You Ask, JP Answers

March 6, 2016

Here’s where you heart rate and mileage intersect. Plus find out how to when you’ve reached your peak pace.

Dear JP:

How do you use your Heart Rate info to manage your big mileage? Do you use your heart rate info during your ultra distance races to help manage your effort/pace?

Sincerely,

James

Dear James:

As a Polar sponsored athlete, I’ve been using heart rate monitors in my training for over 15 years now. I’m quite well versed when it comes to tailoring heart rate specific workouts such as zone ladders and time spent in threshold zones, but to be perfectly honest, at this point of my running career, that is not the primary way I use my heart rate monitor in my training.

I’ve written before about my high mileage (approx. 200km/wk), and one of the important tools for me to be able to withstand that training load is to monitor my heart rate from week to week. I always wear my heart rate monitor on my recovery run the morning after my long run. I do this for two reasons – First, to make sure that I keep my heart rate consistently on the ‘low end’ for my entire workout (for me, this is 130 bpm), and second, so that I can monitor my overall recovery from week to week to make certain that I am not over-trained. Another way I use my heart rate monitor is during an ultra marathon, especially one that takes place throughout the night, or one that has significant changes in terrain. By using my monitor, I am able to dictate my pace based on actual biometrics rather than on ‘perceived effort’. This allows me to maintain my endurance for longer rather than allowing nerves or race conditions to dictate my pace.

And finally, I’ve recently starting using a Polar A360 fitness tracker that has a built in wrist-based heart rate monitor. I’m someone who struggles with anxiety disorder, so I’m rather prone to anxiety attacks. Since I starting using this watch a month ago, whenever I feel the onset of a panic attack, I sit down and start focusing on taking deep breaths. By being able to monitor my heart rate at all times, it has allowed me to reduce some of my anxiety because I can see based on my heart rate, that the breathing is having a therapeutic calming effect on my anxiety.

Dear JP:

Has your pace peaked? And how do you know when you’ve peaked?

Sincerely,

Lynn

Dear Lynn:

I’m turning 50 in a couple of months, and I can safely say that my pace has definitely peaked! Over the past few years, I’ve noticed that I’m not willing to suffer in the last few miles of a marathon as I once willingly did. Like anything in life, running goals require sacrifice, so maybe a more accurate way of framing your question is: When do you know you’ve reached the limit at which you want to sacrifice your health, family and work time, and in some regards your personal wellbeing?

I would also suggest you consider that “pace” doesn’t necessarily need to be limited to speed. As I’ve aged into our sport, I’ve most certainly adjusted my per kilometer race pace, but in many other respects, my “pace” has increased – I’m now logging more kilometers each week, running more marathons each year, and meeting more and more people in the running community who I consider to be dear friends.

My main advice to you would be to work with a coach so that you can safely and effectively discover what your upper pace limit is, but more importantly, ask yourself why you were attracted to running in the first place – Was it to go as fast as possible, or was it to adopt a fitness practice that can carry you through to a ripe old age?

Send your advice and questions to JP runjprun@gmail.com. Want more tips, tricks and practical advice from JP Bedard? Check out his previous posts with questions from elite and everyday athletes.

Getting Over Your Training Run

AttheRaces

March 3, 2016

As a Manulife employee, I have the opportunity to enter an internal lottery for a limited number of Boston Marathon race bibs. Manulife operates as John Hancock in the U.S. and has been the marathon’s principal sponsor for the last 31 years. As I shared in a previous post, I made it off the wait list in late January and decided to run the marathon without previously having run anything more than 5k.

By: Mayoli Weidelich

Up until a week ago training had been going great. I didn’t really mind running in subzero temperatures or the fact that my muscles were hating me because . I’m running the Boston Marathon and it’s worth it! That was the case, at least, until I ran my first half marathon. I came back from the run feeling proud, exhilarated and exhausted. And then, while I was stretching and recovering, reality hit: this is just half.

I couldn’t imagine mustering enough energy and strength to run the same distance I had just ran, back-to-back! For the first time since I started training I felt like maybe I had taken on too much. Like maybe, running a full marathon with less than 3 months to train was the worst idea I had ever had.

The feeling hasn’t completely gone away and it has made training a little bit harder. It takes twice as much effort to get out and run because that initial excitement and euphoria I had when the opportunity first presented itself has dwindled down and insecurity is trying to take its place.

I have 48 days to train and those final 21 kilometers seem unattainable and impossible, however, at an event hosted by Manulife, Greg Meyer told us that when we get anxious on race day we should look back on our training and know that we can do this. It’s not race day (yet!) but I put his advice into action and it has definitely helped squash some of my insecurities. I mean, a month ago I hadn’t run more than 5 k and this past Sunday I went just over 25!

People always say “mind over matter” but in this case I think it’s more matter over mind. My mantra has become – “look how far you’ve gotten. You got this!” Friends, colleagues and family have also been amazing and have kept me pushing forward.

I am sure as the event gets closer the excitement will hit again and I will be on cloud nine but until then, I would love to know if you have felt bumps like this in your training and how if so, how have you gotten over them?

Reebok Challenges Presidential Hopefuls to One Mile Run for Charity

UpToSpeed

March 3, 2016

With the 2016 U.S. presidential race well underway, presidential candidates are looking for leverage in their campaigns. With Super Tuesday results coming in, Reebok has offered to done $50,000 to a health charity of choice if the candidate can break a 1o minute mile.

As of today, the company has not heard of any interest from the seven candidates who remain in the presidential race.

In a recent press release, Reebok’s senior global content manager Blair Hammond, said:

“For decades, fitness has been key to the role of the presidency. Former president Bill Clinton famously introduced running clothes into the Oval Office after one of his jogs. Former president George W. Bush championed his “My Sharona”-inspired cycling playlist to reporters, and president Obama is often caught shooting hoops at community outreach events.”

Our Pick

Marco Rubio stands as the most plausible candidate as the most bale runner in the current crop. Rubio is a former collegiate football player and in a recent radio review claimed that he is “the fastest person running for president.”

GoRun 4 the Love of It

TheBuzzonGear

March 1, 2016

BY: Christa Davidson

How could the shoe of the week not be from Skechers after last weekend’s touching finish line proposal at Run Waterloo’s Re-Fridgee-Eighter. After finishing their races, Skechers sponsored athlete Josh Bolton got down on one knee and proposed marriage to his girlfriend Tanis Smith, who is also a Skechers sponsored athlete. Josh loves Tanis, Skechers loves Josh and Tanis and I love Skechers’ GoRun 4’s, which both Josh and Tanis were wearing on Sunday when they won their races and became blissfully betrothed to one another -she did say yes. See the patterns here? Everyone loves Skechers GoRun 4’s. And everybody loves Josh and Tanis, who are bound to become known as running’s power couple ‘Jo-Tan’.

The Look

This shoe is sleek. The version I have is a sexy black and hot pink number. I find myself caressing its knit upper and whispering sweet nothings to it. Its understated, yet saucy. Just as Josh gazes upon Tanis, so do I gaze upon this running shoe. I wonder if ‘Jo-Tan’ experienced the same love at first sight sensation as I did when I first saw this shoe.

The Feel

When I pulled these shoes out of the box I could tell by their light-as-a-feather feel that they were going to feel dreamy on my feet. These shoes are cushiony and you can feel it but you can still get a good sense and feel of the ground beneath you. Sometimes we equate cushion with a thick midsole that keeps us from feeling the surface beneath us but this just isn’t true in all shoe cases. When I laced and tied the GoRun 4’s my brain was tricked because I knew I had just tied shoes on my feet yet -‘where’d they go?’. The felt like bedroom slippers…no, they felt like socks. I could have gone to bed and forgotten these were on my feet. I wonder if ‘Jo-Tan’ wears socks to bed…or mistakenly their Skechers?

The shoes were light and easy to run in while feeling supportive at the same time. You could run some fast splits in these lovelies. I ran outdoors and on the treadmill with them and felt like I could do a lot of running in them as they are soft and flexible.

The Tech

Skechers crafts the upper of this shoe from their ‘GoKnit’ fabric which is light, breathable and seamless. This is an upper that allows your foot to move naturally while still being supported. Knit uppers are great for many reasons but my personal experience of living and running with a foothill sized bunion (yes, I had to) is there is less friction and rubbing of protrusive areas which for me means no blisters and decreased calluses.

The GoRun is a classed as a neutral cushioned shoe. The midsole is designed with Skechers’ ‘Resalyte Power Pillar’ technology which is a supportive material located in the mid-foot strike zone. The material gives a ‘pop’ feel on push off, which is not the same as bounce and is another way to describe its responsiveness. The midsole is made with a 4mm drop from heel to toe. There are other design features worth consideration such as the translucently reinforced eyelets, which might not seem like a biggie but where knit is concerned, over time the tension of the laces can cause wear and potentially cause an eyelet blowout. There is a unique cut out on the back of the shoe, just above the heel where you can slip your finger into for ease of sliding the shoe on. The keyhole cut out is Skechers’ answer to our childhood habit.

The Last Kick

You can get your hands on and feet into Skechers Performance shoe line, which includes the GoRun 4 at Skechers retail stores as well as selected specialty shoe stores in Canada. Retail price is $140. This shoe is moving to my top shoe shelf which is houses all my favorite rides. If you are in the market for a responsive, light and fast neutral shoe, give this one a look. Meb loves it, Kara loves it, ‘Jo-Tan’ loves it and I love it…so much freaking love. Now, to wait for my invitation to the Skechers wedding of the year. Congratulations Josh and Tanis, on your collective triple win this past Sunday.

20 Things Runners Should Know About Carbs

Nutrition

March 1, 2016

By: Andy De Santis, RD MPH

Carbohydrates are the single most important fuel source for a highly active person. They are found in many foods but mostly in whole grains, fruits and vegetables. If you are a runner, your ability to properly fuel yourself may be a pivotal factor that separates you from your average and peak performance. There are several important characteristics about carbohydrates that would help just about anyone to know, and I will try to several of them today. Some of them you may have encountered before, but others may surprise you but each of them has unique value in terms of your overall health and performance.

Did You Know?

The glycemic index (GI) is a measure of how much a carbohydrate-rich food raises your blood sugar. White bread has a GI of 100 while steel cut oatmeal has a GI below 55.
Foods with a higher GI are generally digested and absorbed more rapidly than foods with a low GI , which are digested and absorbed more slowly
Although low GI foods are generally considered to be better choices, it may be beneficial to consume high GI carbohydrates in the hours prior to racing or training as they are more readily absorbed.
If you are a very active person, the amount of carbohydrates your body requires will vary depending on the intensity of your training schedule.
The average person should aim to consume about 45-65% of their calories from carbohydrates
An athlete or very active person should aim to consume between 3 to 10 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of bodyweight a day.
You should aim to consume more carbohydrate on days where you run more than usual or you run more than once.
You should consume extra carbohydrates in the 24-48 hours before a big race.
In the 1-4 hours before training or a race, you should consume a carbohydrate rich meal.
Dietary fibre is a form of indigestible carbohydrate that has very important effects on our health.
There are two types of dietary fibre: insoluble and soluble. Each is type of fibre has a different beneficial effect on our body.
Soluble fibre (as in oats, beans) generally slows down digestion while Insoluble fibre (vegetables ,most whole grains) helps food travel more easily through the digestive system. These effects offer unique short and long-term benefits to our digestive and overall health.
You should aim to consume a fibre-rich diet, but it may help you to avoid fibre-rich foods in the hours before training runs or big races as they take longer to digest.
Low carbohydrate, high fat diets (ie: most fad diets) are not recommended for runners.
Whole grains, fruits and vegetables are the most important sources of dietary fibre and other nutrient for the general population and especially athletes.
Certain carbohydrates, such as those found in beans/lentils/chickpeas, may cause gas in some people and may need to be avoided before a big race or event.
Sugars are a type of carbohydrate that are essentially “smaller” than other types of carbohydrates and are found naturally ( such as in fruits) or added to many foods ( such as pop).
Currently, Canadians consume about the same amount of sugar from fruit as they do from sugar-added beverages.
Although the consumption of sugar-added beverages is generally not recommended, very active people may benefit from consuming sports drinks (ie: gatorade, powerade) in specific situations.
In events that involve intense exercise of duration > 60 minutes, consuming sports drink may contribute to improved performance.

Andy is a Toronto-based private practice dietitian and nutrition writer/blogger. You can learn more about Andy’s background, services and explore his blog at AndyTheRD.com.

Leaps of Faith: Why good luck charms work

Training

February 29, 2016

When I was a kid growing up in Ireland, one of my school friends was a Leapling — that is, a person born on the 29th of February, in Leap Year. I’m a Christmas baby (and perhaps a little over-sensitive to the pain of an ill-timed birthday) but I thought that Leaplings had it worst of all — a birthday that only came around once every four years.

Our teacher, though, told us that Leaplings were special, lucky even. They were destined to take risks, and achieve great things. Leap Year was a time when fortune favoured the bold, and Leaplings were the most favoured of all.

Because of this, I grew up thinking that “lucky Leap Year” was an Irish superstition. I looked into this recently, and as it turns out, it’s not. My grade-school teacher aside, I couldn’t find anything to suggest that the Irish (or really anyone, anywhere) consider Leap Years to be lucky. (As a matter of fact, the Greeks consider Leap Years to be so unlucky that many couples will opt to wait out long engagements rather than get married in a Leap Year.)

I’m pretty risk-averse by nature, and I’m also something of a skeptic. So it might surprise you to know that I put a lot of stock in good luck charms. When I planned out my races and goals for 2016, I allowed myself to be a little more ambitious than usual for precisely this reason. If I’m ever going to have that breakthrough year, wouldn’t it be in a lucky Leap Year?

On the face of it, it’s all a little crazy. And yet so many runners, from elites to newbies, can attest to relying on some sort of good luck charm or ritual to improve performance.

Bill Rodgers, who trained for the 1979 Boston Marathon in a Snoopy hat, superstitiously decided to wear the hat on race day. He ran to a historic Boston Marathon victory, setting a new American record along the way. Kenyan marathoner Wesley Korir, also a Boston Marathon champion, decorates his water bottles with the names of his wife and kids for mid-race inspiration. And US Olympian Molly Huddle swears by her lucky pre-race meal of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

But can a Snoopy hat, a PB&J sandwich, or a 366-day calendar year really translate into improved athletic performance? Surprisingly, studies show that the answer is yes — so long as the athlete performing the ritual truly believes that it can.

In one study, participants in a basketball free-throw competition were asked to carry out certain rituals — such as tugging on their earlobe before taking the shot. Those who considered the the action to be good luck saw an improvement in performance, while those who didn’t believe in it performed relatively the same either way.

Peter van Lange, a professor of psychology at VU University Amsterdam, explains that these rituals are effective precisely because the person believes in them and expects them to be. “They help people cope with uncertain outcomes in the future, especially if these outcomes are important to them,” says van Lange. “They strengthen feelings of control and confidence that may otherwise be lacking.”

And when it comes to running, there is no event that carries with it a more uncertain outcome than the marathon. When months of gruelling, arduous, injury-risking preparation all come down to one unpredictable day, it’s enough to make even the most skeptical runner a little superstitious. I should know — I’m one of them.

I ran the Toronto marathon last October in my blue “PB” socks. I slept the night before wearing a lucky bracelet that my sister brought back from a trip to Kenya. And in no small part because of my adherence to these insane, arbitrary rituals, I ran a time that I’d never dreamed I would be able to reach, and qualified for Boston.

When I sat down to plan out my goals for this year, I allowed myself to dream big, to gun for times, and places, and accomplishments that I might not have otherwise believed I could attain. I felt confident that 2016 would be my lucky Leap Year. And then this week, I found out that my funny little superstition about Leap Year isn’t really a thing.

But when I think about it, neither are blue socks, or Kenyan bracelets, or decorated water bottles, or lucky sandwiches, or Snoopy hats… or any of it, really. Our good luck charms, whatever they might be, are always arbitrary, and on the face of it, a little bit silly. The good luck that they seem to hold comes not from the ritual itself, but from within us, from our own unwavering belief in whatever it is that we do.

You might chalk a great race up to running in your lucky shoes, but ultimately, the shoes had nothing to do with it. Sure, maybe they helped you to believe in yourself. But the truth is, you had it in you all along.

New Study: Running as the Ultimate Brain Fuel

RunningForAReason

February 29, 2016

There is an overall consensus that exercise not only heightens the function of the brain but also fundamentally alters its operational structure. Evidently, there have been countless studies on the benefits of distance running, however, until recently there has been little research-focus on it’s comparative advantages to workouts such as high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and weight training.

Earlier this month the Journal of Physiology gathered a large group of male rats, injecting them with a solution that marks the creation of new brain cells and then set the groups into a wide array of different workouts – with one sedentary control group.

Over the span of seven weeks, with continuous microscopic brain examination issued on each animal, the rats were assigned set exercises: running wheels in their cages (most jogging moderately every day for several miles), resistance training (climbing walls with small weights attached to their tails) and the final group took up the equivalent of HIIT (treadmills that required them to sprint for 3 minutes, followed by 2 minutes of slow skittering).

Overall, the study found different levels of neurogenesis, depending on how each animal exercised.

The rats that jogged on the wheels showed robust levels of neurogenesis. The greater the distance that a runner covered during the experiment, the more new cells its brain now contained.

Far fewer new neutrons were found in the brains of the HIIT group. While they demonstrated higher levels than the sedentary control group, the level of neurogenesis was significantly lower than distance runners.

While the weight training group was much strong by the end of the experiment, they showed no discernible augmentation of neurogenesis – in fact, when analyzing the brain it looked as though the animals had not exercised at all.

Rats are not people. We know this. However, Miriam Nokia, the research fellow who led this study, holds that the implications of these findings are very provocative, stating, “sustained aerobic exercise might be the most beneficial for brain health also in humans.”

It is important to note that these results do not imply that running is the only activity that prompts neurogenesis, but that weight lifting and HIIT probably lead to different types of changes, elsewhere in the brain. For example, they might encourage the creation of new connections between brain cels and the new blood vessels.

While this study ought to encourage everyone to introduce or add more running into their workout routine, it should not discourage those from doing weigh training or high-intensity work outs as well. As always, take a holistic approach to your workout routine, your body and mind will thank you.

To find the study: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1113/JP271552/abstract

“I’ve definitely been more smiley on runs since.” Catching up with running’s best love birds

AttheRaces

February 25, 2016

We all love racing. And we all love love. But not often enough do the two things come together like they did at a race finish line over the weekend for Josh Bolton and Tanis Smith, who got engaged.

Since it’s our favourite thing ever, we reached out again to the newly-engaged running couple to pry into all things engagement, wedding plans and, of course, running!

We would like to extend another huge congratulations to the happy couple and encourage all runners to propose to one another at the finish line of a race. You can at least be assured there’ll be plenty of photographers there.

Q) You finish the race. The proposal. Then what happens next?

Josh: Next on the list is wedding planning. Getting the details sorted out for that is the main thing on the agenda. Right after the race we spent some time having lunch with a running club out of the area, the Grand River Endurance running club. That night my grandparents came by for dinner to celebrate.

Tanis: I ran over to hug all my friends there and found out that they were hiding it from me all along. We went inside to the post race awards area to get some food. I was super thirsty and pumped to see that there was Gatorade and even better ice cream! We had a parade of thank you’s from people we knew and those we didn’t. The running community is so supportive, I loved sharing this moment with them. Of course, we’ve been racing for many years so we knew we had to get a cool down so about 20 minutes after finishing, we went for a 3k cool down with our teammate Heather.

Q) Have you both sworn never to wash your race clothes?

J: The clothes are all washed up, but the race bib is definately a special one.

T: I haven’t washed them quite, but that’s more out of tiredness! It was a busy day.

Josh, how long has this been brewing? Why this race, now? Were your race jitters double, or less so?

J: I thought it would be very original and because we are both dedicated runners it only made sense to me. The pre-race jitters were actually far less then they normally are. I enjoyed the race because it had so much meaning attached to it, but only I knew that at the time.

Q) Tanis, how about you? Are you the kind of racer who thinks about their wardrobe? Did you have any idea your race shirt would be immortalized?

T: For races we’re going for as little as possible to help us run faster. I knew the shorts I wanted to wear from my Skechers racing kit—they fit nice and dont ride up too much. I do have two racing singlets I wear either my Skechers Performance Division singlet for bigger races or my Grand River Endurance team singlet for team events. I was happy that I decided to wear GRE that day making the proposal a family affair. I definitely see that singlet giving me more confidence and excitement next time I put it on.

Q) What does running mean in your relationship?

J: Running is a huge part of our relationship. We’re both driven runners who feed off each other. Each season we look back and remember all the positives and fun times we had. When one of us is struggling the other encourages to push on. When we are happy, we run together; when we are stressed, we run together —it’s a way of life for us both.

T: Running is a huge building block for us. We met through running and find comfort in the routine of it. No matter what stresses we have we know we can go out on the roads and come back level headed and happier. It has also taught us much about perseverance, hard work, staying humble, and self belief that is part of both our core values. Even if we were to stop running it has taught us about everything it takes to be successful and happy in life which we will carry with us in everything we do.

Q) Have you been on a run since?

J: We’ve been on a couple. We double most days and often at least one of these runs is together.

T: Post-proposal we did a 3k cool down and the last few days have resumed like any other: trying to get miles in before and after work to prepare for the season. I’ve definitely been more smiley on runs since!

Q) Any advice for iRun readers who’d want to attempt a post-race proposal?

J: Make sure you can beat your significant other because it takes some prep work after you cross the line to organize.

T: It was the perfect thing for us with running being such a huge part of who we are individually as well as together. My advice is take lots of pictures because it’s so amazing to look back on.

Q) Do you vow never to wash your lucky race socks?

J: I will be washing the socks. The race bib is the key piece to remember the day by.

T: I definitely will, that wouldn’t be pleasant!

Q) When do you race next?

J: Next race will be Chilly half-marathon in Burlington. The peak race this season will be Canadian National half-marathon championships in Calgary.

T: We are racing Chilly Half Marathon next Sunday!

Q) What everyone wants to know, for the couple who gets engaged after winning a race, what will you do for a honeymoon? What will be the theme of your cake?

J: Not exactly sure on the theme of the cake—probably running related, maybe a Skechers shoe on it as we are sponsored by them. Best to ask Tanis about that though.

T: I think a destination race is definitely in the picture. Not sure where, maybe Hawaii or Italy or even Berlin! A honeymoon and peak race sounds pretty awesome to me! I know Josh loves peanut butter so that will definitely be incorporated and maybe the little bride and groom will be wearing running shoes.

The Simplicity Project: Energy, Recovery and Peak Performance

Training

February 24, 2016

Are you eating the foods you should be for energy, recovery and peak performance?

In a sport like running where food is fuel, we sometimes forget that eating well is more than just bars, gels, salt pills and energy drinks.

To get optimal performance AND recovery out of your body, you need to make sure that you are providing the highest quality fuel you can. Different foods provide energy at different rates. Some foods are good for a quick burst, while others provide constant energy. For improved stamina, the right choice of fuel can keep you going all day long.

My top 5 Tips for peak performance and endurance are:

Include great quality carbohydrate’s like Oats– one of my favorite source of slow-digesting carbohydrates essential for optimal performance. Oats provide good, long-lasting energy in the form of low glycemic carbs and are so versatile you can enjoy them as oatmeal, in your smoothies or create a pancake and muffins with it as well. Here is my uber quick and perfectly balanced Oatmeal Pancake Recipe: ½ cup organic oats, 5 egg whites, tsp. cinnamon, Tsp. ground flax seed. Combine all ingredients directly in your pan, lightly heated with coconut oil and cook over medium heat until the bottom is cooked through, then flip and cook another 2-3 minutes on the other side. Top with 1 Tbsp. almond butter , 1 tbsp raw honey and some fresh berries

Nuts and Nut Butter – Because they’re a natural combination of protein and healthy fats, nuts (and nut products) are a staple in many athletes’ diets. They are fabulous to help balance your blood sugar, and keep you feeling satiated long after you’ve eaten them. Great choices are raw almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts and pistachios.
Organic Berries – Antioxidants such as vitamins A, C, and E help protect against oxidative stress and free radicals that form in the body during physical activities —and berries are one of the best sources out there. Choose berries with the most intense colors—blackberries, raspberries, blueberries—because they have more of those phytochemicals and protective substances. Toss them into a smoothie, add them to your oats, or just eat them by the handful.
Fatty Fish – Salmon, mackerel, and trout, are good sources of lean protein and omega-3 fatty acids, which help reduce inflammation that can hamper athletic performance and contribute to chronic conditions like heart disease. If you’re not a fish eater then try adding 1 Tbsp. good-quality fish oil that you can put in your smoothies.

Hydration – And finally not so much a tip as it is more of a RULE of healthy living every day; is to drink enough water! How much you need to drink varies greatly between individuals based on size, sweat rate, activity levels and weather etc. As an athlete you should pay close attention to your thirst and alternate plain water with low-sugar electrolyte drinks and options like coconut water or plant-based options like Genuine Health Active Fuel to top up your salts and minerals.

Bonus tip would be to ensure you are getting enough restorative sleep at night so that your body can optimize your training by sloughing up any of the debris of the day and healing your body on a cellular and tissue level.

To book a private consultation with Jenn and create a customized plan to help you achieve your training goals please email jenn@jennpike.com

www.jennpike.com

http://www.icbookstore.ca/thesimplicityproject

Twitter @simplicityjenn

Instagram @jennpike

Facebook.com/jennpike

Are you eating the foods you should be for energy, recovery and peak performance?

Nutrition

February 23, 2016

In a sport like running where food is fuel, we sometimes forget that eating well is more than just bars, gels, salt pills and energy drinks.

By Jenn Pike

To get optimal performance and recovery, you need to make sure that you are getting the highest quality fuel. Different foods provide energy at different rates. Some foods are good for a quick burst, while others provide constant energy. For improved stamina, the right choice of fuel can keep you going all day long, here are Jenn’s top endurance and performance food picks.

Quality Carbohydrates. Oats are one of my favorite source of slow-digesting carbohydrates essential for optimal performance. Oats provide good, long-lasting energy in the form of low glycemic carbs and are so versatile you can enjoy them as oatmeal, in your smoothies or create a pancake and muffins. Here is my quick and perfectly balanced Oatmeal Pancake Recipe: ½ cup organic oats, 5 egg whites, tsp cinnamon, tsp ground flax seed. Combine all ingredients directly in your pan, lightly heated with coconut oil and cook over medium heat until the bottom is cooked through, then flip and cook another 2-3 minutes on the other side. Top with 1 tbsp. almond butter , 1 tbsp raw honey and some fresh berries
Nuts and Nut Butter. With a natural combination of protein and healthy fats, nuts (and nut products) are a staple in many athletes’ diets. They are fabulous to help balance your blood sugar, and keep you feeling satiated long after you’ve eaten them. Great choices are raw almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts and pistachios.
Organic Berries. Antioxidants such as vitamins A, C, and E help protect against oxidative stress and free radicals that form in the body during physical activities —and berries are one of the best sources out there. Choose berries with the most intense colors—blackberries, raspberries, blueberries—because they have more of those phytochemicals and protective substances. Toss them into a smoothie, add them to your oats, or just eat them by the handful.
Fatty Fish. Salmon, mackerel, and trout, are good sources of lean protein and omega-3 fatty acids, which help reduce inflammation that can hamper athletic performance and contribute to chronic conditions like heart disease. If you’re not a fish eater then try adding 1 Tbsp. good-quality fish oil that you can put in your smoothies.
Hydration. More of a RULE of healthy living every day, remember to drink enough water! How much you need to drink varies greatly between individuals based on size, sweat rate, activity levels and weather. As an athlete you should pay close attention to your thirst and alternate plain water with low-sugar electrolyte drinks and options like coconut water or plant-based options like Genuine Health Active Fuel to top up your salts and minerals.

Bonus Tip Ensure you are getting enough restorative sleep at night so that your body can optimize your training by sloughing up any of the debris of the day and healing your body on a cellular and tissue level.

For a private consultation and custom nutrition plan, email Jenn Pike.

1...171172173...336 Page 172 of 336