Well it’s almost a month from the Arnold and I am really in the swing of things now. This is the first time in my career I have decided to do my own year and really plan it out from start to finish without just winging it.
Off-Season
The first phase of my offseason was from the Arnold until the second week of April.
I’m using this time to really let my body recuperate from the hell I put it through getting ready for two shows. I’m heavy on the anti-oxidants, greens, vitamins, minerals and making sure I don’t eat too much garbage. I really want to use this time to feel healthy and give my body a fresh start when I get back to eating massive amounts of food again and lifting heavy.
In years past I have just taken a few days off after the show and gotten right back to work without really giving my body the healthy foods and supplements it needs to recuperate. I feel better now than I have in a few years and I’d like to keep this going throughout the year.
Healthy Foods Equals Good Workouts
Surprisingly my training isn’t suffering too much from the different diet and lack of food. Usually when I cut down food quantities my body suffers in the gym but I think because of the wide array of super foods I’m getting in, I’m making up for it. Here is a list of some of the foods I have incorporated to help my body feel a little healthier:
Ezekiel Cereal – because it’s made from sprouted grains, it seems to digest easier for me than oatmeal does. I’m testing out my body for a gluten allergy so I’m eliminating things one by one to see what could be effecting me the most. So far this has been a nice change for breakfast.
Hemp Hearts (seeds) – usually in my breakfast I will add a scoop of peanut butter for some healthy fats. Peanut butter seems to be bloating me at times so to get my healthy omega’s I’ve opted for Hemp Hearts for the time being…so far so good.
Pumpkin Seeds – at night I tend to want to snack and usually reach for assorted unsalted nuts. Their great for you but too much of them seems to bother me so I’ve switched to pumpkin seeds for my late night snacking item and it still gives me the healthy fats I need.
Pomegranate Juice – once a day usually after training I will have a glass of pomegranate juice to help keep me healthy. It’s loaded in anti-oxidants and helps reduce blood pressure, and just enough simple sugar for a post workout drink.
Those are just a few of the things in terms of real food I’ve added to my daily intake to see how my body will react and how healthy I’ll feel. So far it has been great and I think I have some new additions to my whole years diet.
Bodybuilding Means Thinking Outside The Box
Its great to be hardcore and eat pounds of red meat, dozens of eggs and fish like you were a grizzly bear. All that being said though, we should all try not to be too meatheadish from time to time. Thinking outside the box this last month has really helped me learn some new things about my body and what it needs. Doing the same thing day in and day out because some ‘big guy’ at the gym told you so is great but all of us should take the time to experiment with new foods to see what out bodies really need.
Keep an open mind; use the Internet for more than message boards and porn! Look up some good foods that can help you grow and make you healthier instead of just sticking to the same old shit because that’s what you were told to do.
