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Showing posts from June 9, 2019

Bouncing back from a bad workout

Most of the time, workouts put us into a good mood. We feel much better after the workout is complete, then compared to when we started.  But what if the workout doesn't go as planned and suddenly you find yourself grumpy from the workout that didn't go so well? Seeing that we will all have a bad workout, here are a few tips to help bounce back from an "off" training day. Nutrition Look into your diet. Long hours without eating, not using sport nutrition products properly, dehydration, low blood sugar, overeating, undereating, consuming food too close to bed, too much fiber/fat too close to your workout, or poorly planned meals will affect your energy and how your body performs.  Nutrient timing Did you not time your nutrition well with your workout? Address what sport nutrition products are not working for you. What did you eat in the 2-4 hours before the workout. Generally, it is recommended to reduce fat/fiber before a workout  to help with digestion an

Protein Powder - what to use, how to use.

I am always interested in trying out new sport nutrition products. A few weeks ago, a nutrition athlete of mine asked me about  Cocoa Elite . I was familiar with the company but had never tried their products. I was connected with the company owner and a few days later, I received a small shipment of sample products to try out. I've tried two of their powders and so far, I find them easy to consume - not too grainy. Karel loved the taste of double cocoa flavored protein powder. I haven't used these products long enough to tell if they "work" (typically I like to use a product continuously for a month to see if it works or not). Right now, my go-to protein powders that work for me include INFINIT Raw protein, Skratch recover drink mix, CarboRocket Rehab, NBS recovery and Clif Recovery protein drink.  This got me thinking about the array of protein powders on the market.  In our protein-obsessed society, you probably feel like you are always falling short of your

Banana Nut Muffins

If you are a banana lover like myself, you probably go through a lot of bananas on a weekly basis. But every now and then, bananas will turn overly ripe so it's important to have a few go-to recipes so those bananas don't go to waste. If you find that your bananas are extra brown and spotty but you aren't ready to use them just yet, peel them, slice them into chunks and place in a resealable plastic bag and store in the freezer. You can also use frozen banana chunks in smoothies.  BANANA NUT MUFFINS Serves: 12 muffins Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 25 minutes Ingredients Topping: 1 cup chopped walnuts 1 tsp cinnamon  1 tbsp honey Muffins: 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1 stick unsalted butter (room temp) 1/4 cup sugar 1 tbsp honey 2 large eggs 1 cup mashed bananas (3 medium overripe bananas)  1 tsp vanilla extract 1/3 cup 2% or 4% yogurt Instructions  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Li

Lure of the Lake 3-mile open water swim recap

Shortly after IM 70.3 Chattanooga, Karel started to search for another race before we do Ironman Canada at the end of July. Triathlon options were limited so I came across an open water swim event just an hour away in the town of Lake Lure. We ran this option by our coach and she gave us a big yes for the 3-mile distance. I told my swim partner Kristen and she also registered.  After a crazy tough week of training, we were able to get a good night of sleep on Friday evening. We woke up at 6am and left the house around 7:20am to pick up Kristen who lives about 1.5 miles away. With a 10am start, we didn't feel too rushed to get to the venue but we also wanted to give ourselves enough time in the case of rain. The weather predicted storms for the morning but luckily the weather worked out perfect for us - light drizzle and clouds. I had a waffle with butter and yogurt before we left and then I made a PB&J sandwich on cinnamon raisin bread for the car. Around an hour be