Archive for the ‘Nutrition’ Category:
“Fast Food Nation”
I was recently browsing Facebook today and one of my friends from school had this link up.
When I saw that, I couldn’t help but laugh and think how many people actually believed that anything from McDonald’s could be somewhat healthy. Burger King and Micky D’s are notorious for this sort of thing. Put a solid, healthy meal on the menu. Then load it with sugar, salt and/or fat. Or in most cases, all of the above.
However, these two fine, American establishments aren’t the only ones. Even sit down restaurants are getting to the point where it is sickening. Some appetizers on AppleBee’s and T.G.I. Fridays are upwards of 2,000 calories! And that is the first course of your dinner! One thing that really stood out to me was Carl’s Six Dollar Burger…111g of fat. No wonder we are the fattest people on Earth.
This is more of rant than anything. But, one thing I want you to get is that eating out at fast food or restaurants should be a rare occasion for you. Everything on every menu comes “crispy”, “breaded” and load with creamy sauces. Even if it is grilled, chances are there is something that isn’t good for you in that meal. Just cutting out this food will make a huge difference in your training and riding. You will feel better when you wake up and have more energy throughout the day. It may not seem like it, but you will actually save money by going to the grocery store, getting fresh meat and vegetables and cooking your own food. That way, you know exactly what is in your food.
Here’s some more depression for you in a list of 20 terrible foods.
Racer’s Diet
The high demand of training and racing requires a lot from the body. If it is not being fed right, you and your body will notice a drastic decrease in performance and results. In order to provide the right nutrients so you perform at your peak, you need to eat right. No more fried foods and sweets. That is like putting diesel in your bike and expecting it to run correctly.
In order to maintain energy, you will need to consume plenty of carbohydrates. If you have “carbo-phobia”, you need to get with the times and realize that is completely stupid. Carbohydrates are made of glucose, a form of sugar. This sugar gets converted into glycogen by the body. The glycogen is what gives you energy and maintains blood sugar. I recommend at least 2 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight. For example, I am 180lb. So, I would need at least 360g of carbohydrates. These carbs should come from whole wheat breads, pastas, brown rice and fruits.
The next pieces of the diet puzzle are the proteins. The main goal is not to build slabs of muscle. The more muscle, the more oxygen is required to move it. You want to maintain what you have and use the protein for recovery. Any amount over 1g of protein per pound of body weight is going to be excessive. Chicken, fish, lean beef, beans and nuts are excellent sources of protein and fats. Fats seem to have a bad rep from the low fat fad a few years ago. Unsaturated fat is essential for any athlete. They help absorb vitamins and minerals as well as protect your organs. To get a ballpark number on the amount of fat you need, just take .25 and multiply it by your weight.
To round out your diet, be sure to drink at least a gallon of water a day. You will stay hydrated and ready for riding. As with any balanced diet, eat plenty of vegetables. This is not hard stuff. It just takes good judgments. Take a break from the burger/French fry combo and you will see an immediate difference in your mood, riding and training.
Top 5 from 2010
This is the top 5 tips of 2010. This year has gone by so fast that I feel like the Outdoors should be still on. These are the essential ingredients to a solid program and remember this is an overview. Success is in the details, so if you have any questions about these, shoot me an email and I will help you out.
1. Periodization – This is really the back bone of all professional training programs. Establishing a strong base for both strength and cardio set the stage for the rest of your season. For example, you want to begin with longer, less intense bouts on your road bike or rower with more frequency during the week. However, as you enter the race season, you want to cut your frequency down, but raise the intensity with interval training. Remember, the races on the weekend are the easiest part of your program.
2. Flexibility – Many times, one’s flexibility is overlooked. Common injuries in the groin, knees and shoulders can be avoided simply by incorporating stretching. Muscle strains and joints all benefit from an increased range of motion. Every time you put your leg out in a corner, you risk sliding out and injuring your hip, knee or ankle. Increased mobility can help prevent these small mishaps from turning into bigger problems.
3. Diet – The Holidays are almost done. With turkey, stuffing and more pies than people, your week’s worth of cardio and strength training went out the window. Throw in the flowing alcohol during New Year’s and you just got tag teamed like old fashion wrestling. Like the old saying goes, you are what you eat. You wouldn’t put diesel in your bike would you? I really hope you said no. Keep it simple with complex carbs throughout the day and don’t skimp on the protein (around .75g per pound of body weight).
4. Variety – Change it up. Often. Changing exercises confuses your body and encourages more gains. Different angles, utilizing balance boards, or completely different exercises all help you stay fresh and interested in training. Running on a treadmill is great, but switch it up and get on a stationary bike. Or even run outside. Varying your program’s exercises will challenge your body to adapt and overcome.
5. Rest – Recovery is your best friend. Getting to bed on time before a big race and sleeping 8 hours will make a huge difference in training. Sleep releases growth hormones and repairs the damage done to the body. When you don’t get enough sleep, your body cannot cope with the stress you put on it and you are constantly tearing yourself down. Not only is sleep important, but recovery days and weeks are essential. Doing intense cardio two days in a row does not promote gains in anything. You over train and this results in lost time and terrible results.
Interesting Stats on High Fructose Corn Syrup
If you don’t think HFCS is bad, have a look at this:
High Fructose Corn Syrup: Is It To Blame For The Obesity Epidemic?
It’ll make you think twice next time you order a large Coke at Micky-D’s.
Diet 911: Surviving the Holidays
The holidays are officially here. Thanksgiving has past already and now we have Christmas, Hanukah, and New Years right around the corner. These times are usually filled with pigskin, family, and lots of food…and the occasional adult beverages. This is also a time of binging, followed by the loosening of the belt and sleepiness. This kind of eating has led the good ole United States as the fattest nation in the world.
If you have read any of my articles on nutrition, you know that I recommend small, consistent meals every 2 to 3 hours. However, there are times like Thanksgiving, where it is okay to “cheat.” Some studies have even indicated that cheating can spike your metabolism. Yet, this cheating should not be a regular thing and has to be limited to one day. Thanksgiving yields a massive amount of food and sweets and the one day is not going to kill your training. If you keep pounding pumpkin pie like it’s going out of style, then it will.
If you have been training and eating well, then why not treat yourself? Add to the fact that if you relax and let loose for a day, you won’t be tempted to cheat more often. The main point you need to remember is to limit this eating to one day. It is when you extend the pie and stuffing eating over the course of the weekend is when you find yourself in trouble. So, for the next set of Holidays, remember to limit it to one day and have fun.
Timing Your Carbohydrates
Nutrition is a big aspect of training for motocross. There is no way of getting around it. You can train as hard as you want, but if you are stuffing yourself with Big Macs and McFlurries, you are not going to be able to train or ride as hard as you want. I’m not saying to go on a fad diet, but just cleaning up your current diet can pay off huge on the track. With the correct choices of food and when you eat them, you can make sure you have plenty of energy throughout the day.
Before we get into the timing, we need to understand the concept of the Glycemic Index. There are different types of Carbohydrates: Simple and Complex. Your simple carbs break down faster while the complex carbs take more time to be broken down. The Glycemic Index simply measures the effects of the carbs on your blood sugar level. The simple carbohydrates are higher on the index than the complex.
Now, just because the simple carbohydrates are higher on the index, doesn’t mean they are better. Eating too many foods that are higher on the index can actually have negative effects on the body. However, combining simple and complex carbohydrates at breakfast can spike your blood sugar level to give you energy upon waking and the complex will help give you a longer lasting energy. Cantaloupe and watermelon are great simple carbs and are great as a side for breakfast. For your complex carbs, oatmeal or multigrain breads are great.
It is a good idea to switch to slower, complex carbohydrates as the day goes on because you maintain a constant level of blood sugar. When you spike the sugar in your blood, you tend to crash and get fatigued. Like I said, other than watermelon and cantaloupe, most fruits and multigrain breads are solid, complex foods. Between motos or after workouts, you can go back to simple carbs to get your energy back up.
So, to recap:
Breakfast: Slow and Fast
Lunch: Slow
Between Motos/ post workouts: Fast
