Tagged with 'recovery-nutrition'

If you need motivation and energy before your workout, these 6 tips are practical and easy.

One of the most common sports nutrition questions I get asked is, “how much protein do I need to eat?” Here's my answer to that question plus more interesting facts about protein and exercise.

I’m in week 10 of 18 for my marathon training! On Nov. 6^th, I will run the NYC marathon, along with 55,000 other runners! My body is holding up with all this training—just some minor aches and pains, but most of all I’ve come to appreciate a delicious, well-balanced recovery meal.

My Recovery Breakfast

I do all my runs first thing in the morning, so afterwards I’m hungry! One of the easiest, quickest, most well-balanced recovery breakfast meals is an open-faced fried egg sandwich. I melt cheese on top of the egg as it cooks. Next, add spinach, mustard and avocado atop a piece of whole grain or gluten free toast. I eat two of these to ensure adequate calories, carbohydrates, protein, and fat.

What Is Glycogen?

Glycogen is the storage form of glucose in your muscles. When an athlete's glycogen supply is low, muscles lack the energy to perform their best. If you train daily or compete, you must maximize glycogen storage. Athletes can double the amount of glycogen their muscles can hold. 

REFUELING TIPS

Carbohydrates (CHO) AFTER Exercise

Consume carbohydrate-rich foods and beverages within 30 minutes after your workout. Waiting more than 90 minutes to eat results in significantly less glycogen stored in the muscles. This may negatively impact performance during my next workout.

Target carbohydrate intake for cyclist and runners exercising for 60 minutes or longer is 1.0-1.5 grams (g)/kg lean body mass.

Protein Ingestion AFTER Exercise

Don't forget the protein! It aids in repairing damaged muscle tissue and stimulates development of new tissue. Protein also enhances glycogen replacement in the initial hours after hard exercise. Aim to consume 10-20 grams of protein in your recovery food/beverage to assist in glycogen uptake. The eggs and cheese certainly accomplish this.

Think of eating after exercise as "reloading your muscles" for a training or competition the next day. By refueling your muscles, you will be able to perform longer before feeling wiped out. Rapid replenishment of muscle glycogen after exercise is the fundamental nutrition goal for all athletes.

Happy Running!

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods

When I worked as the sports nutritionist for a Division 1 University, many of the athletes were curious how drinking alcohol the night before a game or practice effected their performance.

Here’s what I told them…alcohol use increases dehydration, gets in the way of muscle recovery, and increases your risk of injury. It can also lead to muscle cramps.

Few athletes realize consuming alcohol after a workout, practice, or competition can cancel out any physiological gains you may have received from such activities. Long-term use reduces protein synthesis, which makes it very difficult to repair and build muscle. But even short-term alcohol use can hinder muscle growth.

Alcohol use requires increased conditioning to maintain weight.

Alcohol holds very little nutritional value to the athlete. The relatively high calories in alcohol are not available to our muscles. Alcohol calories are not converted to glycogen, a form of stored carbohydrates, and thus are not a good source of energy during exercise. Each drink contains approximately 100-150 empty calories. The body treats alcohol as fat, converting alcohol sugars into fatty acids.

Alcohol causes dehydration and slows down the body’s ability to heal.

Speeding the recovery of sore muscles and injuries is integral to optimal performance. Alcohol is a toxin which travels through your bloodstream to every organ and tissue in your body, causing dehydration and slowing your body’s ability to heal itself.

Alcohol use prevents muscle recovery.

In order to build bigger and stronger muscles, your body needs sleep to repair itself after a workout. Because of alcohol's effect on sleep, however, your body is robbed of a precious chemical called "human growth hormone" or HGH. HGH is part of the normal muscle-building and repair process and the body's way of telling itself your muscle needs to grow bigger and stronger. Alcohol, however, can decrease the secretion of HGH by as much as 70%! Also, when alcohol is in your body, it triggers the production of a substance in your liver that is directly toxic to testosterone. Testosterone is essential for the development and recovery of your muscles.

Alcohol use depletes your source of energy.

Once alcohol is absorbed through your stomach and small intestine and finally into your cells, it can disrupt the water balance in muscle cells, thus altering their ability to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is your muscles' source of energy. ATP provides the furl necessary for your muscles to contract.

Alcohol also reduces energy sources by inhibiting a process known as gluconeogenesis in which glucose is formed from substances other than glucose. When alcohol is oxidized by alcohol dehydrogenase (an enzyme), it produces an elevation of NADH, which ultimately reduces the amount of a coenzyme that is essential in the production of ATP. This loss of ATP results in a lack of energy and loss of endurance.

Drink Responsibly.

In Health and Happiness,

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods

Article courtesy of: Firth, G. How Alcohol Affects Nutrition and Endurance.  UC San Diego.

Other references: Vella, LD, Cameron-Smith, D. Alcohol, Athletic Performance and Recovery. Nutrients. 2010 August; 2(8): 781-789. 

I love basketball, and this time of year, basketball season is in full effect. It goes without saying, the intensity and duration of playing basketball place a lot of stress on a body. For this reason, proper recovery is important to rebuild and refuel your body. If you’re a basketball player or the parent of a basketball player, you may find this athlete’s scenario familiar.  

Athlete Scenario:

“The day after a hard basketball practice, my legs feel heavy and I feel sluggish.  Sometimes I’m sore even if I didn’t do any resistance training the day before. My performance at practice suffers because I’m unable to put forth 100%. I usually drink water and sometimes a sports drink during practice and games, but afterward I don’t usually feel like eating much. What can I do to have more energy at practice and feel better about my performance?”

What’s Happening to this Athlete?

Recovery not only includes rest, but also choosing the right foods. This athlete seems to be neglecting this important piece. Two main nutrition goals for recovery include replenishing glycogen stores (aka: carbohydrates) and promoting muscle repair via protein.  Another neglected component is not eating soon enough after finishing practice or a game and therefore missing the “recovery window.”

Recovery nutrition is especially critical when you have two training sessions per day, your next training session is within 8 hours, or you’re playing in a tournament all day or have a weekend tournament.

What to Eat?

Refuel: Carbohydrate is the preferred fuel for the muscles both during and after practice or a game.

Repair: Don’t forget the protein! It aids in repairing damaged muscle tissue and stimulates development of new tissue. Protein also might enhance glycogen replacement in the initial hours after hard exercise. Aim for approximately 10-20 grams.

Rehydrate: Replace fluid and electrolytes (sodium and potassium) lost in sweat. I’ve never seen a basketball player who isn’t sweating—A LOT! Failure to replace even a small amount of sweat loss will weaken both your mental and physical capacity. Weigh yourself before and after exercise and replenish what was lost. Drink 16 oz. per 1 pound weight loss during exercise.

When to Eat?

Honor your “Recovery Window.” Eat a snack or meal within the first 15 minutes to two hours after finishing a workout, practice, or game. During this time the enzymes responsible for making glycogen are most active and will most rapidly replace the depleted glycogen stores in your muscles. Drinks such as chocolate milk and recovery smoothies are a good way to refuel.

How Much to Eat?

A basketball player’s target intake is about 0.5 grams of carbohydrate per pound of body weight.

For example: 150 lb x 0.5 g carbs = 75 g carb = 300 calories carb

Your body will naturally want this amount, if not more.

Never Skip Breakfast

I can’t stress enough the importance of eating breakfast every day to get a jumpstart on the day. I also understand it can be heard for players to pull themselves out of bed following a tough practice or big game the night before. There are many quick, healthy options available for those days you’re running late, so figure out your go-to breakfast and keep it handy.

Snacks are Important

In an effort to maintain energy levels and achieve body composition goals, basketball players should aim to eat every few hours, spreading meals and snacks consistently over the course of the day. It’s very important for athletes to eat at appropriate times, so always carry snacks with you. Have them handy in your locker, backpack, or car. Some healthy, portable, and calorie-dense options include nuts, trail mix, apples with peanut butter, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, nutrition bars.

Players that need to gain weight need the consistency of meals and snacks—3 meals and 2-3 snacks/day.

Game Day Strategy

Settle on a game day strategy early in the season and stick with it. Sticking to a schedule also helps players develop a routine, making it easier to incorporate healthy habits into a player’s daily life. To stick to a schedule like this, athlete’s have to be disciplined and willing to plan ahead. It can seem a daunting prospect, so it takes practice.

Remember, no “NEW”-trition on game day. Any failed experiments could adversely affect a player’s performance.

Bottom Line: Even with a busy schedule, it’s still possible for players to reap the rewards of a balanced fueling strategy. Proper recovery nutrition can help athletes stay healthy and strong throughout the season.

In Health and Happiness,

Kelly Harrington, MS, RD

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods

References:

1. Nutrition Fact Sheet: Eating for Recovery. Sports, Cardiovascular, and Wellness Nutrition. Issue 1. April 2009.

2. McKinley Health Center University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Nutrition for Optimal Exercise Recovery. 2008.

3. Nancy Clark, MS, RD. Sports Nutrition Guidebook, 3rd edition. Human Kinetics 2003. 

What is Glutamine? 

Glutamine (aka:  L-Glutamine) is a naturally occurring non-essential amino acid commonly stored in muscles and released into the blood stream during times of stress.  It is used by the immune system during times of stress such as physical trauma, burns, starvation, and during prolonged and intense exercise.

Glutamine as a Super-Recovery Nutrient

No athlete wants to be sidelined from their sport due to a cold, especially when the sport could be the cause of the cold!  There is evidence too much intense exercise, such as repetitive long distance running, marathon training, or triathlon training, can reduce immunity.  Intense exercise also lowers blood levels of glutamine, which can remain persistently low with overtraining.¹ 

Overtraining syndrome is when an athlete is training vigorously, yet performance deteriorates.  One sign of overtraining syndrome is a suppressed immune function, with an increased incidence of upper respiratory tract infections.  An increase incidence in these infections is also associated with high volume and/or high intensity training, as well as with excessive exercise, such as marathon or triathlon training.  The upper respiratory tract infection normally manifests between 3 to 72 hours post-race.²

Glutamine is shown to have restorative effects and during times of stress, glutamine needs increase.  The effects of glutamine supplementation on immune function after exercise have been inconsistent,^{3, 4} but a double-blind trial giving athletes glutamine (5 grams after intense, prolonged exercise, then again two hours later) reported 81% having no subsequent infection compared with 49% in the placebo group.⁵

Have You Gotten Sick After Intense Endurance Exercise?

In Health and Happiness,

Kelly Harrington, MS, RD

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods

References:

1. Rowbottom DG, Keast D, Morton AR. The emerging role of glutamine as an indicator of exercise stress and overtraining. Sports Med 1996;21:80–97 [review].

2.  Lakier Smith L.  Overtraining, excessive exercise, and altered immunity:  is this a T helper-1 versus T helper-2 lymphocyte response?  Sports Med. 2003;33(5):347-64.

3. Rohde T, MacLean DA, Pedersen BK. Effect of glutamine supplementation on changes in the immune system induced by repeated exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1998;30:856–62.

4. Castell LM, Newsholme EA. Glutamine and the effects of exhaustive exercise upon the immune response. Can J Physiol Pharmacol 1998;76:524–32 [review].

5. Castell LM, Poortmans JR, Newsholme EA. Does glutamine have a role in reducing infections in athletes? Eur J Appl Physiol 1996;73:488–90.

Natural Products Foundation:  Glutamine