Scottsdale Chiropractor

General Principles | Sample Daily Schedule

1) Drink 12 oz. of water immediately when you wake up.

2) Drink a protein drink 20 minutes after water. I prefer a quality whey protein like recommended in the Performance Nutrition Program linked to this web page. Whey has the highest biological activity of any protein source. It is the most readily utilized by the body and supports healthy digestion and immune function. I recommend one without refined sugar or artificial sweeteners.

3) About 30 minutes later eat two pieces of fruit, preferably apples or oranges. They have a low glycemic index, meaning that they will more slowly release the fruit sugar into your bloodstream. Remember to always eat fruit by itself and not with any other food groups, especially proteins. This improves digestion and prevents fermentation of the sugars in the stomach due to the stomach acid released when other types of foods are being digested. Thirty minutes later eat your eggs, (a 3:2 ratio of whites to yolks), and your waffles with almond, macademia, hazelnut, sunflower or peanut butter and a small amount of syrup. Vary your nut butters by alternating them on a four day rotation if possible.

4) Work out approximately 1-2 hours later if you can. If you need to work out later in the day, simply follow steps I and II prior to your workout without the meal or wait 60 minutes after the meal to work out.

5) Immediately after your workout, drink a post workout drink (a blend of simple and complex carbohydrates with protein). For example, two to four scoops of ProGain and one scoop of Perfect Protein (Unipro brand).

*See the link to Performance Nutrition to order these and other nutritional products for athletes.

6) For lunch, (approx. 2-2 1/2 hours later) eat a healthy blend of protein, (30+ grams) with vegetables. Vegetables help reduce the acidity of your blood from the increased protein. This will help your blood carry more oxygen and help you recover faster from injury. Limit your starches to a minimum. If you want to use breads, try sprouted grain- flourless breads found in the frozen foods section at natural foods grocery stores.

7) About 2-3 hours after lunch eat a healthy snack, fruit or raw veggies. Include a Ultimate Protein drink 30 minutes later.

8) For your pre-game dinner eat light consisting of a light amount of protein, no fat, some whole grain pasta or rice and vegetables.

9) If you have a game, add complex carbs, such as vegetables, to the pre-game meal. Keep fat including dairy to a minimum as it can make you sluggish. Be sure you eat at least three hours before game time.

10) Immediately after the game drink 16 oz water, then 30 minutes later have a post workout shake if an afternoon game. If an evening game, eat something 30 minutes after re-hydrating with water. Don’t go to bed on a full stomach. You need to have 3-4 hours at least for your food to digest adequately before bedtime. If you don’t your body will not rest and repair well due to the energy required for digestion. If you have the post workout shake or eat, and don’t go to bed for another two hours or more, have another drink right before bed, but only Ultimate Protein, and 1 TBSP of flax oil mixed with water only. This gives you high quality essential fatty acids and allows for a “time release” effect of the protein while you sleep. Even protein alone may stimulate insulin release and effectively suppress growth hormone release, however the addition of the flax oil should slow the release of insulin and help to offset that response. This is the time to also take any growth hormone enhancing supplements like L-Glutamine, (2-3 grams).

Click here for a printable version of a sample daily schedule.