HOW TO IMPLEMENT "BLUE ZONE PRINCIPLES" TO ENHANCE PERFORMANCE OUTCOMES AND BREAK DISORDERED EATING PATTERS IN FEMALE ATHLETES
By Drew Mulvey MS, CDN, CNS, CLT, PNL1, CISN
I was recently watching this Netflix documentary on the Blue Zones, or areas of the world that have the largest population of centenarians. They also appear to not only have longevity but age well. This is not only important for our quality of life but very necessary for optimizing our athletic performance. Here are some ways that we can implement these principals into our routine.
Nutrition
Many of these nutrition principles were advocating for vegan or vegetarian diets. In fact, many of their nutritional value came from carbohydrates. Does that mean that this concept is applicable to everyone, particularly athletes? Here is what I am saying, plants are excellent but high quality, clean proteins are also incredibly important to implement into your training routine. Why is this?
Inflammation from the demands of sport can decrease muscle tone and strength if not addressed with raw materials from food. We also need the building blocks of that muscle to counteract that. We are climbing up mountains, running long distances, sprinting up and down gyms or on the field at practice. There are great demands on our body.
My strategy, implement a little bit of everything and what works best for you (genetically, physically, etc.). This means incorporating the most nutrient dense foods most of the time and adding in those other meals that can be emotionally enjoyable. In fact, allow yourselves time to feast! This helps you to fuel up for your sport, be emotionally satisfied and not succumb to “restrict, binge, restrict” pattern. (I have used these very principals on myself and my clients and seen amazing success!) Your body directly responds to the enjoyment of the flavor complexes and even the sense of nostalgia in a very positive way. In fact, it can allow your body to digest the food better and assimilate important nutrients in your body.
Many of these cultures rely on local whole foods for the best health outcomes, but protein powders, gels, etc, certainly have their place. In fact, I am a huge fan of Huma gels, Maurten gels and Clif Bars. The more whole food, the more nutrients being delivered to your bloodstream. Another great strategy that I used during my Ironman 70.3 training and can be very beneficial for you endurance athletes is Matt Fitzgerald’s approach to the endurance diet. There is a focus on whole, complex carbs, fruits and vegetables along with utilizing clean proteins such as vegetables sources like beans, organic tofu, seeds, plant protein powders and clean proteins from grass-fed, pasture raised animals, wild caught fish, grass-fed organic dairy products and pastured eggs.
Try this! Spend a night cooking a great meal full of fresh vegetables, throw some beans in there for protein and carbohydrates, (a clean source of meat such as grass fed animal products and wild caught fish can use used as well!), use some herbs and spices that maybe you haven’t incorporated before, top with some olive oil, nuts or seeds and ponder all the flavor complexes of these dishes! I personally love a good buddha bowl full of complex carbs, plant-based and clean proteins, nuts, seeds or a little sauce and a LOT of color!
Here are some more ideas for incorporating more plants and flavors into your nutrition routine! (Personally, I am loving the falafel and hummus dish in this one!)
Community
Community is essential for the well being of the athlete, especially those with any sort of disordered eating. Typically, when one truly does have a problem, they want to isolate and hide. Creating a support environment amongst team members or others either working through or have made it to the other side will be crucial for healing, not only mentally but physically. Why is this?
A recent study done measured the impact on community based sports programs amongst a group of “vulnerable individuals.” Not only does this help to improve physical health but lead to subjects improving self esteem, a sense of belonging through constructive group dynamics (aka teamwork and team creative problem solving), and a heightened awareness of their own capabilities.1 This is incredibly powerful when there are amazing coach/coachee dynamics. In fact, I shared this in a recent newsletter. A recent study looked deeper into the impacts of this relationship on athletic performance outcomes. This was my favorite finding.
“The ability to work with the athlete as an individual, setting mutual goals, and adapting training programs to specific needs was important for building trust in the relationship.”2 The ability to train an athlete as an individual also helps to develop self esteem, feel encouraged and prevents the athlete from potentially overtraining.
Another sub sect of this is family. Family can be blood related AND non blood related. I believe this is also linked largely to “finding your tribe.” If these parameters are true of a coach, they are certainly true of the people that you hang around. Make sure to pencil in some time to spend time with these amazing people. In fact, studies have demonstrated that social rejection in adolescent females lead to “increased gene expression of inflammatory markers” and an increased incidence of inflammation later into adulthood.3 As a coach, it is important to continuously assess the team dynamic to create an encouraging, safe and favorable environment for each athlete. (Everyone, I know this first hand as I was one of those girls and dealt with several health conditions in adult years!)
NATURE
This one was not addressed specifically but nature therapy can play a HUGE role in the mental well-being and physical health of the athlete. WHy is this? I have talked extensively in the past about grounding, a phenomenon where one’s electrons become “balanced” and can improve mental health and decrease inflammation. In fact, they now make a grounding mat. Check out this blog post for more information on this.
https://www.redeeminglifenutrition.com/blog/summer-solstice-bring-in-the-fire
https://www.redeeminglifenutrition.com/blog/dive-into-summer-in-good-health
What has taken us away from utilizing this free form of therapy and healing? The constant demands from our phones, computers, TV screens. In fact, this has almost gotten us disconnected from our very roots. How many of us are spending time running around in the woods and “being kids?” Today’s world looks very different from when I was a kid and, personally, I can see the impacts.
My advice, on an active recovery day, escape out into the woods. If the weather is nice, implement outdoor workouts. Body weight is EXCELLENT for endurance athletes and I am a big fan of the TRX bands. If you are a cyclist, runner, mountain biker, etc. then you are already utilizing this amazing principle. In the blue zones, they were focused on keeping a garden. This hit the nutrition aspect as well as active recovery. If not able to get into a garden, surround yourself with plants in the room while doing a pilates workout and make sure to get out for some winter hiking and walks!
The Bottom Line
What is the underlying theme of all of this? CONNECTION!! Disordered eating is commonly a disconnection with oneself leading to disconnection with others, and more importantly, a disconnection with the nourishing factor that food provides. Social rejection led to an increase in inflammatory proteins as well as isolation, this may very much have an effect on those underfueling and improperly eating. Why? This could lead to days missed from sporting events due to increased number of sick days, injuries or decreased performance and stamina which can take a further toll on the mental well being of the athlete. It can even go further into social isolation from social events and family gatherings from living too far on extremes.Are we starting to see a trend? Any area that places unnecessary stress on the body can impact it’s ability to recover from sporting events and inhibit the athlete from reaching their true athletic potential.
Want to start living out your true athletic potential and being thriving in your sport and life? I highly suggest implementing these principals as “non-negotiables” and watch how you start to flourish!
Note: This is intended for educational purposes only! If there is a suspected underlying problem or confusion, please reach out to a licensed mental health care professional and nutrition expert (such as me) to get you performing your best!
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References:
Van der Veken K, Lauwerier E, Willems SJ. How community sport programs may improve the health of vulnerable population groups: a program theory. Int J Equity Health. 2020 May 24;19(1):74. doi: 10.1186/s12939-020-01177-5. PMID: 32448226; PMCID: PMC7245920.
Foulds SJ, Hoffmann SM, Hinck K, Carson F. The Coach-Athlete Relationship in Strength and Conditioning: High Performance Athletes’ Perceptions. Sports (Basel). 2019 Dec 4;7(12):244. doi: 10.3390/sports7120244. PMID: 31817157; PMCID: PMC6956380.
Leschak CJ, Eisenberger NI. Two Distinct Immune Pathways Linking Social Relationships With Health: Inflammatory and Antiviral Processes. Psychosom Med. 2019 Oct;81(8):711-719. doi: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000685. PMID: 31600173; PMCID: PMC7025456.
