High Intensity Activity Needs Optimal Nutrition

It is universally understood that the performance of every physical activity has a connection to the physical state of a person’s body. Our collective tendency, however, is to think this way only with respect to the most obviously taxing of physical activities. For example, most people immediately appreciate the relationship between the performance of a marathon runner or an Olympic cross-country skier and his prior physical conditioning and training. Almost as many people understand that the performance of such athletes is also intimately related to what he or she had to eat the night before and the morning of the competition. A person in great condition--who possesses the potential to perform well--will not do so if he has not eaten properly before the contest. His undertaking will be strictly limited by his body’s ability to fuel and sustain his performance. Even the fastest racecar is no good without the best oil and gasoline to persevere in the race.

What About Low Intensity Activity?

However, when it comes to activities in which physical exertion is less intense, many people tend to unconsciously discount the role that prior conditioning may play. Even more so, the overwhelming majority of people are very likely to not give nutrition even a first, let alone a second, thought. Shooting, both professional and recreational, is one of those sporting activities that has received little attention regarding proper, supportive nutrition. Casual observation of the sport magazine section of your local store will reveal striking differences between periodicals. You will see that monthly weightlifting magazines, for example, will contain nearly as many or more articles on nutrition as they do on equipment and training. You will not have to scan the magazine rack very much to see that the journals about guns and shooting are very heavy on equipment—such as the newest 1911 compact, or the latest and quickest carrying device. To some lesser degree there are occasional articles on shooting technique and training. Very rarely will you come across articles on proper physical conditioning for shooters. I dare say that you will be hard pressed, after looking over several months of publications, to find even one article on nutritional support for shooters.

Optimal Nutrition For Marksmanship?

This observation leads to the obvious question as to the reason for such an absence, and whether or not it is an oversight. Perhaps, one might speculate, there is no role for nutrition in the art and sport of shooting. The only thought that occurs to most people in this regard is that nutrition might play a role in hunting, where one might be required to trek miles over difficult terrain in the pursuit of game. The chase can burn a sizeable portion of our energy reserves. Most of us have experienced raising a seven pound rifle with scope after an hour of physical exertion, only to find that our exhaustion and breathing has us shaking the gun beyond any hope for accuracy. Yet, few of us think about the nutrition behind the activity. Many of us might promise ourselves that we will get into better physical shape by next season; fewer of us will reflect that we could have eaten a more nutritious breakfast; and very few of us would think about our blood sugar balance and the shaking rifle. Well then, is it possible that the right nutrition can much better prepare us for the challenges of both the demands of stamina and of good marksmanship?

Stable Blood Sugar For Stable Shooting

It just so happens that there is a wealth of research and knowledge about nutrition that has undeniable and vital things to say about the physical activity of shooting. For example, stable blood sugar is important in the performance of all activity, not just those of maximal exertion. Steady flows to the tissues of the body of blood sugar are pivotal in sustaining performance. Our muscles, nerves, vascular system, and brain all require continual support and restoration. Fuel is needed for both stamina and sensory acuity. While it is obvious that correct blood sugar levels are needed for mountainous hunting and running, it is not so obvious that it is needed for more passive activities such as concentrating, aiming, holding, and steadying. These latter activities, we can agree, are extremely important in the act of shooting. If your hands and arms are unsteady due to a shaking tremor or if your aim is affected by poor focus, you are not going to be an effective shooter.

Brain & Muscle Need Proper Feeding

In addition to the very important maintenance of proper blood sugar is the replenishing of nutrients important to brain and muscle function. In addition to high quality protein (amino acids), we need the right complement of essential fatty acids. Both the brain and muscle burn sugar and fatty acids for fuel and energy. A diet poor in these is a liability to a person who wants to operate a weapon at optimal efficiency. Muscle and brain nutrition is vital before you come to the activity of shooting, as much as is skills training.

Magnesium For The Steady Hand

With respect to the need for calm nerves and resistance to fatigue, it is necessary to enhance the positive contributions of steady blood sugar with nutrients such as magnesium. This very important mineral is known by health professionals to support the steady hand that the shooter needs. In addition, research shows the mineral helps limit the damage to hearing, which can come from the percussion of the fired weapon.

Antioxidants Protect Hearing & Vision!

One of the most explosive areas of research in nutrition over the last decade has been that carried out in the subject of antioxidants. If you have not heard of them by now, you will. Simply put, antioxidants help to limit and prevent the damage caused to our cells by chemicals within the body and by stressors outside the body. They synergistically work as a team in this function. Many people know about the role of antioxidants in neutralizing the deteriorating effects of free radicals within the body. Few have heard of their role in managing and limiting the negative physical effects of environmental stressors.

We all know that the senses of vision and hearing are essential to the performance of a shooter, whether he be an exacting professional or a weekend amateur. Therefore, preservation and support of these sensory organs are vital. What leading researchers have now discovered is that antioxidants play an integral role in protecting these senses from damage. The percussive explosion of cartridges and shot shells are a significant challenge to the ear and its mechanisms. Certainly, earmuffs help. However, the potential damage can be even further curtailed by the taking of proper antioxidants to support the hearing structures that are taxed by the sound of a firing weapon. Likewise, the gradual damage to our vision by various segments of the light spectrum can also be limited and repaired by the appropriate antioxidants.

Extra Energy & Nutrients Needed For High Stress

Yet more subtle aspects to shooting can be helped by nutritional support. For example, some shooting situations involve the context of self-defense, where your life may be on the line. Scientists know that the stress of personal confrontation involves the supportive action of the adrenal glands, which enhance our readiness for “fight or flight”. We can all agree that having reserves for a stressful situation could be life-saving. When the body is in stress, it needs extra energy and nutrients, and it needs them now! Also, proper nutritional support for reaction time can be critical, whether your life is in jeopardy or if you are performing in mock competition. Prior nutritional preparation is a silent and unseen factor behind every performance, whether shooting under stress or recreationally at your leisure.

L.E.A.N Phytonutrient Bar To The Rescue!

Therefore, even more fortunate than our current knowledge about the physical factors involved in shooting is the fund of information about the nutritional elements that can support them. However, if we cannot avail ourselves of these nutrients in a convenient and usable form, we are not likely to take advantage of them. To this end, the formulators at Life Energy And Nutrition applied themselves to the task of coming up with a convenient powerhouse of supportive nutrition for the informed shooter of today.

The L.E.A.N Phytonutrient Bar contains the necessary protein, essential fatty acids, antioxidants, minerals (magnesium included), vitamins and blood sugar stabilizers to get the job done. This unique product contains one of the most potent natural food substances ever researched by scientists—X-454 Phytonutrient Complex. This complex is a powerhouse of all naturally occurring, grain-based nutrients unrivaled for their nutritional benefits. It has over 100 antioxidant components synergistically working together to address the bodily stress associated with shooting. Numerous research studies show its unique ability to stabilize blood sugars and to provide the resulting steadiness required by the serious shooter. The bar has the proper nutritional profile of carbohydrate, protein and fatty acids to allow a shooter to eat just one bar and receive the support needed for several hours of activity.

So . . . Eat Up For Optimal Performance!

It is time for all of us to take advantage of the increase in knowledge about the functioning of our bodies and their nutritional needs. It is time for hunters and shooters to apply this knowledge to our favored recreational activity. The L.E.A.N Phytonutrient Bar is specifically tailored to support our stamina, our hearing, our vision, our concentration, our accuracy, and our total performance. So why not enhance your performance and use it to your benefit? You deserve the best support you can get!

Ray H. Carlson has a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in clinical psychology. He has been in practice for 35 years. Among his most passionate interests are nutrition and its affects on the human body and psyche. He is convinced that there is a seamless relationship between what is wrong with us spiritually, mentally, physically, and nutritionally. In his own search for the ultimate nutritionals, he has become an avid user of this product. He also highly recommends it to his patients for general health and for support in coping with the tremendous stresses of modern life.