Got a few photos from the St. George Triathlon from a few weeks ago. Check them out below, and read my race review here.
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How Gluten Sensitivity Affects Tri Performance
Check out this article from active.com.
You’re facing another demanding day of work, training, and a bit of family fun time, too. You wonder, “Will I have enough energy to take it all on or am I going to find myself dragging through the day again?”
Most people don’t connect the dots between fatigue and gluten sensitivity. This is largely because your symptoms may not show up for two hours to a couple of days after consuming it.
This is different from celiac disease which is a genetic condition that immediately triggers a nasty physical reaction if you eat even a smidgen of gluten. While only one in 133 people have celiac disease, some estimate that 30 to 40 percent of the population has some form of gluten sensitivity that creates many of the same symptoms: fatigue, headaches, and joint pain topping the list.
Gluten is a protein found in wheat (including kamut and spelt), barley, rye, malts and triticale. Oats, by the way, do not contain gluten on their own; the issue with oats involves potential cross-contamination with other grains in the milling process. In addition to the obvious foods (bread, pizza, pastry and pasta), gluten is also widely used as a flavoring, stabilizing or thickening agent in almost all processed foods and commonly shows up as “dextrin” on food labels.
ITU gold-medalist Timothy O’Donnell is the poster child for undiagnosed gluten sensitivity. With his performance faltering, he learned that his inability to digest gluten was shutting down his digestive tract, resulting in low energy and sabotaging his races. Since going gluten-free, O’Donnell finished first place in two 70.3 races, San Juan and Galveston, so far this year.
Here’s how gluten can wreak havoc on your body and in your performance:
It Causes Leakage
When the stomach can’t handle gluten, it becomes inflamed; an inflamed gut lining becomes more permeable or “leaky.” A leaky gut allows energy-producing nutrients to pass out of the stomach and into the bloodstream in a form that cannot be absorbed by the body (vs. proceeding through the intestines and getting broken down into a usable form).
When minerals and vitamins are not taken up, energy drops. Additionally, these unrecognized food proteins in the blood stream can make you feel lousy: think gas, bloating and brain fog.
It Adds Insult to Injuries
Foods that contain gluten also have high levels of the compound arachidonic acid which in large amounts has the ability to increase inflammation of the joints and aggravate pain. Even the Arthritis Foundation recommends a gluten-free diet to support people who suffer from ongoing pain due to inflammation. If chronic joint or tendon pain is impacting your ability to train, gluten may be the culprit.
It Makes You Fat
Many think that our obesity epidemic is a result of a slovenly, TV-addicted lifestyle and while some of that may be true there are many people who follow the USDA’s “healthy” dietary guidelines, exercise an hour a day and STILL gain weight. What’s up with that? It all comes down to our love affair with foods that cause our insulin levels to stay stuck on high. High insulin levels make us STORE fat, especially around the belly, and one big enemy behind chronically high insulin levels is wheat.
Want proof? The glycemic index, which measures blood sugar level increases, of whole wheat bread is 72, while plain table sugar is 59. Kidney beans come in at 51, grapefruit is 25, and salmon and walnuts have zero effect on blood sugar. In fact, few foods have as high a GI as foods made from wheat. And you already know how excess weight can slow performance.
So here’s what you should do:
1. If you suspect that you have gluten issues talk to your healthcare practitioner and ask to be tested. You may encounter resistance, so stand your ground if this is something you want to do. In addition to blood work, Timothy O’Donnell used a test (one I’ve used as well) to discover his gluten issue called the Metametrix GI Effects Complete Profile. Ask your doctor about this.
2. If you don’t want to hassle with tests and doctors, perform an elimination diet on yourself. Go completely gluten-free for three weeks and monitor things like energy, GI distress, headaches, weight shifts and pain. If you see no improvement then return to eating gluten if you wish. If you aren’t sure if you feel any better, eat gluten after your three-week hiatus for several meals in a row and THEN see how you feel. Sometimes it’s the reintroduction that is an even more powerful indicator.
3. If you see improvement after three weeks clean, then kick the gluten habit. This doesn’t mean you should switch to eating large volumes of processed foods made from non-gluten grains! An occasional gluten-free treat is fine, but better carb choices are those that look most like nature herself: sweet potatoes, legumes, brown rice, fruits, and of course, vegetables. There are plenty of healthy alternatives out there; it’s just about building new habits.
Once you remove gluten from your diet due to sensitivity issues, eating even a small amount of it will quickly remind you why you stopped eating gluten in the first place. That alone, over time, will keep you on the straight and narrow.
How Amino Acids Help Your Running
The other day, my friend passed along this article from Club Running Magazine. I thought it was very interesting. Let me know if you think so too!
How Amino Acids Help Your Running
By Marie Spano, MS, RD, CSCS, CSSD
Years ago, the mantra was “carbo-load for better performance.” And granted, carbohydrates do play a key role in running, since they are the primary fuel your body uses during endurance activity. However, all three macronutrients – carbohydrates, fat, and protein – are important for runners. And our need for protein is actually based on amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. Not all amino acids are created equal, however. Some, including the branched-chain amino acids – leucine, isoleucine, valine – are the most important ones for endurance athletes.
Take a look at some of the gels, drinks, and other sports nutrition products marketed to runners and you may see leucine, isoleucine, and valine on the ingredients list. These amino acids have been added to pre-, during, and post-run products for three main reasons.
During intense, long-duration endurance activity (a ten-mile tough trail run, for instance), you will break down muscle tissue. To repair that muscle tissue and also prevent some of the soreness and inflammation that coincides with muscle tissue breakdown, you should consume a sports nutrition product that contains branched-chain amino acids.
In addition to repairing muscle tissue, a mix of essential amino acids (the three branched-chain amino acids are among the nine essential amino acids) with a greater amount of leucine (3.5 grams as used in one study) can improve muscle protein growth during the recovery period after a steady-state endurance activity. So, in addition to preventing muscle breakdown, you can actually facilitate muscle growth while running!
There is one more important thing that these three amino acids can do, specifically for ultra-endurance athletes. Ultra athletes face a number of challenges, including consuming enough calories to support their training, both over time and even in one training session. Consuming too few calories results in weight loss in the long run and – if the athlete doesn’t consume an adequate amount of high-quality protein or the branched-chain amino acids – muscle loss. Inadequate consumption of calories during one long training run means your body will not only break down muscle tissue, but also use this as a source of energy during your run! You can spare the use of muscle tissue as fuel and help your body use its supply of fat to fuel performance by consuming food or sports nutrition products that contain leucine, isoleucine, and valine during your ultra runs.
In addition to trying out sports nutrition products that include the branched-chain amino acids during your training runs, include high-quality protein in your diet at breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. Eggs, whey, and soy foods are all high-quality, complete proteins, meaning they contain all the amino acids your body needs for good health.
Woody’s Balancing Act
Woody makes this look easy; however, from another view point you realize he has better balancing skills than me!
This feat is worthy of a cheese ball puff!
Meet the FAST Team!
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Reenie’s Summer Salad
Layer the following:
Watermelon chunks
Diced yellow tomatoes
Thinly sliced purple onions
Sprinkly feta cheese heavily over salad
Sprinkle with sea salt
Top with pine nuts
Drizzle with balsamic vinegar
Delicious!
IronGirl Lake Las Vegas
Check me out crossing the finish line! Check out my race review here!
How drinking coffee could improve your health
Yippee!! More reasons to drink coffee!! Check out this article from Livestrong.com
If you rely on coffee to get through the day, or just to get it started, you might be lacking sleep or something in your diet. Nobody, after all, is ever going to mistake coffee for health food.
But like wine, chocolate and popcorn, coffee has joined the ranks of unlikely foods with health benefits. An increasing body of research has found that drinking coffee—even four or more cups per day in some instances—provides health benefits. And a 13-year study of 402,260 AARP members conducted by the National Cancer Institute, which was published May 17 in the “New England Journal of Medicine,” concluded that devoted coffee drinkers were associated with a reduced risk of early death by up to 16 percent.
“This is perhaps the most compelling because the study was so large,” says Robert Davis, at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health and author of “Coffee is Good for You: From Vitamin C and Organic Foods to Low-Carb and Detox Diets, The Truth About Diet and Nutrition Claims.” He noted that the study was observational, so it doesn’t prove cause and it effect.
Though drinking coffee excessively can increase levels of the stress hormone cortisol and foster a dependence on caffeine, here are ten areas where coffee consumption just might be beneficial – if you limit the cream and sugar.
1. Gallstone Prevention
Harvard researchers in 2002 found that women who drank at least four cups of coffee a day were at a 25 percent lower risk of gallstones. An earlier study found similar results for men.
2. Depression Prevention
Women who drank two to three cups of daily coffee were 15 percent less likely to develop depression, and those drinking four cups were 20 percent less likely, according to a 2011 report in the “Archives of Internal Medicine.”
3. Memory Improvement
Coffee can help with both long- and short-term memory. In a 2005 study presented at the Radiological Society of North America, researchers found that consuming two cups of caffeinated coffee improved short-term memory and reaction times.
Interestingly, a 2007 study found that women — but not men — who were 65 or older who drank more than three cups of coffee each day performed better on memory tests and were less likely to show memory decline than those who drank just one cup a day.
Although researchers have known for some time that coffee can decrease the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers at the University of South Florida in 2011 found that a distinctive interaction between caffeine and coffee might be why. They recommend drinking four to five cups daily, starting in middle age, to increase GCSF, granulocyte colony stimulating factor, which is decreased in Alzheimer’s patients and improves memory in mice.
4. Less Risk for Diabetes
Studies suggest that coffee drinkers are less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes, with those putting away four or more cups daily 50 percent less likely. A January 2012 report in the ‘Journal of Agricultural & Food Chemistry” might explain why. It attributes the effect to compounds in coffee that block hIAPP, a polypeptide that can result in abnormal protein fibers, which are found in people with Type 2.
5. Decreases Cancer Risk
Coffee consumption has been associated with decreased risk of breast, endometrial, prostate and liver cancers, and those linked with obesity, estrogen and insulin. A 2008 Swedish study found that drinking at least two to three cups a day reduced the risk or delayed the onset of breast cancer.
A 2011 study in “Breast Cancer Research” found that drinking five or more cups could translate into a 20 percent less chance of developing estrogen-receptor-negative breast cancer. And, citing research on coffee’s effect on diabetes, researches also found that drinking more than four cups a day was linked with a 25 percent reduced risk for endometrial cancer.
But it’s not just the women who luck out. A recent study out of the Harvard School of Public Health found that both regular and decaf coffee resulted in reduced risk of prostate cancer.
6. Metabolism Boost
Coffee might help you maintain — or even lose — weight. A study as far back as 1980 found that the caffeine found in coffee stimulates the metabolism, but that only “normal,” rather than obese, subjects experienced greater oxidation of fat.
A 2006 study confirmed that the metabolism-boosting benefits of coffee were greater — and lasted longer — in lean women. More recently, researchers discovered that ground green coffee beans taken as a supplement seemed to promote weight loss — an average of 17 pounds in obese adults during a 22-week period. Researchers didn’t think it was the caffeine; rather, they credited the chlorogenic acid, which might reduce glucose absorption.
7. Lower Risk for Parkinson’s Disease
The “Journal of the American Medical Association” in 2000 found that the caffeine intake associated with coffee translated into a lower risk of developing Parkinson’s. A 2010 study found that drinking two to three cups of coffee daily can mean up to a 25 percent less chance of developing the disease.
8. Antioxidative Properties
Harvard researcher Edward Giovannucci, in research published in “Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention,” noted that coffee has more antioxidants than most vegetables and fruits. In fact, a 2005 study found that coffee is the No. 1 source for antioxidants in the American diet. That’s a reflection of the volume of coffee consumed in this country, and how much is making it into the bloodstream is unclear.
9. Performance-Enhancing Benefits
Coffee — and the caffeine in it — has been shown in multiple studies to increase both endurance and short-term performance. A 2008 study concluded that the benefit of caffeine before exercise occurs during endurance events, stop-and-go events and long-term high-intensity activity. It also can help athletes perform better during strength training — even when sleep-deprived — if taken one hour before exercise at the rate of 4 mg for every kg of body weight.
10. Gout Prevention
A 2007 study of men older than 40 linked long-term coffee consumption with a lower risk of gout, an inflammatory condition caused by elevated levels of uric acid. Decaf and regular both had an effect, and those drinking six cups a day experienced as much as a 60 percent lower risk of gout.
Article – Five Oatmeal Alternatives
Check out this article from Core Performance on how to change from those morning oats!
5 Oatmeal Alternatives
While it’s easy to slide into an oatmeal rut, there are countless ways to vary your morning bowl by adding protein, fruit, and spices. Another way to mix things up: Kickstart your day with one of the tasty grains below, which have oatmeal qualities and similar health benefits but a slightly different taste.
1. Wheat Berries
Wheat berries have a chewy texture and nutty flavor when boiled. They’re also high in fiber, protein, and many essential vitamins and nutrients such as iron, calcium, vitamin E, folate, potassium, and B vitamins. Top wheat berries with thin slices of sauteed pears, cranberries, honey, Greek yogurt (for an extra punch of protein), or ginger.
2. Quinoa
A complete protein, quinoa has all nine essential amino acids. It’s cholesterol-, sodium-, and gluten-free, and filled with fiber, iron, and other nutrients. Boil and simmer for 10 minutes, and then top with walnuts, raisins, cinnamon, blueberries, peaches, oats, pears, coconut, or a splash of almond milk. For an instant breakfast, buy quinoa flakes, add water, and microwave it for two minutes. Quinoa flakes can often be found in the gluten-free section of your health food store.
3. Buckwheat
Buckwheat is a gluten-free grain that’s high in protein, fiber, calcium, iron, and B vitamins. Its strong earthy flavor pairs well with apples, cardamom, or almond butter. Pocono’s Cream of Buckwheat takes about 15 minutes to prepare on the stovetop.
4. Amaranth
This sweet grain has been linked to lower blood pressure and cholesterol. It’s also been shown to help strengthen immunity. Like quinoa and buckwheat, amaranth is high in iron, and lysine, an amino acid not found in many other grains. Cooked similar to steel cut oats, amaranth takes 30 minutes to prepare. Top it with crystallized ginger, milk, sesame seeds, blueberries, or cinnamon.
5. Spelt
Chewy spelt berries offer a rich flavor and lots of texture. This high-protein grain is also an excellent source of manganese, copper, and zinc. It takes about an hour to cook. Whip up a batch the night before, add water in the morning, and reheat to save time. Spelt berries taste great with bananas, raspberries, dates, honey, nutmeg, or almond milk.
Tiny Desk Concert
This is my favorite Tiny Desk Concert that NPR has had. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes are fun and happy, which I love. They can put a smile on my face. Unfortunately for me, my family doesn’t feel the same, so most the time it’s just me, with my CD in the truck, smiling and driving down the road. My family can no longer take the happiness and now I feel I must force them on my blog followers. I hope they put a smile on your face!
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