What I Would Have Told Young Swimmer Nizzy

I steered clear from 2015 New Years resolutions.  Last year my New Years resolution was to be able to do a real "man" (in other words, not on my knees) push-up.  I am extending my 2014 resolution expiration date to January 31, 2015 since I have committed to a yoga challenge at Sumit's Hot Yoga, and I am determined that the millions of flows (which involve the chaturanga shown below) will translate into push-up mastery.

Looking back on 2014, I learned quite a bit about my body and my limits.  Two bike crashes gave me ample time to reflect.  I was talking to a friend of mine the other day on the drive to the yoga studio about dumb stuff we did as high school and college athletes (like cruddy nutrition, lack of stretching, etc.).  That prompted me to write this blog posts about some lessons I have learned since my swim career ended.

Nutrition.  In high school, I was constantly hungry.  I trained about 30 hours a week, and it was nearly impossible to replenish the calories.  My mom was very good to me, and nearly all of my meals were homemade.  When I got to college, I continued my eating rampage.  The problem was I added alcohol to the mix and I had free reign with my diet on campus.  Lots of processed food and empty calories (biscuits and jelly, frozen yogurt, Pizza Hut breadsticks, banana pudding with Nilla Wafers, and candy) were going down my pie hole.  My mom would have been so disappointed!  In the late 90s and early 2000s there was a big emphasis on low-fat.  As a nutrition major, I knew wasn’t making the best choices.  But we also didn’t hear about things like the Paleo Diet or clean eating.  For example, now I try to eat foods higher in protein and healthy fats like eggs, nuts, cottage cheese, tuna with avocado, and even protein shakes.  Looking back at my diet in college, a diet higher in protein and healthy fats would have helped satiate my never-ending appetite and prevent the crazy weight gain.

    

 Stretching/Yoga.  Stretching in high school and college really translated into flinging your arms and legs around while socializing with your teammates.  I discovered Bikram Yoga a while back, and now I go to Sumit’s Hot Yoga and I LOVE it.  I am ridiculously inflexible, but the hot yoga forces me to focus on my body for 80 minutes at a time.  Plus it is a perfect supplement to the other sports I like doing, such as running and swimming, and it helps reduce and heal injuries.  Looking back, I didn’t even realize how tight my hips, adductors, and piriformis were.  Now if only I were this skinny and this flexible...   

 

 Supplements.  The supplement decision is a tough one because an athlete doesn’t want to risk a positive drug test.  But investing in a quality multi-vitamin during my college years probably would have helped.  I currently take a probiotic in the morning and a magnesium supplement at night.  Both are from the Sunflower Shoppe… I don’t skimp and buy the cheap stuff at Walmart.  I started getting some acid reflux in college (the occasional “I might burp or vomit during this flip turn”), and the probiotic supplement has helped me tremendously with my acid reflux.  I very rarely need prescription antacids. 

 Cryotherapy.  We didn’t even have ice baths at TCU in 1999-2001, let alone cryotherapy.  Cryotherapy is a new discovery for me.  I stand in a big tube for 3 minutes, and the temperature gets down to MINUS 274 degrees.  This has done wonders for my back and has decreased the inflammation caused by my scoliosis.    

 Massage.  I have always loved the benefits of a good massage.  The difficult part is finding a therapist who specializes in deep tissue massage.  I don’t want to be drooling on the table while half asleep, and I don’t want someone digging a thumb into my shoulder blade.  Once you find an amazing therapist, other massages will disappoint you. 

 Water.  I can’t remember drinking much water in high school and college, except taking a small sip from my water bottle at the end of the lane.  Now I always like to have a water bottle within arm’s reach.  I’m guessing I was probably dehydrated at times, especially during peak training. 

 

What are some lessons you have learned about athletic performance now that you are older and wiser?