Nourishment is more than just Nutrition.
Nourishment- /nur-iSH-ment/ noun: substance (and knowledge) for growth, satisfying hunger beyond fruits and vegetables.
Nourishing efforts (and knowledge) include…
Taper
Sleep
Nutrition
Training
Taper Time (4 pages in the book)
It is the time for repair, rebuilding, growth, and building towards peak performance at the end of all the hard training. But it is a time filled with anxiety, doubt, and many, many hard questions. One of those hard questions is… “Why do I get sick or feel sick as I start the taper process?”
Open Window Theory
According to Dr. David Neiman’s Open Window Theory, extensive training (week to week, month to month) can overwork the anti-inflammatory immune system through continuous cycles of wear and tear, without meeting the reparative demands that would trigger a full-on pro-inflammatory response during the first few days of rest.
Anti-inflammation vs. Pro-inflammation
(good) (not-so-good)
Anti-inflammatory (good athletic pain) is a partial immune response for day-to-day healing. This allows for short-term repair and recovery, with the daily release of satellite stem cells and specialized lipid-proteins that aid in the repair-prepare of damaged cells.
(Lipid-proteins are fat-based proteins that are essential to a healthy diet and aid recovery. Include fatty fish such as salmon and tuna, eggs, nuts and seeds such as almonds and chia seeds, and dairy products such as whole milk, whole-milk yogurt, and cheese.)
Pro-inflammatory (not-so-good medical pain) as excessive damage (beyond day-to-day recovery) triggers a more pronounced pro-inflammatory response (medical pain). Instead of the daily repair process, a hormonal response triggers the release of prostaglandins, leukotrienes, cytokines, and myokines.
Unfortunately, a pro-inflammatory response does attack and eliminate damaged cells. When tissue is damaged (beyond day-to-day repair), injured or dying cells release specific chemical signals. These signals call for the use of highly aggressive immune cells, like neutrophils and macrophages, to the area that make you feel sick.
To help prevent the pro-inflammatory response during taper time,
an athlete should incorporate more in-season recovery methods such as…
Massage Therapy
Cupping
Neuro-Muscular Eletrical Stimulation
Gua Sha/Scrapping Therapy
Pin and Release
Massage Gun
Cold Plunge*
Hot Sauna**
Red Light Therapy
Hyperbaric Chamber
* Cold plunge immediately after an intense cardio-based workout.
*Cold plunge 4 to 6 hours after a heavy lifting training session.
**Wait until heart rate drops to a near-normal resting heart rate.
Sleep (5 pages in the book)
Your sleep process (and benefits) revolves around the activation and use of four key hormones:
1. Cortisol
2. Serotonin
3. Melatonin
4. Human Growth Hormone
1. Cortisol is the superhero hormone released in the morning that motivates you to get out of bed. It maintains its importance through three precisely timed release points, each lasting from sunrise to early afternoon.
2. Serotonin starts with what you eat, what you do, and how you feel, known as a Serotonin Lunch. Eating a tryptophan-rich lunch boosts serotonin levels, helping you through the rest of the day's activities, including physical training.
In the afternoon (after a healthy Serotonin Lunch), serotonin helps align the brain's circadian signals with peripheral tissue clocks, optimizing core body temperature, muscle metabolism, and motor coordination to prepare the body for peak physical strength.
Circadian and Physical Preparation
Temperature Regulation: Serotonin pathways help drive the late-afternoon rise in core body temperature, which warms up muscle fibers and reduces stiffness for better movement.
Muscle Clock Alignment: Signals tied to daytime neurotransmitter activity sync with the molecular clocks in skeletal muscles, peaking mitochondrial efficiency between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Alertness and Motor Control: Afternoon serotonergic activity sharpens central nervous system arousal, improving the brain's ability to recruit motor units for strength and power.
3. Melatonin is made from serotonin at sunset.
Circadian Rhythm: It controls your master internal 24-hour clock.
Melatonin is the primary antioxidant that sets the process for all other antioxidants.
Slows the body by lowering blood pressure, reducing alertness, and decreasing body temperature to help you rest and prepare.
Prepares for the release of Human Growth Hormone.
4. Human Growth Hormone is released in it’s greatest amounts (70-75%) during the first 3-hours of sleep known as the HGH-sleep cycle.
Human growth hormone (HGH) helps the body by stimulating growth, building protein, and managing energy.
Nurtition / Nourishment against Hunger (5 pages in the book)
Hunger (catabolic survival) disrupts every part of an athlete's journey toward becoming more human. Any prolonged period of hunger, whether during the day or at night, will inevitably slow the growth and regeneration of muscle cells. (Save your intermittent fasting experiments for your non-athletic days.)
Hunger = Catabolic Survival = Muscle Loss
Your body is constantly sending you messages…
Did you know there are five types of hunger messages?
-Calorie Hunger: Routine hunger between meals…
The body releases “hunger hormones” 3 to 4 hours after the last meal, as the stomach empties, in accordance with predictable digestive cycles (breakfast, lunch, and dinner).
-Dehydration Hunger: Body hunger when nothing sounds good to eat…
You’re less hungry but more thirsty. This misleading form of thirst reduces your ability to produce, process, and use muscle glycogen. Dehydration hunger may also signal low electrolyte levels. Eat water-rich foods with hydrating electrolytes, such as grapes (82%), celery (95%), cucumbers (96%), watermelon (96%), peaches (89%), and apples (86%).
-Protein Hunger: Body hunger radiates deep into your bones and muscles…
As the irisin hormone signals the need for new and improved body parts, your bone marrow, enzymatic reactions, and stem cells urgently need additional protein building blocks to produce better blood, improve muscle cells, and increase the number of mitochondria.
-Carbohydrate Hunger: Body hunger persists when you can’t seem to eat enough…
As an athlete, you will have days of endless eating as new and improved athletic body parts become available. Energy requirements shift from maintenance to higher metabolic demand, increasing the need for carbohydrate/glycogen to fuel activity.
-Sugar Hunger: Body hunger that creates an overwhelming craving for sweets…
Sugar is a weakness!
This catabolic stress and hormonal imbalance are also caused by emotional issues that trigger insulin responses, leading to increased sugar cravings due to brain chemistry, low energy, and habit. (You can turn off this type of hunger by eating protein!)
Brain Chemistry and Hormones
Dopamine release: Eating sugar lights up the brain's reward centers and releases feel-good chemicals.
Stress and comfort: Hard times or low moods lower serotonin, making the brain look for sweet foods to feel better.
Hormone shifts: Natural changes during a menstrual cycle can trigger strong urges for sweet snacks.
Physical Triggers
Quick energy: When you skip meals or eat unbalanced food, your blood sugar drops, and your body asks for fast fuel.
Not enough sleep: Tiredness messes with hunger hormones, which can boost your appetite for junk food and sweets.
Dehydration: The body can mix up thirst with hunger or a desire for food.
Habits and Environment
Daily routines: Eating dessert after dinner or grabbing a sweet coffee every morning trains your brain to expect sugar at those times.
Routine Boredom: See above Dopamine.
Memories and cues: Celebrations, stress, or sadness are often paired with sweet treats, creating a mental link.
Here is a short list of never, evers…
Never, ever go to bed hungry!
Never, ever go to practice hungry!
Never, ever delay post-training nourishment!
(Extended hunger steals your athletic gains.)
Nourishment for Training/Recovery (5 pages in the book)
Never, ever go to practice hungry!
Never, ever delay post-training nourishment!
Pre-training, During-training (longer than two hours), and Post-training are the most important meals of the day!
And its not that complicated… PB&J sandwich is the most common “staple snack” across all sports and all levels.
MLB legend Derek Jeter, a five-time World Series Champion, ate a PB&J sandwich an hour before each game: 2,747 games, 2,747 PB&Js. The list of athletes who also prefer a PB&J includes Michael Phelps, Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Katie Ledecky, Kobe Bryant, and many others. According to surveys from the 2023-2024 season, the NFL reported that more than 80,000 PB&Js were consumed before, during, and after games.
A PB&J is a nutritious snack, meal, or pre-workout option that is portable and easy to digest. Most importantly, its nutritional value (fiber, protein, fat, minerals, vitamins) easily satisfies your NPY hunger hormone, keeping you moving forward in an anabolic state. (A touch of sweetness from the jelly provides a dopamine reward.)
Bonus: Recently, the University of Michigan School of Public Health discovered that a healthy PB&J can slow your aging process by lowering your heart rate. (Potassium and other high-electrolyte foods help lower your heart rate and improve metabolic rates.)
The book covers the 4 Step process that establishes a much-needed post-training nutrition pattern.