The Art of Sports Nutrition

Sports nutrition is an art. This relates to how you apply the science. Once you know what to do and provided you are guided by reason, the art has to do with the application of what you know. Take it from me based on decades of clinical observation and personal experience.

The “doing it” is by far the most difficult part. You and I both know that every soul has the same exact challenge, that being, to overcome ourselves, to do what is best and to get the hell out of our own way.

Just ask Oprah. With all her money and support from world renowned Chefs, fitness experts, health professionals and lifestyle guru’s, she still struggles with food and her weight as a consequence. Bless her heart. Obviously food and weight in this example are only effects of much deeper and complex psychological causes.

The art of sports nutrition relates to consistency, timing and reliability. For example, do you take your supplements without fail? Whether or not you take them or certain ones in specific amounts, such as creatine or glutamine, is established through objective science. The consumption of dietary supplements must first and foremost answer the demands of rationality, logic and safety. After that we’re stuck with ourselves and that’s why most of us fail. When guided by emotion without reason, humans always wind up on the rocks.

The art of sports nutrition also relates to what and how we actually eat, including the way we group macronutrients (proteins, fats, carbs) and how we combine whole food with our supplements. For example, Tracy and I have 2-4 protein shakes every day. Our shakes are packed with whey protein isolate, hemp protein concentrate, organic fruit, hemp seed oil, glutamine, ribose, creatine, spirulina and vitamin C powder.

In addition to serving as a means of consuming a wide variety of powder supplements, we use our protein shakes to “Shake & Take”. This means we take other supplements in capsule or tablet form at the same time, such as antioxidants and botanical adaptogens for example. Here’s where a good vitamin pak can be real handy.

Our daily ritual of downing natural health supplements with shakes is extremely practical, which is why I recommend it. Training is the anchor. Sandwich or bracket each workout with a pre- and post-workout shake. You won’t regret it.

Did you know it’s possible to predict the functional outcome of our lives by measuring the sustainability of our present lifestyle habits? If for example, you can’t continue to do whatever you’re doing for a long time without suffering, then that particular aspect of your life is not sustainable. You could say that any life led that ignores the principle of sustainability is irrational. Those who think in terms of sustainability live in harmony with themselves, health and Nature.

The art we create is equal to the benefits we receive. In fact when it comes to the art of sports nutrition we ourselves are the canvass on which we draw. Our lives represent the art we create and this is why if we do it well, we can enjoy the earned pleasure of high self-esteem and confidence in ourselves.

Remember that no one can get you well. You have to do all the work yourself. Yes you need to gain insight from science, books and teachers, but no one can do the work for you.

The measure, quantity, timing, application, consistency and the day-in and day-out administration of the food we eat and the supplements we take, this is the art of sports nutrition. The art relates to constant application, to the principle of consistency, but if you contradict the science you’ll get into trouble or at least miss out on the benefits.

The art of sports nutrition relates to the skill of eating, how you prepare your meals, how you segregate, combine and partition your protein, fats and carbohydrates, when you take your vitamins and when you take your shakes. The quality of your artwork is revealed when you consume whole clean food and push the junk aside.

The art of sports nutrition can be compared to the skill, development and training of an elite athlete with a health centered consciousness. You have to show up. You have to practice and practice and practice. Practice makes permanent.

Ever wonder why doctors call what they do a “practice”. They are in a constant learning flux. The next time you visit your doctor, naturopath, surgeon or psychiatrist, remember that he or she is “practicing” on you.

Does it matter to your coach how or if you practice? Of course it does. In sport each practice is a step closer to creating athletic excellence. It’s an opportunity to refine your skills, improve your technique, identify flaws in your system and more importantly, identify flaws in your attitude and emotional make-up. It is the latter that most often hinders personal progress.

The art of sports nutrition may be compared to a great painter possessed by the vision of what only they can see in the workshop of their own mind. Through both learned and natural skill, they magically transfer that vision onto a physical canvass for everyone to see. This is also true regarding the art of sports nutrition. We can transfer the intellectual property from within our own mind that we alone possess and make it as real as the floor beneath our feet.

Ultimately our objective is to maximize our personal health, improve our performance and preserve our freedom and independence. If you are true to the art, people will talk. They’ll solicit you for advice and even pay you to teach them how to do it, to do what you did.

Did Leonardo da Vinci paint the Mona Lisa for praise alone? No. Did Michelangelo create the Statue of David just for money? No way. Gifted artists do what they do because of who and what they are. They are driven by the virtue of their own personal vision.

Like Wyatt Earp and The Prodigal Son, there are those of us who eventually come back to our senses. We realize that the good life we once had can be had again. We discover that we never actually lost anything except the right perspective and attitude. We realize that we always had the means to be well and to do the things that need to be done. So let’s do them!

Photo by Samantha Hurley from Burst

What is Sports Nutrition?

As always, stay well and live free!

Dr.C