Off Season Nutrition Plan
It’s been a week, strangers! Here are a few things I have been up to:
I was at a conference for half of last week and got in a pre-sunrise run.
I went on a fall mountain bike with Mark and Kyle, followed by craft beer and smoked ribs.
Ran a 5 KM as a fun, off season training session. Certainly not in speed work shape, but it was great to catch up with Alex Genest and run a fast course.
Went on an 11 KM hike to check out the gorgeous fall colours
Took on a new room mate for the week. I am cat sitting while my parents are in Europe.
Another thing I did was go to an appointment with my sports nutritionist and get set up with an off season meal plan. I mentioned in a previous post that I always allow myself about a month in my year to recover fully from races and eat whatever I want within reason.
Example 1 : I made mac and cheese, chicken nachos.
Inevitably I will put on a little bit of weight which I am totally ok with. I think it is important to reset both mentally and physically, but I then enter the second part of my off season which is cleaning up the crap. I never limit intake or change food choices while I am training heavily but when I am easing up on activity, it is the perfect time to perfect my diet and make sure I am entering the next season as healthy as I can.
The reason I see a sports nutritionist is because I think it is dangerous to try and play around with this on your own. My sports nutritionist is a triathlete herself and has been working with me and my coach for years. She knows what I need and I trust her. I am open to her new ideas and have fun instigating them as an experiment.
So after a season of eating high carb foods, gels and drinks, she has put me on a detox to prepare my body for my next season of heavy training. No juice cleanses for this girl! Here are a few things that I am doing to get my body in tip top shape for when my training resumes again:
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Hydration
I really don’t love drinking water. Her words to me when I complained of this were “figure it out.” Well, I am trying to add fun things to my water like mango slices, basil, cucumber, lemon, mint, etc. I skip all the nasty, fake flavourings and aim for 2 L a day. I also drink a ton of herbal tea to stay warm and add to my water intake.
2. ALL THE GREENS
I am drinking spinach in my smoothie, eating dark leafy greens and cilantro in my salads and eating half a plate of veggies with dinner. It is a great way to provide my body with nutrition and reinforce my health going into cold and flu season.
3. Liver Support
Every day, I am taking a supplement for liver support to support my body as I clean everything up again. I am also taking fish oil daily to decrease any inflammation.
4. Coconut Oil Pulling
Every morning, I take a tablespoon of coconut oil and swish it in my mouth for 5 minutes. I don’t really love it but it has great benefits and like I said, when she asks me to try something, I do it.
5. A few rules…
My sports nutritionist is really good at focusing me on the things I can do rather than putting rules in place, but through this detox which is for a limited time, I do have a few rules to follow. She has me at one cup of coffee a day which I have a few hours after waking. I am not consuming any sugar throughout the process. I am not consuming any dairy or gluten. Thankfully, with the meal plan she wrote up for me, I just follow it and it’s all good.
A few of you have emailed me with queries regarding who I work with. I am not compensated by my coach or sports nutritionist in any way. I just have worked really hard to find the perfect fit for me and I am really happy with their support.
I work with Dr. Tina Rogers at FLOW Health and Wellness and I am coached by Dave Galloway of the Performance Project. They combine their efforts so my training and nutrition work in concert. As my training plan kicks in later this year, Tina will be working with me on my sports nutrition.
I don’t love drinking (plain) water as well, so I like your suggestions for adding flavour. Most of the time I drink herbal teas, preferably rooibos (red bush) and tell myself that’s better than black teas 🙂
My biggest problem is that I don’t love tea either! The cold helps to make it more appealing. 🙂
Oh haha, that is tough! I used to drink hot lemon water (lemon juice with boiling water, with some sugar) when I had a cold, maybe that’s something to try if you don’t like tea.
I hear you have snow!!
Yes – we DO and I don’t like it one bit…
Love that you give yourself a month after races to enjoy yourself! I struggle with that by feel lately I’ve been able to embrace it more ! I’ve been considering speaking to a nutritionist too! Glad to hear you’ve found one that works for you!
A month off is so important for me, but it is always easier to know that I have a nutritionist to keep me on track!
Those mac and cheese nachos though…
I think I need a detox too. Seriously, if you only knew!!!
I always wondered about oil pulling and may give it a try…mostly because I want whiter teeth hah. Do you do it before or after you brush your teeth? Does it matter?
Ok, first. The nachos were heaven on earth.
And I needed the detox like crazy. (See nachos). LOL. I wouldn’t detox before NYC – you have some carb loading to do! 🙂
I do it before I brush my teeth. I don’t think it matters. I drink a big glass of water and then take a tablespoon. You need to chew it down until it becomes a liquid so it is kind of gross for the first couple seconds and then it is all good!
Haha yeah…I mean after NYC! Detoxing while in that city is impossible! 😉
Thanks for the coconut oil info – going to try it!
I have been thinking about seeing a sports nutritionist for awhile! It really is hard to figure out that stuff just on your own. Since the marathon I’ve definitely been more relaxed about what I’ve been eating… but then I caught the flu. I have a feeling my increased sugar intake didn’t help my immune system! But oh well, it is nice to have that physical and mental reset.
Oh sugar. I love it so much – it is just that it hates me!