The recommendations for fat for athletes is 0.8 to 1 g/kg of body wieght. We will continue to use Sandy, our desk-bound marathoner from the last two posts, as our example. She is 5’5″ tall and weighs 140 pounds (140/2.2 = 63.6 kg). Based on these recommendations, Sandy would need:

• Low end of range: 0.8 g/kg x 63.6 = 51 grams
• High end o range: 1.0 g/kg x 63.6 = 64 grams

To translate this into calories, multiply by 9 because there are 9 calories per gram for fat (4 for carbohydrates and protein, and 7 for alcohol). This gives Sandy between 459 and 576 calories per day from fat. If Sandy is using a food tracking software or app, she can enter one of these (or the average) as her fat goal for the day. If her package asks for the recommendation in percent of calories, she would divide the fat in calories by her total daily calories and multiply by 100. For example, if she needs an average of 2000 calories per day, her range of calories from protein would be 23 – 29% ((459/2000)*100 and (576/2000)*100). The lowest amount you want from fat is 15% and the highest is 35%. Normal intake is between 20 and 30%. However, if you are consuming a lot of nuts and nut-butters (like peanut butter or almond butter) you may go up to 35%. You should try to limit your saturated fat intake (which is primarly in animal meats) to 10% or less of your calories. For Sandy, this would be 200 calories (2,000 x .10) or about 22 grams of saturated fat ((2,000 x 10)/9).

Fat-containing foods include oils, butter, nuts, and a lot of other foods. This is where label reading comes in handy. Having fat, along with carbohydrates and protein, at each meal will help you stay satisfied longer.

Next time, we will cover carbohydrates. If you have questions about fat, let me know.

What does this mean in reality? Let’s go back to Sandy, our desk-bound marathoner from the last post. She is 5’5″ tall and weighs 140 pounds (140/2.2 = 63.6 kg). Based on the IOC recommendations, Sandy would need:

• Low end of range: 1.2 g/kg x 63.6 = 76 grams
• High end o range: 1.6 g/kg x 63.6 = 102 grams

To translate the grams into calories, multiply by 4 (there are 4 calories per gram of protein). This gives us between 304 and 408 calories from protein.  If Sandy is using a food tracking software or app, she can enter one of these (or the average) as her protein goal for the day. If her package asks for the recommendation in percent of calories, she would divide the protein in calories by her total daily calories and multiply by 100. For example, if she needs an average of 2000 calories per day, her range of calories from protein would be 15 – 20% ((304/2000)*100 and (408/2000)*100). The highest percentage of calories from protein is 35%.

Protein-containing foods include meats, fish, poultry, soy, dairy, beans, and nuts. Often, it is easiest to think of a “serving” of protein. If you think about a serving of chicken (3 – 4 ounces – about the size of a deck of cards) that would have between 21 and 28 grams of protein. Each ounce of meat (beef, fish, poultry) had 7 grams of protein per ounce. Two tablespoons of peanut butter has about 10 grams of protein. You should also spit your protein up through out all of your meals. Than can help maximize absorption and usage of the protein. For most people, if you are eating enough calories you should be meeting your protein needs.

Ideally,  you should have protein along with carbohydrates and fat each time you eat. Meals that contain protein, carbohydrates, and fat help you feel fuller for a longer period of time.

If you have protein questions, let me know.

Next time: Fat Needs.

Determining how many calories you need can be tricky. If you google “how many calories do I need” you get hundreds of results with all sorts of different calculators. How do you know which is right for you? The thing to remember is that the calculations are a best guess. If you really want to nail down your calorie needs, then you can have your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) measured. However, if you can not have it measured, the formulas are a good place to start.

When I’m calculating calorie needs, I prefer the Mifflin-St. Jeor equation. This equation has been found to be most accurate in a variety of people.  The formula is below. The weight is in kg and height in cm. To convert your weight to kg, divide your weight in pounds by 2.2. To convert your height to cm, multiply your height in inches by 2.54. Here is the Mifflin-St. Jeor formula:

Men: 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (y) + 5
Women: 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (y) – 161

This gives you an estimate of your RMR – which is, basically, how many calories you would need if you hung out on the couch all day. Since that is not the case for most of us, I multiply the RMR by an activity factor. The way I do it for my clients is to choose an activity factor for their day that does not include their workouts. Here are the activity factors:

• Sedentary (little or no exercise) = 1.2
• Llightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) = 1.375
• Moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) = 1.550
• Very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) = 1.725
• Extra active (very hard exercise/sports and physical job) = 1.900

Finally, I add in the calories for workouts. Most athletes have a Garmin or heart rate monitor that gives them calories expended in a workout.

Here’s an example. Sandy is a marathoner who has a desk job. When she is home and not working out, she is playing with her two small children and doing house work, washing clothes, etc. She doesn’t sit much when she is at home. She is 32 years old, 5’5″ tall and weighs 140 pounds. She does not want to change her weight or body composition.

• 65 inches  2.54 = 163.15 inches
• 140/2.2 = 63.6 kg

The Mifflin-St. Jeor equeation for women is: 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (y) – 161

Sandy’s RMR would be (10 x 63.6) + (6.25 x 163.15) – (5 x 32) – 161 = 1337 calories per day. Given her work and at home (non-workout activities) I would multiply her RMR by 1.35 (1337 x 1.35 = 1805 calories per day). Her workouts range from short runs when she burns 400 calories to long runs when she burns 1200 calories. This means that:

• On Sandy’s off day, she should eat about 1800 calories.
• On her short workout days, she should eat about 2200 calories.
• On her long workout days, she should eat about 3000 calories.

For most people, this gets a little overwhelming. To make it easier, we look at a seven day average. It is OK to move some calories (200 – 500) from your long workout day to the day before or after to pre-fuel and get you over being extra hungry on your day off.

I hope this helps you determine how many calories you need. If you have questions, let me know.

The “rule of thumb” is about 45 grams of carbohydrates per hour for a run. Sam was taking in maybe 50 grams of carbohydrates over his 3:40+ race. As we talked, Sam was nervous about adding more fuel during his run. Honestly, I don’t like changing anything going into a race. However, since he knew the gels worked for him, I suggested he add a couple of more gels into the race. First, he should take one earlier somewhere around mile 5 – 6 and take the last one around miles 16 – 18.

In the email he sent over the weekend, he said that he followed what we had talked about. And, he said this is the FIRST TIME he’s ever run a negative split race (where the second half is faster than the first). He was impresssed and baffled, honestly, that adding a couple of gels could make such a big difference. He also said that usually around miles 16 – 18 his stomach didn’t feel good or like it could take anything in. But, this time he was fine and took that last gel when suggested. His time for the Houston maration. . . .3:30! Even better, he felt good through out the race and after the race.

I suggested he keep increasing his calories and carbs until he reached the 45 grams per hour mark and see what kind of difference it makes. I see numerous athletes who are underfuleing with leads to underperforming. Add in some additional fuel and they start performing better! It’s like magic!

This is something you can work on, too. Determine how many grams of carbohydrates are you taking in per hour on your runs. Ask yourself how you and your stomach feel? If you are taking in less than 45 grams per hour, try increasing it a little at a time and see how you feel. If you have stomach problems, reduce it by 5 t0 10 grams per hour and try it again. If you reach 45 and think you can take in more, increase it by 5 to 10 grams and see what happens. We each have our own nutritional “sweet spot.” It takes tinkering to find, but once you have it your performance will improve.

I want to encourage my local Girl Scouts and support their troops. But, I don’t want their luscious cookies in my house. Girl Scout Cookies are one of my “danger foods” that I have a hard, if not impossible time, having in moderation. John, my husband, came up with a great solution. Rather than buying the cookies, make a donation in the amount that you’d buy to the troop. This actually works out as a HUGE win-win for everyone. The Girl Scout Troops only get between 10 and 20% of the purchase price of each box. This means they get between $0.40 and $0.80 per box. I’d rather hand them $10 or $20 as a donation to their troop and have them keep the entire amount rather than them getting a couple of dollars off a few boxes of cookies.

Next time you get approached by someone saying “Would you like to buy some cookies?” you can say, “Sure! But, I’d rather give you a donation instead.” Or, buy a box or two and give the rest in a donation. This helps you keep the cookies under control and help the Girl Scout troops in their mission to help girls.

During Joan’s talk, she told a story about how, after having her first child, Nike wanted to shoot photos for a future ad campaign. The tagline of the ad was “There is no finish line.” This tagline struck a cord with me. It is so true! There is no real finish line in life. OK, I guess there is one true finish line – when we leave this earth and pass on to whatever is after.

The idea that there is no finish line changed how I look at a lot of things, and made some things make sense for me. We tend to focus on getting to a certain point – crossing the finish line of a race, our wedding day, the birth of a child, finishing school, reaching a goal weight. All of those things are finish lines, but life continues on after. There are more finish lines to come.

With the start of the new year, I’d like to encourage you to focus on your finish lines, or goals, for the year. But, while you are planning on successfully crossing each one, also think about what is next. Where will your next finish line be? And the one after that? And the one after that?

I hope you and yours have a great holiday season. Enjoy this time, relax, take a few deep breaths, and focus on living in each moment.

This comic addresses one of my pet peeves with the media when they report results from research studies. A lot of the studies reported in the media are studies where a large group of people are followed and they answer questionnaires and provide health information at various intervals. Then, researchers crunch the numbers and see what relationships appear. Often, these studies show correlations – or relationships – between things. For example, let’s say that a researchers have been following the population of Small Town, Texas for 20 years. Every 5 years, the residents fill out surveys and provide their health information. At each 5 year interval, researchers also collect information about the businesses in Small Town, Texas. The researchers put all of the data into their statistical software and out pops a correlation showing that as the number of doughnut stores in Small Town, Texas goes up, weight of the residents of the town has dropped so they are all normal weight – they are NOT overweight or obese. The local news station picks up the story and reports “Towns with more doughnut shops have thinner residents!”

Really? Do more doughnut shops cause residents to be normal weight? This is the danger with studies like this and drawing conclusions about causality (A causes B). From the initial analysis, it looks like we need to start building doughnut shops on every corner to get people to be normal weight. However, in studies that monitor people over time, statements about causality cannot and should not be made. This is because statistically, statements about causality should only be made when something is changed (for example, if the researchers built 10 doughnut shops every year, then they changed the number of doughnut shops then they might be able to make statements about the number of doughnut shops and the residents’ weight). The only thing researchers can say is that it looks like the number of doughnut shops and the weights of people in Small Town, Texas are related and in what way (positive – as one goes up so does the other; or negative – as one goes up the other goes down).

What does this have to do with the Dilbert comic? The comic shows that Dilbert’s boss (the one with pointy hair) thinks Dilbert (they guy with the curly red striped tie) is sending him emails about world’s worst bosses because he gets one each time the boss leaves Dilbert’s cubicle. However, the boss doesn’t know that Wally (the guy with the green tie)  is watching Dilbert’s cube and sending the emails to the boss when he leaves. Using the sample study talked about previously, the media reports that as the number of doughnut shops rise, weights fall in Small Town, Texas. However, what the study did not show is that Small Town, Texas is on I-10 at the border with another state where doughnuts are illegal. People are coming across the border to buy doughnuts and when people go visit friends and family in Doughnuts are Illegal State, they stop in Small Town, Texas and buy dozens of doughnuts to take to their doughnut deprived friends and family. This has spurred the growth of the doughnut industry in Small Town, Texas. The study didn’t take Small Town’s location into account which is the cause for the high number of doughnut shops and is not related in any way to the weights of the residents.

The moral of the story – be wary and question, question, question when the media reports the findings from the latest and greatest study.

I know I missed National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October), but this is an issue that needs to be addressed. Ladies, you’ve got to protect the girls. By “girls” I mean your breasts. As athletes, our breasts can really take a pounding. Research has shown that when we run or workout, they move in all sorts of directions, move independently of each other, and move at all sorts of speeds. If we do not have an excellent sports bra, our exercising may result in early sag because the tissue and ligaments that support and give the breasts shape have been damaged.

Bra shopping is one of my least favorite activities. but, when it comes time for a new sports bra, I take shopping for one very seriously. When shopping for a sports bra, grab a few that meet the impact level you need (yoga=low, running=high)  and head to the dressing room. When you put the bra on, be sure all of the breast tissue is in the cups. This may involve bending over as you put the bra on then standing up, using your hands to move the tissue into the cups, and making other adjustments. If all of the tissue will not fit into the cup (no bulging on the outside or inside) you need to go to a larger cup size.

After all the breast tissue is settled into the cups, start jumping around. Jog in place. Yes, I’m serious (I see you laughing out there). You want to see how much your girls move. If it fits, but doesn’t stabilize the girls, the bra isn’t doing the job it needs to. In my book, I want a bra where the girls only move a tiny bit or not at all. If they move more than that, that is not the bra for me. I keep trying bras on until I find one I like. This process can take a while. Once I find a bra I like, I stick with it. My current favorite is the Maia from Moving Comfort. However, you need to find a bra that works for you and your level of activity.

With a good fitting bra, you and your girls will be happy and perky for many years!

One ounce of the cocoa roasted almonds give you 150 calories, 13 grams of fat, 6 grams of carbohydrates, and 6 grams of protein. This is a lot of calories in a small space, so you do need to be careful with them. Just because they are nuts does not mean you can eat as much as you want.

I have found they make a nice, filling snack (because of the mix of protein, carbohydrates, and fat) particularly after dinner when I’m looking for a taste of chocolate.

Give them a try and let me know what you think!

We live in a society of instant gratification. We don’t want to wait for the mailman; e-mail brings responses in seconds. We don’t want to drive to the movie store; we can stream the newest releases from OnDemand or Netflix. We don’t want to slave over the stove; we can stick a meal in the microwave for a fraction of the time. Just look at advertising: “quick weight loss”, “instant savings”, “SlimFast”, “60 second abs”. We evaluate products by which ones offer the biggest rewards in the least amount of time and minimal effort. So, it is no wonder that in the realm of nutrition, we expect nothing less—hence the popularity of dietary supplements.

Supplement. It’s in the name, and yet we still tend to think of them as magic pills that cure unhealthy eating habits. You cannot eat fast food three meals a day, take a pill, and call your diet nutritious. A healthy diet is so much more than meeting 100% of your Daily Value of vitamins and minerals, and that is what we have lost sight of. There is a growing body of research showing that taking dietary supplements is not improving our health. In fact, in some cases, it may be harming it. This month, the American Medical Association published a highly publicized study on postmenopausal women and dietary supplements. Stirring up much debate, it found that common vitamin and mineral supplements may be linked to an increased risk of mortality.

A few things to point out about the study:

• This study is on older, white women from Iowa. Therefore, the ability to generalize to the general population is limited.
• Results varied by supplement. Multivitamins, B6, folic acid, iron, magnesium, zinc and copper were associated with increased risk. Iron had the strongest association with increased mortality risk, while calcium was associated with decreased mortality risk.
• Nutrients have a U-shaped curve of safety and efficacy. Too little can cause deficiency and too much can cause toxicity. More is not necessarily better.
• Interestingly, supplement users exhibited characteristics we typically associate with lower mortality risks: more educated, leaner BMI, more active, non-smoker, and lower incidence of high blood pressure and diabetes.
• Authors concluded that there is insufficient evidence of any benefit to support a general recommendation that healthy adults take a supplement.

What does this mean? First, let me acknowledge that there can be countless factors that impact a study’s results. So, I am by no means suggesting that these results warrant a complete abandonment of supplement use. However, I believe that this study along with several others should cause us to think twice about how and why we use dietary supplements. Foods are so much more complicated than we realize. We don’t give nature enough credit when we break food down into a handful of vitamins and minerals to be taken in pill form and think that we are recreating the same benefits. More than anything else, I hope that studies like this one encourage individuals to be more mindful of what they are eating.

Ask yourself, do the dietary supplements you take really supplement healthy choices or replace them? If the answer is replace, work on incorporating real foods instead. For instance, rather than take a Vitamin E supplement, work on consuming healthy oils and incorporating almonds as snacks. Rather than meet 100% of your Daily Values with a pill, make a more conscious effort to have a balanced diet of real food. The jury may be out about whether supplements will cause you harm, but getting your nutrients from real food never will.

For those of us training for fall and spring marathons, it is really, really, really easy to use our training as a way to over-indulge in holiday foods. For those entering their off season, it is really, really easy for them to use the holiday foods as rewards for all of the hard training they have done over the past few months.

Endurance athletes have to watch the holiday season just like everyone else to avoid weight gain that negatively impact performance. Yes, maybe you did just run 18 or 20 miles. That doesn’t mean you can have a whole pumpkin pie! And, just because you did a Turkey Trot the morning of Thanksgiving, doesn’t mean you can eat like it is Thanksgiving day all weekend long. If you are in your off season, you do not want to gain extra weight over the holidays that you then have to work harder to get off the first couple of months of the year. If you are training, you don’t want to put on extra weight over the holidays you have to carry during your race or have to worry about losing before the race.

The trick I use is to only use the “I just did a (fill in the blank) workout. I get to eat (fill in the blank).” once a day on the day that is not race day. If you just ran a marathon, go ahead and celebrate that day, but follow the rule for the two following days. Starting on the third day, return to your normal eating. If you do a long workout, you can use the excuse once a day for a maximum of two of days. It is easy to eat as much or more calories than we burned off by telling ourselves it is OK to indulge because we worked out. And, yes, I deal with this, too.

As the Halloween candy starts to appear, remember to not use your workouts as an excuse to over-indulge. Yes, if you have a long or hard workout you can indulge some. You just can’t use it as an excuse to indulge all the time through the holidays.

October, November, and December are what I call The Danger Zone time of the year. Within these three months we encounter all sorts of eating challenges. October is the time of CANDY! Candy seems to appear just about everywhere – in offices, on desks, in kids’ backpacks. However, just because candy is around does NOT mean you have to eat it. A previous post had some tips for dealing with Halloween candy. I have two tactics to add this year. The first is to mentally label the Halloween as “not my food.” The candy is for other people, or the kids, or the trick-or-treaters. Every time you think of or see the candy, tell yourself “that’s not my food” and find something else to do. Second, if you do have more candy than you had planned, do not use that slip as an excuse to keep slipping the rest of the day (or week, or month). Recognize that you made a slip, but tell yourself, “that’s OK. I can make better choices the rest of the day that will help me stay on track.”

Once we’ve made it through Halloween, we are faced with Thanksgiving, then Holiday Parties, Christmas, Hannuka, Kawnza, New Years, etc. These holidays and parties are typically food-focused, family-focused and filled with stress. One way to make this year easier and less stressful is to start thinking now about how you will handle any food challenges that come your way.

For example, do you have a hard time (like me) staying away from buffets at parties? You can start thinking now and visualizing how you will deal with the buffets this year. Perhaps make a rule that first you will put fruits and vegetables on your plate then small bites of other items. Or, that you will only make one trip to the buffet. If alcohol is a challenge, make a rule that you will alternate each “beverage” with a glass of water. Do you over-eat at Thanksgiving dinner? Start visualizing how your plate will look this year – with half filled with fruits and vegetables, a quarter with protein, and a quarter with complex carbohydrates or starch (you can also review the Quarter Your Plate newsletter for more information on how to do this). And, don’t forget to visualize what your dessert plate will look like, too.

The last three months of the year do not have to be filled with scary food situation. You just need to plan ahead for how you will deal with them so you are prepared when they happen.

Have a healthy day!

Tip 1: Before you go, make a list of foods to have handy. If there are quick and easy meals or snacks you can put together without cooking, have a list of the items you need to make them with you. For example, I’ve started eating a few whole wheat crackers, a couple of wedges of Laughing Cow cheese, and some grapes for breakfast or dinner. Super easy and doesn’t require an oven. Add some peanut butter and you have a great snack of some peanut butter on the crackers. Also, plan for any food you need to support your training and working out. Do you need to pick up sports drink? What about your pre- and post-workout foods?

Tip 2: Find a grocery store. If you made a list before you left take it with you and get your hotel room stocked. If you don’t have a list, stop on the way in and make one so you can avoid impulse buys.

Tip 3: If you are going to drink alcoholic beverages, alternate them with water. This does two things. First, it slows down how fast you drink the alcoholic drinks (and the calories they contain). Second, it helps keep you hydrated since alcohol is dehydrating.

Tip 4: Use an appetizer as your entree. Most entrees in restaurants are 3+ servings. Rather than ordering an entree, order an appetizer to use as your entree. You can still order a salad (dressing on the side) or soup (broth-based) as your appetizer.

Tip 5: Order a  salad (dressing on the side) or soup (broth-based) as your appetizer then split an entree with someone else in your group. Most of us think that everyone at the table wants to indulge in a big meal, but in reality just about everyone at the table is probably conerned with managing their weight. One of your dining buddies may be very thankful for the opportunity to split and entree.

Tip 6: If you are eating alone and order an entree, get a to go box and put 1/2 to 2/3 of the entree in the to go box and set it off to the side. If you finish what is on your plate and wait a few minutes and are still hungry, you can retrieve some of the saved entree from the to go box. If not, you can leave the box behind. If you feel bad about leaving food behind, ask yourself if you’d rather have the extra weight on your body as a result of eating that food, or not. Personally, I’d rather leave the extra in the to go box than have it end up on my hips.

Tip 7: Often when traveling you may not know when food will be available. Either pack some snacks to take with you or pick some up at the store that you can keep in a briefcase, computer case, or purse. I like KIND bars, frut, and fig bars as options.

I hope these tips help you while you travel. If you have tips of your own, I’d love to hear them!

On another note – I’ll be moving the newsletter to MailChimp next week. The format will be a bit different. You shouldn’t have to do anything to move with me. If you have questions, please send me an email.

Before I get into the nitty-gritty of concentrated bottles I have to mention a caveat: You MUST practice with concentrated bottles before using them in a race! If you don’t know how to use them, or if you haven’t practiced them, they can very easily go wrong leaving you on the side of the road or in a porta-potty with GI distress. Now. . . on to the topic!

What are concentrated bottles? Concentrated bottles allow you to fit a certain amount of nutrition into a smaller container than what is called for on the label. In order to make concentrated bottles, you have to be using a powdered formula.

Are concentrated bottles right for me? They can be if you have time to practice them, have a way to dilute the concentrated bottles (additional water available on the course), you need to carry a lot of nutrition with you, and you have a powdered fuel you like and knows will not cause you GI distress.

How do you setup and use concentrated bottles? Here is an example: We are working with Suzie who is training for a marathon in Europe. She does not like what will be available as on-course nutrition. Suzie does not have anyone supporting her who can hand her bottles of nutrition during the race. She needs to carry all of her nutrition with her. Suzie will be running with a belt that contains 4, 10 oz bottles. She plans on finishing around 5 hours. She has a powdered drink she has used for a long time that has 45 grams of carbohyrdate per 2 scoops. She needs about 45 grams of carbohydrate per hour (2 scoops per hour). Suzie has decided she wants to use concentrated bottles for her race and fit 5 hours of nutrition into 3 bottles, leaving the 4th bottle for water to dilute the concentrated formula.

Based on this information, we know Suzie needs to fit 10 scoops into 3 bottles. I would put 3 scoops into two of the bottles and four scoops into the third. Then, you can top off with water and mix. This can take some practice and may require you to mix the concentrated mix for each bottle in a container other than the bottle then pour it into the bottle. If you do this, you need to be sure the final mixed solution will fit into the bottle.

Once Suzie has the bottles mixed, she can begin practicing with them. This means carrying them on her long runs and determining how much water she needs to take in with each drink from the concentrated bottle. What I have found is that it is two to three sips of water for every sip from the concentrated bottle. This means that you also need to stop at aid stations and re-fill the 4th bottle with water. As concentrated bottles are emptied, you can fill them with water which results in fewer stops at aid stations. During her runs, Suzie also monitors how much she drinks. She knows that to get 45 grams of carbohydrates our of the first two bottles, she needs to drink 2/3 of a bottle. To get 45 grams of the last bottle, she needs to drink half (the last bottle has 4 scoops in it). If she starts with the bottles that have 3 scoops each, she would follow this schedule: Hour 1, she drinks 2/3 of the first bottle. Hour 2, she finishes bottle 1 and drinks 1/3 of the second bottle. Hour 3, she finishes the second bottle. Hour 4, she drinks 1/2 of the third bottle. Hour 5, she finishes the third concentrated bottle. This gives her all the nutrition she needs to finish the race in 3 bottles she can carry with her. If the bottles do not have marks on them indicating 1/3, 1/2, and 2/3, you can mark them using a permanent marker.

You can use this same methodology on a long bike. Just determine how many carbohydrates you need per hour, how many carbohydrates are in your preferred fuel, the size and number of bottles you will carry, and go from there.

Concentrated bottles are a great tool to have available when you need them. Just remember to practice, practice, practice with them to be sure they will work on race day.

An Ironman triathlon takes a long time to complete, 11 to 16 hours for most athletes, give or take.  100-mile races take even longer, over 24 hours in most cases.  These athletes are burning calories at a extreme rate, and there is really no way to replace all the calories burned during the event, but nutrition is needed along the way to help fuel the athlete as they go the distance.  Endurance athletes are familiar with consuming supplements throughout their races such as sports drinks, gels, bars, and other engineered products, designed to deliver specific amounts of nutrients in a form that is easy to consume on the go.  But as endurance events get longer, over 5-6 hours, some athletes begin to look for something different.

Here in lies the problem.  When running, swimming, or cycling, your nervous system is in sympathetic or “fight and flight” mode.  Your blood vessels leading to your limbs are dilated, carrying nutrients and oxygen to your hard working muscles.  When you eat, your nervous system switches modes, to parasympathetic or “rest and digest”.  Blood rushes to your stomach and intestines to help you process the food that you have just eaten.  When you eat and exercise at the same time it is very difficult to digest food because your nervous system doesn’t know what to do, thus resulting in stomach cramps and other symptoms of gastrointestinal distress.  The key is to find foods that satisfy your hunger but digest easily so you can utilize the food for energy as soon as possible, avoiding an upset stomach.

Foods that are easiest to digest are carbohydrates.  As luck would have it, carbs are the preferred source of energy for your muscles.  By talking to athletes and reading a few discussion forums, it was unanimously clear that these quick digesting carbohydrates are the foods that endurance athletes competing in endurance and ultra-endurance distance events prefer.  Here are a few ideas:

• Potatoes or Yams
• Bananas and other lower fiber fruit
• Pretzels
• Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
• Crackers
• Dates and other dried fruit
• Rice Balls
• Cookies

Switching up flavors is also important.  Athletes often report “flavor fatigue” or the feeling of nausea at the very thought of having one sip or bite of the food or drink they brought with them.  One way to avoid flavor fatigue is to use foods that have a variety of different flavors: sweet, salty, savory, and sour.  That being said, it is important to be practice with the foods you plan to race with. You should also be cautious of the food provided at the aid stations in longer races.  Your gut needs training to consume food on the go, and you need to know which foods work for you and which foods don’t.  Only grab foods from the aid stations if you know they are tried and true.

So you have satisfied your hunger, but do real foods work as well as engineered foods for endurance?  A recent research study done at Louisiana State University comparing raisins to sport jellybeans in prolonged cycling, suggest that they do.  The study found that when equal caloric values of raisins and sport jellybeans were consumed in two different trials, there were no significant differences in endurance performance for time, power, blood glucose levels, or rate of perceived exertion.  In addition, the athletes preferred the raisins, as measured on a hedonic scale.  This is cool news!  More research is definitely needed comparing the use of real foods and supplements during intense activity.

If you are considering an Ironman or an ultra marathon, consider working real food into your race nutrition plan.  It will prevent you from getting hungry, experiencing “flavor fatigue” and might just add a little more enjoyment to your competition.

How many times do we have these arguments with ourselves? Why is it that we have this evil little voice that always argues against doing what we know we want to do to reach our goals? When we have these arguments, who wins? If that evil little voice wins, does that help you reach your goals? Usually not. Usually, that evil little voice sabotages your efforts.

If that evil little voice is actually a saboteur why do we even listen to it? The key is to know that you have control over that voice. You can tell it to be quiet, or if you need to be stronger – mentally yell at it to SHUT UP! and not listen to it anymore.

I’m going to challenge you in the next week to quiet that evil little voice. When it starts talking, just say “I’m not going to listen to you” and keep doing what you need to in order to reach your goals. Because, if you engage in the argument, who really wins?

The goal I’m working towards is running the New York Marathon on November 6, 2011. I am raising funds for the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) for this race. One of the other reasons I tell myself to do my workouts is because I am blessed to have two arms, two legs, and a body that lets me run and workout. There are many, many people who want to be physically active and who have to use something artificial to make it happen – a prosthetic leg or legs, a hand-cycle. I’m thankful I have a body that is whole and allows me to run, bike, and swim. Thanks to all of you who have given so far to help me help these special athletes. If you would like to help the athletes sponsored by CAF, you can make a donation (of any amount) here.

You start by deciding if you want to use the on course nutrition or if you want to carry your own. If you want to use the on course nutrition, you need to look on the website and see what flavor of the product they will have. If they have lemon-lime and you can’t stand lemon-lime, then you need to make an alternate plan. You also have to recognize your position in the pack. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for races to run out of on-course nutrition for those in the back of the pack. (If this is you, I would strongly suggest having some nutrition with you for the second half of the race just for insurance. You can either carry it with you from the start or get a handup from your support crew along the route.) If you are OK with all aspects of the on-course nutrition product you want to get it and start practicing to be sure that your GI system likes it and you really, really like the flavor.

If you want to carry your own, you need to pick the product and start practicing with it now. That way, you know it works. If it doesn’t, you have time to try something else.

The second step is to determine how much you can consume while running. I usually start people between 45 and 60 grams of carbohydrate per hour.  A product with a mix of glucose, fructose and sucrose allows your body to absorb more which can allow you to take in more fuel (which can lead to an improved performance). If you start out at 50 grams and have stomach problems, go for less or change product. If you do not have any problems, you can try going up 5 – 10 grams per hour. The key is to get in enough fuel you have a great run while avoiding GI distress. The grams of carbohydrates can come from any source you like – sports drink, gels, blocks, beans, etc. However, I would not recommend mixing sports drink with other sources (gels, blocks, beans). If you are going to take carbs in a non-sports drink form, use water (not sports drink) to dilute them. Using sports drink to dilute them can lead to the dreaded GI distress because it puts too many carbohydrates into your stomach at once.

That is the basic way of developing a marathon race nutrition plan. It also works for half-marathons.

If you have questions, let me know. Otherwise, have a great race!

If you are tailgating or spectating at a game or practice, be sure and dirnk penty of non-alcoholic fluids. You may want to alternate water with a product like G2 so that you also get electrolytes. If you are drinking alcoholic beverages, be sure that you drink at least one non-alcoholic drink (preferably water or a drink that contains electrolytes) for every alcoholic beverage you consume.

When you go to the bathroom, check the color of your urine. It should be the color of pale lemonade to clear. If it is darker, that means you need to increase your non-alcoholic fluid intake.

Have a great weekend! Enjoy the game! Stay hydrated!

I was in San Diego last week. On Saturday, I ran 8 miles along the water. As I ran enjoying the view and the cool weather, I came upon two athletes out for a ride using handcycles. They were sponsored by the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF). This reminded me that I had neglected something. . .When I ran the Paris Marathon last year, I raised money for CAF. I chose CAF because. . . I am blessed to be healthy and to have two arms and two legs that allow me to – and others have the desire but are not so physically blessed.

CAF’s mission is to “provide opportunities and support to people with physical disabilities so they can pursue active lifestyles through physical fitness and competitive athletics. CAF believes that involvement in sports at any level increases self-esteem, encourages independence and enhances quality of life.” They provide legs for amputees so they can run. Racing wheelchairs for others. And, handcycles for those who need them. Seeing those two cyclists reminded me of my commitment to CAF.

I am training for the New York Marathon in November and the Goofy Challenge at Disneyworld in January (the half marathon on Staurday, and the full marathon on Sunday).  As I train for NY and the Goofy, I committed to CAF to raise money for them again.

I would encourage you to think about why you run, ride, swim, or participate in your favorite sport. Find the blessing in it. And, if you would like to help me help CAF, you can make a donation here. Any amount helps those who want to be physically active but need help to do so.

I run because. . . .I can.

Have a great weekend!

P.S. If you want to learn more about CAF and its mission, here is a great YouTube video about Challenged Athletes Foundation.

The meat industry engages in a practice called “plumping.” Sounds not so bad right? Not so fast. Plumping is the practice of injecting saltwater, chicken broth, or other water + flavor concotions into meat. This helps make the meat harder to dry out when you cook it, but raises the sodium content. And . . . .you are paying meat prices for saltwater! Yes. . . you are paying $3 or $4 or more per pound for saltwater. Up to 15% of the chicken you purchase can be saltwater! You could be spending up to $1.50 per package for saltwater! Plumping can increase the sodium content of your chicken by up to 500%! Can you tell this makes me mad?

Meats that are “plumped” can still be labeled as “all natural” so you can not necessarily trust the larger print on the label. What do you do? You have to read the nutrition facts pannel, the ingredient list, and the fine print. For example, if chicken has more than 70 mg of sodium per 4 oz serving, it has been “plumped.” Chicken does have up to 4% retained water, so that is normal. If there is an ingredient label, look for “saline solution” or “sodium” or other flavorings. Somewhere on the label it should say, in tiny print, “up to 15% saltwater” if it has been plumped.

It is for each of us to decide if we want our meat “plumped” or un-plumped. I prefer mine un-plumped, thank you very much. I do not need or want the extra sodium. I like to add my own seasonings. And, I don’t understand why I need to pay meat prices for saltwater. What about you?

The advertisements for sports drinks like Gatorade make a convincing case that you need the additional nutrients included. However, a recent University of Texas study suggests that for post-workout recovery, chocolate milk may be your best choice. This study, conducted by UT kinesiology and health education expert Dr. John Ivy, argues that low-fat chocolate milk provides a superior balance of carbohydrates, fat, and protein as compared to sports drinks. According to Ivy, these benefits included an increase in oxygen uptake, an increase in muscle mass and reduction in fat, and increase in power and speed in their exercise routines. Best of all, the benefits were seen by amateurs as well as professional cyclists. The research participants followed a regimen of 90 minutes of moderate cycling interspersed with 10 minutes of high-intensity cycling, and then recovered for 30 minutes before drinking 8 oz of the low-fat beverage, which is pretty intense for most of us. However, these results are convincing. Why not think about a glass of chocolate milk for your post-workout recovery instead of more sports drinks?

References:

Randall, Kay. (2011, June 22.) “Chocolate milk gives athletes leg-up after exercise, says University of Texas Austin study.” Retrieved from < http://www.utexas.edu/news/2011/06/22/milk_studies/ >

The biggest thing I learned is to focus on the areas I can control. One of these is, not surprisingly, food. Whenever the bottom falls out food tends to be one of the first things that becomes hard to control. However, we still do have control – at least some – over our food choices. Since all I had with me was my purse and its contents, I had to go shopping for clothes, toiletires, and food. I found a Super Target and was able to cover a lot of the bases. One thing I picked up was nuts in individual serving size packages. Nuts can be a great snack between meals. And, the single serving size packages can help keep you from eating too much compared to eating nuts out of a bag or can. They don’t require refrigeration, and I could keep them in the hospital room. I discovered my dad also likes nuts, and we ended up sharing a few of the bags.

I also ended up at the grocery store and picked up some cherries. Cherries are one of my favorite foods, and really qualify as a comfort food for me. I discovered that, in addition to nuts, my dad also likes cherries. I ended up back at the grocery story every day or every other day buying more cherries. With the nuts, the cherries gave me a couple of great snacks to keep in the hospital room so I didn’t have to rely on the vending machines. The other food choices were what I ate for meals. At each meal, I learned to make the best choice possible. I found that if I didn’t fuel myself right with my meals, I was not alert enough to be a good advocate for my dad.

The second major thing I could control was sleep. I did get a hotel room each week. I don’t know why hotels have to use these huge pillows. After the first nigh, I woke up with a horrible pain in my neck and one shoulder. Back to Target I went to get a pillow and pillow case that would work for me. This allowed me to sleep better, and again be a better advocate for my dad. I also learned when to tell him I needed to go at night and when the doctors made rounds so I could be there in the morning.

Now that he is out of the hospital and I am back home, I’m focusing on the things I can control again. I’m getting caught up at work and on sleep, as well as getting back in touch with everyone (including my blog and newsletter readers).

When the bottom falls out for you remember to look for those things that you can control and that will help you get through until you can get your feet back on solid ground. Food and sleep are usually two of the things that can seem very hard to control in these kinds of situations. However, look for ways to make it easier. Find a grocery store and stock up on foods you feel good about eating and that help fuel you. Look for ways to get better sleep. And remember, you can handle anything that comes your way (you have so far). You just handle it until you can get back into your routine, or establish a new one, and get your feet back on solid ground.

If you’re health or fitness conscious, there’s a good chance you’ve tried a protein shake at least once in your life.  If you are a serious endurance or strength athlete, protein shakes may be a regular supplement to your training or part of your daily routine. Though a lot of athletes will use what works best depending on personal performance goals and taste preferences, there are some basics to know about the different protein supplements out there.

Dr. Martin Gibala stated in research with the Gatorade Sports Science Institute that the timing of protein intake after your workout – rather than the specific mixture of amino acids or type of protein ingested – may be the most important factor for influencing muscle growth. However, many individuals prefer certain forms of protein over others. While this blog post is not meant to persuade you to try one protein source over another, you should be more informed about the different protein formulations when you are done reading. There is an abundance of misinformation about protein and its various forms, so let’s break it down and look at the nitty-gritty details of protein powder supplements.

Whey: Whey protein comes from milk protein as a by-product of making cheese. Whey has a high biological value, which means that it is more easily and quickly absorbed in the body than other forms of protein. The only other protein with higher biological value is a whole egg. Whey protein powder comes in isolated, hydrolyzed, and concentrated formulas. In isolated whey, most of the lactose has been removed from the protein, so this formulation is better for those with lactose-intolerance. Isolate is also 90% protein by weight, though it is heavily processed and loses some of its original bioactive compounds through processing. Hydrolyzed whey is partially pre-digested and can be absorbed in the body very easily. Concentrated whey is the least altered, which means that it contains the highest amount of bioactive compounds (including lactose). Whey is known as a “fast” protein because it is digested and absorbed quickly.

Casein:  Casein is another milk-derived protein, so it also has a high biological value and bioavailability. However, unlike whey, casein is known as a “slow” protein because it takes longer to digest and absorb. With longer digestion times, casein isn’t as quickly utilized as whey is. Why is this important? Casein may be a great source of protein before bed (since it will work while you’re sleeping) or a few hours before a workout during the day, but not in situations when you need a quickly absorbed, digested, and utilized form of protein. Protein should be restored following a workout rather quickly, so casein is not an appropriate post-workout protein source.

Soy: Soy protein is found in soybeans, and is generally not as favored among strength and endurance athletes as whey protein. But before you give up on soy, there are a few interesting facts you should know. Soy contains more glutamine and arginine than whey protein, and is a great protein source for vegans who do not wish to ingest dairy products (like whey and casein). While soy is easy to digest, it does not mix very well and requires more mixing or shaking than the dairy-based powders.  Soy also has many health benefits because it contains antioxidants and can help lower cholesterol, which helps prevent heart disease.

BCAAs:  If proteins are the building blocks that make up muscle, amino acids are the tiny building blocks that make up a protein. There are 20 amino acids, nine of which are essential because our body cannot make them. Three of those nine essential amino acids are the Branched-Chain amino acids (BCAAs), who get their name from their structure, which look like branched chains. The three – leucine, isolucine, and valine – are prominent in muscle development and repair, which spawned the myth that these isolated proteins are more beneficial than any of the others. Protein powders, amino acids pills, and concoctions containing the exclusive BCAAs are expensive and purported to be anti-catabolic and more easily digestible since they are isolated on their own, not contained to a casein or whey component.

Research is mixed as to whether BCAAs are that much better than other forms of protein, and many studies have found that BCAAs are no better than any other form of protein in terms of muscle repair, growth, and performance gains. As long as you’re eating a mixture of protein foods (which provide a variety of different amino acids), specific mixtures and combinations of amino acids do not improve performance any more than a regular, nutritious, protein-rich diet.

Dr. Penny here. Christine did a great job discussing the different protein supplement sources that are on the market. Someone asked if supplements are better than “real food” like chicken. I always advocate food first. However, there are situations where supplements can be used because of issues such as convenience, refrigeration, etc. If you need a “fast” protine after a workout, whey is a great choice. If you are looking for a good genernal protein source, “real food” is great (meats, eggs, dariy, etc.) and is often much cheaper than supplements. Another condsideration is if you are looking to build or maintain lean mass, research has shown that taking in 20 – 30 grams of protein at each meal or snack is all you need. That would be about 3 to 4 ounces of meat. If you are using protein supplements that have more than 30 grams of protein, you are paying for that extra protein to be used as energy or, more likely, stored as fat.

What questions do you have about protein and its sources? Let us know!

Protein is an important nutrient for our bodies, and as an athlete it is crucial to eat the right amount of protein. Too much or too little of this nutrient can be detrimental to performance gains.

As an athlete, the majority of fuel comes from carbohydrates, which is why we’re all familiar with pasta parties and “carb loading” in the week or days leading up to a big race. Carbohydrates stored as energy are being burned during endurance exercise, while very little protein is used for fuel. However, protein is used in other ways.

During exercise, muscle synthesis (or the creation or repair of muscle) is postponed. Athletic activity works muscles and causes damage to the muscle, yet they are unable to repair or synthesize themselves until exercise has ended. Research from Montana State University has purported, for example, that running for an hour may reduce muscle protein production in the liver by 20%; other research from the Journal of Physiology report that longer duration and greater exercise intensity further suppresses the body’s ability to repair itself. The body is able to play “catch-up” after exercise has ended, which is why it is important to get a post-workout meal that contains an adequate amount of protein.

If you’re already conscious about your post-workout snack or meal, that is great. It is important to refuel those muscles once you stop exercising so that your body can start repairing and replenishing lost protein stores or muscle structure. Yet one mistake I see all too often is an excessive amount of protein intake, and – just like the famous saying – this can be “too much of a good thing.” Excess protein that isn’t used in muscle synthesis ends up with one of two fates: it is either stored – just like excess carbohydrates or fats –as body fat, or it will be excreted as ammonia in our urine. 

Research indicates that our bodies cannot use more than 2-2.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (g/kg BW) in one day. (To determine your weight in kg, divide your weight in pounds by 2.2.) Many athletes or very active people only need 1.6-1.8 g/kg BW per day. Robert Wolfe, PhD, a noted clinical investigator and protein expert, says that the most effective amount of protein at any one time is 20-35 grams (or roughly 3-5 ounces of meat).

This is further supported by research that shows a significant amount of urea is produced when an excess of 40 grams of protein is consumed at once. The high production of urea indicates that the protein wasn’t being utilized in the body (for muscle repair) but broken down into ammonia and excreted. Consuming more protein than what can be used in the body can also have potential problems, such as muscle breakdown and dehydration, which will affect your performance gains.

Planning your protein intake and sticking to a few basic guidelines is an easy way to ensure you’re getting what you need for peak performance:

1. Eat several small meals per day that consist of both protein and carbohydrates. This will not only prepare you for workouts, but it will also help with muscle repair and warding off too much muscle breakdown during your training.

2. Always eat protein and carbohydrate for a post-workout meal. Your body needs both of these nutrients to initiate muscle synthesis that is necessary to replenish lost glycogen in your muscle and repair any muscle tissue damage. The standard rule of thumb is to consume one gram of protein for every 3 to 4 grams of carbohydrate in a post-workout meal.

3. Eat amounts of protein within the 20-35 gram range at a single time, and don’t exceed that amount. Instead of drinking one large protein shake containing 60 grams of protein after your workout, drink half of that amount and save the other half for another meal or snack during the day.

Nuts are a great food. However, they have a lot of calories, and a lot of fat. What trips people up is that the kinds of fats contained in nuts. For example, 1 ounce of almonds has 161 calories, 14 grams of fat, and 6 grams of protein. Twelve of those grams of fat are mono- and polyunsaturated fats – the “good” fats. However, 1 ounce of almonds is a TINY amount of food. Depending on the brand and size of almonds, 1 oz is about 15 to 25 almonds. Fifteen to 25 almonds is not going to fill most of us up. Peanut butter is another great example. Two tablespoons of peanut butter has about 190 calories, 16 grams of fat, and 8 grams of protein.

As I was discussing food choices with this client, I calculated that he was eating about 800 to 1,000 calories, and sometimes more, a day from NUTS! Now, I believe nuts can be a great food to include in your eating plan . . . in moderation! We talked about reducing the amount of almond butter or peanut butter he was using on his morning toast. His concern was that if he used less he “wouldn’t be able to taste it!” He likes his nut butter. We talked about how he can reduce the amount he uses over time to get used to eating less over time. His wife had moved them away from white rice to brown rice and he now likes brown rice. We talked about how using less, and changing your expectations about how food will taste can work with nut butters, too.

What does this mean to you? If you include nuts or nut butters in your eating, take a minute to look at how many nuts you are eating and how much nut butters you are eating. Check your serving sizes to be sure you are not eating more than you want. (Hint: If you are using measuring spoons to measure nut butter give the spoon a quick spray with cooking spray to make it slide out easier.) And remember, even things that are “good” for you still count.

I was never a fan of the Pyramid.  It was confusing and, really, unusable. However, the Plate is something every person can use when eating. Overall, I’m happy with this new tool. In fact, I have been using a version of this in my counseling for years.

I like that the Plate is visual. You can look at your plate and see how well it matches the picture. Is half of your plate fruits and veggies? Is about a quarter protein? Is about a quarter grains?

On the My Plate website the USDA provides additional guidance of “enjoy your food, but eat less” and “avoid oversized portions.” Also, great guidance.

Although I think the Plate is a great tool, and I know there are limitations in the presentation, there are a couple of things I would change. First, I would rename  ”grains” to “starches” and include not just grains, but also starchy veggies. Some people will fill half of their plate with French fries or mashed potatoes and believe they have gotten their veggies. Your body treats starchy veggies and grains in a similar way that is different from non-starchy veggies like green beans and leafy greens. All starches should be limited for us to be healthy and at healthy weights.

Second, I like the guidance about “eat less” and know that it is hard to quantify “eat less” for everyone. However, “avoid oversized portions” could be quantified. I know a lot of guys who can go to a buffet, load up their plates multiple times and not consider that “oversized portions.” For proteins and starches, I tell people to use the plam of their hand, one-inch high to estimate servings. For non-starchy veggies and fruits, I say eat as much of them as you want. The other thing to consider is the size of the plate. If you are eating the way the Plate recommends on a nine-inch plate, you will have smaller portions than if you are eating on a 12-inch plate.

The dairy on the side is an interesting inclusion. I do not necessarily believe that you need dairy at every meal. If you are going to include it, choose non-fat or low-fat varieties.

Take a look at the Plate and see what you think. Will you use it when you plan your plates? Do you like it?

Food and beverage companies make money when we buy and consume their products. The more we buy and consume, the more money they make. And, the larger we get.

It is important to be mindful of the advertising food and beverage companies use to get us to eat more. It is also important to be aware of how restaurants present food to get us to order more.

Brian Wansink writes about how restaurants get us to eat more in his book Mindless Eating. He makes the point that we also taste with our mind. If we think the food is going to taste good, that increases the chance that it will, and that we will eat more. One example he uses is from a restaurant that listed “spring-fresh medallions of well-mannered beef.” What is “well-mannered beef?” Actually, maybe I don’t want to know. . . .

Brian Wansink talks about  four basic themes for menu descriptions that trigger our expectations.

1. Geographic labels that remind us of where a food came from – Tex-Mex, Country Peach Tart, Kansas City Barbeque.
2. Nostalgic Labels that remind us of the past and trigger happy associations such as Grandma’s Cherry Pie, Legendary Chocolate Mousse Pie.
3. Sensory Labels that describe taste, smell, and mouthfeel such as Velvety Chocolate Mousse, Buttery Plum Pasta.
4. Brand labels that associate a brand we like with the restaurant’s food like Butterfinger Bilzzards and Jack Daniels Glazed Ribs.

This weekend and coming week I encourage you to be mindful of the food advertising you see. Really pay attention to it and how it may impact your purchasing and eating decisions. And, when you eat out, watch the descriptions.  How do the descriptions play in to what you order and how much you enjoy the food.

What are your favorite food ads and restaurant food descriptions?

I encourage you to spend some time thinking about why you do not do what you know you should. Is it fear? Fear of failure? Fear of success? Fear of change? Fear of the unknown? Fear relationships will change? Is it a lack of knowledge? Do you not truly believe you deserve to achieve your goals?

Take a few minutes of quiet time and try to pinpoint the underlying reason. Yes, it is easy to order that dessert and the dessert is yummy. But, if eating that dessert undermines your weight loss or weight maintenance goals why are you doing that? If it is a one-time or occasional choice that is one thing. If it is sabotaging your efforts, that is when you need to determine the deeper why to the behavior.

Once you know the reason you do not do what you know you should, you can work on understanding and addressing the issue. If it is a fear of failure why are you afraid to fail? We learn a lot when we fail. And, I do not know one person who has always succeeded in everything they did. Failure IS an option. Failure is inevitable when we challenge ourselves.

If you have failed in the past, why? Take those reasons and learn from them. Was it a lack of planning? Lack of support from family? Really dig into it and determine what happened. Then take those as lessons learned and plan to succeed this time. Each time something goes wrong, or you feel like you failed, look at the situation and determine what you would do differently next time.

It may take some time to dig down and find the reason why you do not do the thinks you know you should. Do not stop with “dessert tastes good.” Ask yourself, “what else?” and “why do I feel the need to do that?”

Once you have the deeper, underlying reason, then you can begin to address it and you WILL reach your goals.

Athletes need carbohydrates to fuel their activity. Everyone needs carbohydrates to fuel their activity. Sugar = carbohydrates. There are different ways sugar gets into our food. That is where the problem lies.

Some foods have natural sugar – like fruit. Some people will limit fruit in their diet because it is high in sugar. I disagree with that because fruit, particularly fresh fruit, also has fiber, water, and a lot of antioxidants.

Where the problem lies in with sugar that is added into foods. Manufacturers add sugar into, it seems, everything.  One example is peanut butter. If you have peanut butter in your house, read the label. Is sugar there? I don’t think we need sugar in our peanut butter. I prefer natural peanut butter. The ingredients are nuts, salt (maybe), and oil. Any sugar? Nope! That is one reason people have a hard time switching to natural peanut butter – it is not sweet.

The amount of sugar we consume has been steadily rising since the 1950′s along with the rise in consumption of prepared and processed foods. Food manufacturers make more money when we eat more. Therefore, they have a financial incentive to get us to eat more. One way they do that is by adding sugar to foods because sugar is one of those things that drives us to eat more.

For the next few days, pay attention to how much sugar and sweet foods you consume. Are they from unprocessed foods like fruits, or from processed foods? Read the food labels and ingredient lists to see if there is hidden sugar. A lot of times we do not register the taste, but it is there. And, the ingredient list may not say sugar, but may say one of the following:  high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, fructose, glucose, dextrose, galactose, lactose, maltose, corn syrup.

How much sugar are you consuming?