This article was written by Kevin, the founder of Fourpoints Bar. He also provided two boxes of bars to OpenSnow so we could ensure that the bars tasted good and provided lots of energy. Thumbs up on both accounts. 

 

 

By Kevin Webber
Certified sports nutritionist/co-founder Fourpoints bar

 

It’s 5:30am…and you wake to the sound of your phone going off. Though, this is no ordinary alarm. It’s your snow report alert. 

It’s a POWDER DAY! 

You scramble to get dressed, get out the door, stop by the local coffee shop, and hit the road. 

No time for breakfast. 

No friends on powder days. 

Soon you’re tearing it up in deep snow. This is what you dream about! 

However, a couple hours in, you’re tired, your quads are burning, and fatigue sets in. Suddenly you’re not tearing it up like you want to be. 

Maybe you’re just having an off day. Or maybe you shouldn’t have skipped breakfast.

Does this scenario sound familiar? 

It does to me. I know all too well the ramifications of not properly fueling for such endeavors. 

That coffee and bagel just didn’t cut it.

There is a lot of misinformation pertaining to sports nutrition and supplementation. So much, in fact, that it is easy to get confused and even easier to fall for gimmicks and unnecessary measures to achieve one’s fitness goals. However, if it is the truth we seek, we need only look down at our plates. 

It’s time for a real wakeup call: REAL ENERGY COMES FROM REAL FOOD! 

Real energy comes from consuming whole foods and burning those calories. That’s what the body prefers and that’s when it performs at its best.  

Even though your schedule may not always allow for a sit down meal, here is some food for thought when seeking those alternatives for whole foods on the go. Things to look for:

1. Understand the role of macronutrients: Carbohydrates, Proteins, and Fats.
   
   Carbohydrates = short term energy
   Fats = long term energy and immune support
   Proteins = muscle growth and repair
   
   
   
2. Understand that Sugar is not the enemy.
   
   Sugar is a quickly absorbed source of carbohydrates that is crucial for athletic performance such as skiing. Exercise actually helps improve the way sugar is handled in the body through improved insulin sensitivity and in return, sugar helps the body perform. However, choose low-medium glycemic sources of sugars to keep blood sugar levels from spiking and crashing.
   
   
   
3. Energy comes from calories.
   
   If it’s low-cal, where does the claimed energy come from?
   
   
   
4. Eat every 3-4 hours hungry or not.
   
   This ensures a constant supply of nutrients for a high metabolism. 

 

As a Colorado native and avid skier, I know that to perform at a high level, the body needs the right nutrients at the right times. I was dissatisfied with the current market of energy bars, so my brother Patrick and I began to make our own.

What started out as an at home project quickly turned into an endeavor to make a better product for the athletic population. We brought to the table a combination of culinary, nutritional, and fitness expertise to develop a nutrition bar made of whole foods in optimal macronutrient ratios, optimal in glycemic load, high in antioxidants, and made of the highest quality ingredients to deliver real energy when you need it most.

We developed Fourpoints bar to support short, medium, and long term energy systems.

To understand how this is achieved takes a basic understanding of the time it takes macronutrients to digest. It’s all about maintaining a high metabolism and keeping blood sugar balanced.

Typically carbs take 45 minutes to digest, proteins take 60 minutes, and fats take about 120 minutes (2 hours). Structuring our macronutrient make-up in the ratios we did helps to optimize energy through real food.  

Depending on the flavor, each 2.5 ounce bar is roughly 250 calories, with 8-9 grams of heart healthy fats, 10-12 grams of high quality protein, and 30-35 grams of complex carbohydrates. With 5-8 grams of fiber, it also helps keep you full for 3-4 hours.  No crashes and no spikes! Just long sustained energy while you’re out there slaying powder. 

For more information or to purchase Fourpoints bars, visit our website www.fourpointsbar.com