Blog | Optimal Nutrition For Life

RESOLVING TO BE A BETTER TRIATHLETE

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Ilana Katz MS, RD, CSSD (a partner in crime)

Just the other day I was pleased to see a whole bunch of 5:00am-ers waiting for the gym doors to open. The regulars were there too, most of them with their eye roll to one another (translation: “these new folk will be gone before the next cold days emerges”).

According to Time.Com. the most broken resolutions are related to diet and exercise. So why then do people keep making the same resolutions and breaking them year after year? More importantly, what can we do to make this year different?

So how well did you fare?… as we are heading towards the end of January, the 5:00 am line at my gym has petered down to the regulars. I guess I am preaching to the choir (talking to dedicated athletes does have more of a curve shift) however, are your triathlon goals still in check?

With February being on the horizon, this may be the best time to reevaluate what your goals are. Maybe you set yourself up to fail with an unrealistic outcome. Losing 20lbs in a month doesn’t really seem reachable after reality sets in. It’s ok to modify your resolution and make a goal that is achievable.

Depending on your answers to above, it may be time to step up a new plan of attack. You do not have to wait for New Year to resolve.

Here are some triathlete specific examples:

Partners in Crime

Get some help. Knowing that someone will be there with you results in a sense of accountability. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be difficult, especially if you have been racing and training hard for some time and have reached burnout. You can’t have a friend be at every training session or watch everything you eat but working with an expert can help with this solution. Studies from the American Psychology Association have shown that using partners enhance success. A coach can help with sticking to a plan, or a nutritionist can help make a realistic meal plan and most importantly help implement it.

Race specifics

Have you been contemplating the challenge of taking on a longer distance or more challenging race?

Perhaps you have already accomplished sprints and Olympics but the 70.3 or full ironman seems too much to take on. Or even if you have completed the distances, a more challenging course or different destination looms on your mind. You will not check off that box until you commit, establish your goal, and implement.

Don’t forget, the more endurance you decide to take on, the more important sports nutrition and other supporting tools become. There is a whole new realm optimal race weight, eating for competing, and fuel and recovery as you head towards ultra-distances, therefore see #1 (partners in crime).

Resolve on your performance hindrances

For every athlete, there are always areas that need improvement, Particularly with triathletes who tend to focus on swim, bike and run and neglect other areas such as

Haphazard nutrition (of course I am biased about this one)
Unnecessary body weight (yes, this one too)
Rest and recovery (and yes, there is a nutrition spin in here too)

And then some training areas that can always use some extra resolutions:

Core strength
Flexibility
The challenge of the hill/mountain
Rest and recovery
Random training (goes hand in hand with nutrition being haphazard)
Limited knowledge

And then there is mileage. Perhaps putting in the necessary mileage week after week could be a great resolution, merely because we tend to get bored and cut workouts short. Determine the mileage necessary to hit each week and improve on the limiting factor.

Resolve your performance challenges

Once you are a regular and comfortable triathlete, a great resolution could be to challenge performance levels. Some good examples are:

Hit certain PRs

Place in age group

Complete a run portion in a challenging minute per mile

Complete a bike portion with a higher than your typical average miles per hour

Be the first out of the water in age group

Aim for a Boston qualifier or a Kona place

Deal with burn out

It may be the case where life over and above triathlon may have taken a backseat. Some may resolve merely to regroup on motivation, enjoyment, and inspiring others within the sport.

For many, a great resolution to consider would be to be relieved of the stress of competing and focus on the enjoyment of the training and thus completing without the competitive anxiety.

Some ideas here may involve connecting a race with a fund raiser and focus on raising money for a good cause. Or merely involve your family in a relay event.

Burnout may also be related to insufficiency of the right nutrients or over abundance of the wrong fuel sources. Work on meal planning (and again, see #1: Partners in crime).

Tips for success:

Plan ahead

Every good triathlon plan includes set goals, objectives, training hours, race priorities, etc. Coaches and sports nutritionists are on board to help and they will insist the plan is set up in the early stages of training for a target race.

Be SMART about your goals – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and T

For example:

A resolution of “lose weight” is not specific. A specific goal would look more like “hit my target weight before my first A race”.

A resolution of “have more fun” is indefinable. It may be better to state a stress-free environment, with a focus on social aspect of your tri club for example.

Maintain Positivity

For example: “do not mess up swim to bike transition” phrase rather as Transition one in under 5 minutes

OR “do not get injured” should be stated as follow designed coaching and nutrition plan to avoid injury.

If you want to accomplish a goal – share it!

The odds of success for any goal is if others know what you are aiming to accomplish. Not only is there a backup support system, but there is also the commitment and accountability once it is aired.

Happy February y’all…. Now get on it and get your partners in crime lined up!!

Low Carb equals Low Energy

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We have been living in a low carb revolution, but thank goodness it is slowly emerging back to normal. Dr. Atkins was one of the for fathers of this phenomenon. One cannot leave out Barry Sears of The Zone fame, either and somewhat more recently, The South Beach diet, and Paleo diet, for the continued population growth of the carb-limiting fanatics. They are still out there, I come accross it in my practice everyday. But with the emergence of more endurance athletes, and triathlon, there is more of a focus on a balanced amount of good carbs with an appropriate amount of good protein, for good reason.

Books like Dr. Atkins, The Zone, Good Carbs, Bad Carbs, and the South Beach Diet claim that we can blame the obesity epedemic in America on carbohydrates. These low carb philosophies claim that certain carbohydrates cause a quick rise in blood sugar which in turn raises insulin levels. They further claim that insulin leads to weight gain by either being a promoter of stored fat or by reactive lowered blood sugar level, stimulating hunger, and thus encouraging over consumption of calories. Unfortunately, it is in our culture to grasp on to quick fixes. Granted, there are metabolic reasons why one can lose “weight” on high protein (low carb) diets, which has thus claimed this carb-restriction revolution. Publishers and marketers knows what sells resulting in the low carbohydrate diets being popularized without detailed evidence of their efficacy or long term safety and athletes are getting caught up in the low carb frenzy. The quick weight loss from limiting carbohydrates is just that – a quick fix. Athletes however, should really take note how surprisingly few scientific-based studies have shown how different carbohydrates affect weight loss. Furthermore, there is no clear evidence that a rise in blood sugar that comes from eating carbohydrates leads to an insulin increase, or that higher insulin causes people to overeat.

Although these quick fixes, regardless of the lack of scientific knowledge, are welcomed amongst significantly overweight, sedentary people, they were not designed to supply the nutrition for active people who need to support exercise and training. While low carb, quick weight-loss results are welcomed, athletes should regard these same “quick fixes” as lost energy. The initial and rapid weight loss from low-carb diets can be explained as glycogen depletion and loss of water weight. Glycogen (immediate source of energy in muscle) in the body is stored with 3 grams of water. So, each gram of carbohydrate energy, then, accounts for 4 grams of body weight. By limiting carbohydrates, glycogen will be used as energy first. For an athlete, glycogen depletion can take as little as a few hours, whereas for a sedentary person, glycogen depletion can take up to a few days.

Once glycogen stores are depleted, the body seeks out fat and protein sources for energy. First it turns to protein, converting amino acids from muscle tissue into glucose in the liver. This process is relatively slow and can produce only enough carbohydrate to fuel the brain and nervous system. Without ingestion of additional carbohydrate, ketone bodies (byproducts of fat metabolism) are produced and released into the bloodstream. A state of ketosis is induced. Ketosis is explained as an increase in ketone levels. Ketones in the bloodstream does suppress the appetite, but is also be accompanied by undesirable side effects, such as nausea, headaches, fatigue, and breath that smells like ammonia. Athletes on low-carb diets have difficulty sustaining even moderate intensity workouts of 50-65% of max heart rates when ketone levels are elevated.

In summary, the low carb philosophies demand a restriction of the very elements that athletes need to powers muscle with energy – digestible, usable, and absorbable carbohydrate. Carbohydrate is fuel for muscles that can be burned quickly, providing the power for acceleration and high performance.

Resources:

1.Advances in Sports Nutrition. Journal of American Medical Association. JAMA 2003;289:1837-1850.

2.How net carbs can hurt athletes. Ashley Kipp. Published on trainright.com, accessed October 2004. 3.Weighing the Diet Books. Nutrition Action. January 2004, volume 31:1.

DECEMBER NEWSLETTER – 2016

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Everywhere you go, you can’t help but nibble on rich holiday treats. A typical holiday meal can be 4000-5000 calories. To make matters worse, activity drops because we’re indoors. Consequently, most of us put on several pounds during the holiday season.

But weight gain does not have to be inevitable. You can compensate for eating high calorie meals by increasing your activity and making
wise food choices when possible. For instance, it’s easy to rake up the calories when eating snacks. Choose raw vegetable and fresh fruit with
low-calorie dressings instead of cheese spreads or high-calorie dips.

When it comes to eating meats, choose turkey breast without the skin. The skin on turkey can add 200 extra calories to meat that is
fairly lean to begin with. Avoid fatty gravies; instead opt for natural cooking juices that have been de-fatted. Limit yourself to one casserole-type potato or vegetable dish – most casseroles tend to be high in cals. When it comes to dessert, choose fruit or pumpkin pie over pecan pie. Desserts made with graham cracker crusts are generally lower in fat, making them a better choice.than desserts with traditional piecrusts.

SO Ho, Ho, Ho! Tis the season of giving, receiving, and of course, feasts. Holidays revolve around food and family. Although this season represents serious temptation for a dieter, following these tips will help you succeed instead of “starting over” after the New Year.

REMEMBER – Its a HoliDAY Not a HoliMONTH

Get Moving

When you’re busy with your wrapping of gifts, last minute shopping, cooking, entertaining…don’t forget about your exercise routine. Try
something new with your family and friends this year—get outside and be active. It’s fun, it’s festive, and it’s a great calorie burner. Winter brings unique exercise opportunities that you can’t experience any other time of year with such activities of:

– Burn 84 calories ice skating for 10 minutes.

– Burn 96 calories playing hockey for the same amount of time.

– Cross-Country skiing is one of the best all-around exercises out there.

– Burn 96 calories in 10 minutes while working both your upper and lower body.

– Using a snow blower burns 54 calories in 10 minutes while shoveling snow burns 72.

– Another great winter exercise is Snow Shoeing. You can burn 96 calories in 10 minutes.

So here’s to hoping for a White Christmas

AND… a another brilliant idea

This year, try speed shopping…. Lace up those sneakers and move! Before you know it your shopping will be done.

Healthy Gift Ideas

If you have a beloved family member or a friend that is looking to get on the track to a better/healthier way of life, why
not help nurture them healthy gifts to guide them in the right direction:

Water Bottles. Reusable metal water bottles offer a healthy alternative to the temptation of sugary drinks.
Lunch Bags. Thermal bags are a fun way to pack healthy fare and save calories and money.
Sports Gear. New gear can energize even a reluctant exerciser. Buy wicking
athletic wear, like socks or shirts, which can make exercising comfortable in any climate.
Or even a nutrition consult gift certificate 😉

Lunches

Around this time of year, everyone invites you to lunch—friends, family, and co-workers. From heavy
Italian sauces to tacos, you know your diet is going to go downhill before you walk in the restaurant. Stay away from anything that says:

Creamy, Crispy, or Fried. Order your sauces on
the side, and ask for a box before your meal begins.
Put half of the meal into the box before you start eating. That way, you can still be a part of the clean plate club without overeating.

Go Green on Christmas

So often, gifts are given merely for the sake of giving and little thought goes into something that will be made use of. Here are some ideas for green gifts, as well as making time with your loved ones as eco-friendly as possible:

Avoid using packing peanuts to package gifts, as these are toxic to the environment. Rather use recycled paper to stuff inside boxes.
Should batteries be needed for gifts, consider giving rechargeable batteries with a charger along with the gift.
Avoid wrapping paper by using reusable bags that the recipient can make use of at a later stage.
Consider giving a gift certificate for a local spa or natural health and wellness centre or NUTRITIONIST.

Holiday Parties

If you don’t eat all of your host’s offerings, you feel rude…but you know just looking at them puts a pound on each thigh!

Make sure you grab a quick snack before the party starts, so you won’t feel famished.
Decide ahead of time how many cookies you’re going to have. Make up for the extra calories through the rest of the day—eat an open-face sandwich with only one piece of bread and have some salsa on your baked potato instead of sour cream and butter.
Make your own healthy foods to bring to the party. At least you’ll know there is something there that won’t blow your diet.

Christmas Fun fact

December 25 officially became the day for Christians to celebrate the birth of Jesus around the fifth century. The Romans held winter
festivities and feasts around that time, including the “Yule” holiday, which involved setting large fires. The traditions merged as time
passed, bringing us the Yule log and the special importance placed on food.

RECIPE OF THE SEASON

Low Fat Cream of Pumpkin Soup (Serves 6)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tsp cumin

3 cups fat-free, low sodium chicken broth

1 15-ounce can pumpkin

1 12-ounce can evaporated fat-free milk

Freshly ground Black pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook
until softened. Stir in curry powder and cumin and cook for 1 minute. Add
chicken broth and pumpkin. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add evaporated fat-free milk and cook for 2minutes. Transfer soup to a blender and blend until smooth.

Per Serving: Calories 112, Calories from Fat 25, Total Fat 2,7g (sat 0.5g), Cholesterol 2mg, Sodium 101mg

FUEL SAFE ZONE

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Energy Balls with a twist of coconut

A couple of energy balls are a perfect go to snack in the middle of an afternoon slump, or actually… whenever 😉

½ c oats

1 scoop (¼ c) of vanilla whey

2 Tbsp honey

1 tsp almond extract

½ c peanut butter (or almond butter (or nut/seed butter of choice))

½ c unsweet coconut (shredded)

1 Tbsp coconut oil

3 tsp of dark chocolate chips

Mix all the ingredients together. Roll into balls with diam. about tip of thumb size.

St. George Marathon – Race Report

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Ilana Katz MS, RD, CSSD

It’s been more than a week and the obligatory race report has been calling my inner conscience. This marathon report feels especially significant to me, as it was followed by a week of (sometimes) strenuous hiking and exploring beautiful Utah.

Believe it or not, Ironman Chatty, although two years ago for me, still feels like yesterday… I am not ready for another Ironman quite yet, although am having endurance withdrawals. This lead to the declaration of 2016 being the year of “Just a Marathon.” Oh yeah, there is even a hashtag for #justamarathon, for all the crazy ultra-endurance peeps who one day “submiss” themselves to just a marathon. For all those others rolling their eyes, don’t be haters, there is no real help for endurance junkies other than endurance. I have gone on a tangent now, but: This always reminds me of the time I was giving a sports nutrition seminar to a group called “couch to 5k” and during the presentation I kept saying “its only a 5k” – granted, I was genuinely referring to the science of sports nutrition that in a 5k one typically does not have to focus on in-depth sports nutrition so to speak, but from their point of view, I was belittling them. Oh goodness did I get schooled when one of the group raised their hand and blurted out “please stop saying it’s just a 5k.” And I have learned a very important lesson since then… y’all know what that is. On that very note, I will certainly contest that from experience, running a marathon (and training for it) can be just as tough, if not tougher than training and racing an Ironman. Any takers? (oh you ironman peeps, calm your hormones ;-))

The year of the Marathon began with my application via the lottery for NYC marathon. I was dropped like a hot cake. The usual “we regret to inform you that most first time applications in this lottery are turned down… so keep on trying.” Maybe in year 7 it will happen for me, maybe I will eventually get in to NYC (by which time I would more than likely be hobbling a marathon.) So that turn down lead me to sign up for a different, lesser known, but probably almost as coveted St. George, and it too was a lottery… one that I actually won. Congratulations Runner, you are in it to win it!! And so the training began.

Many months and many long run days later: It was a gorgeous day in St. George. Started off cold, colder than expected. I was under the false impression that early October is still warm in most parts of the country. I was waiting on the bus to transport all us eager beavers 26.2 miles up the road to the start, comparing my little running skirt and sports bra outfit to many of the over-dressed, sporting hat and gloves, long running tights, bundled in fleece. My inner laugh was “oh are y’all gonna be hot as hell.” Fast forward 26.2 miles out and 2500 feet elevated from the last sentence. Now look whose laughing. Shivering to the bone, I was very grateful for the space blanket handed to us inexperienced Utah-in-the-Fall newbies. Get this, there were even pit fires one could huddle around, it was very well thought out and warming.

The course was wonderfully scenic, all you ever wanted in a marathon. There were a couple of tough challenges, namely mile 8 – 12ish was just one long climb with no breaks (the elevation map lied). The reprieve was mile 16 to the end was one long downhill. Now that may sound like chocolate icing on top of a chocolate cake to a marathoner, but some of it was pretty steep, and steep downhills are the other side of the pendulum to steep uphills. Pendulum extremes, no matter which end, are extremely challenging. One really has to put the brakes on if you want to save your quads for as minimal as “walking” the next day (and don’t forget, I had a solid 5 days of strenuous hiking to follow). I heard that little voice in my head, planted by a fellow endurance junkie, an experienced St. George marathoner, recommending some hill repeat training (and only now did the hill repeat DOWHILL ring a bell…. Oopsy daisy).

I had a difficult time around mile 11 or so, not feeling good, wandering why the hell I sign up for this stuff… I did all the required training, what the fiddlesticks? One starts going over and over in their head what could be different… yeah, could have run more during the weeks, yeah could have trained more on hills, yeah yeah coulda shoulda… but not to diss my training, because from after that bout of feeling miz I started feeling great, and the training pay off started paying off. I could have flown to the end but I had committed interval sets as a race strategy. Famous last words from coaches; Stick to the race plan. It also included some mmm…mmmm delish mocha gels every 30 – 45 minutes, and boy when you are really focused on getting sports nutrition right, you better find a flavour that you can stomach. Mocha y’all. Specially for those coffee addicts. Its my new favourite. Sickly sweet salted caramel move over.

I was sorry I did not have my phone or a camera to capture the experience, because it was a great one. I do not have any good shots from the race photographer, because I was wearing too many race belts (fuel, interval timer, and race number all on different straps) and all these straps tied around my waist – hence race number landed facing the back, and that’s where it stayed… co-ordinating race belts and still feeling comfortable is an oxymoron. I have proof of all this in the marathonFoto proof:

(at least MarathonFoto captured one running pic, and one finisher pic).

I have done a few marathons to date, and this one is definitely one of the more beautiful ones. It is very well organized from the expo, to the transport, to the start area, line up and finisher experience. It was an awesome plan B to a turned down NYC entry. I recommend it. And then being on one of the most beautiful states it is worth an extended trip to get in some scenic encounters. I stayed on, accompanied by a couple of hiking buddies, we explored some of the well known National parks around Utah. From Zion, to Bryce, on to Canyonlands and Arches. Every one of these hiking days was unique, and completely different to the day before. Every wince (don’t forget I am hiking on marathon legs) was worth it.

The year of the Marathon take aways:

– Never belittle your goals. There is no such thing as “just a marathon” similarly there is no such thing as “Just a 5k”

– Mocha is the new salted caramel flavour

– Utah is gorgeous.

– St. George is a great plan B, if not even a Plan A, for a marathon bucket list item.

– Utah is cold in the early stages of Fall.

– I pronate on a downhill run (and paid for it via ankle swelling and bruising all through my hiking week)

– Downhill is just as hard as uphill, I swear!

– Elevation maps with tiny scales can be deceiving

– I am still good at sports nutrition 😉 – great marathon, finished strong, even though it got hot in the end.

– Hello, my name is ilana… I am an endurance junkie