Every high intensity exercise causes an inflammatory process that generates muscle damage as an important adaptive response to exercise, such as protein synthesis (muscle mass gain). However, if this damage is not modulated can generate muscle pain, lead to injuries and mess up with the immune system (more likely to get sick, fungus, etc.).

Nutritional modulators, such as GINGER have an important effect in reducing muscle pain induced by exercise and give you a faster recovery for the next training session. According to the Brazilian nutritionist Fernanda Mello, an authority in dieting  between BJJ athletes and practitioners, a good tip to help muscle recovery is to add ginger chips in the bottle of water to drink during the workout. In addition, ginger is a potent anti-emetic and reduces nausea and dizziness caused during high-intensity workout. “Important to highlight that these biological effects of ginger is due to their alkaloid compounds that are poorly resistant to heat so I recommend to use it raw and in chips to really get the full benefits of these compounds.” says Fernanda. You can also add ginger in your juices, salads and iced teas.

Enjoy this Refreshing Mango Ginger Ice Tea:

Mango Ginger Ice Tea

Mango and slices of fresh ginger are infused in hot water with a touch of  raw sugar. The resulting simple syrup is used to flavor and sweeten tea. Enjoy with lots of ice cubes!

Ingredients:

• 4 cups water
• 4 slices Mangos
  
• 8 slices fresh ginger
• 3 Earl Grey tea bags
• 1/4 cup raw sugar
• Ice

Directions:

In a small saucepan, combine water, mangos, ginger and raw sugar over medium heat and let simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the tea bags. Let steep for 5 minutes. Let the mixture cool and strain the tea. Serve in a tall glass with ice and enjoy on a hot summer day!

Monique Elias training with husband Mario Reis. Photo: Monique’s Facebook page.

Monique Elias debuted in the black belt on Jan. 18^th at the Brazilian National Pro championship (competition that qualified Jiu-Jitsu athletes to fight at the WPJJC in Abu Dhabi next April) with a victory over former female absolute World champion Bia Mesquita by two advantages, after a technical duel of sweeps and foot lock attempts.

The student and wife of world champion Mario Reis conquered her black belt after an almost perfect performance at the Worlds 2014 at brown belt when she dominated the light heavyweight and absolute category with seven fights, seven wins and six submissions.

Monique’s expressive achievement at the National Pro indicates that she is here to stay and has a promising carrier ahead of her in competitive Jiu-Jitsu.

Monique celebrating victory. photo: Preston Smith

Here, GRACIEMAG looks into unrevealing some of the champ’s lifestyle secrets, which could be taking her to the top at black belt. Check it out:

GRACIEMAG: What do you do to have lots of energy?

Monique Elias: I have been working with a doctor for over a year now to monitor my health and improve stamina. Usually, I go to bed early and wake up naturally. I don’t make any appointments in the morning that I have to use the alarm clock. Also, I recently looked for an endocrinologist, Dr. Victor Sorrentino, who performed a battery of blood tests and found that I had some food allergies, which were taking a lot of my energy. Cutting some things of my diet such as lactose, sugar, and gluten made me feel much more prepared. Besides food, just good sleep. It adds value to organize your time because it allows you to do more things in a day using less energy, so you save it for what matters the most that is training.

Monique Elias physical training at the stairs. Photo: Personal archives

How do you adjust your diet, before and after training?

My first Jiu-Jitsu workout of the day is at noon, so before I normally eat Tapioca (Yuca) and 3 eggs. I mix a carbohydrate of medium glycemic index, and a protein, which in addition to lower the carbohydrate’s GI, it still prevents catabolism (Lean mass loss). I try to vary my food, but it will always be a low or medium glycemic index carbohydrate and a choice of protein. It may even be a protein cupcake accompanied by a black coffee that has thermogenic action. After training Jiu-Jitsu I have no time and no hunger to eat, as I should. At this point, I make use of dietary supplements until I get home for lunch. After training we have a very high wear of energy, and muscle breakdown; so it is necessary to make use of carbohydrates. I always prefer fruit or coconut water along with a manipulated amino acid complex. I use manipulated by the degree of purity, because most of the supplements we find on the market are very chemical, and often do more harm than good.

Do you take any other supplements?

Yes, manipulated amino acids. And, if I cannot find carbohydrates from fruits, or something solid, I use Waxymaize. I also take mineral and medicinal herbs to balance my body from the waste of high performance training. Although I have a good diet just eating natural and organic products, the soil of the planet is already very damaged. This way, the same nutrients we received from greens 30 years ago are no longer the same available today. As well as the quality of the water we drink. So I always make periodic checks with the doctor to find out what my weaknesses are and supplement only with what is missing to keep my body balanced and healthy.

How does your lifestyle affect your athletic performance?

In my opinion, performance and health are 100% interconnected. Health is the result of your lifestyle. You are what you eat. If you have a balanced diet, rich in nutrients and easy to digest, you will have much more energy. Having more energy means more availability to train. Training improves your technique. Better technique and will power makes a different from a person to another, and these differences can be definitive to your performance in training and at the tournament. I saw the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle in my first year of Jiu-Jitsu. I used to cut weight to fight at the lightweight division, and had a very restricted diet. Then, when I finished the competition I “rewarded” myself with fatty foods, sugar, chocolate, etc. I’ve seen all my sacrifice of months going to waste in a day. I once was able to put it back 6kg in two days, and I felt sick. To recover my body and conditioning I had to work hard for two months. Thus, at one point I realized that it was not worth it losing everything I’ve achieved with so much effort. This way, I decided to follow a lifelong diet, and I went after recipes that wouldn’t put my body at risk.

Can you give us some tips on how to “survive” tough Jiu-Jitsu training and still look your best?

It was pretty hard for me to switch careers, because my body has changed a lot and I had to adapt to a series of things that came along with Jiu-Jitsu. I have really long hair and had to learn to hold it in a way that it does not shed, and that it is not straitened. This preserves it from the pulling and helps it not to break. I do a very high ponytail, and a braid, holding at the end. I have no chemistry in my hair, because of the constant sweating I have to wash it 2 times a day and that already detonates the hair. Less aggression is always better. It is normal to have an increase of pimples in the face, with sweat and dirt. I finish training and wash my face right after with soap. Keeping the skin clean prevents acne. I have my nails done every week, always on Fridays because I will not train the next day. I keep it short, and use drying oil for a better finish and to moisturize my cuticles. Some things are inevitable, like the purple bruises in the legs and arms, and the callus in the fingers – But I already think it is charming!

Exotic hearts of palm and mango salad. Photo: Carol Gracie

Need a creative and healthy appetizer idea for your Thanksgiving dinner? So, you have to try this exquisite hearts of palm and mango salad with damask jelly, cheese curb and a touch of basil created by a Brazilian Chef from Teju-acu Hotel & Restaurant in Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco. Get the recipe below:

Ingredients:

4 hearts of palm

1 mango

2 tablespoons of damask jelly

100g of cheese curbs

Basil leafs to taste

Method:

Slice the hearts of palm and put it on a plate. Cut the mango in little square pieces and place it on top of ½ (half) of the hearts of palm already sliced. Crab a small coffee spoon to scope the damask jelly and cover the other ½ (half) of the hearts of palm slices. Heat up the cheese curb until it acquires a soft and smooth texture, and then use the same coffee spoon to also place the cheese curb on top and between the hearts of palm slices in the plate. Sprinkle basil leafs to taste and enjoy!

Tapioca with Chia, Cottage Cheese and Honey.

When dieting we often have the impression that to lose weight we will have to opt for the lack of flavor in our food. While it is true that some treats should stay off the diet for it to work, that thought is not a rule. There are many delights that can, and should be included on the menu. Have you tried Tapioca, for example?

Tapioca is a great option to replace the bread while dieting. This Brazilian treat is made only with cassava and water, while bread takes salt, sugar, hydrogenated fats and preservatives in its composition. Hypertensive patients should pay attention to sodium intake and thus tapioca becomes the best option. Other ingredient presented in bread is gluten. The allergic to this substance (celiac), can consume Tapioca without fear.

Tapioca can be a recovery snack for after physical activities because it is a source of carbohydrate with high glycemic index, which although dangerous for diabetics if consumed in large quantities, it is ideal to replenish energy after workouts.

The body needs a rapid absorption of glucose to regain lost energy after physical activities. However, be careful with the choice of fillings. Use fruits and vegetables to guarantee a better source of vitamins and minerals; yet if the idea is to reduce the glycemic index, it is better to fill it with protein sources instead. Add chia, flaxseed or oats to compensate for the lack of fiber, which helps to lower the glycemic index and enriches tapioca with omega 3.

Learn here how to make a Tapioca recipe with chia, cottage cheese and honey.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons tapioca flour (polvilho doce)

1 tablespoon of chia seed

2 tablespoons of cottage cheese

1 tablespoon of honey

Preparation: Hydrate the tapioca flour with water and mix it with the chia seeds, then place it in a hot skillet. Let it stick and turn. Add the cottage cheese, honey, then close and serve.

Besides featuring contests for all belt groups, there will be the added draw of paying out cash prizes for the winners of the blue belt to black belt absolute divisions and three supermatches, with one Brazilian national champion and one police special forces representative.

Pedro Silveira (Sinho) vs. Fabrício Batista (Rio Fight)

Raphael Abi-Rihan (Abi-Rihan) vs. Renato Oliveira (Rio Fight)

Submission grappling: Félix Mau-Mau (Carlson Gracie/BOPE) vs. Leandro Bad (Sinho)

Raphael Abi-Rihan controls Filipe Jerry's arm on his way to gold at 2009 Brazilian Nationals. Photo por Gustavo Aragão.

Pleased with the call-up, black belt  Raphael Abi-Rihan has been having a successful time of juggling training with his various projects (newfound paternal duties, restructuring his academy, a training camp for visiting Turkish students with his partner Igor Silva, organizing events…).

“My weekly work routine is really intense and goes from Monday to Saturday, since besides the nine groups we have at the academy, I work around six hours per day on physical activities outside the realm of Jiu-Jitsu,” explains Abi-Rihan.

At GRACIEMAG.com’s request, the 2009 Brazilian national champion lays out a routine optimized for Jiu-Jitsu training.

1. JIU-JITSU 4 TIMES A WEEK

“I have the privilege of being able to rely on a large group of students and nine black belts—the Abi-Rihan Jiu-Jitsu family—to help me with technical support, and I feel teaching is part of training for competition. I train Jiu-Jitsu four times a week, including technical, stamina, standing and fun training.”

2. METHOD FOR SHARPENING UP JIU-JITSU

“I determine which are my most advanced Jiu-Jitsu groups and pick a day of the week to train with each of them. On one day, I train technique with my Masters group at 7:30 in the morning. On another day, I do stamina training with my ‘sauna routine,’ which is at 12:30 pm with my ‘psycho’ group. Those are my students who are better equipped physically. On another day, I train standing and on the ground with the 8:30 pm group, which is fuller and has students of all levels. On Saturday, I go to the academy like a student; it’s the day I’m more laid back in training.

3. PHYSICAL CONDITIONING FOR JIU-JITSU

“I do physical conditioning three or four times a week, divided into: basic muscle workout, power lifting, Jiu-Jitsu-specific pulling exercises, and functional training. I prioritize my workouts according to what’s going on at the time. At the moment I’m doing more basic muscular and functional workouts. As the competition nears, I make a priority of competition-specific exercises and power lifting.

4. DIET FOR BECOMING A JIU-JITSU CHAMP

“I balance my diet across three categories: Health, War, and Party. The fact that my wife is a nutritionist helps me keep the three angles balanced. It works like this: At the end and beginning of the year, it’s party time. Starting now, it’s more health and less party. And closer to the big championships, it’s lots of health, war, and no partying whatsoever. The key word is “balance.”

* Health equates to eating well on a day-to-day basis, keeping a balanced diet from Monday to Friday to keep weight under control and the immune system working strong. It’s a teacher’s obligation to always be in good health.

* War equates to hard-training-specific supplements and diet. The fighter should be a war-ready machine.

* Party is a glass of wine with the wife and beer with friends while celebrating something or watching Brazilians fighting in the UFC. After all, the Jiu-Jitsu working man is human too.

5. LOVE AND LIFESTYLE

“This is my routine: I work an average of 50 hours per week, am a father and take care of my family, train with my students, and I compete because I love it. I don’t know if I’ll always be coming up with good results. I’ll do what I can. But I already consider myself to be victorious in my career because of the LIFESTYLE I lead today, thanks to my FAMILY and JIU-JITSU,” says Raphael Abi-Rihan in conclusion.

What do you think about Abi-Rihan’s routine for coming up spades in competition, dear reader? Let us know your thoughts in the comments field below.