Supporting Your Training With Nutrition

Healthy eating can be a touchy subject. There are a plethora of diets in the wild: some good, some not so good. Over the years I have experimented with my diet and found that what works best for me is a Paleo or Primal diet.

My journey is as follows:

For years, I ate like everyone else with no apparent problems – or at least so I thought. While training in Aikido, no matter how hard I tried, I just could not get my Cardio fitness to the level I wanted. I tried various things and worked hard at improving myself. While I did meet with some success, it seemed like an awful lot of effort with mediocre results for the time invested.

When I was younger and training in other Martial Arts, I did some very intensive training. Regularly, I would find that I would hit a wall and could go no further while others were able to surpass me. This made no sense and it took me quite a while to figure out why – more on that later.

At 26 I developed Hypertension and began taking  blood pressure medication. As the years progressed, I would have occasional stomach cramps after eating and wake up at night with a pain in my chest – caused by an inflamed esophagus, as I later learned. Eventually, I would be diagnosed with Acid Reflux and take medication. This helped somewhat and the chest pain went away, but the occasional stomach cramps continued.

Over time, I experimented with various ways of eating: High Protein diets, Low Fat High Carb diets and Vegetarianism. All gave some results, but none were sustainable and I still had symptoms of tiredness and stomach cramps. I spoke with my physicians, had blood tests etc, but as far as they could tell I was a ‘healthy’ person taking medication for Acid Reflux and High Blood pressure. I weighed about 215 lbs.

Through more experimentation I determined that I have an issue with wheat (gluten) and all wheat variants. I started  to follow a gluten free diet and had some good results – I lost 15 lbs and my stomach cramps went away. I still had my “Cardio Wall” but it was somewhat better. I was still taking the medications, however.

A couple years ago, I was renting dojo space from Crossfit Guelph. During this time I was exposed to the Paleo style of eating and saw the results that exercise coupled with a good diet made. This peaked my interest and I did further research – by the way, Mike at Crossfit Guelph is a great guy. If you want to train hard, eat well and look great, his gym is the place to be. Crossfit is a cool versatile fitness program and there are new gyms popping up all over.

I followed a strict Paleo diet for about 3 months and lost another 25 lbs. Yep, that was 25 lbs. I went from 200 lbs to 175 lbs and that is where I have stayed. Here is the interesting part. I have not added any additional exercise to my regimen. I train in Aikido three days a week and that is it. This exercise is mild to moderate with short bursts of intensity. In addition, I experienced an increase in my Cardio fitness without really trying to improve it. During the summer I coached Soccer for my son’s team and in one game I had to referee. I ran up and down the field with the kids thinking that I would be a little tired after, as I don’t run regularly. Ironically, I was fine and kept up with the kids no problem. Not a big deal, just an interesting observation.

Finally, to make sure that what I was doing wasn’t killing me, I advised my Physicians that I was eating a Paleo/Primal diet. They were surprised by the weight loss, 40 lbs in total, and I had more blood work done. Results were good and my numbers were the best they have ever been.

At this time, I no longer take medication for Acid Reflux and I have halved my dosage of blood pressure medication twice. My goal is to eventually stop that as well and become 100% medication free. It may take a few years , but I am determined to see that happen.

Over time, I continued to experiment with my diet and I settled with the Primal Diet. It is similar to a Paleo Diet, but a little less strict. I continue to be Dairy and Grain free (except for the occasional bit of rice) and I have maintained my weight loss and feel great.

If you are interested in a little experimentation, challenge yourself to a 30-day Paleo/Primal lifestyle and see how you feel afterwards. You will be pleased with the results and likely to continue.

Lee Darke