Fabulous Body – Fried Face? Skin Health Tips for Outdoor Athletes
When AARP started sending me solicitations to join their group, I was a bit put off. Looking for some inspiration, I found it helpful to read about other, much older, athletes who were still out there having fun in their 70’s and 80’s. While flipping through a copy of Master Athlete magazine, it struck me: great bodies, but their faces! Ouch! Pictures with smiling, but wrinkled, sun-weathered, saggy faces. Not exactly the look I was aspiring to achieve. However, cosmetic problems are minor in comparison to the risk of too much UV exposure. Skin cancer is the real enemy of outdoor athletes. According to the American Cancer Society, skin cancer is the most common of all cancers, accounting for more than 2 million cases of non-melanoma skin cancer in 2009.
Preventing cancer and early aging is possible.
Read More
Hydration During Exercise: Sport Drink Guidelines
The energy beverage industry is a huge market. It can be confusing for athletes, however, who need specific formulations during exercise that can be easily tolerated and quickly pass out of the stomach and absorbed. Here is a quick guide:
- Always use a sports drink during exercise of >1 hour duration.
- Choose a sports hydration drink that contains more than one type of sugar (maltodextrin, sucrose, fructose, glucose polymer) to insure the fastest rate of absorption of carbohydrate energy to the muscles.
- Do not use drinks that are made with pure fructose as the sole carbohydrate source (honey, fruit juice). Fructose requires a GLUT-4 transporter to cross the intestine, and will often cause gas and cramping – or worse.
- The concentration of carbohydrate should be 6-9% for a sports hydration drink. This can be easily calculated: 14 g carb/240 ml x 100 = 5.8%. Drinks that are over 10% (fruit juice, soda) cannot be absorbed from the stomach rapidly.
- All sport drinks will improve the body’s ability to stay hydrated during exercise better than water alone because of added sodium.
- Using a sports drink with added protein can help minimize muscle damage during long duration exercise where glycogen stores have become depleted.
- Aim for a minimum of 30g of supplemental carb/hour. This can be achieved with a sports hydration drink. In order to reach 60g of carbohydrate per hour, a combination of drink, gel, and water may be necessary.
- Fluids should include sodium and potassium, which are lost in sweat. Ideally during events lasting over 2 hours, drink at least 8 oz every 20 minutes and use a product that supplies 200 mg sodium per 8 oz.
- Athletes can easily lose 2 grams of salt per hour when sweating at a rate of a liter per hour. In a 5 hour race, that can mean 10+grams of salt, which is equivalent to 4000 mg of sodium. Sports drinks can provide some of that sodium, however, heavy sweaters should not rely solely on their sports drink. Salty food sources are recommended to supplement.
- One final piece of advice? Practice hydrating during training. Individuals vary greatly in their sweat rates and need to individualize their fluid and electrolyte replacement schedule. Be organized on race day with a fool proof plan.
Carb’s Boost Performance – It’s Not Just All in Your Head
Want to perform better without using the Floyd Landish approach? Try the cheap, simple, safe – and legal method. Timed carbohydrate supplements. Carbohydrate, a.k.a. sugar. And nooo…..you’re not going to get fat. There is a right time for carbs. Doubters can lay their fears to rest. The benefits are not just in your head, and the extra calories are totally worth it. Here’s proof.
In a study where cyclists were given a 6% carbohydrate sports drink or a placebo of non-caloric flavored sports drink, the performance difference was amazing. After a 120 minute ride, followed by a time trial of approximately 60 minutes, cyclist performed 10.6% better with carbohydrate compared with the placebo, and 11.3% compared to water.
Read More
Going Ultra-Distance on Gluten-Free Fuel
Would paddling 1,128 miles around Lake Superior – alone – challenge you?
As soon as the snow starts melting, I watch one of my x-c ski buddies, Nancy Uschold, morph into a kayaking maniac. Paddle replaces ski poles the moment the water is open on Lake Superior. The frigid water, waves, and wild winds – it’s all part of the fun.
Having successfully done a solo tour of 1000-plus miles circumnavigating the shoreline of Lake Superior, Nancy’s next adventure will take her to Newfoundland. Unlike her Lake Superior tour, this trip will be 100% gluten-free fare.
Uschold prefers instant oatmeal for breakfast when camping. “Sometimes you want breakfast N-O-W, especially when the weather is bad, but I could only find slow-cooking oatmeal that was 100% gluten free, but . Her solution? Make your own.
A rich source of vitamin B1, magnesium and zinc, oats are a great carbohydrate source for energy during exercise. Although naturally gluten-free, product selection is critical, since they are commonly contaminated during processing with gluten from wheat, rye or barley.
Better Than Take Out: High Protein Spaghetti Recipe
Pasta is on the forbidden list for a lot of athletes. Too many carbohydrates? Sometimes. If you were to swing through a typical Italian restaurant, chances are one entrée would provide over 120 grams of carbohydrate – enough for four meals. Before you swear off a carefully twirled forkful of spaghetti, try one of my favorite, super quick meals. Ready in less than 15 minutes, it is hardly enough time to shower while it cooks. Start with
Read More
Eat This, Stay Lean Forever
Would you carry your bike up a hill?
One of my clients told me he asked his brother that question, after being razzed for turning down a post ride beer and pizza stop. Having successfully dropped 20 pounds, I think he made his point. While most of us fight weight creep as we get older, not everyone sees the scale go up. Why? A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that looked at the association between fiber intake and weight may provide some clues.
Read More
Fast, Easy, Delicious Fish Burgers
We’ve all heard about how good fish are for you, but let’s face it: they are not that much fun to cook. Those omega-3’s, great fat for our hearts and brains. Nice lean protein. But the smell in the kitchen. Whew!
But wait. It can be easy if you go back to your roots. The cupboard. Well, canned food may not exactly be your roots, but canned fish is the next best thing to the invention of the microwave. This recipe is an oldie but goodie from the fishing experts in the Lake Superior region of the country. Only 10 minutes to prepare, the bonus is extra patties can be slipped into a zip-lock baggy and frozen. Next time you feel the urge for a quick burger, just dive into the freezer and have a deluxe fish burger faster than you can light a grill.
High Fat Diets get the Final Thumbs Down at the Finish Line
For those skinny biker dudes who can eat a couple of cheddar bratwurst and still looked ripped, I have news. According to nutrition expert Louise M. Burke, Department of Sports Nutrition Australian Institute of Sport Medicine, a steady high fat does not cut it when the pack takes off on a breakaway. True, feasting on a steady fat load of calories does promote oxidation of fat during submax exercise, and thus “spares”glycogen.
Read More
Overcoming Injury: 3 Steps to Healing Faster
I never thought I would be writing my very first post sitting on a bag of ice, nursing a pulled hamstring. Rather than bemoan the fact my entire running season was abruptly ended by an untimely meeting with a gnarly tree root, I decided to think like Allison Baver, member of the U.S. Olympic speedskating team who earned a bronze medal in Vancouver. Baver, who I interviewed while in town for a training camp at the U.S. Olympic Education Center in Marquette, made a remarkable recovery from a split right tibia and ankle impacted with shattered bone seven months prior to the Olympic trials.
Read More
Follow Us On Facebook