Blog Takeover: Meet Ryan.

Hey everyone! My name is Ryan. I am a former collegiate baseball player turned road cyclist. I grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and now live in Cleveland, Ohio. As long as I can remember I was playing sports. I gravitated towards hockey and baseball – eventually choosing to play baseball and continue my education at Marietta College. At Marietta, I was a 1st Team All-American, 1st Team All-Mideast Region, 1st Team All OAC, and 1st Team ABCA/Rawlings Mideast All-Region; as well as OAC Player of the Year and All-Mideast Region Player of the Year. With being so active and trying to get the most out of my body, nutrition played a huge role in my day-to-day life while at Marietta, as well as now.

Something I heard consistently throughout my playing days was, “you need to get bigger and stronger”. I spent time in the weight room but could never seem to gain and keep any weight on my body. To change this, my thought process was workout more and eat even more. When I say eat, I mean anything and everything with no care as to what it was. In high school, my mom would pack me a lunch bag full of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that I would eat throughout the day on top of my other meals.

Even with eating more, I didn’t see any improvements or consistent weight and muscle gain until my sophomore year of college, and that is because of my change in nutrition. I stopped eating everything in sight and started focusing on foods that were healthier – quality over quantity. I took my recovery after practice and workouts more seriously and was making sure I had the right amount of protein intake. I was still eating a lot of food – but it was the right food for me – the more nutritious food I needed in order to help my body recover.

Once my college playing days were over and I started my job working full time I was unable to dedicate as much time in the weight room. I realized this meant I needed to change my eating habits. I was no longer working out for hours during the day, which meant I wasn’t needing as much food and protein. It was around this same time that I was introduced to road cycling by my older brother and sister. Being the youngest, I naturally wanted to do what ever my siblings were doing and I was immediately hooked to cycling. It provided incentive for me to get outdoors, stay active and competitive. When I started cycling, I had to reassess, again, the food I was eating on a day-to-day basis. I needed to make changes in order to be competitive and really get the most out of my body in a different way. Rather than looking at food as a supplement to feed my straining muscles – I started to look at it more as fuel, and become more conscious about the food I was eating and how that food translates to my performance on the bike.

Habits are hard to break. I love going back for seconds and sometimes even third servings. A fellow cyclist, who seems to have the same eating habits as me, once shared his approach that if you look down at your plate before you eat, and the food is healthy (and we all know for the most part what foods are good for you), then most likely there is no problem having more than one serving. I really related to this and think about it at most meals. I also don’t restrict myself with food. If I feel hungry then I am going to eat. In high school and college this could mean me grabbing a bag of chips and finishing off the whole thing, but now I supplement with a healthier snack like an apple or pretzels and hummus to satisfy my hunger.

While I am out on the bike, I am really focusing on my carb intake. Before each training ride I look at the work I will need to do and the time I will be out on the road and then use a simple formula to figure out roughly the right amount of carbs I will need to take in while riding. I take in the carbs in either a liquid form, gels or bars. Anything that is easy to eat and digest and give me quick energy. When I am feeling tired and feel like I can’t pedal anymore, it’s amazing what the right bar or gel will do for me.

I am lucky enough to be married to an incredible woman who is also an amazing cook. Being a former collegiate rower and a health-conscious eater, my wife makes some of the best and healthiest food I have ever eaten. We typically do our grocery shopping on a weekly basis – before we go to the store, we lay out what we would like to eat for dinner during that week, and go from there. We try to incorporate as many fresh ingredients as possible and minimize processed foods. I am a creature of habit, usually eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch almost every day, knowing what will help me with my training rides. These foods work for me and I feel great eating them so I live by the motto, “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it”. Dinner is really where we branch out with eating and I am happy to try whatever healthy meal my wife has prepared.

Last, even though it is good to be eating healthy, we don’t obsess over it. Pizza Fridays are a staple in our house, and I am not going to be giving up that tradition anytime soon. I accept that there are times when I won’t be able to eat the best food, but I also know that a majority of the time the food I am putting into my body is healthy, tastes good, and has been prepared well. Besides the food itself, I love sitting in the kitchen with my wife while we prepare our dinner for the night. Some of my best memories with my family growing up took place in the kitchen, and the same goes for my wife and me now. Food has always been important to me and it is a great way to get out and try and experience new things with family and friends.

-Ryan

you can follow Ryan on instagram @ryanhanahan