Carbohydrate loading has been deemed a "staple" in sports when preparing for a big competition. Many teams will have dinners together as a way to provide ample carbohydrates the day before games.
I'm here to tell you that it doesn't work for everyone. Our bodies take carbs, or glucose, and turn it into glycogen, the storage form of carbs, so that we can use it later when the body demands it. This glycogen stays in our muscle is provides some of the most immediate energy for our bodies when we are exercising. When the glycogen runs out, our body looks to other sources for energy like fat for energy. It's also possible to get energy immediately through eating or drinking carbs in the moment.
What I learned in my sports seminar is that carbohydrate loading is really only meant for high intensity activities lasting longer than 90 minutes. Sciencey translation? You run out of glycogen stores normally around 90 minutes.
For this reason, it is important to prepare appropriately for big events. You have a lot of training tomorrow? Have an extra portion of pasta for dinner. This will boost glycogen stores more and get that much more energy into your system in preparation.
Carbohydrate loading can backfire. Did you know, when you eat carbs, for every 1 gram you eat, you need 3 grams of water to hold it in the body? That means it can easily make you feel bloated. This is not ideal for game time. Be careful when preparing for big games. Also, those who are not reaching that intense level of activity or are not exercising for 90 minutes, are simply not taking advantage of more energy. This can lead to weight gain, bloating, and the same uncomfortable feelings.
Not everyone has the ability to cram a large amount of carbs in at one meal. The alternative to carbohydrate loading would be a more consistent intake of carbs through out the exercise. Making sure you have a Gatorade or similar sports drink is a great idea. If your day is demanding that much more out of you, you can try eating gummy bears with your Gatorade (seriously!). One of my mentors taught me to mix 1:1 ratio of peanut butter to honey in a plastic bag, then when needing more energy, cut the corner and squeeze out to eat. Talk about an easy and effective way of getting quick carbohydrate energy with some protein to promote muscle health!
Make sure your carb loading is warranted. This can be helpful to guys looking to have more energy for their practices. Next week's topic? Salt: Should you be worried? Depending on circumstance, probably not! Stay tuned...
Monday, February 24, 2014
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Building Mass: My Recommendations
I just had a sports nutrition seminar this Friday, and boy was it thought provoking. One of the things I can't help but do is listen to all kinds of nutritional evidence or advice and relate it to individuals with disabilities. There is not a ton of research based information out there for persons with disabilities, especially when it comes to athletic performance. Most of the time athletes with disabilities get told what everyone else gets told. I find this unacceptable and look to give my best judgement when it comes to nutritional advice!
Building muscles mass...we all want those muscles. The most common answer I get from the ordinary athletes with not much nutritional education about what is most important to get muscles is protein. Strike one. When ask these same kinds of people what they try to do in order to build muscle mass, a lot like to go after fad diets, which right now one of them is the Paleo Diet. Strike two. Finally, these same people will come to me saying "what supplements, vitamins, and minerals do I need to take?" Strike three.
When it comes to building muscle it comes down to one idea: More energy in than energy out. The largest part of anyone's diet (percentage wise) should be carbohydrate. I've said it before but using a ratio of at least 3 gram of carbohydrate per 1 gram of protein is ideal. Protein is great at repairing and rebuilding muscle, but it still needs material to work with! That material should be increased calories in general without avoiding carbohydrate (I'm looking at you Paleo!). The upper limit to protein that doesn't show any positive results when it comes to body function is 2 grams of protein per kg weight. I would recommend about 1.5 grams of protein per kg daily, or about 110 grams of protein for a 160 lb athlete.
What I learned at my seminar is that adding mass starts at calculating calorie needs to be 45 calories per kg for the able-bodied athlete in season. (If you need a quick conversion factor: 2.2 lbs = 1 kg; divide your weight by 2.2 to get your weight in kg) So if you weigh 160 lbs, you're looking at beginning to building muscle mass at about 3300 calories per day. For athlete's with disabilities, we are using on average maybe 60% of our body's muscles when exercising. For this reason, I would suggest that our calorie needs in order to begin mass building starts at 40 calories per kg. This is my best estimate given it is not research based. This would put that 160 lb athlete at needing at least 2900 calories a day to start mass building.
Finally, to cover my strike three, of you are getting about 3000 calories a day into your body, you will find that you will more than cover all the vitamins and minerals you need. Most supplements are expensive and, let's not forget, unregulated which makes them unnecessary and dangerous. For a quick boost in energy before working out, I prefer coffee and a granola bar or fruit along with a Gatorade for during practice.
So take these numbers and try to track yourself for a couple days to see where you lie in getting your calorie needs. Don't get frustrated when you "plateau" in weight. Regardless of how this mass building works, you don't put it on your frame! Lastly, the registered dietitian in me must say, keep the diet varied and wholesome to the best of your ability and you'll see maximum improvement!
Building muscles mass...we all want those muscles. The most common answer I get from the ordinary athletes with not much nutritional education about what is most important to get muscles is protein. Strike one. When ask these same kinds of people what they try to do in order to build muscle mass, a lot like to go after fad diets, which right now one of them is the Paleo Diet. Strike two. Finally, these same people will come to me saying "what supplements, vitamins, and minerals do I need to take?" Strike three.
When it comes to building muscle it comes down to one idea: More energy in than energy out. The largest part of anyone's diet (percentage wise) should be carbohydrate. I've said it before but using a ratio of at least 3 gram of carbohydrate per 1 gram of protein is ideal. Protein is great at repairing and rebuilding muscle, but it still needs material to work with! That material should be increased calories in general without avoiding carbohydrate (I'm looking at you Paleo!). The upper limit to protein that doesn't show any positive results when it comes to body function is 2 grams of protein per kg weight. I would recommend about 1.5 grams of protein per kg daily, or about 110 grams of protein for a 160 lb athlete.
What I learned at my seminar is that adding mass starts at calculating calorie needs to be 45 calories per kg for the able-bodied athlete in season. (If you need a quick conversion factor: 2.2 lbs = 1 kg; divide your weight by 2.2 to get your weight in kg) So if you weigh 160 lbs, you're looking at beginning to building muscle mass at about 3300 calories per day. For athlete's with disabilities, we are using on average maybe 60% of our body's muscles when exercising. For this reason, I would suggest that our calorie needs in order to begin mass building starts at 40 calories per kg. This is my best estimate given it is not research based. This would put that 160 lb athlete at needing at least 2900 calories a day to start mass building.
Finally, to cover my strike three, of you are getting about 3000 calories a day into your body, you will find that you will more than cover all the vitamins and minerals you need. Most supplements are expensive and, let's not forget, unregulated which makes them unnecessary and dangerous. For a quick boost in energy before working out, I prefer coffee and a granola bar or fruit along with a Gatorade for during practice.
So take these numbers and try to track yourself for a couple days to see where you lie in getting your calorie needs. Don't get frustrated when you "plateau" in weight. Regardless of how this mass building works, you don't put it on your frame! Lastly, the registered dietitian in me must say, keep the diet varied and wholesome to the best of your ability and you'll see maximum improvement!
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Mindful Eating
What is mindful eating? Channel your inner zen, because this technique really works! I've hinted at this in a couple of my posts from a while back, so now I want to focus on just mindful eating.
Mindful eating is when you completely dedicate your focus to the food you are about to eat, are eating, or have eaten. To help explain, think of the senses: sight, smell, touch, sound, and taste. Have you ever thought about all these things while eating? Most people keep it simple and just think about how the food tastes and smells (I realize this is almost impossible to not do while eating). Take it a step further and get an idea of how the food feels in your mouth. See if you can't pull different flavors from the food just by letting it sit in your mouth, chewing it further, or combining it with other foods.
One thing that can fog your mind while eating is media. If you're reading this blog while eating, stop! Really take the effort to turn the TV off at dinner time, put the newspaper away, and leave your phone to charge in the corner.
The next step in mindful eating is thinking about where food comes from. This will give you more respect for the food leading you to appreciate every bite that much more. The process of making cheese is long and tedious: I know; I'm from Wisconsin. Try thinking about the grass the cow eats and the milk it produces before even taking a bite.
Finally, when done with the food, let it settle. The mind truly doesn't know it's full for about 20 minutes after finishing eating. This is one thing that leads us to eat too much and get that sick feeling in our gut after meals! Question why you would eat another portion, is it because you need that same taste yet again? Are you really still hungry and think you will be in 20 minutes? Maybe you're just eating because there are leftovers and you don't want to be wasteful. Have reason for your actions when eating, and you'll see it does your body good.
There have been studies that show when people use this technique of mindful eating, they will consume less overall and lose weight. I don't have to reason with you on how powerful the brain is. For those who have trouble with portion control, this is a must-try technique. Having a whole bag of potato chips just doesn't make sense if you slow down and think about what you're doing. Does that chip satisfy you that much more after 25 previous chips, or are you eating just to eat?
I've used this idea before in order to stop binge snacking, and my successes lead me to recommend it. Give it a try! Remember, If you give the time, respect, and focus to food, it will give back even more.
Mindful eating is when you completely dedicate your focus to the food you are about to eat, are eating, or have eaten. To help explain, think of the senses: sight, smell, touch, sound, and taste. Have you ever thought about all these things while eating? Most people keep it simple and just think about how the food tastes and smells (I realize this is almost impossible to not do while eating). Take it a step further and get an idea of how the food feels in your mouth. See if you can't pull different flavors from the food just by letting it sit in your mouth, chewing it further, or combining it with other foods.
One thing that can fog your mind while eating is media. If you're reading this blog while eating, stop! Really take the effort to turn the TV off at dinner time, put the newspaper away, and leave your phone to charge in the corner.
The next step in mindful eating is thinking about where food comes from. This will give you more respect for the food leading you to appreciate every bite that much more. The process of making cheese is long and tedious: I know; I'm from Wisconsin. Try thinking about the grass the cow eats and the milk it produces before even taking a bite.
Finally, when done with the food, let it settle. The mind truly doesn't know it's full for about 20 minutes after finishing eating. This is one thing that leads us to eat too much and get that sick feeling in our gut after meals! Question why you would eat another portion, is it because you need that same taste yet again? Are you really still hungry and think you will be in 20 minutes? Maybe you're just eating because there are leftovers and you don't want to be wasteful. Have reason for your actions when eating, and you'll see it does your body good.
There have been studies that show when people use this technique of mindful eating, they will consume less overall and lose weight. I don't have to reason with you on how powerful the brain is. For those who have trouble with portion control, this is a must-try technique. Having a whole bag of potato chips just doesn't make sense if you slow down and think about what you're doing. Does that chip satisfy you that much more after 25 previous chips, or are you eating just to eat?
I've used this idea before in order to stop binge snacking, and my successes lead me to recommend it. Give it a try! Remember, If you give the time, respect, and focus to food, it will give back even more.
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