Bring on the protein!

My high from Nationals has died down as reality kicks in and I have to complete a number of erg tests this week to be considered for provincial carding: 2000m, 6000m, 60 minute, 1 minute and peak power tests.  A lot of athletes will be working towards this, and so I can’t say “I’m tired!” as an excuse, because everyone probably is.

I am seeing that it is quite challenging for myself and friends of mine, local and abroad (Poland and Switzerland), to get that kick of motivation to perform, or get up in the morning to train when there is no team waiting on you.  I have a suggestion (I have started to do this, so maybe this will work for some of you as well)…you can do a workout and then take a picture of the monitor and send the results to a friend.  That way you are committing to yourself and them that you will do the workout, and you will push through the tough parts when you feel like quitting.  I did this in the fall with Kathleen and it definitely helped me.  I’m not brave enough to post those results on my blog yetJ.

But truthfully, I just want to get past this week.  I want to get back into my routine of training, work and life (I’m sure my husband wouldn’t mind having his wife back and less stressed too).

So I’m going to think forward a bit and get excited about what lies beyond these tests…

From now until May I need to put a serious focus and commitment into getting stronger.  Those top 3 Nationals girls are no doubt strong and fierce!  If I want to be even slightly competitive in April/May, I am going to need to increase my strength.  My first approach is going to be increasing my food intake by a significant amount.  During the fall I was training 2-3 times a day and burning about 2500 calories, and I was definitely not eating that much!  It’s a little hard to eat that much when I am working at a desk for 8 hours in an open-concept office – and trust me, I already embarrass myself with the tubs of food I keep at my desk to keep myself from going hungry as the day flies byJ. 

I was looking online to see how much lean muscle a woman can gain a month, and the answers vary quite a bit.  It may also be genetics.  I have had teammates do the same weight training program as me, yet gain muscle a lot faster.  So I’m going to try and see if eating more, with more protein, can make that difference for me that I am looking for.  Plus, changing up my weight training program will help.  It may take an extra 30 minutes in my day to prepare the food, but it’ll be well worth it in the end.

So I will leave you with this…a few recipes that are high in protein and thought of as great snack foods.  If you aren’t open to eating horse food, then don’t try theseJ:

Homemade Granola over Greek Yogurt

Rolled Oats

Almond Extract mixed with Maple Syrup or Honey

Cinnamon

Dried Cherries or Cranberries

Almond Slices and Sunflower Seeds

Pumpkin Seeds

Anything else you want to add

Bake in the oven at 250 for about 20 minutes, and then once cooled off, put over Greek Yogurt and enjoy!

Protein Shake

Protein powder (such as Shaklee Physique)

Almond or Peanut Butter

Banana

Chocolate Milk (or Soy Chocolate Milk), but it HAS to be Chocolate;)

Turkey Meat Balls

Ground Turkey

Small Apple slices

1 tablesoon Maple Syrup

Sea Salt

Enjoy!