Hola from Austin TX where it’s just me, your favorite nerd, and Black Sunshine (the Lexus GX460) ripping 1,676 miles back to frozen-face Minnesota like two caffeine-addicted bandits fleeing the scene of a metabolic crime as we head out tomorrow afternoon for Weatherford TX.

Jodie yeeted herself onto a plane Friday to help her family,
so now it’s just me, the open road, and an SUV full of kiteboarding gear that smells faintly of ocean, neoprene, and poor decisions.

And here’s the thing nobody tells you:

Road life is a nutritional dumpster fire.

You start the day feeling virtuous — “I’ll eat "clean"! Hydrate! Stay sharp!”

Fast-forward 6 hours and you’re bartering with gas-station demons for something that isn't a crumpled tornado-in-a-bag of fried despair.

So here’s the one thing I focus on when everything else goes sideways:

Bro-tein!​
Numero uno.
The king macro.
The Gandalf of muscle preservation.
Yee shall not pass into the badlands of catabolism.

Why?
Because unlike carbs and fat, your body doesn’t tuck protein away in some magical storage locker behind your spleen.

CarbZ? Stored in muscle + liver.
Fat? Hoarded basically everywhere like a doomsday prepper.
Protein?
Stored as you!
Your literal meat suit.
Your biceps.
Your quads.
Your glutes that you pretend “aren’t sore” after heavy hinges.

So when protein gets low for too long, your body starts eyeing your muscle tissue like a raccoon outside a dumpster.

My solution as I zig-zag from Austin → Weatherford → Kansas → Minnesota like a nomadic barbell hermit?

David Protein Bars.

High protein.
​
Zero refrigeration.
​
Taste way better than 99% of bars (especially on hour 6 of windshield purgatory).
And — crucially — they keep me from accidentally living off 1 year old beef jerky and sadness.

I used them constantly in South Padre after long kiteboarding days when my forearms were fried and I was still somehow expected to behave like a functioning adult.

Throw a few in the bag.
​
Eat one before you mentally negotiate buying a chimichanga at a Love’s truck stop or God forbid you enter BucEEEEEEEs.

Grab some here:
​>> David Protein Bars <<

Yes, I’m an affiliate.
Yes, I make a few bucks if you snag them.
​
No, that doesn’t change the fact that these things saved my nutritional carcass for hundreds of miles.

If you’ve got a road trip coming, a chaotic work week, or you’re just a human with the occasional “oh crap, I forgot to eat real food” moment…
get yourself stocked.

Protein for the win.
​
Much love, safe roads, and no gas-station burrito regrets 17 miles down the road where you have to do the Wilfred Brimlley two-step along the side of the road,
Dr. Mike
​
PS - if you are looking for a great tasting super high protein bar, look no further!
​>> David Protein Bars <<

____________________

Mike T Nelson CISSN, CSCS, MSME, PhD
Associate Professor, Carrick Institute
Owner, Extreme Human Performance, LLC
Editorial Board Member, STRONG Fitness Mag

Mike T Nelson is a PhD and not a physician or registered dietitian. The contents of this email should not be taken as medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem - nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician. Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health.

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