( MEP ) + HOLOS, Plant-based Fueling, Maghalie Rochette, War on Carbs
In partnership with HOLOS
I’ve shared a couple times over the last year about my journey with food. It’s been at the core of some of my biggest health challenges, really probably more on the mental side than the physical. When I decide to get back into running, and triathlon for the first time, I quickly had to address some of these head on. Being taken by the Bulletproof diet and dipping in and out of ketosis had served me well and I think that this way of eating and intermittent fasting can be great for body composition and general health. But when you start burning 1000-2000 calories a day with exercise on top of 2000+ from just walking around and breathing, that low carb diet and doing every workout fasted does not work anymore. I found this out by getting hit with severe fatigue, unable to do more than a couple days of workouts before bonking, and often binge eating after long rides and runs, throwing my blood sugar all over the place making it more difficult to make the right choices on what to eat and how much.
Eventually I began to listen and after going through many podcasts and a couple of great books, combined with my own lack of performance. It was hard to hear, but I conceded in the end that I needed to eat more. I needed to eat more carbs specifically. Enter HOLOS. When Sam first emailed me about their product I thought it looked nice and the ingredients sounded good too, but I wasn’t ready for the carbs just yet! I took my time getting back to him but eventually the Universe told me gave me enough nudges, and I’m grateful that he sent over a variety flavors to try out. It was the first time in years I’d eaten anything so carbohydrate dense, let alone in the morning. But the convenience was hard to deny, Cocoa, Vanilla and Peanut+Maple quickly became my favorites and my blood sugar balanced out over the days, I recovered much better and stopped crashing into days of fatigue. I bring HOLOS on the road when I travel, keep it home for breakfast or sometimes lunch after a big workout and its versatile as well when it comes to adding in your own toppings like nut butter, cacao nibs, honey or whatever you’re into.
The journey with food continues, and now as a new parent having something reliable and easy and full of organic whole foods is a savior. The fridge is almost always stocked with one or two reusable jars and since I’ve gone through a handful of orders from Holos. The overnight oats were a hit on the MEP Cycling Retreat as well, really ideal for any adventures, indoor or outdoor.
Q &A: Checking in with Maghalie Rochette
RW: You have some great brand partners and sponsors, how much of your ‘job’ as a cyclist involves creating or co-creating content to keep these relationships?
MR: Well that is one thing that has definitely changed over the years. Before, you only had to be a good athlete. Now, you have to be a good athlete and you have to create content or find a way to bring a different kind of return to your partners. So I do invest a lot of time in that part of the job. I’m lucky that I found ways to do that that I enjoy, like the podcast for example. That said, I consider myself fortunate that all the brands that I work with also value me as an athlete and they prioritize my performance over other endeavors, and I’m very appreciative of this, because for me, the dream and the goal remain the performance.
RW: As your career has grown and evolved, how has your nutrition evolved along with it? Have there been key shifts in how you fuel your training and racing?
MR: Nutrition is an integral part of being an athlete, so I’ve definitely learned a lot about how to fuel throughout my career. Nothing has shifted drastically for me, as I don’t follow any kind of particular diet. However, I understand now more than ever the importance of feeling well, fueling enough, and timing my nutrition according to my training. In my opinion and experience, health should always come first, because without health there is no sustained performance. So I always prioritize health, and nutrition is crucial to good health. So as much as power to weight ratio is important in cycling, I make sure I am always properly fueled; always more than not enough.
RW: Looking forward, do you have any big goals whether races to win or continued impact on women’s cycling, community and education?
MR: One of my big goals is to podium at a World Championships. I would also like to race and represent Canada at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, on the Mountain Bike. Other than that, I hope that I can shine a positive light on women’s cycling and help it evolve and gain even more traction for the next generation of cyclists.
“No one’s going to tell you what your limit is, it’s up to you to find out.” - Jeff Cauchon
In the midst of a summer riddled with uncertainty, Jean-François (Jeff) Cauchon, one of Canada’s top ultra trail running athletes attempts to set a new world record. Jeff’s grounded resilience fuels his epic ambitions to break the current record for Greatest Elevation Gain on Foot in 24 Hours.
Series: War on Carbs
HOLOS have published a series of articles titled the ‘War on Carbs’ which I find quite funny, as I feel I have been a part of this war myself. But alas all is relevant, some people frankly should limit their carbs, some should eat entirely different carbs, some should change the timing, some need to eat way more. It’s very personal to your own body and makeup, also your goals in health and fitness, as well as the type and how you process your carbs. There is truly not right or wrong (well maybe some wrongs…) but this series of articles is quite interesting and educational on why at the very least, the war should be over ( Read More )
This week’s MEP compendium ♾ ♾
The Yoga of Eating, one of my favorite books on the topic of food, by Charles Eisenstein ( Link )
Great story from overweight to Ironman by Andréanne Germain 🏊🏼🚴🏼🏃🏽( Link )
🚵🏻♀️ Keep Riding Rapha Film featuring Maghalie Rochette ( Link )
Maple + Peanut is my favorite flavor from HOLOS ( Link )
📖 Another great book on fueling and nutrition for endurance sports: The Endurance Diet: Discover the 5 Core Habits of the World’s Greatest Athletes to Look, Feel, and Perform Better ( Link )
Why we should be soaking our foods ( Link )
Use code MEP10 for $10 off your first order at liveholos.com
