Feeding Like a Pro

In preparation for the double century bike ride I did about a month ago, I spoke with a neighbor of mine about what I should eat.  I've done enough races now that I have a decent knowledge of what works for me and what doesn't, so I can get by.  The problem is that I have traditionally relied on gels and bars that are highly processed and which are not ideal.  Now the gels and bars are designed specifically for racing so they aren't all bad but the long term effects can be negative.  To minimize those negative effects I decided I should look into eating more "real" food while I'm training and racing.  That is where my neighbor Paul was able to help me.

Shot Bloks are delicious!  

Paul is an avid cyclist and has been for years.  To give you an idea of how good he is, this week he and 3 friends are riding 400 miles from Salt Lake down to St. George, all in a single day.  The first time they did it (yes, they've done this before and are doing it again) they finished in 23 hours, with 21 hours of ride time.  Need-less to say, he has a lot of knowledge about the sport of cycling and that is why I went to him for help.

He told me about some of the different foods I could make, and how to package them to make them easy to grab and go.  I found out that his go-to snack is rice cakes with raspberries and blueberries in them as well as all the stuff you want when you're working out.  He also let me borrow a book he has that is littered with useful information and contains a myriad of recipes for athletes.  The book is called "Feed Zone Portables" by Biju Thomas and Allen Lim.  Both of these guys were the nutritionists and chefs for the BMC Racing team, one of the teams that has been competing in the Tour de France for the last several years.

The Tour of Utah 2014, up Little Cottonwood Canyon

Reading through the book I discovered a few things about what my body needs to keep going.  First I learned that our bodies get 50% of its energy from fat when you are going at a 50% effort and drops to 20% of its energy from fat when you are going at a 75% effort.  So the harder you're pushing the more glycogen you'll use which means you'll need to eat more to replenish.  I think it's safe to say that most people would consider that common sense, but what isn't common sense is exactly how much we actually need.  Luckily that's what this book helped me figure out for myself.  Here are my results:

~ 1200 calories stored for lower leg exercise on a moderate carb diet.

~ 2000 calories stored for lower leg exercise on a high carb diet.

~ Eat approximately 1/2 of what you burn from glycogen per hour, each hour.

~ I burn 550 calories per hour cycling.

~ I burn 900 calories per hour running.

This means that if I'm cycling for a longer period of time at a 70% effort, I will need to eat about 206 calories each hour.  Notice that it's not a 1:1 ratio.  I don't need to replace every calorie I burn because of the calories I have stored and because of the energy I burn from fat.  This is why many people will try and "carbo load" in the days and weeks leading up to a race.  The more you have stored, the less you should need to eat.

After learning all of this, I realized that there is a lot more research I can do that will help me stay healthy and get stronger.  If anyone has any suggestions on how I can better understand my own body and how to keep it healthy and efficient, please share.

Sand Hollow Triathlon

       A few weeks ago was my first race of the season, the Sand Hollow Triathlon.  It's the same race that Isaac, Steve, and I first did together in 2011.  For me that race was the beginning of my love for the sport.  Even though it was tough and I was super slow, I was hooked from then on.  This year was my fourth year in a row at this race and I am hoping to keep the tradition going and possibly get the other two to join me.

       My time this year was slower than the last 2 years, which was disappointing, but I didn't prepare as thoroughly and it was a much hotter day than years past.  Overall it was a good day though.  The average finishing time was higher this year and my swim time was my fastest yet.  So all was not lost.

       I had family there to support me and take pictures as well as plenty of people I didn't know.  There were a few members from the Salt Lake Tri Club doing the race as well as a lot of members of the Southern Utah Tri Club.  I got a great deal of shout outs from the club members out on the course.  Encouragement from anyone, even complete strangers, is always appreciated.  Anyone who has done a race and experienced that will know what I'm talking about.

Here is the race in the form of pictures:

I was there before the sun came up!

Getting my transition area all set up

Gearing up for the swim

*Bang!* and they're off!

Emerging from the water

Starting the bike

In the zone

The dismount

Refueling for the run

Warming up the legs

Full stride in the heat

6th place

The traditional post-race picture

Hopefully I learned my lesson from this race and will be more diligent in my training for the rest of the season.  I don't want to lose in October!

Incidental Exercise

A few months back Bishop Newton and I were discussing our training schedules and he mentioned how he hadn't had the time to workout as much as he would like.  Because he didn't have a lot of extra time he was finding other ways to help himself stay fit.  He referred to this effort as incidental exercise.  The examples he gave were how he tries to park his car the furthest from the door as possible and how he always tries to take the stairs.  

22 floors total (Talk about a stair master)

Simply put, Incidental Exercise is the movements you engage in during your everyday life.  We all have tasks we complete throughout the day that require varying levels of physical exertion.  Most of the time we try to make each task as easy as possible, which is only natural, but to get more out of our everyday routines we should always choose to do them the hard way.  

The nice thing about incidental exercise is that it's really easy to do.  It requires the minimum amount of motivation since you're just adding to the tasks you're already doing.  To help you all get started I've brainstormed a few ideas of how you can incidentally get some exercise while you putter through your day.  

≽ Stand instead of sit whenever possible

≽ Sit on a medicine ball instead of a chair

≽ Walk or ride a bike to school, church, or work

≽ Carry the heavy items when helping people move

≽ Hide the TV remote so you have to get up

≽ Have your washer and dryer on separate floors (This one is for you mom)

≽ Do your own gardening and lawn maintenance instead of hiring out

≽ Walk to the store to pick up the milk

≽ Walk up the escalator instead of lazily standing on it (One of my biggest pet peeves)

≽ Get off Trax one stop early

≽ Take those papers to your coworker instead of using the inter-office mail

≽ Play with your kids instead of just watching them

≽ Walk on a treadmill while reading, watching a show, or playing video games

≽ Do calf raises while waiting at the bus stop

The gardens outside of the Assembly Hall at Temple Square

Hopefully those are enough ideas to get your creative juices flowing.  I'll leave the rest up to you!  Now get out there and start being less lazy than you are right now!  

Remember, progress is the key.   

Foundations of Success

We often forget that exercise is not the only ingredient of a healthy body.  In fact, it's not even the most important.  So all of you who abhor exercise can cheer!  ...but not too loudly because it's still a critical part of staying healthy.

Keeping your mind and body strong and healthy can be tough at times.  Luckily the method is comprised of just three, easy to understand components.

Health Component	Level of Importance
Nutrition	Most
Sleep	Second Most
Exercise	"Least"

Nutrition

I am no dietitian so I won't give any in depth advice, but I will share a few of the basics of a healthy diet.

1. Keep your glucose levels even throughout the day.

Minimizing the spikes in your blood sugar levels can help prevent diabetes, give you more energy, and prevent hunger between meals.

2. Carbs in the morning, protein and fat in the evening.

In the morning you need the energy and later at night your body needs to rebuild and refuel for the next day.

3.Count your calories but don't "cut" them.

Who you are and what your goals are will determine how many calories to have each day.  Figure out your ideal number and then make sure to get close to that.

4. Stick to real food as much as possible.

The more processed food you eat the more junk you put in your system.

5. Eat lean proteins.

Fish, chicken, duck, legumes, beans, nuts, etc.

6. Drink plenty of water.

Water is essential, but if you're training a lot you'll need to include some electrolyte drinks as well.

7. Moderation in all things.

Switch things up every once in a while and don't completely deprive yourself of all the "sweets."

Disclaimer: Picture displays only part of a complete meal.

Sleep

The average adult needs seven to eight hours of good sleep in any given 24 hour period.  Sleep not only helps your body repair itself and boost your immune system, it also improves your learning, memory, and performance.  If you look at the alternative to getting plenty of sleep it doesn't look too pretty.

Negative effects of lack of sleep:

Heart Disease

Depression

Lack of Motivation

Decreased Learning

Aging

Forgetfulness

Weight Gain

Impaired Judgement

From the "Odd Sleeping Positions of Collin" collection.

If you are needing more sleep but finding it hard to get, there are a few things you can do to help. Keep in mind that it may just be that you're too busy.  If that's the case then you'll have to rethink your priorities and figure out what you can nix from your weekly schedule.  If it's not that, then you should try these strategies below.

Improve Sleep:

Routine/Prepare for Bed

Avoid Stress

Quiet Environment

Naps

Consult a Physician

Exercise

This is where you can really get creative, depending on what you're trying to accomplish.  Swimming, biking, running, and weight training are great workouts and very beneficial, but they're not the only ways that one can stay in shape.  You can do anything you want!  Just get up and move, like those cheesy commercials tell you to.  Wii fitness counts, or jazzercise, or even prancercise.  There is no limit to what you can do for a workout.  Including the few I've mentioned, here are some ideas for "out of the ordinary" workouts.

Rollerblading

Water Aerobics

Tumbling

Gymnastics

Ultimate Frisbee

Extreme Dog Walking (aka walking your dog)

Jumping Jacks (aka Side-Straddle Hop or Star Jump for all you Brits)

Kayaking

Hula Hooping

Salsa Dancing

Running Backwards

Trampolining

Just Dance (Video Game)

DDR

Horse Racing (as in you race a horse)

Tai Chi

Parkour

Whatever you do just make sure you get your heart rate up and create some sort of resistance for your muscles.  

And don't forget, "your heart is a muscle" - Carly Rae.