Savage Mind, Savage Body.

Savage Mind and Body.

The average teen is tired. Tired from school, tired of having to think, tired before training begins. This isnlt because the’t loaded up too much with extracurriculars and school work, it’s because they’re not recovering and fueling enough.

Adolescent and teen athletes do not need to diet. They need to fuel. The following is a guideline for sample ideas of what breakfast lunch dinner and snacks should like for the active teen. My recommendation is to use it as guide to help structure your day in order to fully fuel your body for not only the rigors and recovery of training and sport, but also the added stress of just growing, and putting those brains to use in school all day.

At 12-17 years young, a human should be able to endure the stress of learning, training, sports, and homework without an issue. There is no secret trick, magic supplement, or anything else you’ve never heard of that will make this happen. Sleep 8 hours at night, and eat a TON of Real food.

This won’t happen on its own, as an athlete, you have to want it. You make time for breakfast, it’s not your parents job, they have enough to worry about. You have to be disciplined enough to turn off the electronics and go to bed 8 hours before you have to wake up, it’s no surprise, you know what time you need to be up, just do the math, and set a bedtime.

We all feel like we’re pressed for time, you’re not busier than anyone else, the people who achieve great things just make it a priority. No one is saying you HAVE to sleep more, that you HAVE to eat breakfast, but I am telling you that if you don’t make it a priority, your actions are telling me that you don’t want to be great, that you’re ok with being average, and I know deep down that’s not what you want.

So here are some suggestions, follow them, make them work, find a way, don;t find an excuse.

Breakfast Options:

1. 2-4 Eggs (whole eggs), toast with peanut butter, fruit

2. Oatmeal with fruit, 2-4 eggs, bacon, whole milk

3. Bagel with peanut butter, hard boiled eggs, fruit, whole milk

4. Steak, english muffin, fruit, whole milk

5. Greek yogurt, protein shake made with whole milk

You can obviously mix and match, but each suggestion is a whole meal, a piece of fruit is not a whole meal. A bagel os not a whole meal. You should be FULL after breakfast. If you wake up 10 minutes earlier, you can crack a few eggs in a pan and have them scrambled, toast can be cooked, and you can eat all of it without going beyond the extra 10 minutes you gave yourself. You can eat a banana or an apple on the bus.

Snack Options:

1. Fruit, almonds, beef jerky

2. PB&J

3. Protein Shake made with WHOLE MILK

Snacks should happen anytime there’s a window of time where more than 4 hours will pass without a meal. If you eat breakfast before at 7, and lunch is at noon, there needs to be a snack in there. I know you can’t eat in class, but you have 3 minutes of walking between classes where you can eat a part of a snack. Over the course of a few hours you have multiple breaks, that’s 15-18 minutes of eating time. This includes the afternoon. Multitask if you want it bad enough!

Lunch Options:

1. Meat of any kind, side salad, fruit

2. Sandwich with meat and cheese, fruit

3. Potatoes with veggies and chicken or beef, whole milk

4. Any leftover from dinner

School lunches are small. If you want to gain strength and muscle, you need to pack a lunch.

Dinner Options:

1. Steak, potato, mixed veggies

2. Chicken, rice, side salad

3. Fish, rice, veggies

4. Ground beef, avocado, sweet potato

5. Chili made with extra meat served over rice or potato

6. Homemade tacos with chicken or beef, lots of veggies

Dinners has endless options, just be sure to have a protein, a carb, and lots of veggies! Be sure to toss some in a tupperware for the next day’s lunch, and don’t forget to bring it!

Nighttime snack options:

1. Whole milk, spoonful of peanut butter

2. Greek yogurt (plain, full fat)

3. Cottage cheese (full fat)

4. Protein shake made with PB

Stay away from the chips and junk food, if you truly want to improve, if you don’t want to be average, you have to relentlessly adhere to the standards you’ve set for yourself. You have a larger goal in mind, don’t let a lack of discipline drag you down in a moment of weakness that only gives you that 5 minutes of happiness while you’re eating chips or skittles instead of a protein shake. You have to want it, and you have to stick to your guns, be disciplined. This can’t just be one day either, this has to be every day!

If you’re small, if you’re not as strong as you want to be, eat like it’s your job. You will not overeat if you’re sticking to the right foods, you’re growing, and you’r training hard, you need to recover to be built up!

If you have a few pounds to lose, if you’re heavier and slower than you want to be, the eat more veggies, stay away from the junk, your food should mostly consist of meat and veggies, I know they’re the most delicious choices, but what do you want more, to be lean mean jacked strong and fast, or to have pizza and wings?

The choice is yours, no one will do it for you, you have the potential to be above average, to be great, but you have to consistently put in the work, make the decisions on a daily basis that will put you on the right path.

Lift heavy, move fast, eat right, sleep, and repeat. You will be a savage in mind and body.