The Latest Research Reveals…

Did you know…?

As I have always believed, food might very well be a superior way, over supplementation, to get what we need to be stronger, healthier and more fit. 

1. Almonds (and all nuts) are a great addition to any sports diet.  Studies done with cyclists found that eating almonds daily increased there antioxidant capacity and improved their time trial distance, compared to the group who did not eat them.
2. A study done with college football players showed NO performance OR MUSCLE-BUILDING advantages from taking a commercial protein supplement instead of standard food. 
3. Chocolate milk is as good a recovery choice as a commercial recovery drink.  For high endurance athletes especially, this is a great way to save money!  If you are watching your calories, you will certainly want to choose a low fat version.
4. About 25% of athletic trainers use pickle juice to treat muscle cramps.
5. “LactAway” is a sports supplement that claims to reduce blood lactate.  A study with highly trained kayakers does NOT support this claim.

If you must supplement during endurance exercise, an energy bar, gel or a sports drink were all found to be equally effective.

Additionally…

1. Woman burn about 200 calories per hour lifting weights, men about 420.  This is based on doing 8 different exercises, performing 2 sets of 10 repetitions for each.  Remember, also, that the more lean muscle you have, the more calories your body will burn at rest.
2. Exercise is proven to improve learning.  Third graders that who participated in regular physical activity had higher test scores than those that did not.  College students who had grade point averages of at least a 3.5 are statistically more active than those with lower grades.

Thanks to Nancy Clark, MS, RD for reporting this information in the latest edition of American Fitness Magazine.  This information was revealed at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) the world’s largest sports medicine and exercise science organization. 

Knowledge is power.  Keep learning and tweaking your eating and exercise.  Just like the old  zen proverb says,  “A superior vessel takes a long time to complete.”  Let’s get busy building our vessels.