Here are 10 ideas for you in case you need help thinking of something:

• limit fast food meals to just one a week (instead of one a day)
• stop drinking soda/pop (or limit your intake)
• have something healthy within 30 minutes of working out
• eat breakfast
• eat breakfast within an hour of waking up
• stop eating at least 3 hours before you go to bed
• no more deep fried foods
• eat at least one serving of fruit per day if you don’t already
• try juicing – one glass of fresh juice per day
• no more candy bars (or limit intake)

So, what ONE positive nutritional habit change will you make starting today? Leave a comment here to share!

We celebrated my daughter’s birthday with family by spending a day at the beach. I’m glad it was my responsibility to buy food for this celebration because I could make sure we had lots of snacks and choices that were NOT on the “Do Not Eat” list.

Yes, I did have a cupcake, but other than that, I was pretty good about staying off the “Do Not Eat” list. I bought whole grain bread to make sandwiches and had turkey breast as well as chicken breast and peanut butter and jam for those who wanted. I also bought uncrustables for the kids so they could just grab something on the go because a lot of times, they don’t want to sit and eat. They want to play. With the uncrustables, they didn’t need to grab a plate, fork, and napkins to have a bite to eat. They could just grab an uncrustable open it up and eat – great “finger food.”

We also had chips and salsa, crackers, and fruits!

Like I said, lots of great snacks to munch on while spending the day at the beach.

So…how is your 21-Day Challenge going? Now that you have just a week left and have worked hard to “clean up” what you put into your body, do you think you’ll continue with your new nutrition habits?

Okay, so over the weekend, I did cheat (as I told you was fine for this weekend so long as you were good the rest of the time).

You see it was my daughter’s 10th birthday and she wanted to go to a buffet for lunch.  No biggie.  It’s not that I overate.  It’s just that I enjoyed a nice, FAT, crepe…filled with bananas, whipped cream, ice cream, chocolate syrup, and powdered sugar.  I know, I know.  That should count as a quadruple cheat!  It was loaded with “Do Not Eat” stuff.

You know what?  It tasted great at the time, but boy did I PAY for it later that evening.  My stomach was sooooo upset that it woke me up in the middle of the night.  It’s bad enough to have a stomach that annoyed with you, but it’s even worse to have it interrupt a perfectly good night of sleep! Ouch, ouch, ouch!

*sigh* that’ll sure have me thinking twice next time I consider a cheat. Right now I don’t even what to *think* about junk food.  I can feel my stomach churning already.

So what about you?  Were you good this holiday weekend?  Or did you “enjoy” a cheat?  If so, what was it and how did it go?

I had one person write to me saying,

I started it today and boy is it hard. Everything on the do not eat list is what I normally eat. Just 20 more days to go. Thanks for doing this…let’s see if make it.

Believe me a lot of that stuff was part of my DAILY diet too!

Other people wrote in and asked why we’re trying to cut out so much at one time instead of doing a few things at a time.  Well, that’s a good question.  However, I find that if you just cut out say ice cream and cake, then you’d probably end up “compensating” for that by eating more candy or cookies.  So while you may be eating less cake and ice cream, it really won’t make much of a difference if you start eating more candy and cookies.  That’s why we’re going for cutting out as much junk food as we can all at once.

Here are a few more questions/inquiries that came in yesterday:

• I didn’t notice beer or wine on either of your lists
• My only concern is whether or not protein bars are acceptable (they are chocolate-flavored and I believe have some form of chocolate in them).
• I’m worried about my cereals and pop. I know it doesn’t say cereal but my cereals are the sugary ones.

Beer and wine: these are definitely on the do NOT eat/drink list.  If you’re one of those people who drink one glass of wine a day for health reassons though, you may use your own discrecion on whether or not you’d like to continue during this challenge.

Protein bars: for the sake of this challenge, protein bars are acceptable.  Just check the fat content and try to choose ones that have a lower trans fat, saturated fat and total fat content.

Sugary cereals & pop: yes, pop is definitely OUT and so are sugary cereals.  Try looking for whole grain cereals instead of sugary cereals.

Then there was the question of COFFEE.

I realize that some people need their coffee to properly function at work.  Others actually get headaches if they don’t have their cup of coffee in the morning.  We certainly don’t want to adversely affect your work performance nor give you headaches every day.  Therefore, if you must continue with your coffee, you’re welcome to odify this challenge to fit your needs.  After all, gratefully reducing many of the other junk foods is still going to help.

However, if coffee is not really something you can’t give up and is just something that you don’t WANT to give up, then challenge yourself to at least reduce your intake.  Also, try to make “better” coffee choices.  For example, a cappuccino with whole milk is actually higher up (on the “better” food list) than an iced mocha latte with non-fat milk. On the “low” more “off limits” end, you have mocha, macchiato, ice blended, frappé, triple caramel vanilla buzz bomb, etc. so stay away from those as much as possible.

Well, that’s about it for now.  Let us know how this challenge is going for you.  Have you been good?  What’s been tough to give up so far?  Did you have to “cheat” yet?  Leave a comment here and let us know!

photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/avi4now/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
fruit photo source: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/oct00/k9093-1.htm
wine photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/emurray/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

For this challenge – we’re aiming for ZERO cheats.

You want to set your goal high so that even if you don’t reach it, you’re still doing pretty well. Obviously there will be times when you’ll be tempted or when you’ll need to give in to what you want so that you don’t give up altogether and go binging. So, there are two things to keep in mind when you’re going to allow a “cheat”:

Follow the 90/10 rule – Try to “be good” 90% of the time and only allow yourself to “cheat” 10% of the time.

Dish out a consequence – If you are going to eat something that’s on the Do Not Eat list, make yourself go for an extra walk or jog or jump rope for 10-minutes later that day or the following day…something to help “undo” the cheat and hold yourself accountable for eating off the Do Not Eat List.  This doesn’t mean that if you already workout for an hour a day you can do an hour’s worth of cheats each day.  No, no, no!  Any consequence for a cheat must be done in addition to your normal routine.

Okay, now for the details of your 21-Day Food Challenge. Here’s what’s off limits as well as some acceptable alternatives. For 21-Days you are to AVOID the items on the Do Not Eat List…

Do Not Eat List
Candy
Ice Cream
Chips
Cake
Cookies
Chocolate
Other “junk” food (brownies, Twinkies, other sweets, etc)
Soda/Pop
Juice
Ice Cream Shakes/Malts
Energy Drinks
Frappucinos
Coffee

Okay to Drink List
Water
Fruit Smoothies (with plain nonfat yogurt instead of ice cream)
Milk (preferable not “whole”)
100% Orange Juice
Green Tea
Sports Drinks if you’re working out/training/playing

Snack Alternatives you Can Eat
Fruits
Graham crackers (not smores!)
Wheat Thins
Cheerios (or other whole grain cereal)
Granola Bars
Baby Carrots or other veggies

If you’re like me, you’re looking at the Do Not Eat List going, “But some of those things are part of my DAILY diet! I need that.”

No you don’t! If you’ve been working out and aren’t seeing the results you want (or maybe not working out – just not happy with your current physical condition and not doing anything about it), then maybe what you need is a change the way you fuel your body. This, especially if you combine it together with Marc Dagenais’ tip of consuming something within 30 minutes of your workout, will make a difference!

***HOWEVER, if you have special health needs, then it’s definitely important to talk to your dr before changing your diet.***

That’s about it.  Let’s get started! If you’re up for this challenge, leave a comment below and let us know you’re in.  If you like, you can also share what you think will be the toughest part of the challenge.  What’s your junk food/drink weakness?

candy photo credit:http://www.flickr.com/photos/joeholmes/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

fruit dish photo:http://www.flickr.com/photos/alasam/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

• So you can fuel your body with better stuff
• So you can shed some of those stubborn unwanted lbs you’ve been hanging on to
• So you can feel better and have more energy during your busy days
• So you can improve your health
• So you can performance better on the field!

This 21-day food challenge is only for people who are serious about making some changes. It’s going to be tough, but I’ll be with you every step of the way an it won’t cost you a thing. All I ask is that you leave some comments here on the blog when the challenge is officially launched on Tuesday…and let us know how you’re doing along the way. That’s it.

I’ll be back in a few days with the exact details of the challenge and what you’re in for if you take it on.

I admit, the organization my daughters’ were playing for was excellent at making sure the girls had something to eat after their day was done. Both parents and kids had some great food to chow down after the games were done for the day which I thoroughly enjoyed!  However, I think we (parents included) could have done a better job at making sure our kids had “fuel” THROUGHOUT the day.

Why do I say that? Because my youngest daughter completely “ran out of gas” in the last game of the day. She was on the 8U team and had to be at the park at 9:00am because their first game was scheduled at 10:30. Not too bad. At least we didn’t have to wake up too early to make sure she had breakfast and everything before getting to the field (as opposed to the 6U team that had to be at the field at 6:45am! Yikes!!!).

So we all (our whole family) had breakfast before heading to the field which was great. But because my daughter’s 8U team was coming from the loser’s bracket, they weren’t going to have a short day unless they lost quick.

Well, they didn’t lose quick.

In fact, they won their first game and had to play again right after.  I’m not complaining because I love to see my kids play.  It just meant that there was NO time for going back to the team tent to eat.

They ended up winning that game too which forced an “if necessary.” Cool! Except for the fact that the “if necessary” game had to be played down the road at another park and the team had just an hour to get there. Again, not enough time to get all the girls under the team tent to sit and get some food in their bellies.

About half way through that 3rd game of the day, I noticed how hungry I was! You see, I my 3 daughters were playing in 3 different age divisions and, every other game, I was running back and forth between the 2 fields trying to catch at least parts of all my daughter’s games. Between going back and forth and trying to take pictures during the games, I never really stopped to grab food.  By the middle of that 3rd 8U game, I was starving (and I wasn’t even in the sun playing or coaching).

Yes, I was driving back and forth (in an air conditioned car), but the rest of my time was spent under a tent, in the shade with a camera in my hand…and I could sit down any time I wanted. I can only imagine what my daughter felt like after having been on the field for 3 straight games.

Right about the time I realized I was hungry I heard my daughter’s coach letting the players know who was going to go where on the next defense (there are minimum play rules in Bobby Sox). Then I heard my daughter ask one of the coaches if she’s going to stay in or go out. The coach told her that she was going to be playing the whole game.  She burst into tears (a strange reaction to getting an entire game of playing time right?).

Of course, the coach asked her what was wrong and she cried, “I’m tired.” The thought that immediately crossed my mind when I heard that was that she was probably starving too!

Of course, 3 games in and of itself can be pretty tough on an 8 year old, but I’m pretty sure part of her exhaustion was due to the fact that she hadn’t eaten much since breakfast that morning and it was already after 2:30pm. That’s a long time not to eat when your in the Hawaiian sun burning your energy playing softball game after softball game after softball game.

3 games in one day is already a lot for 8U, but throw in lack of “fuel” for the body and it becomes even tougher. I know many people’s first reaction to crying and taking yourself out of the game is not necessarily positive – what kind of softball player does that anyway?

But I have to admit, as a coach, I’d rather have a player tell me that they’re sub-par so I can put someone else in that is more fresh and ready, than go out there anyway, not feeling well and play terrible … AND risk getting seriously hurt or more sick.

Sometimes it’s just not smart to keep pushing. As and athlete, as a parent, and as a coach, we need to realize when that is…even though it can be a very tough line to define at times.

So, do you have a tournament food plan?

The best way to make sure you have “good” fuel for your players (not just packaged junk food) is to prepare ahead of time. It’s true you may end up with more than you need if your team loses sooner than expected, but it certainly beats not having enough – especially when the well being of our kids are at stake.

So that’s one of the things I learned during the tournament. There’s always something right? What did you learn at the last tournament you attended? Leave a comment below to share your tournament insight!

I’m going to share a short, but useful list of tips compiled by Patrick Beith, creator of Complete Speed Training.

Nutrition Tips for Athletes

By Patrick Beith

* Do not skip meals

* Eat 4-5 meals a day

* Eat breakfast everyday

* Eat most of your vegetables and fruit in raw form

* Try and eat all the colors in the crayon box (fruits & vegetables)

* Sufficient protein should be present in all meals (especially breakfast) to prevent extreme insulin fluctuations due to rapid digestion of carbohydrates

* Highly processed foods (such as sugars, oils, and flour) should be avoided in excess. They are not recognized by the body and make them difficult to process.

* Design your diet so that you receive a complete mix of all the nutrients everyday to promote recovery and restoration and to enhance your immune system function.

* Post workout nutrition can drastically reduce the time needed to recover. (this is something most athletes and coaches never pay attention to)

* The body is much more efficient in restoring carbohydrates 15 minutes after a strenuous workout. Carbohydrates are the primary fuel during exercise – needs to be restored by the body.

* Post workout drink: 1 gram of protein for every 3 grams of carbohydrate. (.3gm of protein/lb. of lean body weight)

* Drink approximately 64 oz. (8 glasses) of water daily. Bring a water bottle with you everywhere (especially practice).

————————————-

Now even if you can’t follow each and every guideline shown above, making a point to do 1-2 things you may not be doing now is a great step in the right direction.  Once those 1-2 things becomes a regular habit, add another, then another, then another and next thing you know, you’re nutritional habits have improved substantially which will probably also translate to better performance on the field.

If you liked these tips from Patrick Beith, you may also enjoy his free short report on Developing Dominant Speed. He also gives away 2 full hours of speed training video with tips, techniques and methods of developing the fastest athletes. Grab your copy of this report and speed training video tips free.

The other thing I wanted to mention is Patrick’s Speed Training Program. I happen to know that a number of softball players and teams are snatching this thing up. I can hardly believe it because we’re in this whole economic “recession” and this program is not cheap. However, it seems to be selling like hotcakes right now. Maybe it’s just the time of year (start up of season or a tax return present), but according e-mail correspondence I’ve had with Patrick, there are just so many more softball people picking up this program than in the past. Like I said, it’s a bit surprising given the economy and all. You’d figure there would be less people spending a decent chunk of money on this Speed Training Program. But for some reason that’s not the case. I haven’t seen it, but it must be one heck of a program!

This article includes 5 simple tips for getting your body to perform at it’s highest level when you’re on the field. That’s something we all would like right? Read the article HERE.

Read the article here and feel free to pass this information along to anyone you feel may be interested!

Read the Article

Oh yeah, and if you haven’t checked out Fastpitch Juicing yet, remember, I’ve got a free report available for you there too. Get the free report HERE.

This past year was the busiest softball season I’ve EVER been a part of. I had virtually no time to cook and my family relied on fast food and take out way more than I would have liked.

Because of the busy season, my daughter’s quest to gain weight, my husband’s quest to lose weight, our lack of time, and my positive first experience with juicing, I decided that I wanted to learn more about juicing to see if it could help our family.

Are there really health benefits to juicing or is juicing just one of those “health fads?”

Does juicing really provide a nutritional alternative to other beverages and snacks?

What juicer should I use?

What should I juice?

As you can imagine, I had lots of questions. I didn’t even know where to start. The one and only time I had tried juicing was at a breakfast buffet and I loved it. However, no one I know juices so I didn’t really have anyone to point me in the right direction as far as getting started with juicing. So….I did a bunch of research on my own and put most of it together for you so that you wouldn’t have to go searching all over the internet for the information you need to:

~ see how juicing can help you
~ answer your questions about juicing
~ get started with juicing

If you’ve ever wondered about juicing or wanted more information on getting started, visit www.FastpitchJuicing.com for free juicing information and free juicing articles.