Greetings Food Athletes! Happy first day of September! I got off to a really good start with my site but I feel like I fell off the wagon so I hope you haven't missed me too much. It's a slight learning curve and a bit of a balancing act to supervise my own business and website. Thank you for visiting me again. I'm excited about this topic today and looking forward to your thoughts.

I recently took a mini break to relax and recharge my soul. As I was enjoying this vacation and most fortunate opportunity to clear my head and get inspired, I was also struck with this annoying feeling of anxiety. I was overcome with guilty questions like, why am I not writing more? I should be putting up posts every week. People are expecting me to share recipes, talk about nutrition and track my every meal by taking photographs. Did I mess this up already? Have I failed The Food Athlete just as quickly as I launched three weeks ago? Chill out Jessi! I said to myself. This is supposed to be quiet time. Shhhh. So how come I didn't feel that rush of inspiration and motivation? I don't know. I'm still not sure. Maybe I was so focused on the perfect topic, and title and photo. Or could it be I was having writers block? I've heard of this but didn't think I would run out of ideas already. So I just said a little prayer, I let go of all expectations, I went on with my trip and just put aside the computer and the idea that I must write and that was that. Mission accomplished. I had a beautiful trip, and it filled my heart and soul with happiness and when I got home the ideas started flooding in. New month, new day, new goals.

So, what's today's post about? Well, funny you should ask, and I thank you for reading thus far and joining me in my private therapy session. When I was away I had a chance to explore some of my roots. Turns out I have quite a bit of history in one of my favorite places in the world. And since I don't believe in coincidences but I do believe in the power of the universe it will come as no surprise to those of you who know me, that Ojai and I are connected by family history. As I was touring the school that my great grandfather Louis Zalk helped create I discovered he was also an accomplished author. A book of poems sits in a display case across the courtyard from the famous Zalk Theater, ahh, so that's where I get my love of the pen. As I went on with the site seeing through the cafeteria I am told about the healthy meals that are created for the students. Farm fresh, not just slopped on a plate, so-called tray-food you may remember as a kid in school. Meals are thoughtfully prepared for these young adults who are away from home and need the comfort and nutrients of home cooked meals. This was music to my ears, my history, my family, all connected to a spiritual place whose core beliefs are in sync with my own. The school of "arts" is so similar to the one I attended where you are motivated and taught to discover your POV and unleash your inner creative human. What a gift to get to enjoy this magical place and learn of my lineage. It makes so much sense to me now, how obsessed I am with Ojai.

Happy Valley School/ Ojai, Zalk Theater.

Rhodes Island, Greece/ Jewish Quarters 1996

What also makes sense is that our bloodline, where we came from and who we came from has a little something to do with our food makeup. Our genes and our eating lifestyle are indeed connected, "genetics" to give it a name. I have also been blessed with Mediterranean ancestors on my dad's side. The exotic foods I got to experience as a kid when I would go to visit my grandma are some of the same traditional Greek eats I indulged in while visiting where she grew up as a little girl, on the island of Rhodes. I am convinced my liberal Epicurious sense of adventure comes from my family tree. Thanks, mom, and dad!!

Taking a peek into why you may crave certain foods and which ones may link you to being more susceptible to an allergy or adverse reaction may be beneficial to your overall nutrition well-being. Since I'm not a doctor I do not do specific genetic testing, but I do work with clients exploring your family and food history as part of The Strategy, and along the way, there's bound to be some ah-ha moments. Ohhhh, so that's why I love spicy food!! Changing food behaviors means also looking deeper into reasons why and how these behaviors started. How were you taught to eat? Did you eat meals with the family? Did you cook mostly frozen food from microwaves? Were you introduced to fruits and veggies early on and educated about the vital nutrients that come from these foods? Many cultures have intense culinary rituals, so if you were raised with such food observances you could also struggle with adapting to or changing those behaviors too. But I think it's kinda amazing to have a food religion and to be so lucky to have grown up with organized meals, but that's just my opinion. If you were forced or it was a non-optional suggestion to observe Friday night Shabbat than you may be resisting a certain lifestyle when it comes to food in general. My point is that it's all relative and we all have our own personal issues surrounding eating.

Outdoor picnic when going "topless" was totally acceptable. Kenter Canyon Park/ 70's — Outdoor picnic when going "topless" was totally acceptable. Kenter Canyon Park/ 70's

Then there's genetics. Not just your genes or the food, but how they interact. It's like when I say to fitness clients, it doesn't matter if you workout all day long, if you are eating crappy than the exercise doesn't mean s--t. A little dash of this, a tiny dab of that, it's a mixture and balance and you can't try to cheat one or the other or it will all implode. So, back to the genes, not the one's we wear but the ones we are born with. The ones you can't return because they don't fit. But, good news, you can perhaps get into a different size. In fact, under the 5 Tenents of Nutritional Genomics "dietary intervention based on knowledge of nutritional requirement, nutritional status.....genotype (i.e.,personalized nutrition) can...... prevent... or cure chronic disease." In other words, it's not just what you eat that could kill you and it's not just your DNA that can cure you, how they interact that will, in the end, be the final say. The simple and obvious facts to track are a family history of high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and cancers. I don't think you will uncover any illness or situation that won't call for eating more fresh veggies and fruit over cheese, chips or baked processed stuff.

As we start winding down the Summer and transition into Fall this is when some serious nutrition considerations might step up to the forefront. It's getting to be holiday time and that also means family time. This could be the perfect opportunity to ask those important questions about health history, maybe pick up some forgotten traditions or brush up on the existing ones, making sure they are still serving you. I think September 1st is a perfect beginning of the month and sorta new season, to get to some goal setting. I'll start if you will? Let's buddy up and make a deal, I'll keep sharing with you if you share back with me. I'd love to hear from all of you. Even if the comment is, you see a type-o on line three. What are some of your favorite family food traditions or health habits you have picked up over the years? Or even some unhealthy ones that you would like to give up. I'm here to support you, the good the bad and the inedible.

I think this may be the beginning of many "zen and the art of....." topics. Eating as a philosophy is about joining your mental state of mind with fresh food sources to create a balance. I'm paraphrasing a little but that's the idea. Today I want to get your nutrition wheels turning and discuss food as energy. As a morning person, I get some reaction when asked what time I get up to teach or even do my own workout. Ready for it? 3:35 a.m! Yep, it's early but I love feeling like I'm the first and only one to begin the day. It's an odd number because I'm human and love to hit a snooze button a couple times. I'm trying to break this habit because there are some sleep facts to consider but again, another subject. Today is about fatigue, and smart simple fuel choices you can make to bring energy into your system daily.

What’s the deal with being too tired to eat? Is this really a thing? I’ve been hearing grumblings lately, and these words uttered more frequently. "I was too tired, so I skipped dinner." That being said I decided to delve in deeper to the facts since I've surprisingly noticed a running theme among my fitness clients, as well as my Food Athletes I am coaching. What do you mean you're too tired? Like you physically your tired and weak and can’t stick a piece of toast in the toaster and lift a knife to spread almond butter on it? Or you feel like your so lethargic that you can't use your jaw to chew? Or you've been fighting a cold and feel so depleted of energy that the thought of food makes you sick to your stomach? I hear a lot of these reasons and a good percentage of the time I consider them excuses. If that sounds judgy sorry. But eating is fun and delicious and not eating makes you cranky so why does it sound like it's a task when I hear this "too tired to eat" song. It's true that fatigue can send signals to your brain telling your taste buds that food is not yummy, or be so hungry that you're too confused to make a decision about what to eat, which then leads to some not so healthy choices. It's a cause and effect syndrome because when you don't eat eventually you'll be hungry and that's when the "too hungry to sleep" record starts playing. This is a merry-go-round you may want to exit, fast. I'm looking for solutions over at The Food Athlete and I've made it my mission to teach and educate the importance of supplying your precious one and only body with daily fuel so you can live a vibrant, happy, energetic life. Will you ever catch a cold or flu? Yes. Will those irritating little bugs take over your immune system causing you to take to your bed for a few days? Perhaps. Will you ever load up on pizza and beer watching a football game and feel a bit out of it the next day? Sure. Will you eat a slice of cake on your birthday? Duh. I didn't create this site to tell people what to, and not to eat, but rather to open up real conversations and discuss smart options and help instill healthy lifestyle behaviors. My question to you Food Athletes is, what are you doing in your life that serves your body and what are some habits you could let go of?

Consider some of these following scenarios when you're feeling so sleepy that you can’t seem to manage to feed yourself.

No. 1: Are you drinking enough water? Being dehydrated can, and will without a doubt, affect your energy. When you're depriving yourself of liquids, than your body has to work harder to function. Technically speaking there's plenty of activity going on internally in our bodies, so we probably take for granted that things should just be running itself, but it is not that cut and dry. Cells and organs need blood and being dehydrated causes blood to change consistency, therefore, forcing the heart to pump harder and that can result in you being fatigued. Whew, I got tired just explaining that. The bottom line is if you are not drinking your H2O you are not only will you be thirsty but you may also be tired. So get your 8 glasses a day, maybe more depending on your body type/weight.

No. 2: Is coffee your go-to energy source? Sometimes overdoing it on the caffeine can cause your body to go the opposite of up up up and bring you down down down. Try a kinder gentler antioxidant rich caffeine like green tea instead of hourly coffee perks. It gives you a little boost without drowning out all the vital minerals, at the same time fighting those free radicals.

No. 3: Feed a cold, feed a fever. Ya, doesn’t sound like you remember, does it? Well, one of my favorite things to do is bust a myth. So, feeding the cold makes sense since you need the energy to fight that sucker, and beat the toxins and also generate heat when your body is under attack. The super fun fact I have found about fevers is that your metabolism actually increases which, as you, athletes may already know burns calories!! Whoa! No way! Burn calories when I’m sick? O.k. before you get nuts, this means that you need to replenish and refuel. When you have a fever, sick, cold, whatever, it just goes to show that smart eating strategies shouldn’t cease but rather push on.

No 4: Grabbing for calorie-dense snacks? This genre of food will make you sleepy. Fact. This is why dad is usually sleeping on the couch in front of the t.v. with pizza slice hanging out of his mouth while holding on to his bottle of beer. Alright so I’m generalizing and maybe not even that general but I’m reminiscing my childhood. I’m also talking simple carbohydrates like sugar in processed foods, sodas, cake. I don’t think you’ll see the same situation after dad’s just had a big bowl of quinoa with veggies. Wow, that quinoa was quite filling think I need a nap. Nope, not gonna happen. The scientific facts behind being physically ready for bed after carbs is that they are easily absorbed in your body causing the spike in sugar levels which in turn causes the big drop, basically, what comes up must come down.

No. 5: Skipping out on breakfast? I've saved the best for last. EAT BREAKFAST! Why? Because it's the most important meal of the day. I want this to be the last bit of info you read and remember about today's blog post. I know what it's like to avoid this meal because I did it most of my life and let us just say I was always grumpy and tired going to school. I was dragging ass. I was quite a stubborn girl (o.k. maybe a little as an adult so shhh) so even though my mom begged me to eat I just refused. I spent my whole life into my 30's deleting this meal from my day so it took some practice to reinstate it. Now, no matter what time I have to wake up, I always, always, eat breakfast. It's the intention setter of my day. How I want to feel today and how far do I need my body to take me will be dependant on what fuel I consume. Pour in the nutrients friends! If you expect to travel throughout the day on an empty or even half full vehicle you're sniffing fumes. Get with the program, eat up, take charge of your day.

I'm happy we had this little chat today sleepy heads. I tell my Food Athletes that we have very few things that we can actually control in life. Food is one element that is in our power. Take control of what makes you your best self. Sure, it may take some figuring out, trial and error, but you can do it! I believe in you! How exciting indeed that you have the potential to make your day good, very good, amazing or more amazing simply by choosing what you eat.
Happy Nourishing Friends! May the Zen Food Force be with you!

Be Happy, Be Healthy, Love Your Body,

xx Jessi (your Food Athlete) xx

Your Genes fit you just right

Zen and the art of nourishment