Own Your Offseason, Own Your Prime with Almonds

Eat Your Almonds, Own Your Offseason

Owning your prime is a state of mind. Check out Coach Prime’s tips to own your prime during the offseason and keep that energy up all day, every day.

1. Start your day with a PRIME mentality

Having a prime mentality means you gotta make today, and every day, count — from beginning to end. Make it what you want it to be. I wake up and I speak with words that align with my goals throughout the day. WIN IT. LIVE IT. OWN IT. And NEVER DOUBT YOURSELF. BE UNAPOLOGETICALLY YOU. No matter if it's game day or practice, I gotta feel the energy and focus on WINNING, EVERYDAY. Everything I do starts with that winning mentality.

2. Stick to a consistent morning routine

There’s no secret to success, you gotta put in the work. Having a consistent morning routine to set yourself up for success is KEY. It’s all about making time for YOU, every day. No excuses, get after it if you want it!

A COACH PRIME ROUTINE:

4:00 a.m. – Being in your prime is a mindset, and that begins as soon as I get out of bed. I always reflect on what I'm grateful for, where I’m going and where I wanna be. I usually see what words come to mind and then text my family, friends, and loved ones a brief motivational message for the day. It’s not planned, it’s usually whatever comes to mind to me fresh that morning, and then these wind up getting displayed on my social media pages shortly after.

5:00 a.m. – I get my workout in. When I’m putting in work at the gym, I just wanna feel good, and my workouts consist of cardio, abs, and strength work. Don’t forget that sauna afterwards for some extra time sweating it out after a workout.

6:30 a.m. – After my workout, I usually have some breakfast to fuel the start of my day — a banana strawberry smoothie with almond milk, egg whites, turkey bacon, and grits (you know I gotta have me my grits!). And I ALWAYS have a handful of almonds with me to eat after my workouts to help recover from exercise.

7:00 a.m. – I head to a few short team meetings to get going for the day. Then I hit the training room with the team to get in some extra recovery.  

9:00 a.m. – I don’t just show up at practice to practice. Practice to win. I’ve got an important job as a coach — I’m not just a football coach but helping these kids in life. That’s why before our time together, I talk to my team and give them the motivation they need to get out on that field as their best selves.

3. Be smart about exercise recovery 

There’s no “off the clock”; you must keep that energy all season long. With all that hard work means being smart about recovery; you gotta recover with the right stuff. Almonds may help with overall exercise recovery and that’s exactly why I don’t go through my day without them. Be smart about recovery and commit to yourself. Let’s go baby, it’s your time!

4. KEEP RECEIPTS to build confidence

Confidence and consistency are key to owning your prime. You gotta keep competing with yourself and KEEP THE RECEIPTS — the times you win and feel good, remember them. The times you beat a personal record, record it. The people that doubt you — block them out. If you work hard, surround yourself with the right stuff, and stay consistent, you’ll be able to show receipts to those that doubted you and truly OWN YOUR PRIME.

Own Your Prime with the Own Your Offseason Challenge

Your offseason starts now. Take part in the Own Your Offseason Challenge from California Almonds and nutrition expert Angie Asche MS, RD, CSSD. From recipes to exercise and recovery routines, every day is an opportunity to build a better you!

Eat Almonds Daily for Exercise Recovery

Just two handfuls of almonds can go a long way — they may improve recovery response from physical exercise. 

Initial research, funded by the Almond Board of California, conducted for 4 weeks among 64 healthy U.S. adults ages 30–65 who are occasional exercisers, found that study participants who ate two servings of almonds experienced: 

• Reduced feelings of fatigue and tension 
• Increased leg and lower back strength during recovery 
• Decreased muscle damage during the first day of recovery post-exercise

“What we found tells us definitively that almonds should be added to sports nutrition strategies to help people recover better from exercise,” says David C. Nieman, DrPH, FACSM, Professor and Principal Investigator, Human Performance Laboratory, Appalachian State University. “Almonds are food for fitness. Carbs get most of the attention when it comes to fueling for exercise, but almonds offer a nutrition package, including good unsaturated fats, the antioxidant vitamin E, and proanthocyanidins (a class of polyphenols that are protective compounds in plants) that help explain the beneficial outcomes in our study.” One serving of almonds (28g) has 13 g of good unsaturated fat and only 1 g of saturated fat. More research is needed to determine if the observed findings can be applied to the broader U.S. population.

Prime Time Never Ends

Eating almonds can pack a powerful punch into your exercise routine so you can own your prime. Be sure to stay tuned on our Instagram @californiaalmonds to be in the loop on all things Coach Prime and almonds! And don’t forget to check out the press release announcing the partnership here.