Nell Stephenson, Paleo Nutrition & Fitness

Running High

1600m repeats @ track = bliss!!

Chronic Cardio (?) & Paleo

Dear Nell,

Being a triathlete, you put in a lot of time & miles.  What is your response to those who say it’s detrimental to do ‘chronic cardio’ and how do you avoid adrenal fatigue?

Best of luck in the race.. I love your blog!

Thanks,

Erin

 

Erin,

 

Thank you so much for bringing up this question. 

 

Yes, you’re right, there’s a school of thought that opposes the idea of racing Ironman or engaging in long bouts of cardiovascular activity, and some who feel any cardiovascular activity is contraindicated, too.

 

Using myself as an example, and speaking from personal experience, I can tell you that triathlon, and ironman at that, suits me quite well indeed.  I’ve been racing long course for over ten years and have been Paleo for six.  

 

Aside from the fact that I sleep phenomenally, am rarely ill, easily maintain my lean bodyweight and feel a steady balance of even energy levels,  I also know that on a cellular level, I’m healthy, too.

 

How can I say this?

 

My doctor, who is an MD, a PhD AND and ND conducts what I feel is the most comprehensive testing each year when I go in for my physical exam.  In addition to the routine protocol that I’ve seen with many a Western doc, he also uses Spectra Cell Analysis, which provides a detailed analysis of every micro nutrient, vitamin, and mineral, and both a  24 hour hour urine collection AND a saliva test (just in case one is more accurate than another) to check hormones and cortisol.

 

His remark last winter, when I had my last physical was that he had NEVER seen such an even, balanced profile in any of his patients, EVER. 

 

In addition to eating my Paleo foods, I do also keep very proactive about keeping my body in balance and alkaline.

 

Because the body can become acidic during exercise, I am always sure include a few  Paleo-friendly ‘extras’ to my diet:

• Turmeric
• Oil of Oregano
• Probiotic Tablets
• Fish Oil
• Raw Garlic

 

Those, in addition to the extremely alkaline nature of the Paleo diet are what keeps my body performing in tip top shape.

 

If I feel ‘off’ every once in a while, which is a huge anomaly, I rest.

 

I am extremely tuned in to my body and if I didn’t genuinely want to train and do what I do, I would not.  This is my fun, my hobby.  No one is paying me to do it.

 

When I train, I feel amazing!  My thoughts are clearer, I’m much more productive during the day and I simply feel alive.

 

Collectively, all of the reasons above compose my rationale for why I do what I do.

 

Does everyone need to go long?

NO, absolutely not.  BUT, I will make one general statement, which I feel applies to everyone:

EVERYONE NEEDS TO MOVE!  We’re animals and we’re meant to be active, not sit around and eat processed, refined, pretend food.

Whether you swim, bike, run, train at CrossFit, Ski, lift weights, play tennis, do pilates or hula-hoop….. JUST GET MOVING!

Hope that helps!

 

Exercise Is Only PART Of The Picture- NUTRITION COMPLETES IT

I can't tell you how many times people have commented to me that they can't figure out how they can:

• go to the gym every day OR
• train and race ironman OR
• run 50 miles per week

and so on, and still not have the body they want.

When I meet someone in the shoppes or at a race, and receive a compliment on looking lean & fit, the first thing I'm asked is, "What do you do?".  If I say that I race Ironman, that seems to be the end of the conversation.  Or, sort of. It's the end of my part in the conversation.  The response, then, tends to be about what they do and why it's not working and then it goes on to to the idea that since I race Ironman, I don't have to worry about anything I eat.

Well... kind of.

I DON'T worry about what I eat, but that's because everything I eat is PALEO.  I don't eat anything I don't want, and I DO eat everything I DO want.

See how easy it is?

I'm always careful to be sure and steer the exchange right to diet, food and, you guessed it, Paleo.  I bring it up and then it's discussed. People are almost always interested to learn about it, and of course, I'm always happy to share.

I just read this quote from a book I was flipping through about 'fat-burning' (yes, I research all the different books out there, that are in the same category as mine!! ): "Exercise does not create changes in your physique. The food eaten afterward repairs broken down muscles and completes the physique change."

Remember, food (REAL food) is more than half the equation.  So, if you're wondering about why you're not getting the results you wanted, check your diet and if it's not PALEO, there's the problem right there!

GO PALEO, get lean, get fit, and leave all your aches, pains, poor skin and excess weight behind.  Wow, doesn't THAT sound like a gimmicky ad?  Only, the only thing I'm selling is the message to get you to eat real, healthy food!  

"How ya' like THEM apples?" 

TV Workouts? Hey, If That's What It Takes, Do It!

On a day like last Thursday, when I had an early morning flight to catch, I checked with my coach, and we rearranged my training for that day, so I could do my bike ride on my trainer at 4am, in order to not miss a workout.

This is something that comes so naturally to me; the idea of not moving my body, especially before I'm going to sit on a plane for six hours, is not even something that remotely crosses my mind.

I don't know why moving and exercise is really intuitive to some, and not to others.  This blog post is for you, if you feel like you DON'T enjoy it, so please read on!

Earlier in my career, when I was exclusively focused on private fitness training, I'd have to report that the most common reason clients would cite for wanting to work with a trainer was that they wouldn't exercise without one.  That they didn't have time, or it was too hard.

So...please do whatever it takes to make it less hard, to have less hurdles in your way, and then give it a go.

Thus, the them of my post- 'TV-Watching' while exercising.  Here's my take:

• IF you feel like you don't have time to move, BUT you spend thirty minutes each morning watching the news, park your treadmill in front of your TV and at least expend some calories while you do it.
• IF you're super pressed for time, but you somehow have a window in your schedule each evening for that favorite prime time show you watch from the couch, swap the love-seat for an elliptical and get your sweat on while you watch your favorite actors' plots unfold.
• IF your nerves get the better of you and you know that you're eating the wrong foods for the wrong reasons, in addition to throwing out those wrong foods, extract yourself from the kitchen and move into the other room where you've set up a spin bike and, you guessed it again, watch your favorite flick that you've TiVoed as you spin  your anxiety away.

I hope that ultimately, you find something that you DO enjoy doing that requires physical exertion, and that you actually come to find the TV during a training session a huge distraction, as I do.

In the interim, however, if it takes the TV to get you moving- then go ahead and use it for all it's worth!

 

It's All Wrong! The Message to Athletes About What to Eat Needs to Change!

Have you ever flipped through the pages of the latest issue of a running, triathlon, or whichever sports magazine might be most appropriate to you, and actually read what is being broadcast to you, as far as what you should eat and drink?

I did just that this morning.

Aside from all the same old ads that you see in each issue, a couple little bits stood out.

1. An ad for Gatorade which read: " Every hour a billion cells are replaced. Fuel the next generation."

A quick google search on the product reveals what you'd be fueling that next cellular generation with, depending on which of their products you chose to ingest.  They may include:

• Brominated vegetable oil (used for, as per their own site, 'keeping flavor oils evenly distributed')
• Artificial color (but don't worry, because their site states that ALL the fake colors and flavors are 'qualified for human consumption according to the FDA's requirements', and we all know how important it is to the FDA that we don't eat anything toxic, and that they only 'use as little as possible to get the desired color')
• Corn syrup (need I write more?)
• Sucralose (because athletes apparently need fake sugar made from a chlorination process?)

      2. An article written about eating 'health-boosting foods', the first of which read, verbatim:

'A 2011 study found that having a slushie flavored with sugar syrup pre run can help you run 20% longer than drinking cold water with the same amount of syrup'.

A slushie?  Really?

Why does the message that 'athletes burn lots of calories, so they can eat whatever (non food/junk) they want' even exist?  

Why would an athlete (or someone who is not an athlete, equally) want to treat their body as a trash bin?

If you're putting high demands on your body for athletic performance and punishing it with acidic, refined, processed non-Food and wondering why your performance is suffering, this could very well be the reason.  

On the flip side, if you're eating junk and are performing well nonetheless, imagine how much better/faster/stronger/leaner you might be if you ate real food!

The Sheer JOY of MOVING, (Which, By the Way, IS Rather Paleo...)

Just back from taking our dogs on their PM walk around the neighborhood and, as is often the case, I came back with about eight blog topics, another chapter for my current book I'm working on and the logistics for my weekend workouts.

While I was out, I saw a young father with his little girl, probably about two, out for an evening stroll.  The little girl said to her dad, in her baby-talk little voice, that she wanted to run.  The dogs and I were slightly ahead of them, walking, so they slowly came upon us, stopped to 'pet the doggies' and then continued on down.

What struck me was the look of pure joy on that little girl's face.  And how easily she ran.  "CONTROLLED FALLING", as it's often referred to in the realm of runners.  No brakes.  No hesitation. Just natural motion, arms flailing about for no other reason then that's what felt normal and natural for her to be doing.

Absolutely perfect.

Contrast that to another scenario:  during our last trip to Hawaii, I saw a sixty-something man with a pot-belly out for an early morning jog.  Or, perhaps I should call it a slog. No, I'm not being elitist and poo-pooing him because of whatever slow pace he was running, rather I'm referring both to the expression on his face as well as his entire aura.

He looked absolutely miserable. Like he was hating every single second of his obligatory morning 'exercise' session, likely either prescribed to him by his doc, or self-imposed with the intention to then head to the breakfast buffet and fill up on pancakes and Belgian waffles. His face was pained, his gait was more of a gimp and he was the absolute antithesis of what movement and exercise is all about.

I LOVE running.  I LOVE triathlon, but I LOVE running.  I am fortunate in this respect because:

• I have a body that works that allows me to run
• I realized running's innate therapeutic capacity early on and how much I enjoy every aspect of it

I acknowledge that for many people, it's not that easy.  Whether you have horrible memories of being picked last in PE as a little kid, or being told you were not a good baseball player or asked why you didn't win the soccer match, it may be the case for you that now, anything related to physical activity is awful.

If this is  you, think about that little girl and then consider a few more things:

You don't HAVE to go join a gym if you hate the gym or can't afford a gym

The ability to move is a gift, so please take advantage of this

Your exercise should be FUN, because then you'll actually WANT to do it!  You're not going to find me playing basketball because I have zero eye-hand coordination with ball sports, so I'll stick with what I love.  You do the same.

If you can't remember what you enjoy doing physically, think about it until you can.  Then do it.  If it doesn't make sense logistically (like you want to downhill ski but you live in Florida), then be creative and, for example, plan a ski trip for a few months away and focus on nordic track aerobic sessions with sport-specific strength training.  Having the new FUN goal will be all you'll need to keep you moving.

Finally, think of someone you know or even don't know, that cannot move, and how much they'd like to be able to.   And then MOVE!

Please!

Do you really have a legitimate reason not to?

 

Running Fast or Fasted Running?

Should you go into a workout 'on empty'?

Do a quick google search and you'll find a host of recommendations.

Here's my take, and what I do myself:

• If I have a short (i/e an hour or less) and easy (i/e a recovery spin on my bike on the trainer) AND it's first thing in the morning, I'll do it without having eaten first.
• I will NOT attempt to do anything long and hard without fueling up; everyone is different to a degree and speaking for myself, I perform much better when fueled.  
• I do NOT recommend trying to do the bulk of your endurance training on empty.  

Granted, if you're new to the sport, it may seem foreign to grasp the concept of eating WHILE training as almost ALL of my clients have a hard time getting their head around it.  Particularly if you're someone who is coming from a weight-loss background, you may think 'if the purpose is to EXPEND calories, why would I INTAKE anything'?

EASY- for long bouts of activity, you need fuel.  The better fueled you are, the harder you can go and then. BURN MORE CALORIES, if that's your goal.

Say, for example, you ride your bike for 4:00.  As a VERY GENERAL hypothetical, if you expend 500 calories per hour during the session, and take a gel every 30 minutes (as I do, based on the guideline of 4 kcal/ kg body weight/ hour of exercise), you'll have consumed nearly 1,000 calories, but you're still in a deficit of 1,000.  If you had NOT eaten anything, you may have slowed way down or bonked and the ability to burn calories would've been far diminished as a result.

The best thing to do is try a very short session on empty, if you're interested in doing this experiment, as see how your body reacts.  Again- do it under easy conditions as listed above and don't attempt to climb Everest on empty!  Not that I'm planning on learning how to accomplish a feat like that, but you get the idea!

 

Running & GI Distress

Dear Nell,

Could you talk about running and GI Distress a little?  I know it might be a really Paleo question, but I’m asking you nonetheless!

Thanks,
Mike

 

Actually, Mike, it IS a Paleo question.

 

Unfortunately, many of the sports nutrition products on the market right now are packed with junk.  Soy protein isolate, peanut butter, whey protein and sorbitol are but a few of the toxic culprits that wreak havoc on one’s system and end up with training days and races being sabotaged by unexpected pit stops in the porta-loo…or worse!

 

Not only is what you’re eating during training and racing an issue, so, too is what you’ve eaten the night before and the morning of.  Again, commonly consumed athlete fare tends to include, unfortunately, bagels, pasta and cereal, all of which set the stage for indigestion, cramping, bloating, diarrhea and nutrient malabsorption.

 

Rather than listing what you should NOT eat, as that would take pages, here is what a Paleo endurance athlete SHOULD eat to avoid the all-too-common runner’s stomach problems.  Coming from someone who, pre-Paleo (me) always considered herself to have a ‘sensitive stomach’, this advice is particularly sound!

 

-Stick with liquids or ‘mushy’ textures for pre w/o.  I always make my signature homemade smoothie with either water or brewed, chilled tea, egg powder or egg, raw almond butter and a banana.  Easily digestible and tasty, it goes down well and sits equally perfectly even if consumed not too long before workout.  If it’s going to be a longer day out there, over 2:00, I’ll also have some baked yam or sweet potato.

-Become a savvy hawk about reading labels. Even though most of our foods are NOT coming in packages, for those that are, we need to be absolutely vigilant about label reading.   I’ve seen almond butter made with cane sugar and soybean oil, for Heaven’s Sake!

-KEEP YOUR TRAINING PLAN SIMPLE.  I cannot emphasize this enough.  There is no good reason to have some bar, some gel, some block, some drink and some fruit.  As many of you already know, the single non Paleo food in my own diet is Power Bar gel.  I’m not endorsed by them, I simply feel they have the best product on the market because:

1. They use a dual carb source so there’s a constant flow of it emptying from the gut into the blood.
2. They have an excellent electrolyte profile.
3. There are no fake sugars, flavors or colours.
4. There is no dairy.

I eat ONLY gels for training and racing from anything as short as a 10k to as long as Ironman or ultra running.

-Be careful about what you eat the night before, too.  While you might think that Rosemary, sun dried tomato bread smells good, you’ll pay dearly for consuming gluten in the morning.  Remember, the starch of choice for paleo athletes is YAM or sweet potato.

 

Hope that helps!  Happy & healthy running to you!

 

And Here's What I Eat During Ironman!

Hey Nell,

Congrats on the recent race; I was wondering of you could go over your during-race fueling/hydration protocol, and perhaps offer some experienced tips and suggestions. 

Of course!  This is something I've written about many times.  Perfect timing, too, as it complements the post I did yesterday about what I eat the day before the race.

Here's what race day looks like for me, for a 7AM race start:

4:15 wake up & prep breakfast in order to be eating by 4:30 AM.

-Breakfast is ALWAYS my signature smoothie:  banana, egg protein powder, 8 oz water and raw almond butter.   I bring an immersion blender when I travel if I'm staying in a hotel that doesn't have a blender.  I also have leftover roasted  yam or sweet potato that I've brought home from dinner the night before if I'm traveling, or prepared if I'm at home.  Also, a black coffee. And, of course, plenty of water.  I eat as I'm getting my race kit ready and so on, and am usually done eating by about 5 or 5:15 am.  Depending on logistics, I'll leave the house (or hotel) in order to get to transition in a timely manner and sip water along the way as needed.

-10 minutes before the race start, I'll have my first PowerBar gel.  For those of you who are regular readers, you already know that this is the one non Paleo food in my diet that I use for endurance training and racing.  I adhere stringently to the 4kcal/kg body weight/ hr of endurance training & racing for bouts lasting longer than 90'.  For me, at 116 pounds, (52 kg) that equals 208 kcals or 2 gels per hour.  That's all I eat for the entire race, whether it's a marathon, a 1/2 Ironman or full Ironman.

-HOMEBREW as per The Paleo Diet for Athletes is a must do for recovery. It's a formula based on body weight of a high glycemic fruit, like banana, glucose egg protein powder and a pinch of salt.

-Then, it's a gradual shift back to Paleo eating, keeping in mind that recovery time = length of workout time.

Hope that helps!

Faith, Love, Gratitude

might sound like an odd title for a blog post on my Paleo site, BUT, being that my racing is also a fundamental part of who I am and what I do, I felt it appropriate to write about this today, after a great race yesterday at this year's Ironman Hawaii 70.3.

So what's the connection between the three words at the top of this post and the race?

They were one of my mantras yesterday while racing.

Training and racing requires a great deal of mental focus, and I find that the more I develop the mental component, call it sports psych if you want, the more I'm able to continue to improve, train harder and smarter and get faster!

While I'm working out, there are many things going on internally.  What's my heart rate, stride length, cadence, RPE?  How deep have I got to go for X number of seconds for X number of intervals? What strategies have I got in place to bounce any negative thoughts or images that pop into my head?  As you can tell, it's a full on conversation...with myself!  Thus, I don't train with music or in front of the TV.  To do so, for me, would take away from the full experience and my ability to focus inward on the task at hand and complete any given workout to the best of my ability.

Enter the mantra.

A mantra can be anything you want it to be.  You're the only one that needs to know what your mantra(s) are, so go ahead and make it something that suits you right here, right now.

The 'faith, love, gratitude' is one that I started using about two years ago after having an emotionally rough A race the year before when, at Ironman Lake Placid 2008, things simply did not go according to plan and I felt crushed at not having qualified for Kona that year.  It actually dawned upon me here in Hawaii just before doing the same race I did yesterday, in 2009.  I woke up one morning and was overcome with the realization of how I lucky I was just to be in Hawaii, with my husband, both of us with the ability to race in our shared sport, which we love... and then suddenly it seemed silly that I'd been so uber focused on winning a race that all else would previously have felt like a failure.

Yes, of course I still want to perform, for myself, my husband, my coach, BUT on a much more fundamental level, it's the day to day fortune to be able to train, move, move my body that, thank God, is healthy and works properly and allows me to 'play' in this wonderful sport.

Whatever you do, whether you're also a triathlete, or a runner or a basketball player or someone who likes to rollerblade- it doesn't matter.  

Just do what you enjoy and embrace the gift  you have.