The 2020 race season is just around the corner and whether you’ve committed to a race or are still on the fence, it’s time to buckle up, put on your big person pants and take the plunge, no looking back, no regrets. Although, initially, it won’t be easy going from couch to training, remember anything that seems hard is worth your effort. Consider it an investment in yourself.
[Read more…]Sleep & Athletic Performance – The Impact and How to Improve
Are you skimping on sleep, waking up tired and plodding through your workouts with the well-intended goal of hitting the hay earlier tonight? If so, welcome to the club! A recent blog I wrote, The Secret Recipe to Athletic Performance Enhancement, discusses why blindly following a training plan without first mastering physiological, dietary and lifestyle essentials is ill-advised.
While there are many recovery modalities available to athletes, sleep is the most important and impactful. And, unsurprisingly, it’s the one essential that is most commonly underestimated and compromised by busy people on-the-go. I get it, there’s nothing sexy about sleep; It doesn’t come in a shiny package marketed with endless promises of increased strength and energy, but it should. So, grab your pillow and get comfy while I explain why sleep should be at the forefront of your training plan.
[Read more…]The Secret Recipe to Performance Enhancement
The other day I overheard a conversation between two runners discussing training plans and weekly mileage as it related to their performance in an upcoming race. I’m not one to eavesdrop, but the conversation was eerily similar to a discussion I had recently with one of my coached athletes. Both conversations circled around “cutting-edge run workouts alongside becoming leaner to reach optimal race weight.”
Goodness… where do I start debunking? I’ll begin with the foundation–where I started with my athlete. This is a jam-packed topic that seems complicated but is actually quite simple. I’m cutting to the chase, so listen up.
[Read more…]The Female Athlete’s Guide to Fueling & Hydration for Optimal Performance – Part III: Recovery Fueling
Part III of The Female Athlete’s Guide to Fueling & Hydration. In this blog, we discuss the role of recovery, how to optimize and accelerate recovery, and the best options and strategies for female athletes.
Part II covers fueling/hydrating during training and racing.
The post workout/event recovery fuel is designed to speed up the repair of damaged muscle tissue, replace glycogen/energy stores, and promote physical adaptation. Immediately following a training session, muscle cells are open, insulin sensitivity elevated, and the body is primed to absorb simple sugar and protein, so the quicker you refuel, the better.
[Read more…]Reduce Inflammation with Foods, Not Pills — A Guide for Athletes
There’s no denying that endurance triathletes put themselves through intense training loads—all for a good cause, of course, but at what health cost? The purpose of a heavy training load is to improve aerobic endurance, muscle adaptation, and strength, but it also increases oxidative stress, better known as inflammation. Many people don’t realize how much they can reduce inflammation with food!
Inflammation is a bit of a buzzword in health these days but in reality, [Read more…]
The Three Biggest Mistakes Made by Athletes
Triathletes devote precious time, energy, and hard earned money on the single goal of reaching the finish line faster than the time before. From the lightest, most aero triathlon bike – sleekest helmet – tightest kit – customized training plan- to the most precise fuel/hydration plan and daily nutrition protocol, the odds are in our favor, right? You’d hope so with this level of attention to detail, but without proper recovery, all of that “devotion” is for not.
Control Food Cravings – How to Overcome the Pitfalls and Succeed
I’ve been a registered dietitian for 25 years, and I have yet to meet an athlete who doesn’t struggle with cravings. Unmanaged, cravings can throw a carefully designed nutrition regimen out of whack. Cravings tend to come later in the day, without warning, just when you’ve let your guard down, and can derail an athlete’s daily nutritional balance. One athlete I know describes cravings as a “black hole that sucks me in and I lose complete control of all willpower as I tear through my pantry. It’s demoralizing.”
Time Crunched?
Time crunched? Eat, sleep and rejuvenate on the fly with these time-saving tips.
Triathletes are busy, goal-driven people. Not only do we juggle training for three sports, many of us hold down full-time jobs while trying to spend time with our families, among other activities.
What’s the secret to getting fitter, stronger and avoiding injury among all this activity? It lies in finding a balance between stress and rest. Physical training provides the necessary stress that allows for critical adaptive response, or fitness gains, to take place. But this adaptation can only occur in our rest phases—the time in between workouts.
[Read more…]