Hi Eric - I've been extraordinarily busy, both professionally and personally lately, so I apologize for not getting back to you earlier.
The problem with Quaker oats is that they are essentially "instant" oats that have been pre-processed. You want to go to a "Whole Foods" type of store and by steel rolled oats. These would normally take an hour to cook, which is why a. instant oats was developed, and b. they're perfect for a crock pot.
Also, here's some info on Congee: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congee
This is also an incredible way to start your day!
Here's a way to think about food and your day:
Morning - you're trying to rekindle the embers in your "fire" or Qi so you don't want to eat cold things, animal fats or high proteins. Oats and grains and fruits and yogurt is good
Mid-day - this is when you (if you've done the proper breakfast) will have your fire burning hot and you want to fuel this. So animal fats/proteins and a larger amount of food is fine. Add some variety in the actual meal so that it's not just one thing, but an assortment of things that will work long term and short term
Evening - your fire is dwindling so you just want to stoke it a little but not too much. Here's where you want to eat your raw vegetables, leafy greens, beans, a little rice or tempe. You don't want to eat a lot. Like a fire that you want to go out by bed time, you wouldn't put a large log on the fire, instead some smaller sticks so that your body will be ready for bed and not working on something as you try to settle down.
As far as breaking through plateaus, you must fool your body. When I train for endurance, I often put many sprint exercises randomly in my routine. The body is amazing at figuring out patterns and conserving, so you have to be random and explosive, then return to the normal pace. You'll find that your body will give it its "all" when called on, thinking that it's run away from saber tooth time, but then you ask for more as you go back to endurance mode. At this point your body will say, ok, I'll give you all the stored up energy I have.
I hope these concepts help you.
Cheers,
CraigD
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