27/04/11

Sleep: 6.5 hrs + 40 minute nap mid morning

Food:

Chicken Leg & a handful of mixed nuts - Yes, this was my first meal of the day at 05:45

Porridge with coconut oil, peanut butter & cinnamon

2 x Handfuls of mixed nuts

Mackerel portion

Mackerel Salad (yellow peppers, mushroom, mixed leaves, cherry tomatoes, beetroot)

Winter Fruits

Protein shake with glutamine post workout

Almond Ball & Booja Booja ice cream - Yes ice cream, but not as you know it - see notes

2 x slices of rye bread, toasted with butter

2 x chicken breasts with spring greens & mixed nuts

Hot coconut milk with banana & sesame seeds - Delicious healthy dessert, cheers Pete!

Water: 3 litres minimum

Energy Levels: Good

Activities: Biked 22 miles.  45 minute gym workout - At the moment I'm working on a 3 day split routine, each workout consisting of 3 supersets.  So I generally do an upper body compound exercise, rest 30 seconds, then complete a lower body exercise, rest 30 seconds and go again.  The other supersets adhere to the same idea of challenging one area of the body and then another almost immediately after.  This is referred to as Peripheral Heart Action and requires the heart to pump a lot of blood to one area of the body (for example chest and arms) and then shift it to another (the legs).  This keeps your heart rate elevated and ensures a decent "cardio" workout whilst performing strength focussed exercises.

Temptation? Was pretty bleary eyed at 05:30, black coffee would have been nice.

Mood: Good

Notes:

The Almond Ball contains all natural ingredients, with protein and carbohydrates being the primary macronutrients, great post workout.  'Booja Booja' make dairy and gluten free organic ice cream combining just four ingredients.  I had 'Hunky Punky Chocolate" flavour which is made from agave syrup (a sweet plant that looks similar to aloe vera), cashew nuts, cocoa powder and water.  It was delicious, you pay a premium for it but I would highly recommend it as a healthy treat.  It's low GI and also low GL (glycemic load - more on this in another post).

The defendant pleads innocent

Ok so coconut oil, why is it so great?  It contains medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) that are not destroyed when heated.  MCFAs are rapidly absorbed by the body and quickly used as fuel by organs and muscles instead of being stored as fat.  They are popular amongst athletes looking to improve their energy levels and enhance endurance during exercise.  Furthermore, they enhance thermogenesis (fat burning).  If you're still not sold on coconut oil then head to this link and check out the benefits, about halfway down the page... http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/  And it tastes good too!  Coconut oil can also be used to treat dry skin, sun burn, mix it with water as an effective anti-bacterial mouth wash, the list goes on and on...