Archive for the ‘Nutrition’ Category:
Artificial Sweeteners: More harm than good?
I was browsing YouTube the other day and came across some interesting videos. The topic of these videos were artificial sweeteners. America is obsessed with counting calories and crazy diets, so it is no wonder why people love the zero calorie sweeteners. The motocross community is basically fueled by (both financially and sometimes physically) energy drink companies that contain these ingredients. There has been a lot of debate as to whether Sucrose, Saccharin, Aspartame, etc. is safe to consume.
Growing up, I never really ate Splenda or other artificial sweeteners. However, if you really look at ingredient labels on many beverages and foods, they almost always contain some form of these “sugars.” Why should this concern racers? As I said before, energy drinks like Rockstar, Red Bull, and Monster all have low carb versions. However, these all contain the artificial sweeteners even though they say “zero sugar”. Not only that, but protein powders and some recovery drinks contain these as well.
So, what makes these so bad? Technically, there has been no solid research to confirm anything bad. However, testing has been done on animals and it revealed a linked between Sucrose (a.k.a. Splenda) and organ damage. Almost every one of these is supposedly carcinogenic (causes cancer). Nutra Sweet and Equal have been known to cause dizziness, upset stomach, and headaches as well.
In addition to these claims, it has also said to increase weight gain. According to a study done by Purdue University, rats that were on diets containing the artificial sweetener saccharine gained more weight than rats given natural sugar. Scientist think that there is a link between the sweet tastes and your brain. When you taste sweet food and there are no calories, your brain gets mix matched with this and can cause you to over eat.
I am not saying this means you need to become a vegan and go all natural. However, if it were up to me, I would take real sugar over artificial. I know these claims have not been proven 100%, but genetically modified substances aren’t something I want to put in my body all of the time. Just keep it in moderation.
Food for fuel
There are a lot of ways to prepare for racing and improve your endurance. Cardiovascular and light strength training during race season can help you going throughout your motos. However, the right fuel can make all the difference. And no, I’m not talking about VP or some pump gas for your bike; I’m talking about the food to help maintain your energy levels.
You can train with the best of the best, but if you do not eat and drink properly on race day, all of that training could fall apart. During the week, keeping enough fluids in you is very important. Hydration does not happen overnight; it is a process that takes days. The same goes for solid foods. Training and racing on an empty stomach is not a good idea. Your body does not have enough energy to fuel you throughout your moto. So when it gets hot and you aren’t hungry, you still need to eat some fruits or some other complex carbs.
As I have said before, there are two branches of carbohydrates: complex and simple. Eating too many simple carbs can give you a great energy boost, but the crash from the sugars will leave you fatigued and exhausted. Avoid sugary soft drinks and food. Pastas, breads and brown rice are some complex carbs that will not let you crash. If you eat about 75g of complex carbs an hour before your moto/training, you should have plenty of energy and fuel. This is usually about a cup of pasta or brown rice.
Another overlooked aspect of endurance training is protein intake. Making sure you are eating enough protein is essential for recovery. Muscle tissue is broken down and the amino acids in protein help repair the broken tissue. Building muscle is not a priority for motocross, but keeping strength up helps with your form.
Your bike can’t run without gas and your body can’t perform at its best when you are hungry. Make sure you are eating every 2 to 3 hours and keep your carbs complex. You will avoid any kind of sugar crashes and fatigue.
Heat exhaustion prevention
This last weekend was pretty gnarly. The heat in Texas was brutal…not quite as brutal as the Florida heat, but I digress. Riders were tested physically and mentally racing where everything is bigger. When the temperatures start to climb, the need to stay hydrated becomes even more important. Many riders could not stand the heat and were exhausted, but not just from the heat, but from a lack of liquids in their bodies. The effects of extreme heat on the body can take a toll on you and the rest of your day racing is done.
Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are no joke. Before heat stroke, you get heat exhaustion. This is when you are losing too many fluids and therefore, your body overheats. The body’s temperature is raised but not too crazy, maybe a mild fever. Many symptoms include pale, moist skin, sweating a lot more than normal, muscle cramps, dizziness, feeling weak, and sick with elevated heart rate. Heat stroke on the other hand is much more dangerous. Your core temperature is above your average fever. At this point, the skin is dry and one begins to become confused and hyperventilate. Sure, this sounds pretty intense, but knowledge is power.
A typical American does not drink as much water as they need. The “average” person needs about 64oz of water. However, since serious racers are training, they will need more than this. And when the mercury rises, you need even more water. Depending on your size and perspiration rate, you lose about 4 cups of fluid per hour of exercise and this is in air conditioned climate. If you are training and riding, you need to be drinking a gallon of water a day, minimum. Summer is in full effect and you can’t be too careful.
My best advice is to get a water bottle and sip on that all day. The more times you refill the bottle, the better. I don’t really think measuring out a certain amount of water is realistic or convenient, so make sure that your urine is clear and keep on sipping. Eventually your body will become accustom to the water intake and you won’t have to pee every 5 minutes!
Carbohydrates for Energy
Knowing how to properly mix two stroke oil and gas is very important. Finding the proper ratio can help keep your “stroker” running clean and crisp to keep up with the four strokes! However, when you don’t get that ratio right, you don’t get the power like you should and your lap times suffer. Your diet is very similar to this. Before and after training, your body needs nutrients to help your body maintain itself. For racers, this means protein and carbohydrates. Using simple and complex carbs can help you maintain energy and avoid slumps in your training.
Most people have basic knowledge on what carbs are. They are basically sugar molecules joined in different types of structures to provide the body with energy. The main difference between simple and complex carbs lies in the structure. Simple carbs contain structures that can be broken down faster and easier by the body while complex carbs take longer to digest. Many processed foods like white bread and sugary cereals contain simple carbs. Since they are digested quickly, your blood sugar rises faster than whole bread and grains.
With this in mind, we can tailor our daily eating habits to keep our energy levels up without crashes. Most whole wheat and grain products take longer to digest and keep your stomach full, longer. For example, oatmeal is great in the morning because I have class and it is a long time before I eat lunch. So, I’ll heat up some oatmeal, throw in a fruit flavored whey protein and cut up fruit. The sucrose in the fruit keeps me awake right off the bat, while the slower digesting oats break down over time to keep my energy up.
However, right after training, your blood sugar levels are low, so eating a simple carb can help keep you from getting that tired and weak sensation. Drinking a soda or eating a Butterfinger is not what I am talking about. White rice, fruit, or even a small bowl of a Raisin Brand Crunch will prevent any type of crash. The oatmeal may be good for you, but the sugars broken down are not enough and supplied fast enough for you to recover. Remember, keep it simple before and after workouts and complex at meals.
Creatine and MX
Everybody loves to be in shape and look good. Body builders are always flexing their muscles and trying to get “swoll.” This is where creatine monohydrate comes into play. Some have dubbed this powder as important as protein powder. Because creatine draws water into the muscles, it makes you appear to have more muscle mass than you normally would. That is why most muscle heads use this. However, I was reading a forum and topic came up about Davi Millsaps using creatine. This got me thinking about the benefits of creatine for motocross.
Creatine monohydrate is a naturally occurring, organic acid that is in animals and humans. Creatine was not invented; it was made popular in the 70’s and 80’s through professional body builders. The liver produces creatine and most of the time, it ends up in your skeletal muscles. It aids in the production of ATP, one major source of energy for the body. This source of energy is mainly used when you are doing explosive exercises and/or in the anaerobic heart rate range. Remember, this range is when you are weight training or in the more intense intervals.
Okay, so our own bodies have creatine and we can get some very small amounts from meats…do we need to go to GNC and get some creatine monohydrate powder? In my opinion, not really. Since most of the time, you are using creatine to produce ATP and ATP is used in the anaerobic ranges, it really isn’t useful for motocross. Sure, we have times when we are using some explosive movements that require this sort of energy, but we need a balance of aerobic ranges as well. Creatine, for the most part, benefits sprinting and weight lifters.
When training, motocross racers do not need to concentrate only on those things. As I have said before, the off season is used to build up strength because you may not be on the bike that much and we need to do longer, less tedious cardio sessions. As you move into race season, high intensity intervals are a good thing to have, but the weight training is not as required. The products on the market don’t have substantial research behind them to show that creatine can benefit endurance athletes. Power lifters and track stars are not endurance athletes and although a 20 minute moto is not considered by many to be long, it sure isn’t an explosive, 30 second race.
One last thing that concerns me about creatine powders is that is draws water into your muscles. Sure you will look bigger, but this might draw water away from other parts of the body. I have not taken it personally, but my roommate takes it and he has to have a bottle of water with him all day or he feels extremely thirsty. It sounds good because you are drinking plenty of water, but you are also not hydrating your whole body, just your skeletal muscles. So, I do not believe that creatine is really necessary for motocross.
Training while Sick
Everyone get sick. This is the perfect time of year for colds, the flu and any other crazy sickness there is. The weather here is Florida changing from warm to cold, and then back to warm. It is wrecking my body’s immune system! I recently came down with a small bug that left me with a sore throat and a little tired. Despite lots of rest and liquids in me, I woke up yesterday feeling a bit groggy and still a bit weak. It was the first day of my workouts for the week and I was a bit hesitant to go to the gym.
So I looked and asked around and found that if you are feeling up to it, then go for it. However, there are a few things to take into consideration. Remember that I had gotten plenty of rest and was just feeling a bit tired. I was not running a fever and I was able to get out of bed and go to class. Training with a fever is something that is not advisable. Your body is running a higher than normal temperature as it is and elevating the temperature could lead to a more serious illness.
If you have a head cold and can barely get off of the couch, you are better off to stay on the couch. Once, you start to feel better, you still have to take it easy with the exercise. I have learned this the hard way a few years ago. I was sick for a few days during the week and started to feel better on Friday. I was wanting to race on Saturday and convinced my dad I was feeling better. Although I had an okay finish that race, the next day I felt terrible. I had the cold again, but it was twice as worse.
So, really what I am trying to say is that if you can perform everyday activities fine, then take it easy in the gym. You have start listening to your body and you will know when you can and can’t train/ride. Light cardio is probably the best idea because you are not exerting a lot of force on the body. Just remember to have plenty of water with you before, during and after your workout. It is even more crucial when you are sick. If you are good from the nose up, you should be okay. Just be smart about it!
