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Talking About Energy

• January 2008
• Training Uncategorized

Hi Steph,
So I’m also a vegan rock climber and I’m wondering if I might be able to pick your brain for some nutrition advice. I’ve been vegan for about 3 years and have been climbing for at least as long. However, I’ve only been climbing intensely (2-3 sessions per week- usually around 3 hours each) for about 10 months. Over the last 2ish months though I’ve felt pretty run down and not as powerful as I’d like/expect to– and I’m wondering if I’m not getting enough protein or something like that. Have you come across any key sources of information on vegan nutrition for climbers? I’ve looked into a bunch of vegan athlete nutritional information but I feel like climbing is so specific that what I’ve found in those sources (mostly websites) doesn’t seem super applicable. Any advice or direction you can send my way would be excellent. Thanks so much!
Cheers,
Jo

Dear Jo,
Sounds like you are training hard, and climbing lots! I have sometimes had issues with energy as well, especially during phases of lots of climbing and training.

I’m not sure if this is related to being vegan, or if it’s related to the natural highs and lows of pushing your body hard? I’m always trying to figure this stuff out as well. There are a few things I’ve found that make a difference for me with energy. First, if I eat sugar, I get very exhausted and sometimes sickly…..so I haven’t eaten refined sugar for about seven years. Natural sugars seem to be fine, even brown rice syrup (which is what Clif puts in their bars). Second, I have to avoid bread and white flour, which for me requires almost superhuman willpower 🙁
If I relax my superhuman willpower (which unfortunately happens more than I wish!) and start eating bread, I find that my energy level and performance gradually go down. Drat!!

Also, I take these supplements: iron pills, a multi-B vitamin and flax oil capsules (since I don’t really like the taste of flax oil, but omega-3 is very important for everyone to eat, and it mostly comes in fish oil and flax oil). Iron deficiency is a very common culprit for female athletes, especially if you are vegetarian or vegan. Keep in mind that vitamin C helps with iron absorption, so if you eat oranges or kiwis, this will help the iron supplements do their best for you. Many people recommend cooking in a cast iron pans as well, which seems like a great idea to me. It’s really nice, if you ever make corn bread or apple crisp, to bake it in a cast iron skillet.

If you are concerned about protein, make sure you are eating tofu, beans, lentils, nuts (almond butter seems especially good), quinoa and nutritional yeast. There should be plenty of protein present in all of these foods for an athlete’s needs.

Finally, the thing that I have struggled hardest with, is the realization that I will always naturally experience highs and lows, physically. High times must always come paired with low times, and it is part of the natural cycle. Often when I am climbing (or running or skiing) my best, I think “Wow! This is it! I’m finally strong and fit, and now it will just get better and better and better!” But a strong peak is always followed by a low time, when I can’t figure out why I am weaker, more tired, and less motivated. I used to make it worse by fighting it, and trying to force myself to train harder, and generally giving myself a hard time mentally. Once I finally started to accept the natural flow, the low times were less frustrating and lengthy. The good news is that every time I have increased my peak level, my base fitness has gone up slightly, so over the years the improvement is always steady, if not as dramatic and exciting as I would like 🙂 Keep in mind that when your physical level becomes higher, the increases will be smaller and less obvious, so try to appreciate your gains with a more refined measuring stick, now that you have been at it for several years. Also, consider mixing up your training methods. If lifting weights is starting to become a drag and unproductive, put more energy into yoga and core strength training (stomach workouts). If climbing is not making you feel good, do more running or skiing or biking for a while. Let your motivation shift and cycle.

Overall, my best advice is to keep up with what you are doing–you understand the value of consistency, training, research and a good diet. Persevere with your good habits through low times, experiment with small changes (such as supplements or eliminating/adding different foods), and most of all, accept the natural fluctuations, both physical and psychological…..
Take care!
xx Steph