THE PERFORMANCE LIFESTYLE

Nutrition

Anders Varner San Diego Athletics

www.sandiegoathletics.com admin@sandiegoathletics.com

“My sport has evolved from performing on a given day, at a certain task, to maximizing my performance in every aspect of my life. My goal is no longer athletic performance

but Lifestyle Performance and the base of Lifestyle Performance starts with nutrition.”

Introduction

By purchasing this e-book and turning through the first few pages, we can draw a small assumption that

you are interested in learning about nutrition and fueling your life for performance. This makes me

happy. You are here to learn and I hope the information you find in this book guides you down a path of

exploration and learning.

I am no different. I am a lifelong athlete. I started playing hockey at three years old, left home at 14 to

go to boarding school to play hockey, and I currently spend most of my waking hours in a gym teaching

people how to lift weights and live a healthier life. I started training when I was 13 at a grungy gym

under my high school football stadium. I trained with the high school wrestling team and was the

youngest, smallest, and least experienced person in the room. However, that dusty, grungy weight room

would be the start of a lifetime passion that has led to opening San Diego Athletics in Pacific Beach,

California in 2010.

Throughout my training life, I always trained with an intense passion and purpose. In high school it was

to play college hockey. At 5’8”, size was not on my side so I had to find a way to get bigger, stronger, and

faster to excel on the ice. I found that in back squats and eating. In 2006 I found CrossFit and competing

in this budding sport became the purpose of my training. I learned Olympic lifting, gymnastics, and took

all that weight room knowledge from high school and tailored my training to succeed in the Sport of

Fitness.

If the weight room is the place to gain strength, I learned very early on that the kitchen is the place to

properly fuel workouts, recover, and improve overall health. Since walking into my first gym at 13, my

nutrition has been fueled by my goals, which often involved competition and winning. When gaining

weight and training to get stronger, I would eat upwards of three pounds of meat a day. I have gone

carb free, high carb, low carb, and everything in between. By sampling and experimenting, I have

learned that the only “bad” diet is one that is misaligned with your goals. If you want to be a vegan, you

should do it as long as being a vegan is aligned with the goals and mindset you have created for yourself.

Over the past year, for the first time in my life, I have moved away from competing in athletics. I own a

business with my best friend, Bryan Boorstein, and we just passed the five year mark. I have grown up a

little and my brain and body are less interested in testing and competing and more interested in

longevity and quality of life. Also, I just got married. To say the least, my mindset has changed from

being an athlete and focusing on peak performance, to living a long life in which my training and fitness

enables a quality of life and freedom from restrictions. I want to train for health. I want to eat and fuel

my body in a way that is healthy, allows for athletics and aesthetics, and also allows me to eat some

sugary deliciousness when I feel the need. I want to run, jump, surf, ride a bike, throw a baseball with

my future kids, lift weights with the best in the world, do handstands, and still have my wife get excited

when I take my shirt off.

My sport has evolved from performing on a given day, at a certain task, to maximizing my performance

in every aspect of my life. My goal is no longer athletic performance but Lifestyle Performance and the

base of Lifestyle Performance starts with nutrition.

The below information is only my recommendation. For specific recommendations, please consult your

doctor.

Let’s get started …

Overall Goals of the Performance Lifestyle

1. Health and Longevity– To establish a baseline of good habits that allow a life free of disease and

freedom to run, jump, and play, as well as to create a baseline of functionality that allows you to focus

on personal and professional growth.

2. Simplicity – The program is designed to create a baseline of activities to ensure health and longevity.

By adopting the methods, nutrition is not something you have to worry about. Simplicity allows small

behavior changes (eating habits) to make a drastic impact on your lifestyle.

3. Freedom - Freedom of movement, freedom from sickness, and freedom from the mental burden of

asking if you are doing the right thing. Follow the guidelines, create healthy habits, and you never have

to question yourself again.

Goal Setting

Before we dig too deep into protein, fat, and carbohydrate, we need to add a little context to the

conversation. In the introduction, I explained how my goal is “Lifestyle Performance.” I want to achieve

peak performance in every aspect of my life. I want my family and friendships to be empowering,

supportive, and loving. I want San Diego Athletics operating at the highest extremes of coaching as well

as business systems. And, I personally want to be able to experience life to its fullest and to not be held

back by physical or health limitations.

Goal setting is an extremely played out term. People get so focused on the end result that they blow off

the self-work required to make real change. The real purpose of goal setting is to have an honest

conversation about areas of your life that you struggle with. In a recent podcast I heard Dan John, a very

well respected strength coach, say, “When I hear people talk about reaching their goals, what they are

really telling me is that they are not presenting to the world the best versions of themselves.” I think this

really sums up the purpose of goal setting. Do you want to lose weight? Yes! Why? Well, probably

because you know that you are not showing the world the best version of you.

To start the conversation with yourself, we want you to write down your goal, and then ask three

questions. Since this is regarding nutritional changes, we will tailor the question to your eating habits.

What is the goal of gaining control of nutrition in your life?

____________________________________________________________________________________

What will you attain by reaching this goal?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Why is this goal important?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

What has been the biggest hurdle in the past keeping you from reaching this goal? What will you do

different this time?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

The depth to which you answer these questions is completely up to you. I would love it if you thought

about the answers thoroughly or do the exercise more than once. Here is an example of why depth, and

asking yourself, “Why,” matters.

What is the goal of gaining control of nutrition in your life?

Lose 10 pounds_______________________________________________________________________

What will you attain by reaching this goal?

Look better__________________________________________________________________________

Why is this goal important?

So I look skinny_______________________________________________________________________

What has been the biggest hurdle in the past keeping you from reaching this goal?

Drinking______________________________________________________________________________

For your first time doing any goal setting exercise this is pretty good. But, you can see that the answers

lack depth and very little of the answer is heartfelt and personal. Now, let’s take this a step further.

What is the goal of gaining control of nutrition in your life?

I want to lose 10 pounds_________________________________________________________________

What will you attain by reaching this goal?

I will gain confidence in myself knowing that I was able to focus on something and achieve my goal.

Why is this goal important?

It is important because I want to feel good about myself. I want people to know how hard I can work to

achieve things. Reaching this goal will give me confidence in myself and I can use it as a stepping stone

to build in other areas of my life.________________________________________________________

What has been the biggest hurdle in the past keeping you from reaching this goal?

I have a hard time saying no to going out or eating bad food. I want to hang out with my friends but it is

also tough when we go partying and then late night food and then they eat brunch and all of this keeps

me from reaching the goals I set out for myself. I will only eat out once a week and choose moderation.

I think it is very obvious to see how adding a little depth to your goal setting can have a significant

benefit to the real life application of the nutrition plan we will lay out. Take the time to have a real

conversation with yourself. Committing to lifestyle change is very difficult and it helps to fully

understand why you think it is important.

So you have your goals, you have really thought about some of the underlying problems, and you have a

clearly defined vision of why you want to make changes in your life …..

Well, hold on, we need to learn the basics of food and nutrition first.

Nutrition: The Basics

And by basics, I mean just barely scraping the surface. Like, first week of your 101 nutrition course in

college. Like the simplest, most basic idea of things that really smart scientists have written entire

textbooks on. Get it? Ok. I just want to be on the same page so we do not chase ourselves down a rabbit

hole of hormones, enzymes, and digestive processes. That information is important and you can find this

info very quickly on Google. All I am interested in is providing you with surface-level information that is

actually applicable to you making a well informed decision when you open your mouth and insert food.

Everything you eat is made up of three main macronutrients: protein, fat, and carbohydrate. Once food

enters your mouth, your body is designed to digest the food and distribute these macronutrients to your

cells as fuel for your body. This fuel comes in the form of calories. Calories are the energy that our body

uses to carry out its daily functions. The macronutrients have specific roles once they are digested and

distributed throughout the body. As you go through your day, your body is constantly undergoing

thousands of processes to keep you healthy, strong, and moving. All of these processes are fueled by

the calories in macronutrients.

Protein

Protein is the building blocks of all cells. Protein contains four calories per gram and is made up of

smaller substances called amino acids. Twelve amino acids are naturally produced by the human body

and nine amino acids must be consumed and digested in the food we eat. Any food that contains all nine

essential amino acids is considered a complete protein. The most common source of complete protein is

animal meat (beef, chicken, fish, bison, lamb, etc). There are a few non-animal, complete proteins such

as soybeans, buckwheat, and quinoa. If you are a vegetarian, it is very important to ensure you are

getting the proper amino acid profile in your diet.

Protein has three main uses for the body: fat store, energy, and the building and repairing of cells. The

exact amount of protein (and all macronutrients) that is needed for you is dependent upon your Basal

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). Your BMR is a calculation that determines the number of calories you need

to fuel your body on any given day (lucky for you, we already did all the calculations). To simplify, if you

lift a ton of weights and exercise frequently, you will need more calories, protein, carbohydrate, and fat

than a sedentary person. But, if you consume more than your daily allotment, the body will turn the

excess into stored fat that it can use when there is a deficit.

Protein can also be used for energy when the body is performing in a carbohydrate deficit. The body

undergoes a process called gluconeogenesis where it turns protein molecules into sugar molecules that

the body can use for energy.

Most important, and most common, protein is the building block for every cell in our body. If you come

to the gym to lift weights, protein is the thing your body will use to rebuild the muscle tissue that makes

you stronger. This rebuilding is not just for lifting and getting stronger muscles. Your vital organs—your

heart, lungs, and brain—are made of cells and protein is the base for the health and success of each

individual cell. It is important that we not only eat protein, but that we eat high quality, complete

proteins for the health and performance of our cells.

Carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are such a hot topic in the world of nutrition. To start, carbohydrates do not make you

fat. At four calories per gram, carbohydrates are our body’s preferred source of energy. When we eat

carbohydrates, they enter our body and release a hormone called insulin. Insulin, in many ways, is the

opposite of glucagon (hormone released by proteins). Insulin and glucagon are hormones released from

the pancreas and are in charge of regulating blood sugar. Insulin is a storage hormone that regulates the

speed at which carbohydrate is digested and glucagon is a releasing hormone that releases blood

glucose from the liver when blood sugar dips too low. See, this is why we try to keep this surface level.

All these words and hormones are so boring.

All you really need to know is our body loves carbohydrates. It loves them because they provide the

body with energy. It is easy for your body to run off carbohydrates. Also, when you are physically

exerting yourself, your body really wants easy carbohydrates to replenish the energy it is burning in the

workout. Right before, during, and shortly after your workout is a fantastic time to have a field day with

carbohydrates. However, carbohydrate can have a downside. If you are eating simple carbohydrates,

but not quickly burning them, your body will continue releasing insulin and storing these calories as fat

in the body. Carbohydrates are our friend, we need them, and our body loves them. But we also have to

be careful how we use them.

Fat

Fat does not make you fat either. Fat is a macronutrient that carries nine calories per gram and has no

hormonal impact on insulin or glucagon. Do you see the balancing act yet? Protein creates glucagon, a

releasing hormone. Carbohydrate releases insulin, a storage hormone. And fat is hormone neutral to

balance everything out. Fats can be found in two forms, saturated or unsaturated. Saturated fats are

most commonly found in animal proteins and unsaturated fats are found in plant proteins. It is

important to find lean cuts of meat to keep the saturated fat profile down. There is scientific evidence

on both sides that will argue until death of whether saturated fats are bad for you. I think humans have

eaten meat for a very long time so saturated fat, by itself, is not going to kill you. But, humans also did

not have grocery stores and access to such a large amount of meat. Hunting is too difficult to have an

unlimited supply. So, yes, be mindful of the fat profile you are eating but do not lose sleep over eating

saturated fats.

Fats are also essential to life. Fat can be used for energy and allows proteins and carbohydrates to carry

out their function. As with protein and carbohydrate, overconsumption can lead to weight and fat gain

in the body. The key with fat, and all macronutrients, is the quality, quantity, and timing of these

macronutrients.

Body Weight

Should be simple enough, right? Step on a scale, look down, and write it in the box.

Sorry, you know we cannot make things completely one size fits all. When entering your bodyweight

into the spreadsheet, please follow these guidelines. But first, let get some definitions out of the way.

Body Weight (BW) – total amount you weigh

Body Fat (BF) – the amount tissue on your body that is not bone, organ, or muscle tissue

Lean Body Mass (LBM) – total body weight minus body fat

Body Fat Percentage – The percentage of body fat to total body weight. To calculate

body fat there are many methods. If you have access to a coach that is capable of using

calipers, this is easiest. For additional methods, please use one of these methods

compliments of www.nerdfitness.com. Healthy body fat percentages for women are

under 25% and for men, under 15%.

Once you have found your body fat percentage, we can move forward with the weight you should put

into the spreadsheet.

If your body fat percentage is…

Female > 25% Body Fat Male > 15% Body Fat If NO, you can skip this and move the next bolded section

If YES, do the calculation below… Calculate total body fat (not the percentage, actual pounds of fat), divide it in half, and add that number

back to your LBM. If you go two consecutive weeks without losing a pound, drop the BW to your LBM.

Once you are at or under 25% body fat percentage, enter your actual body weight into the calculator

Example:

Bodyweight: 175 Body Fat Percentage: 30% Lean Body Mass: 175 x 30% = 123# Total Body Fat: 175-123= 52# of total body fat Body Fat/ 2: 52/2= 26# 123 (LBM) + 26 (1/2 BF) = 149# When you stop losing 1 pound per week, use LBM weight until body fat is under 25% for females and 15% for males. As a general rule, healthy individuals will be under the 25% for females and 15% for males. Our first goal in this process is to get you to a manageable weight. Once we have your body fat percentage in a healthy range, we can adjust the calculator to your actual weight. If your body fat percentage is… Female < 25% Body Fat Male < 15% Body Fat Use total body weight for the calculator. If you are already under these numbers, by eating properly, timing your carbohydrates, and fueling your body for performance, you will increase strength and stay lean by following the spreadsheet. Activity Level Profile

I am a big believer that the majority of humans are built so similar that there really can be general

template to the way we eat. Unfortunately, this is only somewhat true. Yes, we all need to eat a

balanced diet of protein, fat, and carbohydrate. We also need to time our carbohydrates around our

workouts so we can replenish our muscles with the energy they need to rebuild. But the extent to which

we need the additional calories is based on our activity level throughout the day which dramatically

differs from person to person.

Most mornings, I wake up between 4:30 and 4:45 AM. I coach for three hours until about 9:00 AM.

Shortly after I am done coaching I head on an hour-long walk. In that hour I will usually stretch for 20

minutes and cover around three miles on the boardwalk. I will come back to the office, answer emails,

train around 2:00 PM and then coach for two to three more hours. I am in constant movement

throughout my day so I will need more calories as a baseline than a more sedentary person.

Many individuals wake up in the morning, get in their car, sit in traffic, sit at their desk with short breaks,

get back in their car, hit the gym for an hour of intensity, and then go home and unwind watching TV.

I understand that these lifestyles are on opposite ends of the spectrum. The point is to illustrate how

you need to assess your daily activity to apply these principles to your life. Below is a chart of activity

levels and the corresponding multiplier we will add to your daily caloric intake.

Activity Level Profile

11 Sedentary

12 4-7 Hours of working out per week

13 5-10 hours of working out and high activity level throughout week

14 10-15 hours of working out per week

15 10-15 hours of working out per week and a very high activity level

11 – Individuals that do not spend much time doing concentrated exercise. They wake up, go to work,

come home, sit on the couch, and then go to bed. If they are working out, the 1-3 hours a week is not

enough to matter and they should maintain relatively low caloric intake.

12 – Individuals that spend four to seven hours a week in the gym and exercise with moderate to high

levels of intensity fall into this multiplier. You may also be in the gym three days a week but play on an

adult league team where you are playing with intensity. This multiplier is for the person that has a daily

dose of physical activity done at high intensity.

13 – Very similar to “12” but this person may throw in a double day or two throughout the week.

14 – For individuals that do multiple double days in a week or are training with very heavy weight in

multiple sessions.

15 – Daily double days in the gym plus living a very active life. This multiplier should be thought of as

someone that trains multiple times a day and has a very active life. If you coach for four hours a day and

train twice a day, you would end up with this high of a multiplier.

But what if I am in the middle?

This is totally fine. I am an in the middle person. I train four to six hours a week, yet I am on my feet and

moving all day long. I fall into a 12.5 multiplier and usually skew my calories slightly higher than what is

on the spreadsheet. I am most likely a full 13 but the 12.5 gives me some wiggle room if I am not lifting

with a ton of intensity that week.

The most important aspect to the activity level multiplier is that you are honest with yourself. If you are

sitting most of the day but walk your dog at night, you are not having an “active” day. Yes, walking your

dog is great but there is very little intensity and you have been sedentary for most of the day. The only

way for this to work is to be honest. You are not going to be perfect every day but hold yourself

accountable, do the right things, and get a little better every day.

Can You Help Me Understand What Is Going On?

As a general rule, I am a huge fan of logic. I like it because there is a cause and an effect. You can see

what causes something to happen and the reaction or aftermath that comes from the event. An

understanding of nutrition should be the same way.

Food is energy. The human body uses this energy for daily function as well as fueling workouts. But the

type of energy we use changes with the amount of energy we are using at any given time. If you are

sitting at your desk, you are not using much energy. If you are working out, you are burning a ton of

energy and you need to quickly replenish those energy stores to help your body recover. See, logic is

awesome, it just make sense.

So here are a couple things to think about when we discuss energy:

Carbohydrates – short term energy

Fat – long term energy

Protein – a constant throughout the day

Exercise – massive expenditure of energy

So on any given day, we need our energy in to match our energy out. When we look at the breakdown

of our spreadsheet, you will notice that an overwhelming majority of our carbohydrates are consumed

in the four hours of pre, intra, and post workout. We eat pre-workout carbohydrates to give the body a

quick shot of energy before we start training. We drink very simple carbohydrates (sugary drinks) during

the workout to replenish the energy expenditure and maintain energy levels, and then post workout to

replenish energy and to signal our body to start repairing itself.

Fat is our long term energy source. It also does a great job at slowing down the digestion process of

carbohydrates. Carbohydrates, centered around our workout and times of high energy expenditure, are

for quick energy. We need fat as the energy source when we are not quickly expending calories by

working out.

Protein is a constant throughout the day. However, digesting protein is a very different subject. Picture

an eight ounce steak. As you eat that steak, your body has to break down that chunk of meat into

something that your body can use. The process of digestion is very taxing on the body. If we are already

in a state of high energy expenditure we do not want to add digesting heavy proteins on top of that.

Plus, who wants to eat steak in the middle of the workout? We still need to get some protein in the

body to help muscles repair. We do this by consuming processed proteins in the form of protein

powder. During your workout, drinking a protein shake with simple carbohydrates is recommended to

jumpstart the rebuilding process when your workout is finished.

When we put this all together, the entire nutrition system is based off of your workout window. The

further you are away from your workout, the fewer carbohydrates and more fat you will eat. As you

approach your workout, we will trade in the fat calories for quicker, cheaper energy in carbohydrates.

After your workout, we will flood the body with carbohydrates and finish the night off with very low

carbs and higher fat.

Rest days are a bit different. Just because you are not working out with intensity, the body still needs

energy from carbohydrates, just not as much, about half. We also want to load these carbohydrates in

the earlier portion of your day to ensure that they are burned and not stored. Protein is upped as the

body will have a full day of recovery and we slightly increase fat levels to aid in recovery and long term

energy once carbohydrates stores have been used.

If you got lost, we can simplify. Eat high carb, low fat pre, intra, and post workout. The further you are

from your workout, eat less carbs and more fat. Protein stays the same throughout the day. On rest

days, eat a well-balanced meal, five times a day and cut the carbs towards dinner time to ensure

carbohydrate will not be stored as fat overnight.

The What-If’s

Alcohol

Alcohol is basically poison, but it’s a part of life. You should count the macros as a carbohydrate but try

not to have 1,000 drinks in a night. If you eat perfectly for five days in a row and then have 15 beers in a

night, you are probably doing yourself a disservice. Moderation is a good tool to have in your arsenal.

Cheat Meals

If cheat meals lead to more cheat meals, refrain. If cheat meals lead to mental sanity, enjoy in

moderation.

Also, we want to ensure we are getting all of our macros on a daily basis. If a Saturday night rolls around

and you still have 50g of fat and 100g of carbs to consume, a pint of ice cream or a couple donuts will fit

perfectly. Please understand, I am NOT telling you to eat donuts. However, this is the real world and this

has to fit into your real life. Moderation and making conscious decisions is a part of life.

What if I miss a meal?

Try to divide the macros evenly throughout the remainder of the meals on your plate.

This seems like a lot of carbs. I thought carbs made you fat.

It only seems like a lot. It is important to fuel your body for your lifestyle. Following this plan will fuel

your body without creating fat stores from excess carbohydrate.

What if I eat more than my allotment?

You are totally going to live. Maybe take a little off the next meal or maybe just forget it ever happened

and be perfect on the next one. Play the long game but make as many good decisions as you can along

the way.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading through this manual. I hope it provides some structure and guidance to your

nutrition. From this base, you can tinker and adjust the numbers to reach more individualized goals.

If all of this is too much, and you only take away one thing from this, PLEASE spend some time in the

goal setting section. The most important conversation you will ever have is with yourself. If you cannot

be honest with yourself about your flaws, your ambitions, and your goals, life will be very challenging.

Take some time and find out what matters, why you want to make changes, and why you want to

accomplish the things you desire in life. Nutrition is a small thing but understanding basic concepts and

implementing this into your life can become the baseline that leads to future success. Discover your

why, make it important, and nutrition will be a small step in accomplishing much larger goals.

I hope following this template brings some calm and confidence next time you sit down to eat.

Establishing a baseline of health is the key to success in all aspects of life. It is hard to conquer the world

if you are sick or do not have the energy to be your best every day.