Sport Nutrition Science 101 - not all products are created equal

Hydration drinks, energy drinks, energy gels. With so many different products on the market, it's important to know how they compare (and differ) in their respective functions. 

For endurance athletes, it's in your primary interest to maintain a state of hydration (fluids and sodium) while consuming adequate fuel (carbs) to optimize health and performance in training and on race day. Therefore, it's important to understand that not all sport nutrition products are created equal. 

By understanding the formulation and application of sport nutrition products, you can select your sport nutrition products more effectively, knowing that the product(s) you are using are being quickly digested and absorbed. 

Otherwise, there's a good chance that what you are consuming is sitting around in the gut, potentially causing GI issues, dehydration or bonking (and a waste of money).

Triathletes should not fuel like runners

 

Although we have a tremendous amount of research on sport nutrition strategies to optimize performance in runners, there's very little research on long distance triathlon.  It's impossible to isolate one variable in a triathlon-focused experiment. For example, with so many different environmental, physical, mental, terrain, pacing, fitness and physiological factors contributing to performance in a 70.3 or 140.6 mile event, it's impossible for research to create specific sport nutrition guidelines for swimming, biking and running when there are so many unpredictable and uncontrollable variables.

We must recognize that running off the bike for 13 or 26 miles in a half or full distance triathlon (respectively) is very different than running a stand alone half marathon or marathon. For example, a stand alone endurance runner will start the race is cool or cold conditions, first thing in the morning with a body that is glycogen loaded and well-hydrated. Marathon races are often issued a heat warning if a race is predicted to reach over 75-degrees. The pacing strategy of a marathon is usually one of holding back and increasing the pace as the race continues (negative split). The race course is generally flat and training is based on preparing to hold a specific pace. With all this in mind, a runner goes into a race with little to no added physical stress. 

A triathlete couldn't be more different. 

A triathlete starts the run in moderately warm or hot conditions. The triathlete has already been exercising for 3-6+ hours when the run begins. The triathlete is now needing to run with muscles in a fatigued state while attempting to avoid extreme dehydration and glycogen depletion. There's also the mental fatigue of racing for 5-15+ hours compared to a stand along marathon that lasts 2-3 hours for the elite athletes. 

A few other physiological changes are taking place when running off the bike: 

• Oxygen consumption, respiratory frequency, ventilation rate and heart rate increase more when running off the bike vs. stand alone running. 
• Metabolic changes - triathletes are running in a state of glycogen depletion, dehydration, ventilatory respiratory muscle fatigue, decreased stroke rate and volume and increased core body temperature. 
• Biomechanical changes - triathletes are running 13 or 26 miles with muscle fiber damage and different running economy than that of stand alone running. This includes increased ground contact time, increased vertical oscillation, decreased running economy, altered foot placement, decreased stride length and gait frequency, tight hip flexors, less stored elastic energy in the muscle-tendon complex. 
• Neural fatigue - neuromotor patterns are reduced when running off the bike. When running off the bike, triathletes also experience inefficient muscle recruitment patterns, central nervous system fatigue (inability to send signals/recruit muscles to contract), decrease in the voluntary activation of muscles, decrease in the frequency and synchronization of motor neurons, reduced drive from motor cortex. 

Having said all this, when it comes to the nutrition guidelines for runners, we can't apply the exact same fueling and hydration strategies to triathletes. Even if research doesn't offer specific guidelines for triathletes when running off the bike, it is clear that triathletes can't fuel and hydrate in the same way as stand along runners. 

'24 IM Chattanooga - How I fueled my amateur female win

It's been 18 years since my first Ironman. Eight days ago I completed my 20th Ironman (23rd long distance triathlon) in Chattanooga and it was my best-ever Ironman day in terms of speed and power on the bike and pace on the run.
At the age of 42 years, I feel incredibly strong and healthy. I contribute much of my continued success in long distance triathlon to the understanding and application of sport nutrition and nutrient timing.

Although there have been several significant advancements in the science of sport nutrition over the past few years which have contributed to faster race performances, I've kept three things the same with my training and race day fueling.......

⚡KEEP IT SIMPLE - my fueling and hydrating strategy is simple (and easy to tweak depending on the weather/distance). It's not complicated, it requires little thinking, it's easy to digest/absorb and I can stick to my strategy on any terrain or in any weather conditions.

⚡LESS IS BEST - more nutrition than what your body needs (or can digest) will not give you more energy. The goal is to fuel for the effort that you are trained to do (not the effort you wish you could do).

⚡PRACTICE - I never train underfueled/underhydrated. I fuel similar before and during my long training sessions as I do on race day. This trains my gut, builds my confidence and helps take away the guessing on race day. I know what my body needs (and when) and how to troubleshoot if something feels off in my body.

Don't wait too late to master your fueling and hydration for your long distance event.

Conquer the summer heat

Your body is going to perform differently when it's 60 degrees outside than when it is 90 degrees. Although exercising in hot weather requires extra planning and caution to avoid health risks, it is possible to improve performance, enjoy your training sessions and not feel completely drained when training in the heat.

There's a good chance that you are not making good decisions when training in the heat and as a result, your performance and health is being compromised.

Running without a hydration belt, not planning stops accordingly on the bike, showing up to workouts dehydrated, not fueling properly (or eating enough) and not rehydrating properly after workouts will negatively impact your body's thermoregulatory process.

The human body is remarkable when it comes to exericising heat, so long as you take the necessary steps to acclimate gradually, pace yourself and look for opportunities to minimize dehydration and cool the skin.

Endurance sports - why are GI issues so common?

 

Every endurance (and ultra distance) athlete wants to show up to an event/race feeling physically prepared. But what about being nutritionally prepared? 

A long distance event places a lot of stress on the human body. Extreme environmental conditions further exacerbate the physiological (and mental) demands during physical activity. While physical preparation can improve the chance of completing the event or setting a personal best time, gastrointestinal issues are likely to cause the body to underperform. Or even worse, you may not be able to complete the event due to a nutritional complication. 

Research states that around 30-70% of endurance and ultra endurance athletes experiences GI issues on race day. In other words, at an Ironman triathlon of 1500 athletes, around 1050 athletes will experience some type of GI issue. This is a very alarming statistic considering how money, time and effort go into preparing for an endurance event. 

I've worked with many athletes who have come to me after struggling with nutrition issues on race day.  While I can feel the frustration and sadness coming from the athlete (after the race that they prepared so much for, didn't go as planned), I typically see several common trends of what the athlete did before/during the race that contributed to the uncomfortable and performance compromising GI issues. 

With so many endurance and ultra distance events happening throughout the year, here are a few reasons why GI issues occur and how you can reduce your risk on race day.

Multiple Carb Transporters - rethink your sport nutrition

 

The ideal fueling strategy during training/racing is the consumption of carbohydrates in a way that can be quickly emptied from the stomach, be rapidly digested and quickly absorbed so it can be used by the working muscles.  Just because you are consuming a gel, bar, solid food or drink with carbohydrates, this doesn't mean that your muscles are receiving those carbohydrates. The takeaway from this is not all carbs are the same.

Exercise shifts blood flow away from the GI (Gastrointestional tract) towards the active muscles and lungs. Digestion is compromised during exercise. This is why it's important that your carb choices during exercise do not require a lot of digestion. The quicker and easier those carbs are emptied from the stomach, the quicker those carbs can be used by the active muscles. Also, the more digestion that is required, the greater risk for GI issues. 

After digestion comes absorption. For the muscles to continue to perform during long distance activity, absorption moves nutrients, water and electrolytes from the small intestines into the cell and then into the blood. Because cell membranes are careful not to let dangerous substances into the body, they make it difficult for nutrients to enter the body. Therefore, nutrients need the help of a transporter (protein) to move across the cell membrane barrier. For carbohydrates to be absorbed, a transporter takes the digested and broken down carbohydrate from the intestional lumen inside the intestine, through the intestinal wall and into the body circulation. 

There are two specific protein transporters (SGLT1 and GLUT5) that allow for carbohydrate absorption. When your sport drink contains glucose, sucrose, galactose, maltodextrin or starch, exogenous carbohydrate oxidation peaks ~60g/hr (~240 calories). This is because the SGLT1 transporter becomes saturated ataround 1 gram of carbohydrate per minute. This is very important because if your sport drink, bar, or gel contains only the carbohydrates listed above, consuming more than 60 grams per hour will not result in more carbohydrate oxidation. The excess carbohydrate will not be absorbed and will accumulate in the intestines. This means the muscles will fatigue despite continuing to consume a large amount of carbohydrates and the risk for GI issues increases dramatically.

Because fructose uses a different transporter (GLUT5), the additional of fructose to a sport drink will allow for higher oxidation rates (up to 90g/hr) so long as you saturate the SGLT1 transporter with 60 grams of glucose or maltodextrin. Because these carbs use different transporters, you can deliver more carbohydrate to the muscle per hour.

If you are simply consuming carbohydrates without the awareness of how much you are consuming, what types of carbs you are consuming and how often you are consuming them, there's a good chance that you are not optimizing absorption - which means a greater risk for bonking, early fatigue, dehydration and GI issues. 

According to research, the ideal combination of carbs include: 

• maltodextrin : fructose 
• glucose : fructose 
• glucose : sucrose : fructose

If you are trying to consume more than 60 grams of carbs per hour (which is around 240 calories), you need to consume a product with multiple transportable carbohydrates so that you don't clog the SGLT1 transporter. 

Because most endurance athletes will benefit from consuming between 60-90g of carbohydrates on the bike per hour, I put together the helpful chart above to help take away the guessing when trying to plan how to fuel based on the duration of your workout/race.

To increase the capacity to absorb carbohydrates, it's critical that your sport drink has the right formulation. Simply eating/drinking whatever you want, whenever you want, does not guarantee that what you are consuming is being digested and absorbed.

Haphazard Race Day Fueling Mistakes

Practice, practice, practice. 

I can't tell you how many athletes arrive to a long distance race without confidence in their fueling and hydration plan. A precise balance of carbs, fluids and electrolytes are needed to delay the onset of fatigue by sparing liver glycogen, maintaining blood glucose concentrations and off-setting excessive fluid losses from sweating.


You can't 'fake it 'til you make it' when it comes to fueling during a long distance event. It's not uncommon for athletes to underfuel/hydrate in training and then overcomplicate fueling strategies on race day due to fear of running out of energy. Whereas too little of an energy intake (carbs, calories) is detrimental to performance, not having a well-practiced nutrition plan may result in GI issues, or more serious health complications. It seems obvious that if you are going to do something on race day, you should repeatedly do it in training, but far too often is this not the case.

Rushed and busy schedules, poor planning, intentional underfueling due to body composition concerns and a lack of an understanding of how to properly fuel for long distance sport are some of the many reasons why athletes struggle to perform on race day. Don't let this be you. Invest into your sport nutrition plan like you do with your training, coaching, body work and equipment.

If you are confused how to best fuel for your sport, reach out to a sport dietitian to help take away the guessing so you can perform with confidence on race day. 

Sport Supplements 101

 

Typically, supplements are marketed to athletes as a means to help with weight loss or gain, muscle recovery, improve immunity, gut health and metabolic support. Many athletes look to supplements for a mental or physical edge in training or competition.

Supplements come in a variety of forms; tablets, liquids, powders, bars and capsules. Some of the most sought-after vitamin and mineral supplements include iron, B12, vitamin D, calcium, multivitamins, Ashwagandha, creatine, BCAA, whey protein, ketones and antioxidants like vitamin C, E and Q10.

Some supplements are problematic to health and performance. A review in the Journal of Physiology showed no strong evidence that antioxidant supplementation, such C and E, can improve performance or health. Furthermore, high-dose antioxidants may prevent important training adaptations such as creating new muscle mitochondria, muscle growth, and improving insulin sensitivity. In addition, supplements contain multiple ingredients, making it difficult to know or predict the efficacy and safety of your desired product.  Athletes must carefully investigate research prior to purchasing any type of supplement.

Not every supplement designed to enhance performance is illegal and unsafe, but exceptional marketing strategies and poorly designed research studies make it difficult to know if a product is legit. It’s your responsibility—from elite to novice—to know what you’re consuming. There is much concern over supplements containing banned substances (which will cause an athlete to fail a drug test), so it’s best to obtain your vitamins and minerals from food—just like nature intended. If you’re considering a supplement due to a blood test showing a nutrient deficiency, first consult with a Board Certified Sport Dietitian. Always choose clean, certified products and look for the Informed Sport or NSF Certified for sport seal.

A “plate not pill” approach saves money and remains the most practical way to optimize health and performance.


Sport Nutrition - Bars, chews, gels, powders, liquids
There is great evidence demonstrating the benefits (and safety) of well-formulated sport nutrition products before, during, and after training or competition. Sports foods don’t replace real food – that’s why they are encouraged to be used during sport activities. They provide a palatable and portable source of energy, electrolytes, and fluids to tackle the two main causes of fatigue: dehydration and glycogen depletion. Sports foods are engineered to easily empty from the gut and be quickly absorbed in the small intestines so the working muscles can take hold of the nutrients.  Protein powders, such as whey, provide an easy method of rapidly repairing damaged tissues after intense training. It can also help boost protein intake among athletes who follow a restrictive diet such as vegetarians.  Leucine, the key amino acid in whey protein drives the majority of protein synthesis. There’s great support demonstrating the effectiveness of whey protein as a safe recovery supplement. As with any sport food, all ingredients should be considered for safety and effectiveness.

Nutrient Supplements – Iron, Vitamin D, Calcium, B12, Probiotics, Omega-3, Multivitamin
Athletes who seek or require the use of a medical supplement typically complain of an acute or chronic health issue, a decline in performance or show abnormal blood work results. Extreme endurance activity, altitude training, and restrictive eating are common culprits for a nutrient deficiency. Any nutrient supplement should be advised and supervised by appropriate medical personnel, such as a sport dietitian prior to supplementation. It’s not uncommon for athletes to use supplements at the wrong time or in the incorrect amount or for the wrong reasons. 

Performance Supplements - Caffeine, Beta-Alanine, Creatine, Beetroot Juice, Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAA), Ketones
Athletes interested in performance supplements are generally seeking a direct gain in performance. With so many different types of performance enhancing supplements, it’s difficult to provide a universal recommendation. Just because a supplement is well-supported or used by professional athletes, such as creatine (increased muscle cell volume and fiber hypertrophy), beet juice (improved skeletal muscle efficiency), ketones (spare glycogen) and beta-alanine (buffer of muscle pH), this doesn’t mean that it will work for you. As an example, remember when MTC oil was all the craze by endurance athlete s in hopes of a performance boost? Well, two of the most common side effects were diarrhea and upset stomach. Athletes must carefully investigate research prior to purchasing any type of supplement. At minimum choose clean, certified products and look for the Informed Sport or NSF Certified for sport seal. Take every initiative to educate yourself on what’s inside a supplement (and where it comes from), as no supplement is entirely risk free. Performance supplements are typically not needed if you nail the basics of a well-planned daily diet, good nutrient timing and proper application of sport nutrition.

Long Workout Planning

Do you have a long workout this weekend??✋

As you get closer to your key races, you will likely see longer workouts in your training plan. The higher volume workouts play an important role in your athletic development and race readiness.

However, completing a long workout requires much more than just showing up and going through the motions.

Because many athletes perform long workouts on the weekend - after a stressful and busy week of work, it's not uncommon to begin the workout poorly prepared, exhausted, underfueled and dehydrated.

Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your long workouts.

Nutrition tips to optimize your evening workout

Do you want to take your health and performance to the next level?

Say hello to NUTRIENT TIMING⏰.

Nutrient timing can be the link that takes you from a good athlete to a great athlete. It can also help with better quality training sessions and reducing the risk for injury and illness.

Nutrient timing refers to the intentional manipulation of nutrients at specific times in and around exercise in an effort to achieve a specific outcome (ex. performance, health, body composition).

Although the definition is simple, the application can get complicated when you factor in workout type, duration, frequency, timing, intensity, purpose and time of the day.

When it comes to nutrient timing, evening workouts can be tough to nail. Knowing what, how much and when to eat before and after the workout can be tricky as you have to be extra intentional with making sure you time your nutrition appropriately before or after the workout.

The upside of an evening workout is that (if timed well) you already have two meals, a good amount of hydration and at least one or two snacks in your fuel tank, which means you get to start your workout with much more energy than you would for an early morning workout (although many athletes think they perform better during morning workouts vs. evening workouts).

Here are a few nutrition tips to take into consideration when planning your evening workout.

SEG Sumter Gravel Race and long workout fueling

I was really looking forward to my Saturday workout. A long ride followed by a brick run. I hadn't ridden with a group in a few weeks so I was really excited to join my friends for their 80-mile route. 

Karel participated in the South East Gravel Battle of Sumter Forest Race. This race was his first gravel race of many this year. Karel is preparing for the Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder 5-day stage race in June so every race prior is a learning opportunity. Karel spent much of Friday tinkering with his bike to get it race ready. Karel's race started at 9am and I left for my ride around 8am. 

Although I had a great ride, Karel's race didn't go as well. He experienced an issue with his tubeless valve that got loose in the first gravel section of the ride. While he was able to fix it within a few minutes, he was dead last as the pack of riders flew by him with the downhill start. The gravel conditions are super rough to start this race and the valve must have bounced itself out of the hole. Instead of turning around and calling it a day, Karel time trialed the rest of the race with another guy - averaging around 20mph for nearly 60+ miles. Karel experienced some cramps (which is commmon for him with his back/hip issues) near the end so he had to drop back and managed to pedal his way across the finish line, completed the 72 mile event in 3 hours and 47 minutes. He was happy with a solid training day. 

I finished off my ride with a 5-ish mile run. I was only planning 30-minutes but I felt really good off the bike. Here's a recap of my ride as well as the nutrition I consumed throughout my workout. 

Pre workout:

2 waffles, peanut butter, syrup, vanilla yogurt. Water. Cup of coffee.

Total: ~400 calories, 16 ounce fluid

Bike:

2 x 26 ounce bottles each with 90g Flow.

1 x 26 ounce bottle Infinit

6 power bar chews

Total: 78 ounce fluid, ~1100 calories.

Run:

1 x 10 ounce flask with 3/4 scoop Never Second C30

1 x 10 ounce flask with water

Total: 20 ounce fluid, 100 calories.

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How to fuel for triathlon race day

Preparing for a triathlon is much more than registering for a race and training to improve fitness. Sport nutrition plays an important role in race day readiness. Whether you are traveling to compete in a full distance triathlon or participating in a local sprint triathlon, dialing in your race day nutrition is key.How you fuel during a race primarily depends on the duration of the event, the weather and your racing intensity. No matter your experience, proper fueling will help you maximize your performance without compromising your health.

While you may be able to get away with a haphazard sport nutrition strategies (or not fueling at all) during your workouts, an enjoyable race day means avoiding these common performance limiters - extreme fatigue, cramping, dehydration, gastrointestinal issues.

Because proper sport nutrition should be part of your training and not something you only do a few times per month (or in the two weeks before your race), I'm providing some easy 'get started' tips to help you dial in your sport nutrition for race day.

If you would like to try out new products, consider ordering from The Feed, where you can order single servings of a wide variety of sport nutrition products.  

Why I love The FEED

 

While watching the Tour de France a few years ago, I noticed a lot of The Feed logos and commercials. I didn't care too much about the company when I first heard about it as I thought it was just another sport nutrition website to order products. 

But overtime, I realized that next to your local run/tri/bike shop, The Feed is a great place to purchase sport nutrition products (and lots of other sport related gear, equipment and nutrition). 

As a sport RD, I'm constantly recommending sport nutrition products to athletes. I'm also constantly trying out different products. But in order to see if a product will work, the only options are to hunt down a single serving at a local store or order online a case or bag of 16+ servings. It was so much more affordable for athletes (and myself) to try out products for a few workouts to see if that sport drink or recovery powder was tolerated by the taste buds and digestive system. 

As a Feed ambassador, I really enjoy this company. They are passionate about sport, inclusion, the environment and athletes and there are so many different products to chose from. Many of the products go on sale, which makes this website very practical and affordable, especially if you are on a budget but understand the importance of applying sport nutrition guidelines to your workouts. I just stocked up on a bunch of single serving packets of sport nutrition (see pic abov). I'm so excited to take a bite of the Cookies n' Cream PowerBar. I haven't had one since I was training for my first Ironman in 2006! And Karel loves the Enervit Jelly's - he always stocks up at the local bike shop in his home town of Znojmo, Czech Republic when we visit. I also wanted to try the new flavors of Never Second gels. And Karel loves Athletic Brewing Company. Sadly, our laws in SC don't allow delivery but we can get through the system through The Feed. 

Here are a few of the reasons why I love purchasing products from The Feed: 

• Prevent taste bud fatigue with different flavors/brands
• Try out different brands
• Gift to a friend who is interested in trying out new products
• Great for younger athletes who want to experiment with different bars and sport drinks for practices and games
• Try out different products if you have a sensitive stomach (this way you aren't stuc with a box of 24 gels if you can't tolerate one of them)
• Learn about new companies/products 
• Purchase single servings to experiment with new products/flavors to incorporate into your fueling regime
• Purchase single servings for travel/races/long training sessions
• Create an order of your favorite brands, shipped all at once.
• Try products from other countries (which is helpful if you plan to race internationally)
• Subscribe and get your favorites delivered every 4 weeks
• Keep your sport nutrition stock varied so you can choose the best option for the workout/race

To get shopping, you can use my custom link  thefeed.cc/trimarnicoach

Understanding upper GI issues on race day

Gastrointestional issues are very common among endurance athletes. Complaints are usually dividing into two categories - upper GI and lower GI. 

Most athletes are familiar with lower GI issues - gas, loose stool, urge to defecate, diarrhea, abdominal cramping. I've written several articles on the topic of GI issues but most of the gastrointestinal issues I discuss involve the lower GI tract. In working with hundreds of endurance athletes on race day nutrition, the common culprits of lower GI issues include dehydration and concentrated or poorly applied sport nutrition consumption. I find this area fairly straightforward when it comes to prescribing well-formulated sport nutrition products to minimize or alleviate lower GI issues on race day. 

When it comes to upper GI issues in endurance athletes, like belching, vomiting, reflux/heartburn, trouble swallowing and bloating, this area has been more challenging to fix. What makes it so difficult is that most of the athletes that come to me for nutrition assistance only experience upper GI issues on race day, specifically in the half or full distance triathlon. With no common source of complaints, I've done a lot of research in this area and have come to a few conclusions as to why some athletes only experience upper GI issues on race day. 

Before addressing some of the culprits of upper GI issues, it's important to understand a few conditions that are related to upper GI issues.

1) GERD (gastro esophageal reflux disease) or heartburn. 
GERD occurs when the cardiac sphincter relaxes and allows stomach acid to regurgitate into the lower part of the esophagus. The cardiac sphincter separates the lower part of the swallowing tube (esopghagus) from the stomach.

Common symptoms of GERD include: 

• A burning sensation in the middle of the upper abdomen and chest. 
• Burping. 
• Regurgitation of food. 
• The taste of acid in the mouth. 
  
• Trouble swallowing. 
• Persistent cough/throat clearing or hoarse voice/sore throat
• Asthma 

2) Aerophagia - ingestion of air into the esophagus and stomach. 

Aerophagia occurs when a person swallows too much air.

Common symptoms of Aerophagia include: 

• Bloating 
• Belching 
• Decreased appetite 
• Diarrhea 
• Gas 
• Stomach noise 
• Uncomfortable distension of the stomach 

In my experience, I believe that these are two of the primary causes of upper GI issues in endurance athletes. Based on the risk factors for aerophagia and GERD, it also makes sensee why some athletes only experience issues on race day - and not in training. 

3) Functional Dyspepsia - Indigestion. 
Dyspepsia is a term for the intermittent signs and symptoms of indigestion that have no obvious cause.  

Common symptoms of Dyspepsia include: 

• Pain or discomfort in the upper abdomen
• Bloating
• Belching 
  
• Nausea 
• Early feeling of fullness/satiety when eating

CAUSES OF AEROPHAGIA 

• When swimming, your body is placed into a horizontal position. It's common to take big gulps of air when turning the head to breathe, especially in choppy conditions or at an effort higher tha what you are used to. Seeing that the majority of triathletes do not swim before the bike but only on race day and the swim can be unpredictable and chaotic....it makes sense why so many athletes experience upper GI issues only on race day - after the swim. 
• Drinking from a straw (straw-based hydration systems). Each sip from the straw draws air into your mouth which is then swallowed. 
• Breathing rapidly and deeply (intensity) In the upright position (ex. bike or run), air rises above stomach liquids and expelled as a burp. In the horizontal position (swim/bike), air may get trapped behind stomach fluids and is sent into the small intestine, causing pain and gas. 
• Chewing gum or drinking carbonated beverages may cause you to swallow excess air. Gulping beverages (instead of sipping) may also cause you to swallow air. 

CAUSES OF GERD/DYSPEPSIA

• Pre-race/race day stress and nerves - anxiety reduces pressure in the lower esophageal sphincter. Stress increases pressure around the stomach and pushes acid up. High anxiety may increase stomach acid production. 
• Eating too close to the race start or consuming food/sport nutrition while transitioning from swim to bike or bike to run. After a meal, it normally takes ~2-4 hours for food to move out of the stomach and into the small intestines. Allowing time for food to pass from the stomach to the small intestines will reduce the risk of reflux during exercise. 
• Exercise causes greater intra-abdominal pressure. Intense or jarring movements can force stomach acid into the esophagus, causing burning and irritation. 
• Bouncing and jostling can irritate the lower esophageal sphincter. 
• Tight fitting clothing, especially around the waist. 
• Full bending at the waist causes compression on the stomach and upper GI tract (aero position). 
• Lower esophageal sphincter (LES) losing its tone from the following substances: 
  -peppermint, onions, garlic, chocolate, acidic citrus, tomato products
  -coffee (caffeinate or not) increase stomach acidity and the caffeine acts to relax LES
  -alcohol - relaxes the LES muscles and irritates the mucous membrane of the LES.
  -medications - some asthma inhalers, common pain relievers, blood pressure meds and heard medications. 
  -adrenaline - a hormone secreted by the adrenal glands during times of stress
  -routine use of NSAIDs - inhibit protective prostaglandins and produce ulcerations in mucous membranes lining the stomach and the esophagus.
  
  Note: I've also looked into the citric acid in sport drinks as a culprit of upper GI issues and have not found a significant link. Even when I've switched athletes to a citric acid free drink, reflux still occurred. 

Sources
Medical News Today
Medline Plus
Triathlete
JCSM
USMA
MayoClinic

Benefits of a hydration belt, vest or pack

I never run without my hydration belt. It's part of my running attire and I feel naked without it. 
It doesn't matter the duration or intensity of the workout or the weather, I always have a sport drink with me in my hydration belt. 

If you are a long distance athlete, you've likely experiences several pronounced and uncomfortable symptoms related to unsuccessful fueling/hydration methods. Headache, dehydration, swelling, bloating, sleepiness, lethargy, lack of appetite, nausea, chills, fatigue, deep muscle aches, moodiness and dizziness are not just performance limiting but they are also extremely risky for your overall health.

Proper fueling during intense or long duration exercise can help you sustain a desirable effort to maximize training adaptations.

Proper fueling/hydration also minimizes the stress load to help keep your body in better health.

Proper fueling/hydration in training also helps you practice fueling strategies for competition as you can train the gut to tolerate nutrition while exercise at various intensities.

Contrary to the opinion of other nutrition experts, I'm a huge proponent of prioritizing sport drinks during training. While this is easy to do while biking, most runners and triathletes are unable to apply well-researched, scientific nutrition guidelines to running because it's hard to consistently drink a well-formulated sport drink if you don't have one with you. 

A sport drink provides a practical and easy way to obtain fluids, electrolytes and carbohydrates, in the right formulation to optimize digestion and absorption. Because you will always need to consume fluid when you train in the heat, wearing a hydration belt, pack or vest is a practical, convenient and easy-to-replicate way to meet your fluid, sodium and carbohydrate needs.

If you'd like to read more about the benefits and misconceptions with sport drinks, you can check out this blog I wrote. 

Knowing the importance of proper fueling and hydrating while running, many companies - like Naked, Fuel belt, Orange Mud, USWE and Nathan - have solved the issue of how to stay hydrated when you run. Lucky for you, there are so many belt, band, pack and vest options. Depending on the duration and intensity of your run, as well as the weather, it's important to choose the belt, pack or vest that offers the right amount of fluid-holding capacity for your needs. As a reminder, it's ok to stop and refill fluids - I actually recommend it as carrying more than 30 ounces of fluid while running can be heavy when you start running. But having fluids on you throughout your entire run will ensure that you are well-hydrated and fueled, minimizing the risk for dehydration, heat stress, GI issues and glycogen depletion.

As a starting point, aim to consume 3-5 ounces (3-5 gulps) of fluid, 20-40 calories and 80-100mg sodium for every 10 minutes of running. 
Example: 30 minute run off the bike = 9-15 ounce water + 60-120 calories + 240-300mg sodium. 

Nutritional Considerations for Evening Workouts

 

I love our Tuesday night workout.

Karel and I leave our house at 4:40pm and ride to Donaldson. This takes us around 75-minutes to cover 17.5 miles. To get to the group ride, we bike mostly on the Swamp Rabbit trail with a few miles on the road and two short sections on gravel. I love the start of the ride because it serves as a great warm-up before we meet the Spinners A-Group at 6pm. Plus, it's so much better than sitting in the car for 40-minutes to drive to the group ride. There are several others (probably 10-20) that ride to and from the group ride, which makes it fun to chat before and after the ride. 

The A-ride includes a police escort (everyone chips-in $5) for safety as the group of 50+ riders loops around the "Perimeter." We do 5 loops which comes to around 37 miles. The ride is around 90 minutes depending on the speed of the group. The ride is fast and it requires so much focus. There are a lot of surges as the riders in front try to breakaway and then the group tries to chase. I love the dynamics of group riding, even though it makes me work oh-so-hard. I made 4 loops two weeks ago and last week I made all 5 loops. Yesterday was the hardest - the group averaged 25 mph and there were so many attacks, surges, chases and single-file lines. I was the lone female in the group as my fellow female cyclists recently raced in Knoxville. I have no idea how I was able to hang on. I was thankful for a few guys (and Karel) who were helping me (barely) stay with the group. I always finish the ride exhausted and satisfied and yesterday was no exception. I refused to give up last night, which meant pulling every ounce of energy out of my body to not get dropped. 

After the ride, we bike home (making a quick stop at the gas station to refill our bottles), which is around 14 miles and it takes us just under an hour. The sun is setting and the trail is quiet and peaceful. We often see deer and bunnies along the trail. 

In total, Karel and I get in almost 70 miles in around 3 hours and 40 minutes and arrive home before 9pm. It's my favorite workout for a few reasons: I get to socialize, I'm on my road bike and I'm outside. Oh and I get in an awesome workout!

The only downside to this evening ride is that we get home late. This makes it hard to get in a good meal and a good night of sleep. Knowing that many athletes workout in the evening, here are a few nutrition considerations for late-day workouts. 

Recovery nutrition 
A workout is only beneficial if you can recover from it. Make sure to get in some type of snack or meal within 30-minutes of completing your workout. Aim for low fat and low fiber foods and prioritize carbohydrates and protein. To help you make good nutritional decisions in your post workout meal, I suggest to have food prepared and ready for when you get home so that you don't find yourself going for what is most convenient. Plan ahead so that a meal is ready. This will also make it easier for you to eat as soon as you get home - which means more time to digest the meal before bed. Although rehydration is very important, make sure to not overdo it on liquids as you'll find yourself making frequent trips to the bathroom throughout the night. Avoid finishing the workout dehydrated - the better you fuel/hydrate during the workout, the easier you'll recover. 

Loss of appetite
Whereas you'd think that you'd be starving by the time you finish a late day workout, many athletes struggle to eat after a workout. But go into a workout starving and you may find yourself overeating as soon as you finish the session. If you lack an appetite, optimize liquid calories which will tackle three things at once - carbohydrates, fluids and electrolytes. One of my go-to drinks is a glass of Orange Juice with a pinch of salt and then a whey smoothie w/ fruit and milk. Most breakfast meal options work well for a late night easy-to-digest meal. To avoid feeling starving during the workout, don't forget to have a small snack before the workout (if working out late, you may need an afternoon snack and then another pre-workout snack). You may also want to have a carb-rich snack for the drive home if you are unable to eat within 30 minutes after your workout. 

Balanced diet
It's not ideal to refuel from a hard workout with a large leafy and cruciferous salad at 9pm. Instead, you'll optimize recovery (and promote better digestion) with carbohydrates and protein - low fiber and low fat. Because your post workout meal may not look "healthy" the key to optimizing daily nutrition is to compliment that dinner meal by filling in nutritional gaps earlier in the day. Ideally, breakfast or lunch should be your "plant-rich" meal to ensure that you are getting in a few servings of vegetables, along with high-fiber grains, quality protein and healthy fats. So long as you aren't working out within 4 hours from lunch, you should be able to easily digest a wholesome meal at lunch without risking GI issues during your evening workout. However, if you are prone to Gi issues in the evening, I suggest to opt for cooked/baked veggies over raw and to avoid cruciferous veggies. 

Sport Nutrition
You may not think that you need to fuel during your evening workout but the better you support yourself nutritionally, the easier you'll recover and the better you'll sleep after the workout. If you finish the workout depleted and dehydrated, you may find yourself sleeping poorly, struggling with recovery and putting yourself at risk for sickness. Make sure to have a snack in the 45-90 minutes before the workout and use sport nutrition (ex. sport drink) during the workout. Because the brain requires glucose when you sleep, if your liver glycogen stores are low after your workout and you are dehydrated, you'll find it difficult to get a good night of sleep (and you may find yourself starving at 1am).

Sleep
Speaking of sleep, when your body temperature is elevated, your body is working to digest a meal, adrenaline is elevated and your body is nervous and endocrine system is overly excited, you may find yourself awake in bed, tossing and turning - despite being exhausted. Because the harder and longer the workout, the more trouble you may have getting a restful night of sleep, try to cool yourself down as soon as you finish your workout. Douse yourself with cold water or an ice pack if you are feeling hot. You may even try a cold shower. Don't rely on caffeine to give you "energy" so consuming a stimulant to help you start or get through a workout may make insomnia even worse. You may feel tired but after a good warm-up, you'll find yourself alert and ready to go. Avoid caffeine before/during the workout (as well as alcohol). The next day, reduce the temptation to rely on a stimulant to help you power through the day. Although you may feel tired, avoiding caffeine during the afternoon and resisting the urge to take a nap the next day can ensure a good night of sleep the evening after your restless night of sleep - which should help you get back on a good sleep cycle. 

How to Carb Load (and common mistakes)

 

Over the past 50 years, a significant amount of research has shown the important role of glycogen for delaying fatigue in athletes competing in endurance and ultra endurance events. Glycogen is the storage form of carbohydrates. In humans, small amounts of glycogen are also found in tissues and cells, like the kidneys, red blood cells and brain. Glycogen is primarily stored primarily in the cells of the liver (~100g) and skeletal muscle (~500g). Skeletal muscles transform chemical energy to mechanical work. Glycogen is the body's predominant source of energy during moderate to high intensity activity. The depletion of muscle glycogen during endurance activity causes early fatigue. 

Dietary carbohydrates are converted to glucose - the main source of energy for the body and brain. For the non-diabetic population, when you eat a carb-rich meal, your blood glucose will rise. Increased blood glucose signals the pancreas to produce insulin - a very important hormone that helps the body cells take up glucose from the bloodstream to be used for immediate energy or for storage. Insulin tells the liver and muscle cells to produce the enzyme glycogen synthase that links chains of glucose together to form a glycogen molecule to be delivered to the liver and muscles. 

Because glycogen has a limited storage capacity, the intake of carbohydrates is extremely important for endurance athletes. High muscle glycogen content improves high intensity and endurance performance by increasing the time to fatigue. Due to the high demand for glycogen as an energy source, many athletes stay in a state of low glycogen depletion. Trying to complete high intensity or high volume workouts in a state of very low glycogen can increase the risk for damaged muscle tissue, immune system suppression and injury. Thus the importance of proper fueling, nutrient timing and understanding daily energy needs to support the current training load. And for all this to happen, the athlete must have a good relationship with food and the body. 

The heavily researched topic of carb-loading focuses on increasing the content of stored glycogen in an anticipation for the upcoming endurance event. Maximizing glycogen stores can help reduce fatigue in events lasting longer than 90-minutes. 

There are a lot of misconceptions around carbo-loading and a few key considerations to help you get the most out of glycogen supercompensation. 

• Muscle damage limits the capacity of the muscle to store glycogen, even while consuming a high carbohydrate diet. If you go into a race with damaged muscles (ex. downhill running, back-to-back racing), don't assume that a high carbohydrate diet will magically make your muscles perform/feel better. 
• Most of the research on carb-loading is on men. But there is a little research showing that females may require a slightly different pre-race fueling strategy due to metabolic differences from different hormonal profiles (specifically estradiol). Whereas men are advised to increase carbohydrate intake before a race, women are advised to increase carbs and calories. In other words, women may need to "energy load." 
• Muscle glycogen concentration is dependent on the diet. The higher carb intake in your diet, the higher the glycogen stores. 
• Training increases the amount of glycogen that can be stored in the muscle. Endurance training increases muscle glycogen stores and reduces the reliance on glycogen as a result of increased use of free fatty acids by active muscle cells. This metabolic adaptation allows your body to become more efficient at storing glycogen while also becoming more metabolically efficient. 
• After prolonged intense exercise, muscle glycogen levels may fall from 150-200 mmol/kg wet weight to <50 mmol/kg wet weight. When muscle glycogen levels fall to less than 70 mmol/kg wet weight, calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum is impaired - which impacts muscle function, power output and performance. 
• Muscle glycogen resynthesis is a very slow process. It may take several days of rest or very light training (along with a higher carb diet) for muscle glycogen levels to reach adequate levels after several days of hard training. Consuming a high carbohydrate diet is critical to meet the demands of high volume/intensity training. 
• Carbo-loading should not be confused with overeating. Effective glycogen loading should the the result of emphasizing more energy-dense, low fiber carbohydrate sources and reducing fat intake alongside reducing (not stopping) energy expenditure (tapering). 
• One to two days of carbohydrate loading is sufficient to prepare your muscles for the upcoming event. 
• Glycogen depletion is considered an important limiting factor to performance. But eating more carbohydrates will not make you a better trained athlete. However, just because you didn't complete your  training as planned, this doesn't mean that you need to punish your body by underfueling. 

Carb-Loading Tips

• A carbohydrate intake of 5-7g/kg/day in the 1-2 days before your endurance event is recommended. 
• If you have a sensitive stomach or are prone to GI issues, be strategic with the foods you consume. Opt for a low-residue diet. 
• Males should aim for ~70% of the daily diet from carbs (without making a major change to caloric intake). A female athlete should aim to eat ~70% from carbs with an additional 30% increase in normally consumed calories. 
• Carbo-loading does not remove the need to stay well-fueled and hydrated throughout your event. Carb-loading is designed to help delay fatigue - not avoid fatigue. 
• Consume small meals, regularly throughout the day. Create a schedule (and plan) for eating so that you don't forget to eat or go long hours without eating. 
• If you feel "heavy" when you carb-load, this is good. This reflects the water weight that is added from glycogen storage. For every gram of glycogen stored in your body, you store ~3 ounces of water. This is also why people immediately lose weight on a low-carb diet. It doesn't have to do with body fat but water weight. 
• Aim to eat your largest carb meals in the morning hours (breakfast - lunch) to allow more time for digestion. 
• Stay well-hydrated throughout the day to help with digestion. 
• Practice with similar pre-race foods in training to build familiarity and confidence for race day. 

Sample Carbo-Loading Menu (~400g carbohydrates)

Breakfast: Pancakes + syrup + juice + eggs + fruit
Snack: Granola bar + pretzels + sport drink
Lunch: 2 cups rice + chicken + optional small salad
Snack: Yogurt + granola + berries
Dinner: Large potato + veggie burger + soup

Sources: 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6566225/
https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1113/JP280221

https://www.220triathlon.com/training/nutrition-training/do-female-athletes-need-to-carb-load-more-or-less-than-male-ones-before-a-race/
https://www.mysportscience.com/post/carb-loading
https://www.scienceforsport.com/carbohydrate-loading-for-endurance-still-a-good-practice/

Gut Training Tips for Ultra/Endurance Athletes

 

Every sport has its own nutritional considerations. For example, the needs of a 100 meter swimmer are very different than a 10K open water swimmer - even though both are swimmers. The same is true of a marathon runner compared to a long distance triathlete - even though both run 26.2 miles. While nutrition is important for every type of athlete, the nutritional demands of training and racing are different for every athlete and depend on factors such as distances and intensities being performed, as well as on the type of terrain, temperature and altitude. 

With respect to endurance and ultra endurance events, athletes experience numerous physiological stressors which can have significant health and performance consequences. Certainly, proper fueling and hydrating can minimize the risk of issues. From glycogen depletion and dehydration to muscle damage and GI issues, many athletes have a poor understanding of how to fuel appropriately during long distance activity - or intentionally underfuel for fear of gaining weight. 

GI issues are very common among endurance athletes. Symptoms like bloating, cramping, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and reflux are some of the most common reasons why athletes struggle to perform to their abilities on race day. 

The GI (or gastrointestinal tract) plays a very important role in how your body performs on race day. This series of connected organs is the only way to deliver carbohydrates and fluids to the blood during long distance activity. Because the gut is very adaptable, you need to take the time to "train the gut" in order to improve stomach comfort, improve gastric emptying and absorptions and reduce symptoms of GI distress - all in an effort to improve endurance performance. 

To help you train your gut, here are a few key considerations: 

• It can take between 6-10 weeks to improve stomach comfort. You should be preparing for your 'race day' nutrition plan at least 10 weeks out from the event by practicing nutrition similar to race day during your longest training sessions. Start on the low end and gradually work your way up in calories/fluid. You can begin to train your gut by consuming smaller amounts of sport nutrition during shorter workouts to get comfortable drinking/eating while exercising, while also experimenting with different products/flavors. 
• Dehydration makes GI issues worse. Dehydration slows down gastric emptying. Make sure to consume well-formulated sport drinks with adequate fluid. Also, be mindful to adjust your pacing and nutrition intake for hotter conditions (more dilute/electrolyte rich) when the gut will be more compromised due to the heat. Because most athlete underhydrate and underfuel while running, it's to your best interest to use a hydration belt/pack when you run. 
• There are two specific protein transporters (SGLT1 and GLUT5) that allow for carbohydrate absorption. When your sport drink contains glucose, sucrose, maltodextrin or starch, exogenous carbohydrate oxidation peaks ~60g/hr (~240 calories). This is because the SGLT1 transporter becomes saturated. Because fructose uses a different transporter (GLUT5), adding fructose to a sport drink can allow for higher oxidation rates (up to 90g/hr). And research shows that up to 90g of a 2:1 glucose/fructose ratio also improves performance. To increase the capacity to absorb carbohydrates, it's critical that your sport drink has the right formulation. Simply eating/drinking whatever you want, whenever you want is not what it means to "train the gut."
• A higher carb diet (for ~2 weeks) will result in the upregulation of SGLT1 transporters. Therefore, if you consume a low carb diet and then attempt to train the gut with a high amount of carbohydrates, the higher carb intake will not be well absorbed. Additionally, a keto diet may impair the muscle's ability to use glycogen for oxidation, compromising the use of a more economical energy source when the oxygen supply becomes limiting when effort exceeds >80% maximal aerobic capacity.
• You can't blame everything on sport nutrition. Pre-workout/race fat/fiber intake, highly concentrated carb solutions (ex. putting 3-4 hours worth of nutrition in one bottle), poor pacing, poor terrain management, jostling of organs, posture, inefficient movements, stress/nervous and redistribution of blood flow away from the gut and to the skin and working muscles may cause GI issues. 

Because research (and real life evidence) shows that carbohydrate, fluid and sodium intake during endurance activity can result in faster performances due to less fatigue, training your gut is necessary if you want to minimize GI issues while maintaining optimal energy levels during your event. 

If you've had negative experiences with sport nutrition, you are not alone. But don't let these experiences stop you from consuming the fuel that your body needs to stay healthy and to perform at its best. Remember - your body is very adaptable. Like training your muscles, you need to train your gut. 

Sources: 
https://www.gssiweb.org/sports-science-exchange/article/training-the-gut-for-athletes

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5371619/

https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1113/JP278928

Sport Nutrition 101 - making a case for sport drinks

If you are a long distance athlete, you've likely experiences several pronounced and uncomfortable symptoms related to unsuccessful fueling/hydration methods. Headache, dehydration, swelling, bloating, sleepiness, lethargy, lack of appetite, nausea, chills, fatigue, deep muscle aches, moodiness and dizziness are not just performance limiting but they are also extremely risky for your overall health. 

Proper fueling during intense or long duration exercise can help you sustain a desirable effort to maximize training adaptations. 

Proper fueling/hydration also minimizes the stress load to help keep your body in better health.

Proper fueling/hydration in training also helps you practice fueling strategies for competition as you can train the gut to tolerate nutrition while exercise at various intensities.

Contrary to the opinion of other nutrition experts, I'm a huge proponent of prioritizing sport drinks during training. I've also had great success prioritizing liquid calories during long distance training (for myself and for the hundreds of athletes that have consulted with me on sport nutrition).

If you are training for a long-distance event (90+ minutes) or training intensely in the heat for 60+ minutes, a sport drink provides a practical and easy way to obtain fluids, electrolytes and carbohydrates, in the right formulation to optimize digestion and absorption. Because you will always need to consume fluid when you train in the heat, a sport drink makes the most sense as the most practical, convenient and easy-to-replicate source to meet your fluid, sodium and carbohydrate needs.
Most sport drinks are very safe and effective but are often misused or neglected – especially in the heat.

Let's learn a bit more about sport drinks and clear up any confusion around sport nutrition products. 

Sport Drink Formulation
For a sports drink to work effectively, it must have the same or less than osmolality of blood. As a reference, blood plasma has an osmolality of 280-300 milliosmoles per kilogram and a bottle of Gatorade has an osmolality of ~330 mOsm/kg. A sports drinks osmolality (Iso-, hyper- or hypotonic) is dependent on the carbohydrate type (ex. glucose, fructose, maltodextrin) and concentration (grams) in a solution (fluid ounces) – in other words, how quickly it can absorb into your blood stream. If a drink’s osmolality is greater than the blood’s (concentrated or hypertonic), liquid will be pulled from the blood and into the intestine to equalize the two concentrations – this net movement of water is theoretically dehydrating. A iso- or hypotonic drink, in contrast, will provide a favorable osmotic gradient so that water diffuses into the cells. If you fail to replace the fluids and electrolytes (sodium) lost in sweat, a cascade of negative events occurs, such as a rise in osmolality, a drop in blood pressure and an increase in heart rate. In contrast, if you drink too much water too quickly and don’t consume drinks with adequate sodium, sodium levels will drop as body water levels rise, causing cells to swell. The tonicity of your sport nutrition is extremely important and likely the main contributor to GI issues, dehydration and early fatigue/bonking. The liquid component is very important and why so many athletes experience issues with only consuming solid food, gels and chews (especially when running). 
Takeaway: 
-Hypotonic - lower concentration of fluid, sugars and salt than the blood. Fast absorption into the bloodstream for quick hydration and electrolyte release. Ideal when you need to hydrate quickly and are not trying to maximize carbohydrate consumption (example during high intensity running, running off the bike and post workout).
-Isotonic - similar concentration of fluids, sugars and salt to blood. When your focus is more on carbohydrate delivery than on hydration/sodium. Because the energy and electrolyte release is slower, a isotonic beverage requires more time to get across the gut wall. This is ideal for long bike rides. An isotonic beverage would work well for a high intensity and/or moderate length bike workout, a swim session and low intensity longer runs. 
-Hypertonic - higher concentration of fluids, sugars and salt to blood. Because of the slow absorption rate, it's not advised to rely solely on chews/gels/bars during your workout. Concentrating your drinks (ex. multi-hour bottle of sport nutrition) is a culprit of Gi issues, nausea and feeling extra thirsty as your body has to move water from the bloodstream to the intestines to dilute fluids before absorbing them. A hypertonic beverage is ideal post workout when you are trying to maximize carbohydrate intake. 

What about Juice, Coconut Water or making my own sport drink?
Because fructose uses a different intestinal transporter compared to glucose and once in the bloodstream, has to be taken up by the liver to be processed into a usable fuel source for the muscles (which can take up to 90 minutes), juices are not recommended as a "sport drink" during exercise.

Although coconut water contains calcium, phosphorus and magnesium (electrolytes found in sweat), sodium and chloride are the major electrolytes because they reside in the extracellular fluid. Compared to a sugar-rich hydration beverage, coconut water is a safe and natural option to occassionally enjoy as an alternative to water. However, to sustain moderate to high-intensity exercise for longer than 90-minutes, the body depends on ingested carbohydrates and sodium – both of which lack in appropriate amounts in coconut water. Additionally, if you are paying extra for coconut water to increase your daily potassium intake, look no further than the produce aisle – a large potato contains 1553 mg of potassium! If you enjoy the taste of coconut water over plain water, choose it for light activity. But to prevent dehydration, replace lost electrolytes and provide the muscles with carbohydrates, a well-formulated sport drink is encouraged. In all other situations, plain water should be your go-to hydration beverage.

As for making your own sport drink - leave it to sport nutrition companies. Instead, make your breakfast, lunch and dinner as you can get more bang from your buck by preparing your meals instead of being a chemist in your kitchen. 

Gels, Bars and Chews
Gels, bars and chews are highly concentrated, portable sources of carbohydrates that are easy to consume during exercise but they lack the fluid and electrolytes that you’d find in a sport drink and are not in the right formulation by themselves to be easily digested and absorbed. Same goes for salt pills. Most gels and chews contain around 100 calories (or 25g of carbs) per serving. More concentrated in carbohydrates compared to a sport drink, gels and chews must be consumed with water to encourage gastric emptying. For every 25g of carbohydrates, at least 12-16 ounce of water should be consumed. Athletes may prefer to dilute a gel into a flask or bottle of water to create a more dilute concentration. Considerably low in sodium (50-100mg), gels and chews are ineffective to replenish sodium lost in sweat. Remember, your fluid, sodium and carb intake will be for nothing if it’s just sloshing around in your gut. As a refresher, scroll back up to re-read about the tonicity of a sport drink and how complicated fueling/hydration becomes when you try to meet your sodium, fluid and carbohydrate needs with different sources. 

This doesn’t mean that you can't consume solid food or a gel or chews during long distance training, but to minimize GI issues and to simplify sport nutrition, I strongly advise to prioritize liquid sport drinks when you train (and race) and use chews/swig of gel for a central nervous system pick-me-up and bars/solid food to keep the tummy happy.

Digestion and Absorption

When applying the topic of sport nutrition, it's important to understand that just because you are consuming carbohydrates, sodium and water, this doesn't mean that your muscles are receiving what you are consuming. If a product is not consumed properly (or formulated properly when mixed), it'll simply hang around in the gut - causing bloating, a sloshy stomach, heart burn, belching, vomiting, gas and/or diarrhea. fluid ingestion. This can further lead to dehydration and glycogen depletion.

Water is absorbed in the small intestines and by the time it enters the large intestines, roughly 80% absorption has occurred. The rate of gastric emptying and intestinal absorption are dependent on the volume and formulation of the beverage. The greater the concentration, the greater the osmolality. This is why you should never concentrate your sport drink – like putting 400-600 calories (2 or 3 hours worth of calories) in one bottle that only has 28 ounces of fluid. When you drink water, there’s a drive for the water to dilute the blood (water moves toward blood) but if you drink a more concentrated beverage than blood, like a hypertonic sport drink or soda or juice, water will move from inside the bloodstream and into the gut – which is dehydrating. The inclusion of electrolytes and glucose in a beverage promotes retention of fluids. When you add a little sugar with sodium (as in a sport drink), you can pull a great amount of water across the small intestines, optimizing water absorption. To help with fluid and electrolyte loss, it's not just about the carbs. You also need to ingest water and electrolytes from a sport drink to keep plasma volume at normal levels. 

There's also an added benefit of a sport drink having multiple carbohydrates for better digestion and absorption but I'll save that for another blog. 

With all this in mind, there are several reputable sport nutrition companies out there to help meet your needs. Here are a few of my favorite sport drinks: 

Swim and Run: 
-Skratch
-Clif hydration
-Fluid
-NBS Carbo-hydration
-Base
-Nuun endurnace 
-Osmo
-EFS

(Don't forget to wear a hydration pack/belt to make it easy to fuel/hydrate when you run. My go-to is Naked)

Bike: 
-Infinit (no protein/fat added)
-Carborocket
-Maurten 320
-Skratch superfuel 

What else should you look for in a sport drink? 

• Simple ingredients - carbohydrate, sodium, natural flavors, preservative (ex. citric acid). 
• Taste - vary the flavors of your sport drink. If you don't like the flavor or texture, you probably won't drink enough of it. If you love it and consume it too often/frequently, you may experience taste bud fatigue and dread it on race day. Consider refreshing and light-tasting flavors especially for the later half of longer workouts. 
• Texture - A sport drink should feel hydrating. If it leaves a funny taste in your mouth or if it's difficult to consume, it's not the right drink for you. 
• Avoid caffeine, protein, fat and other "boosters" in your drink. If you need a boost, get it from an outside source so that you aren't stuck with those added products in your drink (as many times they can cause GI distress). 
• Reach out to a sport dietitian for help. Finding and utilizing sport nutrition is a science and involves a bit of trial and error. Take away the guessing and reach out for help.

Is your good enough, enough?

Over the past decade, hundreds of athletes have come to me for help with daily nutrition, sport nutrition and training assistance. Most of these athletes have identified a specific limitation that is preventing them from optimizing performance, maintaining good health and/or advancing fitness in preparation for an athletic event.

But I also hear statements like the following from athletes who are not comfortable with change. 
"I eat good."
"My workouts are good."

Why be good when you can be great? 

Last week we had our athlete Kaley in town for 2 days. Kaley traveled to us from the DC area and she is a developing triathlete athlete who is a super speedy swimmer and is very strong on the bike. However, she hasn't been able to master the bike/run combo to her potential so she made a trip to us to update her bike position on her tri and road bike and to work on bike handling skills.

The first day of Kaley's trip was dedicated to Karel fitting her on two bikes (road and triathlon). This process took all afternoon. The second day we ventured outside for 2 hours and focused on terrain management and mastering basic bike handling skills for safer, smarter and stronger riding on hilly terrain. We started off on gentle rollers and wide turns to practice shifting, standing and interacting with the bike. We then rode up and over Paris Mountain to practice climbing, descending, tight turns, body position and proper gear shifting. The end of the ride took us through the punchy hills, twists turns and technical terrain on the backside of Paris Mountain. Although we only covered 30 miles in 2 hours, we covered almost 2000 feet of elevation to help Kaley take her skills from good enough to even better. 

But this trip was not all about Kaley. I was so excited to have Kaley in town because she is a great swimmer. Since we both come from a similar swim background, I was really looking forward to having her push me in the pool. Although I have a great swim partner in town (Kristen), Kaley is just a bit faster than me so I knew I would need to work extra hard to keep up for her. 

Wow - I have not been that tired in such a long time. I also haven't swam that fast in a very long time. For such a long time, I had been trying to break 36 seconds in a 50. And then with Kaley pushing me, I was coming in around 34 seconds. I knew I had it in me but I wasn't willing to let myself suffer that much on my own. Not only did I realize that I had more in me that I was not giving during the faster/all out sets but I also need to eat a bit more after the swims to ensure that I was recovering well from these really intense swim workouts on Thursday and Friday. 

I believe that every athlete has somewhere in their life and/or training where improvements can be made. Sure, things may be good but I bet they could be even better. Just like Kaley could have settled for her good skills and I could continue to settle for good enough in the water, we all have more in us that we are capable of.....If we are willing to take the necessary steps to go from good to great. 

Consider the following examples: 
-You don't eat before your workouts but you feel like you have good workouts. What if you ate before and had even better workouts? 
-You don't do mobility before your workouts but you feel you have good workouts. What if you did mobility and had even better workouts? 
-You sleep ok and you eat low carb and you feel like you have good workouts. What if eating more carbs could help you sleep better and you could have better workouts? 

Perhaps it's fear of the unknown, fear of failure, not having the right tools or being a bit stubborn, when you choose to settle for less than what you are capable of, you are limiting yourself and restricting your own potential. 

Take a moment and ask yourself if you have been settling on being average instead of taking the steps to become the best possible version of yourself. 

If you keep doing what you've always done, you'll keep getting the same results. Raise your standards for yourself. 

Don't let good enough be good enough.