Brandyn is a multi-sport coach with a passion for nutrition science. She works hard to integrate sustainable lifestyle and nutritional choices into her daily routine and training schedule. Having Celeriac disease, nutrition is something that Brandyn must stay on top of in order to perform at her peak during XTERRA and adventure races. Brandyn diligently researches and applies sustainable lifestyle and nutritional choices that reduce her environmental footprint, while boosting her competitive edge. Brandyn's primary lifestyle and nutrition tips for the EcoAthlete are: Eat Local and Integrate Your Training
Eat Local, Eat Organic
Athletes are concious of what fuels their bodies, and know that
healthy foods can help increase performance. One of the best things
Athletes can do to improve performance and live lighter on the
planet is eating organic, local foods when possible.
healthy foods can help increase performance. One of the best things
Athletes can do to improve performance and live lighter on the
planet is eating organic, local foods when possible.
Organic, local veggies, fruits, and meats contain more vitamins and minerals when compared to mass produced or genetically modified foods from petroleum intensive and monoculture farming methods. And less resources are wasted in getting the food from the farm to your table. An EcoAthlete chooses to buy local and organic. Pick the foods that were grown closest to your house. Better yet, grown your own. In the summer, shop at your local farmer's market. Many natural foods or organic grocery stores have a "local" section, take advantage of this! Local foods are fresher and buying them keeps dollars within your local economy. Your farmer will thank you!
Integrate Your training
There are some very simple things you can do to reduce the environmental impact of your training routine.
Brandyn at Flatt Pass, Moab
Bike or run commute to work: Try this once a week to start. Bike or run one way or both if you can - exercizing twice a day in the same sport has been proven to work wonders from a performance standpoint. If you live far away, change at work, hop on of the bus for a few miles and then get oof the run the rest of the way. May is bike to work month! Get a team signed up at your work and have fun commuting. You'll be surprised what it will do to help improve your training.
Bike or run to social events: Next time, run to your friend's house or to the dinner party you were invited to. If your friends know you well they won't care, and may even let you use a shower.
Throw in some lunges and stair sprints on that family walk: Next time you're out walking the dog or exploring the neighborhood with your family, throw in a couple of lunges and sprints. Have your family time you or do some conditioning with you in the park. This should be easy, simple, yet efective for keeping up core fitness.
Use Your Work Place: Sit on a balance ball at your desk to train your core muscles all day long, and take any opportunity to get a mini-workout in. Work on the 5th floor? Skip the elevator. Bathroom at the end of a long hallway? Lunge all the way there. Stressfull workday? Do a few pushups to work out some frustration.
Simple, easy exercises can be more beneficial than you think. In fact, Yvonne's work schedule doesn't allow her to train much, but integrating her workouts into commutes and daily routine allows her to race XTERRA's at the top of her age group! Give it a try - you may be surprised how well it works, and you won't need to drive to the club to get your training fix in.