Drummer friends! Hope this finds you all well. Great to be back sharing another blog and I've another great guest drummer sharing his healthy learnings with you.
He's someone I've admired ever since we met in his native South Africa back in 2005, when we both performed at Nelson Mandela's 46664 Fancourt Concert (in George).
I was playing with Annie Lennox and he was with the great Johnny Clegg - an important figure in South African popular music history whose songs mix Zulu with English lyrics, African and Western music styles.
We then went onto sharing the bill on two more Mandela events -2007's '46664 Jo!Burg' concert (Johannesburg, South Africa) and 2008's Nelson Mandela 90th Birthday Tribute concert in London's Hyde Park.
He's a Cape Town-based World music specialist who studied music in California and worked with African icons Johnny Clegg, Oliver Mtukudzi, Vusi Mahlasela, Ladysmith Black Mabazo and the Soweto Gospel Choir, as well as artists such as Jimmy Buffet, Peter Gabriel, Black, Michelle Shocked, Hothouse Flowers and Annie Lennox. Friends, please welcome my friend, Barry Van Zyl.
"Hi ya fellow drummers, smoothie and raw food addicts! My interest in running and whole food nutrition started as a kid when I beat asthma into submission through exercise and nourishing food! My thanks go out to a visionary doctor all those years ago for 'prescribing' a running program instead of rest and medication, which was the medical fraternity's position at that time. Since then things have changed a lot. One example is the growing number of Olympic medalists in swimming who are former asthmatics.
"A fit and healthy lifestyle means you can play longer and harder on all fronts, avoid illness and, in the words of the Godfather of soul Mr James Brown, scream out loud: "I feel GOOD!
Nutrition
"My strategy is frequent small meals and focusing on the unrefined and fresh stuff. However the real secret weapon is a nutritious smoothie to start the day, as it's almost impossible to get all the good stuff via caterers and bistros as a traveling musician!
"Here is my favourite smoothie recipe:
Into a high-speed blender:
1 banana
Handful of toasted almonds (unsalted)
1 spoon of raw honey,
1 glass of soya milk
2 tablespoons ofHL nutritional supplement
Add a few Ice cubes and blend!"
Hydration
"Question: drink water when thirsty, or drink water frequently as a strategy? Answer:
Throughout the day. Every day. Not just when you feel run down or thirsty. By then it's too late to remedy!"
Exercise
"My personal survival mechanism is to run and swim daily where time allows. This gives me energy instead of draining it. When I'm home I run five times per week with two days of recovery where I carry on with light resistance and weight workouts.
"Last year I did a trial endorsement of a product called H3O Pro from the Herbalife24 Sports nutrition range, aimed at hydrating the body at the highest level. You mix with spring water and slug it back during your 'event'. It's delicious, organic and has worked incredibly well for me and is now an essential part of my tour planning.
"I'm now using other products in the Herbalife range with equally good results. My only irritation is not doing this 15 years ago!
"I've become a firm believer in Sports Science for better performance. Not because anyone sold me on this, but simply through using products that work and make me perform better as a professional drummer and an amateur runner."
Read more about Barry's success with Herbalife24's H3O Pro here.
Connect with BVZ at www.barryvanzyl.com/, on Twitter - @BarryBVZ, and
Facebook - www.facebook.com/vanzyl
For more on juicing, check out Barney's healthy inspirations.
