An Interesting Read

That which does not kill me, makes me stronger. The story of Jure Robic, ultra athlete.

Labels: training

posted by Seth at Saturday, September 26, 2009 | 0 Comments

Almost There

For those following my recovery, a quick update. I've been able to work and ride for a while now, but many activities caused shoulder impingement. The impingement was gradually getting worse, so I've been looking forward to my surgery for several weeks. Certain activities I was unable to do (running, kettlebells, many yoga poses) but most things I could do with only mild discomfort. Sleeping, however, has been uncomfortable since the original crash, so going on 4 months now. I am hoping that after a few days I can start sleeping on my right side again.

So, anyway, here is the hardware that came out yesterday:

How do I feel about my choice? I will write something else up in the next few weeks once I feel like the final cards are on the table...there could yet be a few surprises. But, for now I think that I made the right choice. The plate allowed me to work and ride. This particular plate is very stable and you don't need a sling for long...but it requires a second surgery which adds expense. On the plus side, with the hardware out, you have your best shot at everything being "normal" again at some point (hopefully soon).

Labels: sports injuries

posted by Seth at Saturday, September 26, 2009 | 0 Comments

Article Summary: Low-Carbohydrate Nutrition and Metabolism

I came across this article recently, and thought it was interesting for a number of reasons:
"Low-Carbohydrate Nutrition and Metabolism" Am J Clin Nutr 2007;86:276-84

There are many articles out there that talk about the role of carbs in the diet: low carb, high carb, the Zone, etc. What is a person to do? How about read a review article like this one and see what the conclusions are. I am particularly interested in this topic because there seems to be a number of endurance athletes out there that have a hard time "losing that last 10 pounds" or something along those lines. Most endurance athletes also tend to over-estimate their energy replacement requirements after workouts, and basically pig out after long and difficult workouts. The outcome of these patterns is the same as it is in the rest of the population - over-indulgence leads to adipose acquisition, the nice way of saying you're getting fat.

If you are interested in losing some fat and fine-tuning your nutrition for better health, read on about the role of carbohydrates in weight loss and health.

Introduction:

• Both a historical perspective and nutrition and recent research point toward carbohydrate (CHO) restriction as a likely candidate for weight loss and decreasing incidence of Type 2 diabetes.
• Pre-agricultural peoples had diets that were low in CHO, while modern diets are high in CHO.
  
• Numerous health problems (heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes) arose with the shift to high CHO diets, especially containing sugar and flour.
• Low CHO intake (50-150g/d) is associated with lower glucose availability which leads to changes in insulin and glucagon concentrations that will direct the body away from fat storage and towards fat oxidation ("melt away the pounds" ed)

Basic Physiology

• A marked reduction in CHO intake leads to a general change in metabolism from a "gluconcentric" (glucose/sugar) to an "adipocentric" (ketone bodies, fatty acids) one. This is good because fat "burns cleaner" and most of us have abundant storage (ahem).
  
• The astute reader might say, "hey, don't some of your tissues NEED glucose, like the red blod cells, retina, lens, brain". Well that is true, and the body provides - it is estimated that the body can maufacture 200 g/d of Glucose in the liver. So you've got that going for you, which is nice.
  
• Another astute reader might say, "wait a minute, isn't a low CHO diet like starving yourself, and you'll burn muscle?" In true cases of starvation, you will burn muscle. However, if you adjust your diet appropriately (increase protein intake, electrolyte intake, more on that later) you should be OK.
  

Appetite and Satiety

• Seveal studies confirm that there is a spontaneous reduction in caloric intake when CHO intake is restricted to 5-10% of caloric intake.
• Foods with high insulin response (CHO) are less satiating, and that supporession of insulin with octreotide leads to weight loss.
  
• A calorie is not a calorie. Different substances cause different effects in a living system, and it appears that a calorie of fat or protein is not as likely to make you fat as a calorie of CHO.
  

Low-CHO diets and exercise

• Submaximal endurance performance can be sustained despite the virtual exclusion of CHO from the human diet. Intramuscular enzymes adapt to sustain energy levels for exercise.
  
• There are additional concerns for athletes (as compared to a non-athlete or somebody that is limiting CHO due to Diabetes etc)

1. there is time needed to adapt to the diet (2-4 weeks)
2. electrolyte supplements are needed in most cases
   
3. protein supplements are needed in most cases

• The ketogenic state that occurs with low carb diets (LCD) can use up sodium and potassium. It is recommended that the athlete supplement to meet this need (sodium 3-5g/d, potassium 2-3g/d)
• To maintain lean body mass and performance, 1.2 to 1.7 g of protein per kg per day is needed in the diet (divide lbs by 2.2 to get kg)
• High-intensity and anaerobic performances may be limited by lower muscle glycogen conditions (e.g. this diet is not recommended for sprinters in competition)

Obesity

• Efficacy of LCD for weight loss has been established in 6 outpatient randomized controlled trials.
  
• LCD reduces fasting serum triacylglycerols, increase HDL (good cholesterol), decrease LDL (low cholesterol.
• Take Home - low CHO diets are good for improving risk factors for disease (obesity and blood markers of cholesterol levels)

Dose/Response

• One study took 10 city-dwelling Australian aboriginal men with type 2 diabetes and had them live for 7 weeks as hunter-gatherers. At the end of the study, there were significant improvements in weight and fasting serum glucose, insulin and triacylglycerol concentrations.
  
• When the subjects returned to their previous urban lifestyle, the weight and diabetes returned.
  
• This type of study has been done with other populations with the same result.

Other Therapeutic Potential

• May be useful in both epilepsy, narcolepsy, heartburn, dermatitis herpetiformis, insulin resistance.
  
• Decrease in inflammatory markers such as C-Reactive protein, plasma serum amyloid A.
  

The take home message that I got from this article is that there are a number of potentially negative health consequences from eating certain carbs, especially sugar and flour. Although exercise may be protective, your 3h endurance ride is not a free pass on the CHO gravy train.

If you are trying to lose weight, and you are not an in-season sprinter, cutting carbs may be something to discuss with your healthcare provider. In my own recent experience (low activity level due to broken collar bone) following this program helped keep me from gaining fat despite relatively low activity levels.

Please note that this is a general discussion, and not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. If you would like help with your nutrition program, we can help.

Labels: nutrition

posted by Seth at Tuesday, September 22, 2009 | 1 Comments

Pain on the Peak, Rapha Gentleman's Race

It was a long day for everybody who participated in the Rapha Gentleman's Race - some 120 miles and over 7 hours of riding. A sea of bikes filled the patio of Rontom's:

Tired, but happy. You're supposed to be happy now AC

Labels: events

posted by Seth at Sunday, September 13, 2009 | 0 Comments

Plowing The Fields

I was reading a post on the Wattage Google Group the other day, and one of the posters used a phrase that I thought was particularly insightful. It went something along these lines: "...you have been plowing the fields since March, but never stopping to allow things time to grow."

The discussion was about periodization vs. using the PMC in WKO+ for management of your endurance training. In my mind the two go hand in hand - both elements of the classic periodization scheme along with the PMC yield better results than either alone. I view Periodization as your overall plan for what you are going to do and when, and the PMC as a way to manage things more specifically so that you maintain an appropriate training load and arrive at your key races in peak form.

This goes right along with another article I wrote on training and recovery - still one of my favorite concepts to make sure that each endurance athlete I work with understands as it is the very foundation of fitness improvement...miss this concept and you've missed the boat.

Labels: recovery, training

posted by Seth at Thursday, September 03, 2009 | 0 Comments

Upcoming Flu Season, H1N1

May experts are predicting a strong flu season this year, and there are some basic steps you should take in order to be prepared. Contrary to popular belief, it is not only the young and old that are prone to serious flu infections - people of any age and health status are vulnerable.

For more information about the flu, flu shots, and how to be prepared, visit the Red Cross Website. Scroll down the page for various other information sources.

In normal summers, hospitals typically do not see any flu cases. This year, by contrast, there were a steady stream of flu cases, again suggesting that this may be a bad flu season. There is also a lot of buzz about the H1N1 ("swine flu") variety, due to its potential virulence.

Simply trying to stay healthy is not enough. Common steps like frequent hand washing and covering your coughs are helpful. Though some people avoid flu shots, you may want to consider getting a flu shot. Current recommendations are to get an early vaccine this year (my local Safeway is already offering them), and then maybe a second one later in the season plus the H1N1 vaccine when available. Though there are risks to vaccinations, they are typically considered to be small, with the benefits outweighing the risks for most people.

High-Risk groups for flu infection are pregnant women, infants and the elderly. Those that come in regular contact with the aforementioned groups are also recommended for vaccination. Healthcare workers are also recommended for vaccination.

Labels: flu, H1N1, influenza

posted by Seth at Wednesday, September 02, 2009 | 0 Comments