Hello,

okay so here is my first real post. Sorry it took so long from last winter when I opened up this blog, but as most strength coaches will tell you, there is never an offseason for us - there are always athletes to train! And we had a busy summer. Hopefully I can start to post more regularly.
So the first post I wanted to have was about your health and wellness. What you do with your training is literally only half the battle. What you do with your recovery habbits - specifically your nutrition, and your rest, will ultimately determine how successful you are. And this goes for athletes as well as anyone who is trying to lose weight or gain muscle, etc. Below I have a health performance check list. We gave this to our athletes here at BU, so they can see what areas they are lacking in. I think it will open anyones eyes who think they are doing really well, but you can always do better!

1. Do you eat breakfast 7 days a week?

2. Do you eat foods from 3 different food groups at breakfast (ie: fruit,whole grain and protein)?

3. Do you eat 2-3 balanced meals at approximately the same time each day?

4. Do you eat a nutritious mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack that includes at least 1 serving of protein?

5. Do you eat at least 2 pieces of fresh fruit each day?

6. Do you eat at least 3 servings of fresh vegetables each day (1 serving = size of your fist)?

7. Do you choose high fiber breads and cereals only?

8. Do you eat lean and/or low-fat protein at each meal (ie: skim milk vs. 2% milk)?

9. Do you limit your intake of saturated-fat found in meats, cheeses, dairy products, butter, egg yolks?

10. Do you eat at least 2 servings of “good fat” each day found in nuts, seeds, extra virgin olive oil, olives, avocados and fish?

11. Do you limit your intake of processed and refined foods – foods made from white flour, foods high in sugar and sodium, packaged foods?

12. Do you eat and drink adequately to maintain your bodyweight (this should be your goal unless you are on a fat loss or weight gain program)?

13. Do you eat a post-workout/post-practice snack within 30 minutes?

14. Do you eat a post-workout/post-practice meal within 2 hours?

15. Do you drink half your body bodyweight in ounces of water each day (not including fluid intake during exercise)?

16. Do you sleep at least 7-8 hours a night?

17. Do you go to bed at approximately the same time each night and get up at approximately the same time each morning (within 30 minutes of same time)?

18. Do you take a multivitamin rich in the antioxidant nutrients (Vitamins A, C, E, phytonutrients) each day?

19. Do you take 1000-2000mg of fish oil (capsules) each day?
20. Do you limit or avoid alcohol?



SCORE: Count the total number of times you answered yes.

16-20: Prepared to Win! 11-15:Losing and Edge! <10:missing>