Recovery Nutrition

This year at the Reebok Crossfit Games I was very in tune with my need to recover quickly between the very intense workouts. These bouts of maximum output from my cardiovascular, muscular, skeletal, and mental functions left me depleted.  In order to be ready to repeat this act 3 hours later depended largely on my ability to recover.

My recovery regiment worked really well this year.  To begin   with I was sure to stay hydrated by minimizing caffeine.  Over the course of the last several months before the games I reduced my reliance on caffeine for pre-workout energy; using it, but sparingly.  I drank my own home made hydration drinks that consisted of filtered water, chia seeds and some other anti-inflammatory food.  Example - black cherry juice, freshly squeezed lime or lemon and a splash of honey or agave nectar.  I also used mustard on my grass fed beef.  I used turmeric capsules to reduce inflammation.

In order to refuel I used Medjool dates, which are almost pure glucose to replace the glycogen stores (my main source of fuel).  It enters the blood stream very quickly.  I also used 100% pure egg protein powder, chocolate flavor, to add to the energy pool as this has some caffeine to dilate the blood vessels.  Almond milk was used to make the drink, which is helpful also with hydration.  This recovery "meal" did not take up much room in my stomach, was easy to digest, and easy to transport.  It worked like a charm.  This year at the Reebok Crossfit Games I felt physically better on day 3 than I did on day 1 thanks to good recovery nutrition.

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