paleo? Basically if an early hunter-gatherer could not have found it or eaten it raw? Don’t eat it. For instance, pretty sure Dr. Pepper was NOT around, but water was. No artificial sweeteners. No processed foods (those came AFTER agriculture was invented). No dairy because hunter-gatherers had not domesticated animals. Avoid nuts like cashews, because cashews are poisonous unless cooked before consumption.
Eating Paleo DOES mean plenty of vegetables, fruit, fish, meat, eggs, healthy oils (like coconut, avocado, olive or almond oils) and natural sweeteners like agave, raw sugar, or honey.
I have a very simple rule. If an EIGHT-YEAR-OLD cannot read and understand the ingredients? DO NOT EAT. We shouldn’t need a degree in organic chemistry to know what we are putting in our mouths. AVOID margarine, hydrogenated oils and Frankenbutter. This junk is made in a LAB and even ROACHES won’t eat it.
Back to Paleo…
What’s really awesome about this way of eating is, unlike other “diets”, the whole family can and should be eating this way. It isn’t a “diet” it is a way of LIFE. You will be fitter and your immune systems will be ROCKING!
If you’d like to check out some of the SUPER YUMMY stuff you can eat on Paleo, here is my Paleo Recipe Board on Pinterest. I like it because it removes almost all the junk we shouldn’t eat, helps us steer clear of the most common food allergens (peanuts, wheat, milk) and most recipes are only a handful of ingredients so they are simple to make. And, if you are wanting your diet to work as hard as you do on the mats? This is a great option.
Apply these THREE SIMPLE life changes—enough protein, enough water, clean eating—and your body will have all the building supplies it needs for a lean, mean, clean Jiu Jitsu machine!
~Dojo Diva
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