I Have No Energy or I'm Always Tired

By Susan M. Parks, R.D., C.S.S.D., L.D.,C.P.T.,C.L.C. Certified Sports Specialist in Dietetics


The rising price of gasoline probably isn’t the only energy crisis you’re contending with these days. If you are aging, as we all are, if you encounter everyday increasing stressors, if you are exercising more than usual, if you are sleeping less, and you have not changed your unbalanced eating habits, then you are in an energy crisis!

MAXIMUM IMPACT, MINIMAL EFFORT: Make over your morning.

This was a quote from an avid biker: “Breakfast is not my favorite meal of the day, but I soon learned it was essential to my overall endurance. My training sessions and times were markedly worse when I skipped breakfast. A bagel or cereal with skim milk in the morning works wonders for me!”

Breakfast eaters consume a more healthful diet that is higher in fiber, calcium, iron, and whole grains, and less fat than do breakfast skippers. Eating breakfast raises low blood sugar levels in the morning, and improves morning wakefulness and concentration. It repletes depleted glycogen stores from the day before.

EXCUSES FOR NOT EATING BREAKFAST: ARE YOUR THOUGHTS HERE?

• I don’t have time.
• Breakfast interferes with my training schedule.
• I am not hungry in the morning.
• When I start eating in the morning, it makes me more hungry.
• I’m on a diet, and eating in the morning just adds more calories in the day.

If you DON’T HAVE TIME for breakfast, keep in mind people MAKE TIME to do what they want to do. Breakfast doesn’t have to be elaborate; breakfast is just breaking the fast! Get up 5-10 minutes earlier. Munch on a take-a-long breakfast: bagel sandwich and a light smoothie, or leftover pizza, or dried fruit mixed into a dry cereal like Cheerios in a zip lock bag. The key is to plan ahead, when you are not half asleep. Some non-traditional breakfasts could be a veggie burger on a bun, or peanut butter and banana on graham crackers.

If you are an early riser, and like to exercise (run or bike) before work, you will perform better, have a better workout, and avoid an energy crisis if you eat something beforehand, especially a little protein and a little carbohydrate (low fat yogurt and a small bagel).

If you are not hungry in the morning, it could be because you ate a huge high calorie dinner or late night snack, or your metabolism isn’t used to starting the day with energy that is balanced to give you the morning kick. Train your metabolism, just like you train your muscles.

TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL: SHOP SMARTER AND PLAN AHEAD

If you plan your training workouts, than you need to plan your grocery shopping and meals, even breakfast. Shop with nutrient balance in mind as well as shortcuts for preparing and cooking . Buy zip lock bags for finger food to take along. Frozen Healthy Choice or Lean Cuisine meals, and adding a fruit or vegetable are good alternatives when time, food preparation or choices are difficult.

Remember, small healthy changes can make the difference in your energy crisis. Make this training season easier and better.

THE ULTIMATE OPTION; HIRE A SPORTS NUTRITIONIST IF INDIVIDUAL NEEDS AREN’T MET.

What Is More Important Carbohydrate Or Protein?

By Susan M. Parks, R.D., C.S.S.D., L.D., C.P.T. Sports Nutrition


Well------that depends!

When you train or compete, your muscles need energy to perform. Carbohydrates (sugars and starches) are the major easy access energy source for those working muscles. Not all those carbohydrates you eat are used immediately for work, but are actually stored in both the muscles and the liver as glycogen for future activities. That is why eating a medium to high carbohydrate diet is important to replenish your glycogen stores, especially if you are in a training period or you are having workouts day after day. Carbohydrates are found in whole grains, cereals, pasta, legumes, fruits, and vegetable, and also milk and yogurt in the form of lactose. The daily amount of carbohydrate you need depends on your body size, sport, and the intensity of your workout.


Now, how about Protein?

Protein has been a topic of interest because of its role in building and repairing muscle tissue; replenishing after the workout. Protein can also be used as an energy source, but if you need the protein for repair of tissue, you need to save it for that purpose, and rely on carbohydrates and fats as more of your energy source! Many athletes, especially those involved in power sports and strength training sports, believe that a high protein diet supplies extra energy to enhance performance and increase muscle mass. However, you get no added benefits from consuming more protein than your body needs. Too many calories from any food category if not used will just add fat tissue! Good sources of protein for muscle repair are lean meats, poultry, fish, low fat dairy products, eggs, legumes, tofu, nuts and seeds (but watch those portions of nuts and seeds----most of the time it is 6-10 or 1 ounce).


So for dietary strategies for your competition------What you eat and drink before, during and after your competition is an individual matter based on your body type, your sport, and your training schedule (duration and intensity). Determine what works best for you, and if you want individual advice seek out a sports dietitian. Your performance depends more on a healthy eating pattern all year-round. Yet eating the proper foods before, during and after the competition will help.

The goal of the pre-event meal is to provide energy to keep you going and fluids to keep you hydrated. RULE OF THUMB: Eat a high carbohydrate, low-fat meal 2-4 hours before the event, choosing foods you normally eat. For example:
4 hours before
2 cups cooked pasta
1 cup marinara sauce (meatless)
1 bread
1 small apple
1 cup low fat or skim milk (Yes, it can be chocolate)

2 hours before should be a bit lighter
1 bagel
1 Tablespoon of peanut butter with jam
1 banana
8 ounces of low fat milk or yogurt

DURING THE EVENT: THE MAIN IDEA IS MAINTAIN FLUID BALANCE.

AFTER THE EVENT: Replenish within the first 2-24 hours is most important with plenty of carbohydrates, as well as some lean protein for muscle repair. And don’t forget the fluid!


SO WHICH IS MORE IMPORTANT? CARBOHYDRATE OR PROTEIN?
Both but it depends on when, how much, and for what activity, and how the individual tolerates it during training.

The Importance Of Moderate Training Intensity

By Dan Carey, Phd., Univ. of St. Thomas

The “no pain no gain” mindset of competitive athletes probably detracts from performance rather than enhances it. As a physiologist, I would like to explain the importance of “easy” training days.

One of the oldest and probably still most respected training philosophies is “hard-easy.” Physiologically the body needs to recover from a hard day. Intense training depletes glycogen stores. It takes approximately 48 hours to completely replenish glycogen (carbohydrate) stores. This is why 2 consecutive hard days are difficult to maintain.

In addition, hydration needs to be restored. A simple way to monitor your hydration status is with a bathroom scale. Large fluctuations in weight from day to day are the result of hydration status and not fat gain/loss.

Joel Friel, author of “The Cyclist’s Training Bible”, stated “Of frequency, intensity and duration, the one most important to get correct is intensity.” In addition to allowing the body to restore glycogen and water levels, easy days also train the body to metabolize fat better.

For endurance events of one hour or longer, burning fat allows the body to store glycogen for the next hard day. While I believe some advice given about “the fat burning zone” is very misleading, it is still true that a moderate intensity of training optimizes fat metabolism. This is both an acute and chronic effect.

In my research on the “fat burning zone” to be presented at a local sports medicine conference, optimal fat burning occurs at 59-76% of maximal heart rate. While this intensity is indeed moderate, it overlaps the low end of the target heart rate zone for improved aerobic endurance established by the American College of Sports Medicine (70-85% maximal heart rate).

A final point is that all of the desired changes in fitness occur when the body is at rest, not when the stress of exercise is applied. If the body is not rested, it cannot optimize these changes. A good example of this is tapering, which is a reduction in training volume/intensity for 10-21 days prior to an important race. Tapering has been shown to enhance performance 3-5%. While this may seem small, it may be the difference between an average and good performance.

While a training schedule will fluctuate from week to week, depending on the training period, I think a good program has at least 2 days of moderate training per week. I believe one of the primary benefits of training with a heart rate monitor is not in ensuring that you are in your “threshold” or “anaerobic zone.” Rather the best use of these monitors is for “holding back” your intensity and forcing yourself to stay within this moderate aerobic zone.

Fluid, hydration, and sodium balance

By Susan M. Parks M.S., R.D.,C.S.S.D.,L.D., C.P.T. Sports Nutritionist

Is cutting back on sodium appropriate for the healthy athlete?

NO--- Athletes who lose a large volume of sweat during activity should not restrict their sodium intake!

That does not mean to OVER consume sodium on a continuous basis! Even though the general public health message is to decrease habitual high salt intake for hypertension is correct, a short term high intake of sodium causes a short term rise in blood pressure in healthy individuals, but for the healthy athlete sodium may be needed to maintain proper fluid and electrolyte balance during strenuous workouts. It restores plasma volume after strenuous exercise. Both dehydration AND hyponatremia (low sodium plasma) can have serious consequences for the endurance athlete, running or biking. Under-and over-drinking water during activity and ignoring mineral balance besides hydration can be the main cause of most medical problems seen in athletes.


CAN THIS BE AVOIDED? WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Hydration (fluid balance) is a very individual situation. Sweat, sodium and volume shifts and rates are highly variable, depending on individual responses to exercise intensity, duration, and environmental conditions (heat, humidity, heat index, and altitude). Athletes SHOULD learn their OWN fluid requirements.


WEIGH BEFORE AND AFTER a STRENUOUS and/or LONG WORKOUT.
This will provide you with a personal guide to your sweat loss, in order to create a fluid plan for your future workouts or training.


AS A RULE: Drink 3 cups (24 fluid ounces) per pound lost to replace the lost water weight as well as to account for urine production. Dehydration usually causes thirst, but for athletes drinking plain water without ingesting adequate sodium suppresses thirst BEFORE fluid balance can be restored. Therefore, consuming a sport drink with at least 100 mg. OF SODIUM for each 8 ounce serving can help counteract dehydration and avoid hyponatremia. Rebalancing both thirst and mineral needs for a heavy sweater can prevent severe muscle cramping and even death for some individuals.

Please let me know your thoughts and comments by posting questions/comments on this blog.