Tips for staying hydrated

Some tips for staying hydrated:
Drink small amounts of water frequently, rather than large amounts less often.
Drink cold beverages to cool your core body temperature and reduce sweating.
Weigh yourself after working out and drink 2-3 cups of water for every pound lost. Your body weight should be back to normal before the next workout.
Pay attention to the amount and color of your urine. You should excrete a large volume that is nearly colorless. Small amounts or dark colored urine can indicate dehydration.

The most important factor!

Water is the most important factor in sports nutrition. It makes up about 60 percent of body weight and is involved in almost every bodily process. Your body cannot make or store water, so you must replace what you eliminate (i.e., urine, sweat). Everyone should drink at least two quarts (eight cups) of water each day, and athletes need more. Drink plenty of fluids before, during and after sports events to stay hydrated and avoid overheating. When you workout or compete, especially in hot weather, try to closely match the amount of fluid you drink with the amount you lose to sweat.

Cool water is the best fluid to keep you hydrated during workouts or events lasting an hour or less. Sports drinks (i.e., 6-10 percent carbohydrates) are useful for longer events. Most of these types of drinks should be diluted approximately 50 percent with water. Drink even if you are not thirsty. Thirst is not a reliable way to tell if you need water. You won't start feeling thirsty until you have already lost about 2 percent of body weight - enough to hurt performance. And if you stop drinking water once your thirst is satisfied, you will get only about half the amount you need.

The winning edge

Athletes who want a winning edge should get the right nutrition. When you drink enough water and eat a balanced diet, your body can make energy efficiently and fuel top performance. You can make the most of your athletic talents and gain more strength, power and endurance when you train. Base your diet on a variety of factors including your age, size and physical condition; and the type of exercise you are doing. See your doctor for individualized nutrition advice.

A carb loaded diet

To avoid running out of carbohydrates for energy, some endurance athletes like
long-distance runners, swimmers and bicyclists load their muscles with glycogen
by eating extra carbohydrates in combination with doing depletion exercises
several days before an event:
First exercise to exhaustion. Your workout
must be identical to the upcoming event to deplete the right muscles.
Then
eat a high-carbohydrate diet (70-80 percent carbs, 10-15 percent fat, 10-15
percent protein) and do little or no exercise starting three days before your
event.
Muscles loaded with unused glycogen will be available to work for
longer periods of time during competition. See your doctor for advice before
trying a carb-loading diet.

orthoinfo.aaos.org

Tips from Nancy Clark

Tips from Nancy Clark
Don't Arrive Too Hungry
One prerequisite to successful nighttime dining is to eat a hearty lunch or an afternoon snack. This prevents you from attacking the refrigerator the minute you walk in the house in the evening.
Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook ( Human Kinetics, 1997), p. 88

A Game Plan for Good Nutrition
Three basic keys to healthful eating:When choosing your meals and snacks, try to base your nutrition game plan on these three important keys to healthful living:
1. Variety. There is no one magic food. Each food offers special nutrients. For example, oranges provide vitamin C and carbohydrates but not iron or protein. Beef offers iron and protein but not vitamin C or carbohydrates. You'll thrive best by eating a variety of foods. I often counsel athletes who severely restrict their diets. One runner, for example, limited herself to plain yogurt, rice cakes, and oranges. Besides lacking variety, her diet lacked iron, zinc, vitamins A, E, K, and much more.
2. Moderation. Even soda pop and chips, in moderation, can fit into a well-balanced diet. Simply balance out refined sugars and fats with nutrient-wise choices at your next meal. For example, compensate for a greasy sausage and biscuit at breakfast by selecting a low-fat turkey sandwich for lunch. Although no one food is a junk food, too many nutrient poor selections can accumulate into a junk food diet.
3. Wholesomeness. Choose natural or lightly processed foods as often as possible. For instance, choose whole wheat rather than white bread, apples rather than apple juice, baked potatoes rather than potato chips. Natural foods usually have more nutritional value and fewer questionable additives.

What shape is your diet?

Whereas square meals and a well-rounded diet were once the shape of good nutrition, the food pyramid reflects nutrition for the 1990s. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has developed this new model that divides food into six groupings of varied sizes that stack into a pyramid. The pyramid supports the concept of a carbohydrate-based sports diet and offers the visual message that you should eat lots of breads, cereals, and grains for the foundation of your diet; generous amounts of fruits and vegetables; and lesser amounts of animal proteins and dairy foods. The tiny tip of the pyramid allows for just a sprinkling of sugars and fats.

Prevent yourself from getting too hungry!

Food is one of life's pleasures. Food is also important for fueling your body and investing in your overall health. As an active person, you may want to eat well but you struggle with juggling food and good nutrition with your busy schedule of work and workouts, family and friends. Students, parents, businesspeople, and athletes alike repeatedly express their frustrations with trying to eat high quality diets. "I know what I should eat," they tell me. "I just don't do it." Although they take the time to exercise, they don't always make time, or know how, to eat right.
One basic trick to winning with nutrition is to prevent yourself from getting too hungry. Hunger depletes the energy you need to choose the foods that both support your sports program and enhance your health. Whether you are a fitness exercise or an Olympic athlete, you can nourish yourself with wholesome foods, even if you are eating on the run.

Sports Nutrition Market Driving Next-Generation Liquid Formulations

The sports nutrition market is driving demand for more sophisticated liquid formulations of dietary supplements. Boosted by the 6-percent sales increase of the sports nutrition category in 2005, the body-building segment remains pumped up for new supplements that can energize, speed recovery and boost strength faster than before.

Implementation of regulations for pro-hormones and the illegality of synthetic hormones are driving consumers to seek supplements with certain active ingredients shown to naturally stimulate the body’s testosterone in order to build muscle. Consumers crave supplements that fuel energy and burn calories through thermogenesis—achieved via an increase in body temperature, heart rate and metabolism—and combat lactic acid buildup that causes stiffness and sore muscles. And they’re looking for faster and more efficacious delivery systems that bring about the desired results.

One innovative delivery technology is liquid-filled hard capsules. Originally developed by Capsugel, Licaps® capsules offer improved bioavailability and absorption compared to tablets. A liquified active ingredient works quicker because the body doesn’t have to dissolve the solid material in order to prepare the active for absorption.

In addition, by delivering a pre-solubilized liquid active, absorption time in the digestive tract is lessened.
There are two major challenges in creating “super” liquid formulas: reducing particle size and solubilizing the primary active while considering other ingredients in the mix.

The smaller the particle, the quicker it can dissolve and be available for absorption. However, particle-size reduction is challenging because over-reduced particles might re-agglomerate and crystallize. Developing microemulsions—compounds that self-emulsify or liquify the actives—can help the process.

In addition to successful formulation, strict adherence to a pharmaceutical-type, scale-up protocol allows fine tuning of the formula to create consistent results in a cost-efficient manufacturing environment. Effective scale-up runs allow for minor changes of the formula so that full-scale manufacturing yields are high. This process benefits the customer by ensuring a high-quality product and quick delivery to market.

You have to eat

Like many active people who are constantly feeling stressed, grabbing hit-or-miss meals, juggling work with workouts, fighting fatigue, and exercising intensely, you may have turned to vitamin supplements as a panacea to guard your health, compensate for a diet filled with processed foods, enhance your athletic abilities, boost your energy, and promote future "super health. but take note: the same ads and salespeople that entice you to supplements generally downplay importance of food. still need eat wellregardless number pills pop. a supplementif choose one should be part larger plan for an optimal sports diet. your first priority fundamental foods supply vitamins other nutrients need. too many people vitamin pill breakfast in preparation their chocolate chip cookie lunch.they naively believe satisfies 100 percent nutritional needs. are wrong. yes may get needs with pill. we also proteinminerals energyfiber phytochemicals - nonvitamin compounds protect our no provides (calories) nor does it compensate meal sugars fats. poppers naive think any type can magically make up erosive lifestyle.s unlikely commonly occurring diseases agingsuch as diabetes or heart diseaseis caused by deficiency single nutrient.
from Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook (updated, expanded second edition) by Nancy Clark, MS, RD, (Human Kinetics, 1997), p. 201

Diabetes, Exercise and Competitive Sports

People with diabetes mellitus—rapidly approaching one-third of the US population—either cannot produce insulin (Type 1 DM) or the insulin they produce is ineffective in stimulating the uptake of blood sugar (glucose) into the body’s cells (Type 2 DM). Accordingly, if diabetes is untreated, blood sugar rises to dangerously high levels that can eventually cause blindness, nerve damage, and other complications.
Blood sugar can be controlled by the appropriate administration of insulin and other drugs and/or by the manipulation of dietary carbohydrate and exercise.
During exercise, the contracting muscles produce their own insulin-like effect, causing the rapid uptake of glucose from the blood. In people without diabetes, the body naturally reduces its production of insulin to compensate; otherwise, blood glucose would fall precipitously. (A low blood glucose concentration is known as hypoglycemia.) Those with Type 1 DM (and those with Type 2 DM who use insulin to control their blood sugar) must adjust their pre-exercise insulin dosage and their carbohydrate intake before, during, and after exercise to avoid becoming hypoglycemic.
Regular exercise training is usually beneficial for those with diabetes because exercise can reverse many of the adverse metabolic effects of the disease, including the likelihood of becoming obese.
Although precautions must be taken, athletes with uncomplicated diabetes (no other serious diseases) have become champions at elite levels in a wide variety of sports.
Peter A. Farrell, Ph.D.Department of Exercise and Sport ScienceEast Carolina University

Protein-added Sports Drinks Don't Boost Performance During Exercise, Study Finds

"Sports drinks improve performance during prolonged exercise because of two key ingredients: carbohydrate, which provides fuel for working muscles, and sodium, which helps to maintain fluid balance," says Martin Gibala, an associate professor of kinesiology at McMaster. "Research also supports the practice of consuming protein after exercise to promote muscle recovery. However, the alleged benefit of consuming protein during exercise is controversial."

The study, which is published in the August edition of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, found that adding protein to a carbohydrate-electrolyte sports drink did not improve cycling time trial performance compared to the sports drink alone.

The research was conducted on 10 trained cyclists who performed a simulated 80 km bicycle race on three occasions. During exercise, the subjects were given a sports drink, a sports drink supplemented with protein, or a placebo drink that provided no energy. The drinks were similarly flavored and neither the subjects nor the researchers knew what drink was consumed during a given test. The study found that the sports drink improved performance compared to the placebo drink - confirming prior research - but there was no additional benefit of protein supplementation.

"Previous studies that suggested protein was beneficial used 'ride to exhaustion' tests that do not resemble normal athletic competition. In addition, the subjects in those studies received less than the optimal recommended amount of carbohydrate," says Gibala. "Our study shows that protein confers no performance benefit during 'real life' exercise when athletes consume sufficient amounts of a sports drink."

The study, which was funded by Gatorade, comes at a time when the sports drink industry is under pressure to create new products by adding ingredients that might further enhance performance. Some companies have heavily marketed protein-laced sports drinks as the next magic bullet, but Gibala's research disputes such claims.
"Eating a little protein after exercise is important to help repair damaged muscles and promote training adaptations," says Gibala, "but no compelling evidence suggests that endurance athletes need protein during exercise."

Hot climate and youth exercise

CHILDREN'S RESPONSES TO EXERCISE IN HOT CLIMATES: IMPLICATIONS FOR PERFORMANCE AND HEALTH
Oded Bar-Or, M.D.Professor of Pediatrics

KEY POINTS

1. Compared with adolescents and adults, children produce more heat relative to body mass during activities such as walking and running, they have a low sweating capacity, and their body core temperature rises at a higher rate during dehydration. 2. These differences do not interfere with children's ability to sustain exercise unless climatic heat stress is extreme.3. There are no adequate scientific comparisons of the incidence of heat-related illness in children and adults, but certain childhood diseases enhance the risk for a heat-related illness.

Sports nutritionist

Sports nutritionists tend to have varied educational backgrounds. Many have formal training in the field of exercise physiology as well as nutrition. The majority of academic research performed in the sports nutrition and sports supplement area are conducted by Ph.D. level exercise physiologists. Traditionally, the primary health professional that dispenses ‘nutrition’ information is the registered dietitian or RD. However, the education of an RD does not prepare him or her for ‘Sports Nutrition’ due to the lack of academic training in exercise physiology vis a vis the adaptive response to acute and chronic exercise; similairly, sports nutritioinists do not have the broad background of registered dieticians. Sports nutritionists tend to specialize in working with certain athletes (e.g. bodybuilders, endurance athletes, team sports [football, baseball, etc]). Also, sports nutritionists can be found working in academia, with professional/collegiate sports teams, assisting sports nutrition/supplement companies/brands, and working with individual athletes on a personal basis.

I love this article

Working out regularly is one of the best ways to keep your body in peak condition. But working out on an empty stomach – or worse, a stomach full of junk food – can lead to less than optimal results. Feed your body regularly with the following super foods to provide optimal fuel for your workouts... and see the biggest rewards!
Top 5 Super Foods for Athletes
OatmealOatmeal is a heart-healthy whole grain that contains valuable soluble fiber to help soak up unwanted fat and cholesterol in the bloodstream. But perhaps even more important, it's packed full of good carbohydrates – the most critical energy source for athletes. Oatmeal maintains your energy for a longer period of time during your workout and curbs appetite by slowing the absorption of glucose into your bloodstream. Oats are also a good source of B vitamins, important for athletes as a source of energy. Quick & Healthy: Mix plain oatmeal with milk and add a handful of nuts or seeds and dried or fresh fruit. Toss it in the microwave and cool off with a splash of milk before eating.
YogurtYogurt is a well-known source of calcium, which supports healthy bones and reduces the risk of osteoporosis. But did you know that calcium also plays a role in muscle metabolism? If you're feeling zapped of energy during your workout, consider looking at your intake of calcium to see if you are meeting the recommended levels. If not, try adding some yogurt to your breakfast, lunch, or snack. Rich in Vitamin B-12, this super food also helps athletes prevent fatigue.Quick & Healthy: Sweeten plain yogurt with your favorite fruit and top with nuts and seeds for a quick snack before or after your workout.
BlueberriesThis miniature super fruit is chock-a-block full of nutrients and is the star of the show when it comes to antioxidant properties. Antioxidants can help to reduce oxidative damage to cells resulting from free radicals produced during periods of strenuous activity. Nutrients in blueberries may also promote healthy blood pressure. These super foods contain Vitamin C to support your immune system, and are a source of energy-enhancing carbohydrates and fiber to help sustain your energy and keep you in the game. Quick & Healthy: Blend fresh or frozen berries into your favorite smoothie or top up your morning breakfast cereal with these tiny burst of nutrition.
Sweet PotatoesSweet Potatoes may not be your typical vegetable of choice for dinner, but you might want to start making these nutrient-dense super foods a staple after you hear what they has to offer. Sweet potatoes contain more of the antioxidant beta carotene than any other fruit or vegetable. They are also a source of Vitamin C and one of the only fat-free sources of Vitamin E. Of course, Vitamins C and E both have antioxidant properties and aid in muscle recovery among athletes. Last, but not least, sweet potatoes are an excellent source of iron, which is important in oxygen production for athletes during a workout.Quick & Healthy: Bake, grill or microwave these nutritious super foods. My favorite way to prepare them is by making sweet potato fries. To do this, cut them in to thin slices, place on a baking sheet, drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and garlic and roast them in the oven.
SalmonSalmon is a source of high-quality protein, iron, and Vitamin B12 – which is important for optimal athletic performance. It also contains omega 3 fatty acids. The nutritional fats found in salmon have been shown in epidemiological and clinical trials to reduce the incidence of heart disease. Recent studies have also indicated that omega 3 fatty acids may be beneficial to intestinal health. In addition, omega 3 fatty acids may have anti-inflammatory effects, protecting against conditions such as arthritis. It's no wonder salmon and other fatty fish have been touted as super foods!
source- healthcastle.com

Winter Sports Nutrition

Athletes who participate in cold weather activities have a variety of special needs when it comes to performing at an optimal level while staying comfortable and safe as temperatures drop.

These concerns typically focus on:
Learning basiccold weather exercise safety
Avoiding frostbite and hypothermia
and Dressing for cold weather exercise
But how you fuel your exercise in the cold can also help you perform your best and stay comfortable and safe. Proper nutrition can help regulate your core temperature, and keep your body warm while fueling your muscles. In the summer it's easy to sweat to regulate your temperature and remove excess heat.

In the cold weather your body temperature normally drops. Your metabolism increases to warm and humidify the air you breathe and you tend to burn slightly more calories to stay warm. Breathing in cold, dry air forces your body to warm and humidify that air and with each exhalation, you lose significant amounts of water. Winter athletes need to consciously drink more fluids to replace the water that gets lost via respiration. Add this to a decreased desire to drink (the thirst mechanism is reduced in cold weather) and you can see why one of the biggest nutritional needs during winter exercise is replacing fluids. Dehydration is one of the main reasons for reduced performance in the cold.

When it comes to eating during cold weather exercise, warm foods are ideal, but not very practical. The problem with cold foods and fluids is that they can chill the body. In summer, this cooling effect is helpful during exercise, but in winter hot foods are the better choice.
Ideal foods are complex carbohydrates consumed 2 hours prior to exercise. Soups, chili, bread, bagels, pasta with tomato sauce baked potatoes, cereals, peanut butter, lean meat, and low-fat cheese are good choices.

It's also important to eat continually to replace carbohydrate stores that are being used for exercise and warming. If you don't replace this energy you will likely feel more fatigued and chilled. Children get hungrier more often and fatigue quicker. This is especially important for children. Plan ahead and bring energy bars, chocolate bars, trail mix, bananas, sandwiches or something that you like and will eat.

Consuming Calories at a Clip

So what makes athletes different when it comes to eating? The main thing is that athletes may need more food. Why? They burn more calories by practicing and playing so much.
School-age kids (ages 6 to 12) generally need between 1,600 and 2,500 calories a day. An athlete who is more active than a typical active kid might need to eat more. Calorie needs go up during puberty, so that can make a difference, too.

But each kid is different. It's important to consider how much time you actually spend being active and training for your sport. Attending a soccer practice can be an intense or light workout, depending on a variety of factors. Do you practice 2 hours a week or 12? It will make a difference.

If you're interested, your mom or dad can help you keep a food journal for a few days to get an idea of how much you're eating and if you're getting the nutrients you need. Usually, though, kids do fine just eating a balanced diet of healthy meals and snacks. If you're concerned about your weight or your diet, you might want to talk with your doctor or a dietitian, who specializes in helping athletes.

Hot Tips for Nutrition, Training, and Immune Function

David C. Nieman, Dr.P.H.

Appalachian State University

Prolonged and intensive exertion causes numerous changes in immunity in multiple body compartments. These exercise-induced immune changes occur at the same time the human body is experiencing physiologic and oxidative stress, inflammation, and suppressed function against foreign pathogens. Risk of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) is 2-6 times higher in endurance athletes compared to controls during the 1-2 week period following competitive race events. URTI risk may be compounded when the endurance athlete goes through repeated cycles of unusually heavy exertion, has been exposed to novel pathogens, and experienced other stressors to the immune system including lack of sleep, severe mental stress, malnutrition, or weight loss.
Although endurance athletes are at increased infection risk during heavy training or competitive cycles, they must exercise intensively to contend successfully. Can athletes use nutrient supplements to counter exercise-induced inflammation and immune alterations? Supplements studied thus far include zinc, dietary fat, plant sterols, antioxidants (e.g., vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, N-acetylcysteine, and butylated hydroxyanisole), glutamine, and carbohydrate. Antioxidants and glutamine have received much attention, but the data thus far do not support their role in negating immune changes after heavy exertion. Most of the focus on nutritional countermeasures has been on carbohydrate.
Research during the 1980s and early 1990s established that a reduction in blood glucose levels was linked to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal activation, an increased release of adrenocorticotrophic hormone and cortisol, increased plasma growth hormone, decreased insulin, and a variable effect on blood epinephrine levels. Given the link between stress hormones and immune responses to prolonged and intensive exercise, carbohydrate compared to placebo ingestion should maintain plasma glucose concentrations, attenuate increases in stress hormones, and thereby diminish changes in immunity. Carbohydrate supplementation may also alter immunity following exercise by increasing the availability of energy substrate to immune cells. Glucose is the major energy substrate for immune cells.
Several studies with runners and cyclists have shown that carbohydrate beverage ingestion plays a role in attenuating changes in immunity when the athlete experiences physiologic stress and depletion of carbohydrate stores in response to high-intensity (~75-80% VO2max) exercise bouts lasting longer than two hours. In particular, carbohydrate ingestion (about one liter per hour of Gatorade) compared to a placebo has been linked to significantly lower blood cortisol and epinephrine levels, a reduced change in blood immune cell counts, lower pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, and diminished gene expression for IL-6 and IL-8 (two important cytokines) in the muscle. These data demonstrate that the endurance athlete ingesting carbohydrate during the race event experiences a much lower perturbation in hormonal and immune measures compared to the athlete avoiding carbohydrate. Overall, the hormonal and immune responses to carbohydrate compared to placebo ingestion indicate that physiologic stress is diminished.

Remember to feed your body these things:

Building Muscle: Protein vs. Carbohydrates
In keeping with conventional wisdom regarding nutrition, athletes traditionally devour plates of protein-rich foods. The theory was that if athletes ate a lot of protein, they would build a lot of muscle. There is a problem with this tradition, however. Extra protein does not build muscle bulk. On the other hand, a challenging strength training program, coupled with an increase in total daily caloric intake, will build muscle.
Carbohydrates are fundamental for strength training because unlike protein, carbohydrates are readily stored in your muscles for fuel during exercise. Adequate protein is important for building and protecting your muscles, but excessive amounts do not enhance gains in muscle or muscle strength. If you strength train on a regular basis, you should digest 0.5 to 0.7 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day (1.2 to 1.7 g/kg). You can do this by simply eating balanced meals and snacks that contain a source of protein such as meat, poultry, fish, dairy products and fortified soy products, eggs, nuts, tofu and dried beans.Bottom Line: Remember to feed and water your body regularly to get the results you want. A solid strength training diet is just as important as a training plan when it comes to building strength to power up!

Post workout Nutrition

Post-workout nutrition is an extremely important part of any successful strength training diet. As with pre-workout nutrition, timing is just as important after a workout when it comes to recovering your muscle energy. Studies show that eating carbohydrates and protein within 30 minutes of completing a strength training workout is an effective way to restore amino acids and carbohydrate in the muscles. Get energy back to the muscles within 30 minutes and again within two hours to help rebuild muscle energy. Remember your fluids for recovery. Drink at least two cups of water after your workout to help replace the water you have lost in sweat.

What's the key to strength training?

Fueling up is key to any Strength Training Diet
Aim to go into your workout well nourished and well hydrated so that there is enough energy available in the bloodstream and muscles for an effective workout. Plan a pre-workout snack or meal. Fuel your body with foods that are high in carbohydrates and contain a lean source of protein for sustained energy. Some tried and trued protein and carbohydrate combinations include:
homemade smoothies made with milk, soy milk or yogurt and fruit or fruit juice
low fat cheese and crackers
carbohydrate based energy bars and granola bars
yogurt and fruit
½ whole grain bagel or bread with nut butter
Make fluids a priority throughout the day by drinking a cup of water with each meal and snack. To ensure your body is hydrated two to three hours before training, drink two to three cups of water at this time. Follow that by drinking an additional cup of water 10 to 20 minutes prior to your workout.