As I told you, my blog will often times consist of entries about veganism and misconceptions about such. I have been blessed beyond measure to struggle, grow and succeed in my vegan journey a long side my best friend, Luke. As a guy, his struggle has been a little more intense concerning gender roles and prejudices (more on that later), but his experiences with the physical benefits both athletic, and general health-wise are worth being told because he's a flippin' champion! There is a common misconception in the athletic/fitness world that in order to perform at a peak level, one must excessively consume protein (specifically animal protein) in order to excel athletically. WRONG! I could try and explain, but I figured good ol' Super Luke would be the perfect specimen, I mean, testimony for the job :) Here's our little interview, enjoy!
Q; Hello, Lukey! Thank you so much for being excited about this blog experience, and contributing this idea.
A: Oh, My pleasure! I'm excited about this!
Q: Ok, so first off, I'd like you to tell me about your athletic experience before going vegan. How did your body feel and what was your physical endurance like?
A: I did Cross Country in high school, and I've always struggled with sugar problems and difficulty in controlling blood sugar. I also really struggled with performance anxiety. I Had to carefully monitor what I ate...dairy was often a quick fix, but it also made me sick and it was a back and forth battle in between balancing sugar and dairy and balancing my bodies reaction to both. Anytime before performing in a race I didn't know what to eat so I'd eat different random things and it usually resulted in an abdominal heaviness, and also a heaviness in my chest concerning breathing (with the dairy), and I'd often have to clear my throat while exercising. In essence, my body reacted more extremely to food.
Q: After your athletic exertion, How would your body ordinarily react?
A: After 3 miles, my body would be overly tired, exhausted. You know, like you'd expect.
Q: Okay, Explain how your body reacts now performance wise because of your vegan lifestyle.
A: More noticeable energy before and after exertion, especially AFTER. Even after 2-3 hours of sprinting in soccer, my energy level was still intense. To clarify, I never really got sick BEFORE exercise in the past, but often afterwards, and I don't at all now. I also have no problem breathing before/during/after performance. My body also doesn't feel sore.
Q: So your body feels cleaner before/during/after athleticism?
A: Yes! Definitely!
Q: What is your response to the argument that one must ingest excessive amounts of protein in order to perform, grow or firm up physically (esp. animal protein)?
A: Well I think that there is a certain amount of protein that every person needs whether they are an athlete or not, and that limit should not be passed. I think this should be enforced. There are adverse effects to both too little and too much protein, equally. I never had a problem getting enough protein before being a vegan, as a lacto-ovo-vegetarian, and definitely not now as a vegan.
Q: What was the difference you felt in between being lacto-ovo and being vegan physically wise?
A: Well as far as the meat aspect, none. That effects the body's functioning greatly. But eliminating the dairy kept me from feeling sick, and greatly improved my respiratory functioning.
Q: What would you tell fellow athletes to dispel mislead rumors about vegan athletes, and would you encourage anyone to try veganism to improve athleticism and physicality?
A: I think that their (vegan athletes) performances should be proof enough that they are just as good as anyone else. If they are winning, and performing well, they should be open to it. I would definitely advise them to do it because of what I've seen in myself. It definitely improved my breathing and energy in performance greatly.
As you can see, this a great example of the misconceptions and urban myths concerning veganism. I hope that you guys find this enlightening and informative. :)
Be blessed.
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