Ch-Ch-Changes

Happy Sunday! This is the first and only month of the year where the 1st falls on a Sunday, so I wanted to do a special cross over edition for Sunday Brunch Club and The Fueling Forward Newsletter! Today, all subscribers will get to see what the Sunday Brunch Club is all about. If you don’t subscribe to Sunday Brunch Club, be sure to upgrade today so you can continue to get these weekly!

As I mentioned last week, I’m working on slowly increasing my mileage to get ready for my New York City Marathon training block, which will start in about 6 weeks. My goal for May was to get up to 20 miles per week by the end, which I just hit this morning (woohoo!). I also did my first “workout” aka running faster than an easy jog. For June, I’ll be working my way up to 30 mile per week, and adding some hill sprints and longer runs to prep my body for the build in July.

In today’s newsletter:

• What’s for dinner? I’ve planned out your week in meals and snacks so you don’t have to! Check out my menu plan for the week, and some simple recipes to go with it.

• Weekly accountability challenge: For the month of June, we’re starting a new accountability challenge theme - support your digestion! We’ll start with working on one of the biggest mistakes I see people make 👀.

• Science corner: I’ve been seeing a lot of posts on social media about creatine, so today I’m breaking down what the science says to help you make an informed decision for yourself.

• Food for thought: Next week will be my 1 year anniversary of retiring from professional running (crazy!), and lately I’ve been more aware of the ways in which my body has shifted. While body changes can be uncomfortable, I wanted to share my thoughts on the topic and ways I’ve been navigating the shift.

Do you have topics, recipes, or thoughts that you’d like to see in the next Sunday Brunch Club? Reply to this email and let me know!

FUELING FORWARD ANNOUNCEMENTS

Before diving into today’s newsletter, I wanted to take a quick second to announce some exciting things coming up this summer at Fueling Forward!

• Fueling Forward Summer Boot Camp Series - this 4 week series is geared toward high school runners who will be training over the summer for fall xc. It includes blood work, 4 weekly Zoom calls covering sports nutrition topics specific to high school runners, downloadable resources and more! Learn more about the series and sign up for session 1 or 2 HERE.

• Fall Marathon Group Coaching Program - if you’re planning to run a marathon this fall (October, November or even December), this program is for you! Over the course of 12 weeks, we’ll make sure you feel confident in your fueling strategy so you can feel and perform your best come race day. Learn more about that program HERE.

• NYCM Fundraising - I’m going to be running the New York City Marathon this fall as a charity runner for TrackGirlz, a nonprofit working to provide girls access to mentorship and sport through track and field empowerment programs. I have the goal of raising $4500 for them by November, so if you’re interested in donating I would greatly appreciate any and all support! If you would like, you can make a donation HERE.

Listen👇🏼: to the most recent episode of the Fueling Forward podcast where you can find interviews with athletes or listen to me answer questions submitted by listeners.

WHAT’S FOR DINNER

Weekly Menu Plan

As school lets out and summer rolls around, I know things can feel chaotic as you settle into a new routine. These recipes are simple, balanced and easy to make for families so are great to help you get into the swing of things this June!

Breakfasts:

1. Overnight oats topped with diced apples

   • For these, I add ½ cup whole rolled oats, ¼ cup vanilla Greek yogurt, ½ cup milk, 1 tbsp chia seeds, 2 tbsp nut butter, and maple syrup to taste in a container and mix until combined. I add diced apple in the morning so it stays crunchy. Any fruit topping works!

   • I like to make multiple batches in separate mason jars for a quick grab and go breakfast. Not to mention, it’s perfect for this time of year because it’s a cold option.

2. Scrambled eggs with shredded cheese, bell pepper, spinach and onions served on 2 slices of sourdough with avocado

   • If you need more protein, consider adding breakfast sausage or a small Greek yogurt and fruit parfait on the side.

3. Cottage cheese pancakes with a green mango smoothie

   • Pancakes: blend 1 cup of cottage cheese, ½ cup flour, 2 eggs, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 1 tsp baking powder, cinnamon and maple syrup to taste in a food processor or blender (add milk if it’s too thick), then cook on a griddle or in a skillet.

   • Smoothie: ½ cup vanilla Greek yogurt, 1 cup frozen mango chunks, handful of spinach, sprinkle of cinnamon, and milk.

Lunches:

1. Peanut Thai chicken wraps on a large tortilla paired with tortilla chips and carrots and hummus

   • I buy the pre-shredded cabbage and carrot mix from Trader Joe’s to avoid having to do any chopping.

2. Breakfast for lunch - an egg sandwich on a bagel with cheese and avocado, with a side of bell pepper and hummus

   • Fun fact, bagels have about 10-15g of protein per bagel so are a great way to add more carbs and protein to meals.

3. Bean and cheese burrito, tortilla chips and guac, and an apple with peanut butter

   • This is kind of a hodgepodge lunch but it uses similar ingredients to other meals and snacks, which helps prevent food waste and saves money!

Dinners:

1. Butternut squash butter chicken served over rice

   • I loooove this recipe and it’s actually so easy. One thing to note is that it is very spice heavy (both spicy and spice-y), so I use ½ the amount of spices and find that it still has a nice flavor and kick without being overpowering. Trust me, I basically pepper sprayed my entire house making it the first time.

   • I buy the pre-cubed butternut squash because let’s be honest cutting a butternut squash is not easy 😅.

2. Mustard salmon with smashed baby potatoes and a simple kale salad

   • For the salmon, spread a layer of whole grain mustard on the salmon fillet and bake it in the oven at 400 until done.

   • For the potatoes, I coat baby potatoes with avocado oil, salt and pepper and bake on a baking sheet until they’re easily pierced with a fork (about 20 minutes at 400). Then, smash the potatoes with a mason jar or glass and put them back in under the broiler until crispy.

   • For a simple kale salad, I mix pre-chopped kale, diced avocado, sliced strawberry, and roasted pepita seeds then use a lemon/oil based dressing like Garlic Expressions or make one myself!

3. Greek sheet pan chicken bowl served over rice with pita bread

   • I found this recipe on Instagram and made a few adjustments, the final result is linked below.

Snacks:

• Kefir and peanut butter filled pretzels

• Energy bites and a banana

  • I double the batch and freeze the energy bites so they last me more than 1 week

• Trail mix

Recipes ⬇️

Greek sheet pan chicken bowl

Ingredients:

• Sheet pan bake:

  • 2 bell peppers, roughly chopped

  • 1 zucchini, cut into half coins

  • ½ sweet onion, roughly chopped

  • 1 tbsp oil (I use avocado oil)

  • 1 ½ tsp turmeric

  • 1 tsp each of smoked paprika, chili powder, ginger, garlic powder, and cumin

• Chicken

  • 1.5lb chicken (I use chicken thighs) cubed

  • 1 tbsp oil (I use avocado oil)

  • 2 tsp each of smoked paprika and cumin

  • 1 tsp each of chili powder, ginger, garlic powder, and turmeric

• Tzatziki sauce

  • 1 cup full fat plain Greek yogurt

  • ½ English cucumber

  • ¼ cup fresh dill

  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley

  • 1 garlic clove

  • Juice from 1 lemon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425F.

2. Prepare 2 baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper.

3. Toss the veggies with oil and seasonings, then spread them evenly on one of the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

4. Toss the chicken with the oil and seasonings, then spread them evenly on the other prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until it reaches an internal temp of 165.

5. In a blender or food processor, blend together the ingredients for the tzatziki.

6. Serve the veggies and chicken over rice with pita bread and top with the tzatziki sauce, and additional herbs/cucumbers if desired.

Need to add more?

Depending on your training goals and personal needs, you may need more food than this! If that’s the case, you can start by increasing your portion sizes, or making some of the following adjustments:

• Add tortilla chips or pretzels with lunches or snacks.

• Add extra nut butter, avocado, oil, or nuts/seeds to foods.

• Decrease your portion sizes of color and increase your portion sizes of carbs.

**This plan feeds 2-3 hungry adults, so if you have kiddos or more in the household you may need to double recipes!

Something I’m very passionate about in the sports performance world is conducting more research with female subjects. Most everything in sports science is based on research done on males, and then the results are applied to women with a “shrink it and pink it” approach. That’s why I’m so excited to be partnering with Hettas for the month of May. Hettas is a female founded company that produces high performance footwear designed based on research done on women, so the shoe better reflects a woman’s unique needs. Women have higher arches, a lower ankle bone, upward angled toenails, and a smaller, more rounded instep, all of which the Hettas shoe design takes into account. They are both breathable and durable, and fit like a glove. I’ve been running in them for the past 2 months and absolutely love them, and have even noticed my chronic shin splints have gone away! If you’re interested in learning more, head to www.hettas.com to check them out.

WEEKLY ACCOUNTABILITY CHALLENGE

June’s accountability challenge theme is going to be supporting your digestion by working on something called “meal hygiene”, which is a big one for athletes and active individuals. Making sure your body is able to properly digest food will reduce stomach issues and improve nutrient absorption to help prevent deficiencies and optimize your energy levels. This starts with having good mealtime habits, and this week’s challenge might surprise some people.

This week’s challenge: sit down to eat

Week 1 - sit down for ALL meals

Are you noticing uncomfortable symptoms like gas and bloating after meals? This is super common, and one that’s often more related to lifestyle than underlying GI issues. Most of us are constantly on the go, so we’re squeezing in meals when possible between tasks. Whether that’s eating breakfast in the car on the way to work, or eating lunch while walking to class, I rarely have athletes who are consistently sitting down for all meals.

The problem with that is that our body is either in a sympathetic nervous system dominant state (think fight or flight) or it’s in a parasympathetic nervous system dominant state (think rest and digest). We need to be in that rest and digest mode in order for our body to produce adequate digestive enzymes and stomach acid, but if we’re actively moving we’re in that fight or flight mode, which significantly decreases our digestive capacity.

I know it can be difficult to find the time to do this, but carving out 15-20 minutes to sit down and eat can make a world of a difference for your digestive tract. This can be a hard habit to break, and awareness is the first step. So, if you catch yourself eating while multitasking, take a second to sit down and focus on your meal. It really helps!

SCIENCE CORNER

Creatine is everywhere these days, and companies that sell creatine do a very convincing job of making us all think we need it. But is it really all it’s cracked up to be? Let’s break that down ⬇️.

What is creatine?

Creatine is a naturally occurring compound made from amino acids that plays a key role in energy production. More specifically, it helps our mitochondria (finally you can put your knowledge of the powerhouse of the cell to use!) produce ATP, which our working muscles use for fuel during exercise. It’s stored in muscle tissue, and the more we have available the more energy we can produce.

Creatine is both produced within the body and found naturally in foods like meat and seafood. Creatine supplements are in the form of creatine monohydrate, and are synthetically made.

Why is creatine so popular in the sports performance world?

Creatine is actually one of the most researched ergogenic aids (known legal performance enhancing substances) on the market. So the good news is that it has been shown to be relatively safe! This is not something I can say for most supplements out there.

Research has shown that 5g of creatine supplementation daily can benefit performance by:

• Increasing muscle protein synthesis after training sessions, so you can get more out of strength training and workouts.

• Improving recovery time between sets by buffering lactic acid, allowing endurance athletes to maintain the same effort for longer before fatigue sets in.

• Enhancing muscle glycogen storage after a training session, improving recovery and energy availability.

• Prolonging mental fatigue, allowing athletes to stay focused and reduce their perception of pain.

Our body makes about 1-2g of creatine daily, and we typically get another 1-2g daily if we eat meat and fish. However, while this may be enough to maintain adequate creatine levels in muscle tissue it may not be enough to optimize them. Certain athletes may benefit more from incorporating a supplement, such as plant based athletes who don’t consume much dietary creatine or post menopausal athletes who are more likely to experience a decrease in mitochondria and muscle mass.

Keep in mind that creatine pulls water into muscle, so it can cause fluid retention and bloating which can be uncomfortable for some. Despite what many people have said, it does not require excessive amounts of water or put you at risk for kidney damage. You do want to make sure you’re adequately hydrated in general, but you don’t need to go overboard just because you’re taking creatine.

Wow that sounds like a magic bullet, should I start using it?

While it does look really good on paper, it’s important to remember that no supplement is a quick fix or able to compensate for under fueling, so there are a few questions I would ask an athlete first before recommending creatine to them.

1. Are you doing everything you should be with your fueling? If you’re not fueling before and after training sessions, eating enough during the day, getting adequate carbs, and focusing on hydration, creatine supplementation won’t improve your performance. All of those building blocks have to be in place for it to be effective.

2. Can you be consistent with this and does the timing make sense? Creatine supplementation requires consistency to work. You need to take it daily for at least 1 month in order to see benefits. If you have a race next week, it’s probably not worth starting right now. But, if you’re heading into a training block it could be a tool you incorporate.

3. Is it worth your time, money and energy? Creatine supplementation can get expensive. You want to make sure you get a quality supplement, which often runs at least $30 per 1 month supply. For most athletes, focusing their resources on fueling first is going to be the best bang for their buck.

How should I incorporate creatine?

If you’ve decided that it’s something you’re interested in trying, you want to make sure you find a product that is high quality and that has the right form and dose. I recommend getting a third party verified option (Momentous, Thorne, etc.) to ensure it’s free from any unwanted additives or contaminants.

You want to make sure it’s in the form of creatine monohydrate and that the dose is 5g. Take 1 scoop (5g) daily for at least one month. The nice thing with creatine is that it doesn’t matter when you take it, so you can incorporate it any time of day. I have many athletes add it to a post workout recovery drink or smoothie. I will say it’s pretty grainy and doesn’t dissolve super well, so plain water might be a tough mix.

Bottom Line

I generally tell athletes that it’s going to be more worth their time, energy and money to focus on nailing their day-to-day fueling. As I mentioned above, if there are any gaps in your fueling, creatine is not going to make up for those, and you likely won’t be able to see any benefit to creatine with under fueling anyway. If you’re interested in trying it, consider how it fits into your personal routine and if it makes sense for you right now.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

So much has changed for me this past year, from retiring from professional running, to getting married, to moving to a new city, but maybe the most challenging change has been the way my body has shifted. It’s not that obvious to most people, but it has been obvious to me and was most recently made more obvious by trying to put on an old pair of jean shorts when the weather got hotter (why do we bother with jean shorts? are they comfortable even if they do fit??).

While I had a moment of panic, it was an important opportunity of reflection for me. I would be lying if I said it didn’t create some stress for me, but I had to remind myself of a couple of things.

1. Bodies change. They are supposed to change. This is normal, this is healthy and this is life. I’m not running 80 miles per week anymore, why should I expect my body to continue looking that way? I’m in a different season of life, and that’s ok.

2. It doesn’t mean I did anything wrong or failed. It’s easy to feel defeated by weight changes, and our society automatically labels any body change as “bad” and as something that needs to be fixed. But at the end of the day, I know I’m eating what I need to be eating and I’m moving my body in a way that feels good, and that’s all that matters to me.

3. I don’t want to do anything about it, and there is no reason to change it. I’m not going to eat less because I want to support my bone density and hormone health, and because I feel better when I eat enough. I’m not going to train more because I don’t want to. So, although it’s uncomfortable right now, I know that I’m doing everything I should be to take care of myself and I would never want to sacrifice my health for a number on the scale or a size on my clothing tags.

4. Changing my body isn’t the answer. I’ve had good and bad body image days in all sizes of my body, and changing my body won’t make me feel happier, bring me more joy, or add anything at all to my life. Finding peace with yourself comes from internal changes, not from external ones.

Despite having this narrative in my head, there are good days and bad days with body image. I’m human just like anyone else, and humans aren’t robots. When I’m having a tough day, I try to remind myself of all the things I’m grateful for about my body. I’m grateful that I can enjoy walks with my dog and husband, that I get to run and explore my new neighborhood, and that I have good energy levels throughout the day that allow me to be present for my clients and do the job I love. When I’m having a good day, I try to capture that positivity and write down those things that make me happy so I can remind myself of them on tough days.

I did treat myself to some new clothes, and while buying a size up can be hard, I can’t deny how much more comfortable I feel. I actually feel less triggered because the clothes aren’t as tight and uncomfortable, which was a constant reminder of my body’s shift. I also wrote a few things I love about myself that have nothing to do with my body and put them on a sticky note on my bathroom mirror to remind me that I’m so much more than my body.

So, if you’re also struggling with body changes I want you to know that you’re not alone! Everything you’re feeling is valid and ok, but that doesn’t mean anything needs to be done about it. We’ve been taught as a society that the number on the scale is a big defining factor of who we are, but I promise you that if you asked anyone in your life what their favorite thing about you is, not a single one would mention an external quality. You are more than your body, and your body deserves to be taken care of regardless of how you feel about it.

Stay fueled,
Maddie

Are you looking for more support in your fueling journey? Fueling Forward offers several programs from self-paced courses to 1:1 support. To learn more about those options, visit my website at www.fuelingforward.com