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Showing posts from April 21, 2019

How to manage racing in hot weather conditions

Every race requires a bit of planning but racing in the heat requires a bit more thought. When the ambient temperature is extremely high and your working muscles are generating additional heat, it's very important to externally keep your body cool and to replenish what you lose from sweat. During a race, when your metabolic and heat production rates are high, core temperature increases. This isn't too much of a worry in cool conditions but if it's hot and humid outside, the body then has to cope with the environmental heat and the heat produced by the working muscles. To keep you from overheating, the first priority of your body is sending more blood to the skin to help with cooling – leaving less oxygen-rich blood for the muscles and less blood for your gut to help with digestion. As a way to help cool yourself, your body increases the sweat rate to remove heat from your body through evaporative cooling. As you become dehydrated (from water loss), blood volume decre

Eating for the spring season

Spring has arrived to Greenville, SC! The warm weather is here and our furry crew is soaking it all in. Although Campy gets plenty of time outside in his backyard, our 16.5 year old cat (Smudla) is allowed to enjoy some time outside in the warm sun. At this phase in her life, she pretty much gets whatever she wants. In case you missed it, here's an article from our weekly newsletter (subscribe HERE ) on springtime eating.                                                                    ------------------------------- With winter behind us (hopefully), warm and rich soups, stews, casseroles and drinks are replaced with brightly-colored produce and hydrating beverages. Eating what's local, available and in-season is a practical choice, especially when you are trying to optimize your nutrient intake. To keep you on track with your springtime nutritional needs, here are a few key tips. Loss of appetite – Warm weather has a dramatic effect on appetite. Whereas cool temps incr

What are your sleep habits trying to tell you?

Sleep is extremely important for your mental and physical health and athletic performance. Do you sleep enough?  Ideally, the adequate amount of sleep to promote optimal health and to avoid the health consequences is between seven and nine hours. If you are Campy, it's 20 hours a day. Because sleep affects how your body performs and functions when you are awake, how much you sleep and the quality of your sleep are equally important. Without a good night's sleep, your immune system, ability to think and learn, glucose metabolism, reaction time and mood can become compromised. Therefore, sleep is critical in athletic success and optimizing health. For most athletes, you probably squeeze in workouts early in the morning or late in the evening due to a busy, rushed and exhausting life schedule. If you are like most sleep-deprived athletes, you've likely become very accustomed to relying on your alarm to help you get out of bed - regardless of how tired you felt the day

Blueberry Baked Oatmeal (Vegan)

When writing my book Essential Sports Nutrition , it was important that I included a variety of recipes that everyone could enjoy - regardless of dietary preferences/restrictions. I couldn't think of a more athlete-friendly recipe than one that included oats and blueberries. I prefer this baked oatmeal served warm, but it is also good at room temperature or chilled (I’ll leave that up to you!). This oatmeal keeps well in the refrigerator so it's great to make in advance - make sure you plan for leftovers. It's perfect for a pre-workout snack or as part of your breakfast meal. Blueberry Baked Oatmeal  Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 40 Total Time: 60 minutes Yield: 15 servings INGREDIENTS 2/3 cup chopped pecans 2 cups old-fashioned oats 2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ tsp salt 1 3/4 cups almond milk ⅓ cup maple syrup 2 large flax eggs (2 tbsp flaxseed + 6 tbsp water) 3 tablespoons coconut oil (measured dry, then melted) 2 teas