What I Learned About Food from Rowing! by Joan Kent, PhD

What I Learned About Food from Rowing!

By Joan Kent, PhD

 

Recently, I was asked to discuss nutrition “worsts” for athletes. I zeroed in on one – and it applies to the holidays, too.

 

An “off-season” with food is as energy-draining as it gets.

 

My endurance coach, Jim Karanas, used to say, “Endurance athletes don’t mind expending energy, but they don’t want to waste it.”

 

Wasted energy is energy spent with no performance payoff. A food off-season wastes energy like crazy:

• It wastes physical energy for your body to deal with junky food.
• It wastes time and energy to get things back on track for the next athletic season.
• It wastes effort to correct bad habits, weight gain, mood swings, loss of motivation – and to re-create your training mindset.

 

Talk about body / mind stress!

 

It reminds me of the terrible habits pro sports teams had when I was a kid. They’d stop training during their off-season and then use the pre-season training period to get back in shape. Seriously. Think of the time, effort and money that wasted.

 

Fortunately, pro athletes no longer do that.

 

But some people may still do it with food!

 

How Can Indoor Rowing Help with Food?

 

In the book The Stress of Life, Hans Selye defines stress as anything that takes the body out of homeostasis. If clean eating is your habit during your sport season – whatever that is – then letting your nutrition slide is stress on your body.

 

Once you’ve established a new, junky pattern, shifting gears to get back to healthful habits again is more stress on your body.

 

A few years ago, I learned a concept from the best rowing coach I know. (I’ve had several). Because he’s such a talented instructor and coach, he deserves a shout-out:  Duncan Kennedy, who rowed with the U.S. national team from 1993 to 1994. He knows his stuff and loves to teach.

 

Duncan suggested his indoor rowers use an outdoor rowing technique called Battle Paddle. In a crew boat, even during recovery, the rowers need to be in sync to prevent an 8-oar free-for-all.  The strokes are relaxed, but the team stays in formation.

 

Most importantly, the rowers are ready to drive into action as soon as they get the signal. That vigilance underlies the relaxation at all times.

 

How about a holiday season that mirrors this concept with food? The nutrition equivalent of Battle Paddle?

 

Keep your food quantity and quality under control, perhaps allowing an occasional dessert once a week. From that point, driving into action for the next season will be a simple and disciplined matter.

 

How Can Battle Paddle Work for You?

 

Non-athletes and athletes can use this concept during the holidays. Too often, my clients let food pandemonium take over – with all the stress that means for the body, and all the effort they have to go through to undo the damage when January gets here.

 

Ideally, we’d all avoid troublesome foods all year. But choose your Battles, right?

If you can’t bring yourself to avoid holiday goodies – and if you really believe you can handle it (which may not be true!) – follow your healthful guidelines just 99% of the time.

 

Like rowers on the water, maintain the discipline of good form. Relax only enough to have the occasional – that’s the operative word – treat.

 

YES, this plan may backfire for anyone with an addictive reaction to specific foods, especially sugary foods. That’s me, so my holidays will NOT be done in Battle Paddle mode. It’s better for me to stay away from trouble altogether. I encourage my clients to do the same, but the decision is theirs.

 

At least the Battle Paddle food plan is a giant step beyond “kitchen anarchy”!

 

Bonus Tip

 

The drawback of Battle Paddle is discovering that the occasional dessert has led to many, and having to quit sugar all over again.

Instead, why not decide this year NOT to use January (or several months of the New Year) as your ‘pre-training season’? Why waste energy with no performance pay-off?

I’d love to help you blast into 2019 and create huge momentum from day 1 – without wasting energy on a January start-over. I invite you to find out how by visiting www.LastResortNutrition.com and grabbing your absolutely free Craving Crusher Consult®. Discover how easy it is to enjoy the holidays and eat foods you love – without backsliding and starting all over again January 1st!

 

Brought to you by Dr. Joan Kent, best-selling author of Stronger Than Sugar: 7 Simple Steps to Defeat Sugar Addiction, Lift Your Mood and Transform Your Health.