Nutrition & Fitness in 2020 with Zane Grothe

We sat down with Juice Plus+ brand ambassador and pro swimmer Zane Grothe to catch up on good nutrition, fitness, and maintaining healthy routines during the challenges this year has brought. In his Q&A below, he tells us how he had to train in a local pond for 5 weeks during lockdown, how he manages a balanced diet when needing to consume 7,000 calories per day, and other ways he keeps up with his unique nutrition and fitness needs. 

Zane will be taking over our Instagram (@JuicePlus_US) on Tuesday, September 29! Mark your calendars and tune in throughout the day as he gives us a peek into his life.  

Q: Did quarantine inspire any new ways to get needed nutrition or inventive ways to train/work out? 

A few things have changed with my nutrition and training since quarantine has restricted travel. Being connected to the Juice Plus+ community has helped me learn the importance of having more vegetables in my diet. Having to cook for myself more often, I’ve now embraced the art of salad-making and am now confident in getting my raw greens every day. 

I’ve also crafted a few homemade pieces of workout equipment including a wooden plank with buckets and pulleys to strengthen my swimming muscles, as well as concrete dumbbells with PVC handles for more traditional workout exercises.

Q: How have your competition and training schedules been impacted? Tell us what the next year looks like for you.

Training was effectively canceled for over a month. Eventually, I found a local pond that had unfrozen, which I used for training for about 5 weeks. Slowly but surely practicing in a pool eventually returned.

Competitions had gone out the window. Everything for the foreseeable future was canceled. My last meet was in early March. My return to racing will be the second season of the International Swim League kicking off in mid-October. After that I’ll look to the TYR Pro Swim Series in 2021 and cross my fingers that my competition schedule will hold.

Q: What are some nutritional needs specific to swimmers? What are some of your specific nutritional needs, and how do Juice Plus+ products support them?

The nutritional spectrum of swimmers from the sprinters to the open water crew is vast. On one end the sprinters are focused primarily on building strength, while on the other end the distance swimmers are focused on maximizing endurance and energy expenditure. One thing universal to all swimmer types is high caloric intake, which means a heavy emphasis on getting quality sources of macronutrients like proteins, carbs, and fats. 

I have to eat between 5-7,000 calories per day to maintain body composition. Sometimes it’s difficult to get the right ratios of fruits, vegetables, carbs, and proteins at that volume. Having Juice Plus+ in my diet gives me peace of mind that I will be less likely to be lacking in the micronutrient category. 

Q: How have you seen good nutrition impact your performance, recovery, and/or endurance? 

Proper nutrition is as important if not more important than the actual training I do. Eating the wrong food will give you decreased training performance, reduced recovery, and will eventually lead to injuries that could potentially end your career. Olympic-level athleticism comes from Olympic-level habits, including nutrition. If I know I won’t be eating within an hour after practice, then I can start my recovery process confidently with the Complete shakes immediately after climbing out of the pool. 

Q: Your family and friends have always been major supporters of everything you do. How, if at all, has your support system adapted during lockdown? 

My support system has been great. The majority of my phone calls have now turned into video chats to supplement face-to-face interaction. 

Q: What is some advice for anyone feeling set back by this year?

If you worked hard enough to get where you once were, then regardless of difficulty you’re capable of doing it again. There are a million and one ways to better yourself without practicing your profession. During a downtime, focus on the minor details that were inappreciable during an uptime. Every detail matters in the long run. 

Q: Who are other athletes or public figures you draw strength from?

I’ve drawn a lot of strength recently from my fellow National Team teammates. Most all of us have the same goal—make the Olympic Team. Seeing on social media the innovative ways they’ve been able to stay in shape has helped inspire me to keep working and given me hope that this interruption was not a step back but a well needed resting period. 

Q: What does Juice Plus+ mean to you? 

Juice Plus+ has been with me since as long as I can remember. It’s as important to me as my suit, cap, and goggles. I genuinely believe that I would not be where I am today with my swimming career had I not had Juice Plus+ and the associated community and nutritional knowledge with me on this journey. My favorite thing to tell people about Juice Plus+ is that I’ll be taking it long after my swimming career is over. 

Learn more about Zane Grothe and other pro athletes who rely on Juice Plus+ products here, and don’t forget to pop onto our Instagram to see him live on September 29. Catch Brittany Hochevar’s social takeover here if you missed it last month!