Hey Guys,
The following is a final project paper written by Anna Bisaro. I student at Northwestern University. I was interview for the paper. It was some great information. I encourage you to read it all. I will also add, one great strategy for proper sports nutrition is to ask yourself the question. "Why am I eating this? Is it going fuel me positively or negatively?" Give those questions a try this week. Along with trying some of the things mentioned in the paper.
The Fourth Discipline of a Triathlon: Nutrition
Easy tips for managing sports nutrition that will take you the extra mile
Triathletes spend a lot of time fueling up for workouts and races. With multiple training sessions a day it can be hard to keep the tank full especially when training is not the only thing on your to-do list. Michele Macedonio, a board-certified specialist in sports dietetics with more than 25 years of experience, recommends male triathletes take in between 23.4 and 27.2 calories per pound a day when training. While it is different for every athlete and no recommendation is right for everyone, based on these calculations, a 180 pound male athlete would then require close 5,000 calories a day. (Female estimates are between 18.6 and 22.7 calories per pound.) No wonder triathletes are always so hungry.
A vast majority of triathletes are professionals in something other than the sport that has them up at ridiculously early hours to fit in those extra workouts, which usually means that preparing a nutritious meal is the last thing you want to worry about at the end of a long day. Linda Samuels, sports dietitian and owner at Training Table Sports Nutrition, says she has found that most triathletes know the basics of proper sports nutrition but do not follow the advice provided by countless of studies and nutritionists. “We can continue to throw [nutritional] information at athletes time and time again,” Samuels says. “But if we don't answer the bottom line question of why they still don't use this advice, does it really even matter that we are throwing it at them again?”
Recently certified triathlon coach, Brant Bahler, 25, began racing triathlons about three years ago and his appetite has grown as much as his love for the sport. One year after that first sprint-distance race, Bahler conquered Ironman Louisville 2010 – the ironman-distance race with the highest dropout rate of that year. But this competitor is hungry for more than just racing. As his training hours increase, so does his appetite. “I’m always hungry,” he says – a phrase most of you have said yourselves no doubt even if you have no aspirations of ever training for an Ironman. More hours training means an emptier stomach and having less time in the kitchen to figure out how to fill it, making nutrition that much harder to manage.
With no set nutrition plan or food logs – recommended by many nutritionists – Bahler says he eats off of feel, trying to stick to fruits, vegetables and whole grains. With a busy work schedule, coaching, training and other constraints Bahler has difficulty always eating the way he knows he should. “It’s hard because eating healthy it’s expensive and it’s very time consuming to prepare meals and stuff,” he says. “A lot of it’s the same for most of my athletes. A lot of them are aware of what they need to do, but don’t have the time with a busy schedule so they end up eating fast food and eating at weird times of the day.”
Whether you are training for your first sprint-distance race or looking to qualify for Hawaii, nutrition is the component of training too often neglected by triathletes. Like all of the other disciplines, it just takes practice. Here are some tips that will help you find time, stay in budget and reap the rewards of adding a strong nutrition plan to your training.
Step 1: Plan Ahead – the freezer is for more than just icepacks
Adding two or three hours of training onto a busy work day creates a time crunch for most athletes, making the quick, easy and portable meal that much more appealing. In 2010 63 percent of USAT members were married and most members fell between the ages of 30 and 44. For many, coming home and throwing on the apron is not always high on the to-do list. “You come home and it’s just like, I just don’t have the mental capacity to think about putting together a coherent meal,” Lynne Kiesling, an economics professor at Northwestern University and experienced triathlete says. “The time is kind of a red herring for the mental fatigue at the end of the day.”
Preparing a nutritious meal does not need to be a big time-consuming production. With regular early-morning workouts with the Northwestern Triathlon Club followed by long days of teaching and research, Kiesling uses weekends to plan for the weekday meals ahead. With just a little prep work, she can prepare lunches for an entire week in just a few short minutes. All it takes is some roasted broccoli, some beans in the slow cooker and frozen pre-cooked chicken strips to make Kiesling’s healthier and cheaper version of Lean Cuisine. She divides the beans and broccoli into small containers and adds 4 oz. of chicken strips to each and she has microwavable lunches for the entire week. a couple minutes chopping broccoli and throwing some beans in the slow-cooker while the broccoli roasts in the oven to make her lunches nutritious for the week.
Some athletes actually find a lack of free time helps them stick to their nutritional routine, as they avoid overindulgence when sedentary or bored. “I don't think it's hard to stay regimented if you continue to be busy,” Sheila O’Neill, a varsity athlete in cross-country and swimming at Northwestern University, says. “Once you get into a routine, it becomes second nature.” O’Neill, a senior mechanical engineering major has to balance schoolwork with workouts for both varsity sports. Her diet has become pretty regimented and only really changes if she notices she is having difficulty completing workouts at the desired intensity. She says she has the hardest time maintaining proper nutrition in the weeks leading up to competition when hours of training decrease and she has more time to eat. “I am assuming it is because I have a little bit more free time, but it's something our whole team has to be wary of.”
Planning ahead is and effective way to handle the inevitable time crunches later in the week. All you need is some Tupperware and a freezer and you can enjoy your favorite meals at any time of the week.
Step 2: Shop Smart – save the money for more tri gear
Staying full doesn’t mean your wallet has to be empty. Samuels recommends eating seven to eight servings of vegetables and fruit every day – the USDA only recommends 5 servings – for the added micronutrients and fiber to keep athletes full. “You can eat four cups of vegetables, or raw vegetables, or a half cup of pasta. That’s a big ol’ salad. What’s going to keep you more full?” Samuels says. With both of those options only 100 calories, and the vegetables providing many more micronutrients, the choice seems rather clear. “Fruits and vegetables are your best friends in helping you keep full.”
Making a quick run to the store is often more of a hassle than we would like. “Supermarkets can be overwhelming when you walk in the door and you don’t have a lot of time,” Macedonio says. “You have to be pretty focused on what you’re going to buy.” Making lists are always helpful, but so is a willingness to try new things so you can take advantage of sales. Samuels encourages athletes to take advantage of sales at local grocery stores or buy frozen produce when in a bind. Kiesling, the ever-planner, will often hit up stores like Costco to buy in bulk more cheaply. Pre chopped onions, garlic, mushrooms or other produce, Kiesling points out, are more expensive and you can save that extra expense with a little time spent at the cutting board. Instead of buying the bag of salad mix; you can grab the head in the next aisle over. Lastly, you can save money by only buying what you need. If you know you are going to eat seven apples that week, Samuels says, buy only seven apples. “When you plan, the waste is less, so the cost is less.”
Buying raw food and cooking yourself can also be a money-saver. “People believe that if you have fresh foods, the cost is that much more expensive,” Macedonio says. “When in fact, if you cook at home, you can save quite a bit of money. Even though cooking is very simple, if you haven’t been exposed to cooking, it can feel overwhelming.” Preparing a simple, nutritious meal does not need to be a daunting, time-consuming task. Slow cookers are definitely useful for new, and busy, cooks. And just like buying in bulk, you can easily cook in bulk (that’s where the freezers come in again). “That might mean cooking four chicken breasts instead of just one,” Samuels says. “So there’s lunch for the next couple of days.”
Step 3: Make sure to treat yourself
Eating healthy does not need to be a chore. There are plenty of ways to work nutritious food into your diet without dreading your broccoli and spinach every night. “It’s amazing to me how many individuals have not tried some common vegetables,” Macedonio says. “When they don’t try them they’re not as open to trying them when we suggest them.” Samuels said she likes to ask her clients what foods they actually like before she designs plans for them. “If I tell somebody to eat a cup of broccoli a day and they don’t like broccoli, they’re not going to eat it,” she says.
Managing to eat the cup of broccoli instead of passing it off to the dog under the table at dinner is one thing, but trying to force yourself to eat something you dislike while training and in desperate need of calories is quite another. “I have burned myself out of traditional cycling food,” Leigh Thompson, professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and world champion cyclist, says. She greatly dislike gels and other on-the-go energy products, so will usually pack something her taste buds will actually find satisfying. For Thompson, she knows that after two hours on the bike, she needs to refuel more than her water bottle is providing. On one longer ride this winter, she packed a pumpkin scone to eat it in the 90 seconds the group stopped for a bathroom break. To eat the snack in the short break, “I literally had to plan out every second,” she says. But avoiding the gel was worth it. Thompson also trains indoors at Vision Quest Coaching in Highland Park, Ill. – a facility where she will be sure to bring her own tasty snacks for recovery. “I see these people riding indoors at VQ [Vision Quest Coaching] and they’re eating like Gu’s and stuff and I feel like, why are you forcing yourself to eat this when you’re inside? You can eat something that you like.” Often, for back-to-back indoor intensity rides – one at 5:30 a.m. the other at 7 a.m., Thompson will pack a yogurt and granola for in between the sessions.
Step 4: You can’t cheat nutrition
“Anyone who really can call themselves an athlete has some bit of nutrition interest or ability in them,” Mo Ferris, a marathoner and a restaurant general manager in Chicago, says. Ferris, 32, graduated from West Virginia University with a degree in nutrition and now, ten years later, is planning to pursue a master’s degree in sports dietetics. “The hardest part, even with a nutrition background, is knowing who to follow and what to believe,” she says. “There are so many different theories and facets of nutrition and how it affects the body. Some of it’s credited and some of it’s not, and you don’t really know who to believe or which bandwagon to jump on.”
Figuring out what is credible and what is not can be a challenge for athletes looking for faster results. Macedonio says some weight loss programs can be tempting for hard-working athletes frustrated with how long it may take to reach certain body composition goals. As one of the leaders in the field of sports dietetics, Macedonio has done extensive research and nutrition consultation for athletes of a variety sports. In her book The Athlete’s Guide to Making Weight; Optimal weight for optimal performance co-authored with Marie Dunford, Macedonio encourages athletes to set short-term objectives to break up long-term goals. Just like in training – you would plan to run a 5K before jumping to a marathon – short-term body composition goals are good benchmarks and will keep you from getting discouraged she says.
Samuels reminds athletes that they need to be patient and realistic in making body composition changes. To be a triathlete, for example, you need certain percentages of body fat to perform at your best, which can be a struggle for female athletes, she says. “They want to look like a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model. Who doesn’t, right? And for female athletes, what our body needs to look like to perform at our peaks is completely different that what the magazine pictures look like,” she says. “Those girls [models]… I bet you 100 bucks that 99 percent of them couldn’t run a mile.”
Performance, not weight, is the determinant factor for O’Neill’s nutrition. Last December, O’Neill traveled with the Northwestern swim team for a couple weeks of training. She started having some bad workouts and her coach asked her if she had started to lose weight in adjusting to the altitude training. “My first instinct as a girl was to automatically think that I couldn't possibly be losing weight, and even if was, was it really that bad?” O’Neill said. “When you're training 5 hours a day, you can't afford to be pre-occupied by losing weight. You have to focus on refueling after every workout and getting prepared for the next.”
Step 5: See Results
On September 15, 2002 Suzy Shain added completing Ironman Wisconsin to her bucket list. “It was one of those things where they’re all suffering and they look like crap and I’m like, ‘yep, I want to do one of those,’” Shain says. Almost ten years later, at age 48, Shain is a four-time ironman and is still hungry for more.
Initially nervous about the 2.4-mile swim, Shain tackled the run and ran marathons for five years – qualifying for Boston twice in five years. Unfortunately, however, qualifying did not come as easy as she would have liked. “It was never my ability to run at a certain pace that prevented me from qualifying for Boston. It was always the nutritional component,” Shain says. “I think I ran six or seven marathons before I finally got it right and qualified because I figured out nutrition.”
You know that sports nutrition is much more complicated than eating heaping plates of pasta the night before a race and managing nutrition becomes an essential part of training if you want to maximize performance. Follow Shain’s lead, get the nutrition right, and the performance will follow. “Before you can worry about race-day nutrition, you have to get nutrition right in daily life,” Shain says. “Getting nutrition right in this sport is often the key to success.”
