Week 4 Bonuses/Tips/Recipes

Welcome to your FOURth week of the challenge!

Every week, we'll send out bonuses, tips for success, and recipes to keep your meals "lean and green"! 

Quick Start Guide

Rules and Scoring

Print or review Rules / Weekly Scoring Sheet
GTS Total Health Challenge Rules (Details / Examples)
Print or review Week 4 Bonus Opportunities (see details below)
Don't forget to submit last week's scores! Submit your score here

Preparation and Shopping

Print or review the Nutrition Prep Guide & Shopping List Examples
GTS Total Health Challenge Prep Guide (Details / Examples)

Measurements

Weigh yourself 3x this week, first thing in morning (Suggested MWF).
Record highs and lows (myFitnessPal or a journal)
Encouraged: waist/thigh measurement and mirror selfie.

Plan

Spend time mapping out your week ahead of time...
What score would like to achieve?
Identify the days you might go off plan.
Plan out your training days. 
What kind of habits and rituals are you going to build into this week to achieve those numbers?

Socialize/Questions/Motivate

If you're not part of our GTS Facebook Team Training Page, please request access.  
Check out and share helpful tips, recipes, meal ideas, a few bonus opportunities and keep each other accountable. 

Training and nutrition text message : (424) 265-0487

Week 4 Bonus Opportunities

Printable PDF - Week 4 Scoring Bonus Guide and Scoring Sheet

Bonus Opportunity Details

Nutrition (1 point each / 3 points max)

Share to our GTS Facebook Team Training Page at least 1 of your “lean and green” meals, recipes, or meal prep ideas!*
* If you don't use or have access to Facebook, email your post to etraining@gametimestrength.com and we'll share it for you!
(1 point)

At least 5 days drinking only water, coffee, or tea with your meals.
(1 point)

At least 4 days of logging your food in a food journal or in MyFitnessPal.
(1 point)

At least 5 days of preparing all your meals home.**
** This can also be preparing 4 days worth of meals at home
(1 point)

At least 4 days of using your flexible calories on fruit, vegetables, and/or whole-grains.

At least 3 days of eating 0.8-1.0g of protein per lb of bodyweight
(1 point)

Training (1 point each / 2 points max)

Share to our GTS Facebook Team Training Page at least 1 picture or video of your training, get creative! *
* If you don't use or have access to Facebook, email your post to etraining@gametimestrength.com and we'll share it for you!
(1 point)

At least 2 days of intentional walking/hiking/biking/running outside for at least 40 minutes.
(1 point)

At least 3 of your training days are resistance training days and 1 extra session of low intensity cardio. .
(1 point)

Outside of your normal program, you complete at least 2 additional "mini body weight training sessions" that consists of... 
130 total walking/reverse lunges (65 per leg).
(1 point).

OR

 70 total push-ups/chair dips.
(1 point).

Sleep/Recovery (1 point each / 3 points max)

Share to our GTS Facebook Team Training Page at least 1 ritual, habit or routine you are working on for the week to improve your sleep, mindset, or de-stress!*
* If you don't use or have access to Facebook, email your post to etraining@gametimestrength.com and we'll share it for you!
( 1 point)

At least 4 days, first thing in the morning, spend 5-10 minutes writing something down you’re grateful for.
(1 point)

At least 4 days spend at least 10+ focused minutes attempting to meditate.
Think intentional silence, laying on the floor or in a chair, attempting to focus strictly on your breathing.
Helpful to practice counting the seconds of your inhale, hold, and exhale.  
Alternatively, use a meditation app like Calm to guide you.
(1 point)

At least 4 days spend at least 10+ focused minutes on a mobility/flexibility routine.
Work on mobilizing or getting some blood flow to an area you're currently tight or stiff in.
(1 point)

At least 4 days intentionally connect with a friend or family member that you don’t see everyday. 
Call, email, spend a little time re-connecting.
 (1 point)

At least 3 days of 20+ minutes of reading (not on a screen). Whether it's a book, newspaper, or magazine, take 20 minutes to learn something new, connect with the world in a different way, or connect with a different world entirely. 
 (1 point)

 NEW (Week 4 Only): Journal on the prompt: “Who am I? Who do I want to be?”
( 1 point)

Success Tips

Success Tip 1: eating out

Now that you’re three weeks into the challenge, you’re probably getting pretty good at making your meals at home, and maybe even making them in advance.

Not only does meal prepping decrease the stress and time of cooking, it also gives you more precision when it comes to sticking to your goals.

That said, most of us can’t and arguably shouldn’t be cooking and eating every single meal in our own homes. We have friends, family, and other people in our lives that we connect with over food.

Food is not just fuel. Food can represent celebration, enjoyment, and comfort.

What do you do when a friend texts you and asks you to eat dinner out? What if you’re going to a family gathering and you don’t know how much butter they put in those mashed potatoes?

Short answer:
Say yes to the opportunity to connect, do your best, and get back on track the next day.

More nuanced answer:
It depends on your specific goals.

Here are some questions to ask yourself when eating out:

1. Is sticking to my nutrition plan the most important thing in my life right now?

If:
Your waist circumference is > 40” (male) or 35” (female);
You’re competing in a weight-restricted sport; or
You’re an in-season physique athlete
The answer is probably yes.

In this situation, you can definitely still eat out, but understand that you will need to be more disciplined in your approach.
Stick to foods that are close to the ones you'd planned to eat.
In the context of this challenge, that’s lean protein and veggies (good rule of thumb anyway).

2. How much of a difference is eating off-plan going to make?

One reasonable meal, once a week, in the context of a well-controlled diet is probably not going to make much of a difference.
The benefit of connecting with other people and getting out of your daily routine probably offsets the cost of leaving the scale and Tupperware at home

Aside: I’ve actually seen people bring a food scale with them to a restaurant. No it wasn’t Phil Health during Olympia week.

Now, depending on your specific situation, one really, really big meal, or a couple of meals off-track can actually wipe out the progress your fought tooth and nail for all week.

Now ask yourself: is wiping out all of my hard work for the week worth the few moments of indulgence?
The answer may actually be yes, and that’s okay. But that’s also your call.

Here are some tips for eating out without sacrificing your progress:

• Do your best to estimate portion sizes (in general, overestimate).

• Stick to lean protein, fruits, veggies, and lower-fat food items.

• Look up published nutrition facts if a restaurant offers them.

• Try not to drink your calories.

• Enjoy yourself. Be honest about your intake. Move on.

More than likely, your long-term success with nutrition is going to come with practicing skills like meal prepping, being mindful of what you’re eating most of the time, and tracking your daily intake.

However, enjoying meals out and off-track with others is a part of long-term success, and can even be an opportunity to practice the habits you set in motion for your daily life.

Now go laugh at a sunset!
 

Success Tip 2: Understand what you’re eating and Why

Here at GTS, we don’t want there to be any knowledge barriers between coaches and athletes.

We could tell you to follow a certain diet or workout routine because “it’s good for you” and keep all the cards close to our chest. But the truth is, the more you understand why you’re doing something, the more likely you’re to keep doing it (or stop doing it).

The total health challenge recommends that you eat lean protein and veggies for most of your meals for a reason.

On average, protein and high-fiber vegetables make you feel more full than other foods, but they’re also essential for improving your body composition and health.

Skeletal muscle growth and preservation depends on consuming enough protein.
Protein quite literally serves as the building block for many important structures in the body and is the most important macronutrient for determining what your weight loss/weight gain actually looks like.

But I don’t care about getting jacked. Why do I have to eat protein?
Having adequate amounts of skeletal muscle isn’t just important for looking good or being strong.
Greater lean body mass and protein intake is associated with decreased rates of diabetes, frailty, and age-related muscle loss, amongst many other disease states.

I don’t like eating veggies. Do I have to eat them? What about whole grains?
For reasons we don’t entirely know, the phytonutrients in fruits and vegetables, and the fiber in whole grains, have protective benefits for our health, including protection against heart disease and all-cause mortality.

We’re not just in the business of weight loss. We’re in this to maximize your health.

If you want to optimize your health and longevity, centering your nutrition around lean protein and vegetables is a great place to start.

Should I care about where I’m getting my fats from?
The research on this topic is controversial…
…except when it comes to trans-fats. Steer clear of those!

Otherwise, the general recommendation is to get most of your fat from unsaturated fats (nuts, seeds, avocado, vegetable oils, fish) and to keep saturated fat intake to a minimum.

Dietary fat serves many essential functions in your body. It helps with nutrient absorption, forms your cell membrane layer, and contributes to the production of important hormones.

So it’s totally fine to maintain fat in your diet, but be mindful of fat sources, how much fat you’re eating, and if there’s any sugar coming along for the ride (check out the Venn diagram above!)

If you have any questions on dietary recommendations, or even if you just want to nerd out on some of the details, we encourage you to ask questions!

The more you know, the better prepared you are to make decisions for yourself in real-time.

Recipe of the Week

sriracha salmon salad lettuce wraps

I’ll be honest. I had no idea canned salmon existed until I spotted it hunting for canned tuna at the store.

Canned salmon makes a tasty lunch-time alternative to tuna and chicken, and packs a lot of protein with very little fat.
One can has roughly 30g of protein and 3g of fat, making it lean, portable, and convenient!

Sriracha gives this salmon salad a nice kick and butter leaf lettuce makes it easy and filling to eat!

This recipe uses light mayo, but Greek yogurt also works really well if you want some extra protein or you’re watching your fat intake.

Lean

Wild Alaskan Pink Salmon (Canned)

Green

Leaves of butter lettuce

Flavoring/Seasoning

Sriracha
1 TB Light mayo/Greek yogurt
Chopped scallions and onions
Fresh-squeezed lemon juice

Tips on preparation

Mix salmon, sriracha, onions, and mayo/yogurt in a bowl
Spread salad on leaves of butter lettuce to make “boats”
Top with a squeeze of lemon and chopped scallions for garnish

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