Grit & Glamour

Week One with Elite Nutrition and Performance

Last week, after submitting my Athlete Sponsorship Application to Elite Nutrition and Performance, I had a feeling I would get a polite "thanks, but no thanks" email in reply to my application. I exercise regularly and try to stay as healthy as possible, but "athlete" isn't the first word that comes to mind when I describe myself. However, I decided to apply because I knew I could learn a lot from the professionals at ENP and wanted to learn how to live a healthier life.

So, when I got a congratulatory email from Elite Nutrition and Performance on July 1st, I was pretty excited.

After I recovered from the excitement of learning that I had become ENP's newest sponsored athlete, I began to think about all that the sponsorship would involve. I will be working with Kristen and Sam at ENP for three months, attending five one-hour personal training sessions and one nutrition consultation per week for the next twelve weeks. I knew that changing my eating habits and exercise schedule would improve my lifestyle, but I did have some reservations about making the changes and sticking to them.

At my first nutrition consultation appointment with Kristen, food was on my mind, and I had a lot of questions about it. I wanted to know what I could eat, when I could eat it, and how I could prepare it in a healthier way.

Kristen analyzed my height, weight, body fat, activity level, etc. during the meeting and used the information to determine how many calories and macronutrients I needed in my diet. To my surprise, Kristen told me I was not eating enough throughout the day, and although I always tried to make healthy choices, she told me that some foods in my diet are not as healthy as I thought they were. She increased the calories in my diet and gave me a sample diet that listed suggested foods I should eat throughout the day. The session was both helpful and interesting, and I left with a positive attitude and plenty of new ideas for my diet changes.

The first few days of my new diet were a little difficult, as I was not used to eating as often as Kristen advised. Some days, I thought I was eating too much and felt a little like Violet Beauregard during her blueberry mishap…

However, as my body became more accustomed to my new dietary schedule, I began to notice that I had more energy and could exercise without feeling like I had "bottomed out" during my workout. I could tell that my body was using my food for fuel and felt like I was working more efficiently. So far, although the changes have been challenging at times, I can feel the positive results, which is very encouraging.

This week was also my first week of personal training sessions with Sam. When I had my initial meeting with Sam after I received my Sponsorship acceptance email, he told me that the sessions would be pretty difficult, especially during the first few days. So far, each session has been challenging, but I try to maintain a positive attitude and put my best effort into each workout.

That being said, sometimes when Sam tells me the workout plan for the day, it can seem a little daunting, especially for someone who doesn't have a lot of experience with weight-related workouts.