Last Friday at an intense exercise class I lead at a local company, a new participant had a bit of a rough time, especially at the end. It’s happened before from time to time with my private clients as well. Feeling over extended, then weak, light headed and even a little nauseated. It can be the start of an illness, not nearly enough rest the night before or, in rare cases, pretty significant dehydration. Don’t even THINK about coming to one of my classes or a private session with a hangover!

But much more often, the problem is simply low blood sugar. The body needs adequate easily accessible carbohydrates in the bloodstream to deliver the goods for an especially challenging workout. So what should you eat before the workout? That depends on how soon before the workout you eat. Here’s a simple formula that should work well for you:

Three hours before: A balanced meal of roughly equal parts protein, grains and produce (fruit or veggies)

Two hours before: A light snack with a protein/carb mix like yogurt, trail mix and a little fruit

One hour or less: one piece of a high water content/low fiber fruit like melon, grapes, peaches or plumbs

But the most important thing is to try to keep your blood sugar stable throughout the day with small, frequent meals and snacks.

Maybe you didn’t realize that spinach is one of the most nutrient-dense and low calorie foods you can (and should) eat. Maybe you did, but you hate having to buy it fresh and then race to use it up before it wilts. Or maybe you just don’t really like the taste of it in salads. Have I got a post for you!

Here are some of the easy and delicious ways to work frozen spinach into your diet:

• Mix into scrambled eggs (add feta cheese and sun dried tomatoes for an extra punch)
• Add to canned or homemade veggies soup or minestrone
• Mix with low fat Greek yogurt in a sourdough bowl (this makes a complete meal)
• Add to each of the Trader Joes pre-packaged stir-fry varieties

I eat frozen spinach almost every day, along with a small can of V8 and raw veggies (usually broccoli and cauliflower dipped in hummus). So even without a salad, that gets my veggie content to around 25% of my total daily intake.

What’s yours?

Dedicated fitness enthusiasts, especially those who work hard to maintain optimal performance in the gym (on the field, the court) while maintaining a lean body, know that there is no more important element in the equation than the right “fuel”. That’s how I feel.

If I had to choose one place to shop for food for the rest of my life, it would have to be Trader Joe’s. Why? Because they have a wide variety of delicious, nutrient-rich foods to choose from and because it’s very reasonably priced.

So, to give you an idea of how I might shop for a few days’ worth of meals and snacks, I put together a quick menu below. It focusses on the maximum volume, variety and balance of vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein, and last, but certainly not least, taste.

Any questions?

Contact me at Dan@TriValleyTrainer.com

Day 1

Breakfast, 7:00AM:
Egg scramble (one yolk and three whites) with frozen chopped spinach and sun-dried tomatoes topped with crumbled Feta cheese

Mid-AM Snack, 9:45AM:
Pocket salad (snap peas, baby carrots and grape tomatoes)

Lunch, Noon:
Wrap with honey roasted sliced turkey, mixed baby greens, grated carrots and tomato basil hummus

Mid-Afternoon Snack, 3:30PM:
Smoothie with TJs 2% Greek yogurt, 1/2 frozen banana, frozen blackberries and mangoes and non-fat milk

Dinner, 6:00pm:
Grilled Buffalo Burger on 1/2 whole wheat bun with tomato and greens

Day 2

Breakfast, 6:45AM:
Kashi Go-Lean Cereal topped w/mixed nut and fruit trail mix in non-fat milk

Mid-AM Snack, 9:30AM:
Raw broccoli and cauliflower dipped in Mediterranean hummus

Lunch, 12:15PM:
Home made pasta salad with whole wheat Rotini, frozen chopped spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, Ceasar variety “Just Chicken” and Balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing

Mid-Afternoon Snack, 3:30PM:
Granny Smith apple and a cheddar cheese stick

Dinner, 6:15pm:
Spinach Pie

Day 3

Breakfast, 7:15AM:
Kashi Go-Lean Cereal topped w/mixed nut and fruit trail mix in non-fat milk

Mid-AM Snack, 10:00AM:
Leftover Spinach Pie

Lunch, Noon:
TJ’s California Roll sushi and seaweed salad

Mid-Afternoon Snack, 3:45PM:
Bartlet pear and crunchy soy nut butter

Dinner, 6:00pm:
Home made veggie soup (base is 1/2 veggie broth; 1/2 roasted garlic pasta sauce; add frozen chopped spinach, frozen mixed veggies and chicken mango sausage)

If you don’t eat peas, you don’t know what you’re missing. So let me tell you. They are delicious (like beans but sweeter and with a firmer consistency – as long as you don’t cook them into mush). And they are a terrific source of vitamin A (bones, teeth, skin, fighting infections) C (healing wounds, boosting immunity, cancer protection) and one cup of peas has almost as much protein as two eggs, making it a perfect compliment to soy for vegans and those who are looking to get enough protein while cutting back on saturated fat intake.

Below you can find links to each day of a recent week of my own daily food diary:

Day 1: http://trivalleywellness.com/blog/2008/04/my-food-diary-day-1/

Day 2: http://trivalleywellness.com/blog/2008/04/my-food-dairy-day-2/

Day 3: http://trivalleywellness.com/blog/2008/04/my-food-diary-day-3/

Day 4: http://trivalleywellness.com/blog/2008/04/my-food-diary-day-4/

Day 5: http://trivalleywellness.com/blog/2008/04/my-food-diary-day-5/

Day 6: http://trivalleywellness.com/blog/2008/04/my-food-diary-day-6/

Day 7: http://trivalleywellness.com/blog/2008/04/my-food-diary-day-7/

No workout today