Tapping into your Exercise Nutrition

In honor of being asked to give a Sports Nutrition presentation to the Oak Park High School Track team in Southern Cali, I felt it was incredibly important to discuss a part of Nutrition that many times goes unnoticed.  EXERCISE NUTRITION!  Properly fueling your body before, during, and after exercise can make a HUGE difference in your energy levels, performance, endurance, and strength.  But one of the most important aspects to all of us that exercise our bodies often, is SEEING the results we are looking for.  If you don't take care of your body - fueling and replenishing it properly, you may as well consider that work-out useless.  I know that sounds harsh but it's true.  Sometimes we take our bodies for granted.  We expect them to give us what we want in kickboxing, let us go deeper in the yoga stretch, or run that mile faster than the last one.  We find we can push our bodies most of the time but what are we doing to give back?  Are we giving our body the fuel it needs to sustain the energy needed and then recover?  This is when nutrient timing becomes incredibly vital.

PRE-EXERCISE
Before you begin your work-out, you need to fill up your tank.  You want to make sure there is enough USABLE glucose in your blood stream to provide immediate energy for the start of your work-out.  Have you ever started to exercise and realized your body is lagging behind where you are mentally?  Does it take your body a long time to "catch up" and provide you with the energy you are really looking for?  In most cases, this tends to be the lack of available glucose in your blood stream due to exercising on an empty stomach.  Because of the decreased amount of available glucose, your body starts to break down glycogen, the stored form of carbohydrates in your liver and muscles, and this process takes time.  Therefore, you aren't immediately at the top of your game.

Depending on when you exercise in the day (whether it be in the morning or evening), here are some rules to follow...

• 3-4 hours before your work-out - have a healthy, balanced meal.  Focus on lean protein, complex carbohydrates, and a small bit of healthy fats.  This meal will increase your glycogen stores which you will be tapping into during your work-out.
• 30-45 minutes before your work-out - have a carbohydrate rich snack that is easily digested and absorbed.  By the time you start to exercise, the glucose will be ready and available in your blood stream to provide you immediate energy.  Furthermore, it helps lay the groundwork for a faster recovery.
• Banana (my favorite)
• Low-fat fruit yogurt
• Piece of toast with preserves and peanut butter
• Sports drink/shake
• Sports bar
• Fruit smoothie
• Oatmeal with 100% fruit juice
• Cereal with low-fat milk

DURING YOUR EXERCISE
This is the "Energy Phase" of your work-out - when your body is pushing itself, breaking down carbohydrates and fat to provide you with energy.  Giving your body the nutrients it needs during your work-out will spare muscle glycogen & protein, minimize muscle damage, maintain immune function, suppress blood cortisol (stress hormone), and allow you to have a faster recovery.

Depending on the type of exercise you are doing will determine your nutrition supplementation.

• For exercise less than 60 minutes or low-intensity - Make sure to stay hydrated.  When I am doing a class at the gym, I normally fill up my water bottle with an electrolyte mix such as Activate http://www.activatedrinks.com/ and continue to keep hydrating throughout the class.  That is the most important aspect - STAY HYDRATED!
• For endurance exercise between 60-90 minutes (or more) - You will want to replace the glucose you have already used (continuing to spare muscle glycogen as much as your body will allow) and also replace the electrolytes lost (Sodium, Potassium, Chloride, Calcium, Magnesium).  Again, hydration is of utmost importance during long endurance exercises.  Consume about 30-60 g/carbohydrate per hour of exercise.
• Gatorade G2  http://www.gatorade.com/default.aspx#product?s=g2
• Shot blocks (Clif)  http://www.clifbar.com/food/products_shot_bloks/
• Gel Packs (Clif, Gu, Powerbar)  http://www.guenergy.com/
• Sport Jelly Beans  http://www.sportbeans.com/
• Sports Drink (Clif, Activate (for electrolytes only), Powerbar
• Fruit - Banana, Grapes

POST-EXERCISE
If you do nothing else, please make sure to replenish your body immediately following your work-out.  This is the MOST IMPORTANT and CRITICAL aspect of nutrient timing.  During this stage, the "Anabolic Stage", your body's muscle glycogen levels are depleted, cortisol and other catabolic hormones continue to be released, inflammation is high, and free radicals produced during exercise can attack your muscle cell structure, causing further damage.  On a positive note, when your body is in this stage, your muscle cells are more sensitive to insulin and glucose uptake, which will enhance glycogen synthesis (the making of glycogen stores in your muscles - replacing what you used).  Furthermore, your muscles are primed for the nutrients (amino acids) to help them recover and replenish more quickly.  This will inhibit further muscle damage and bolster the immune system.  Another benefit of having a snack immediately following exercise is you will be less inclined to pig out at the next meal.  You blood sugar will stabilize and you will make healthier choices.  Just don't refuel your tank with crap.

Regardless of what exercise you just finished (Pilates, kickboxing, yoga, running, spinning, walking), you MUST replenish your body!

• 30-45 minutes immediately following your exercise - Consume a carbohydrate/protein rich snack.  It should be a 2:1 or 3:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio.
• Fruit Smoothie with Whey Protein powder - Use my shake recipe http://nutritionconcierge.blogspot.com/2010/09/perfect-shake.html
• Turkey Sandwich with Whole Wheat bread and a small apple
• Low-fat chocolate milk - Sounds strange but an amazing post-exercise drink
• Sports drink (Myoplex, Gatorade G2) with sports bar (Luna, Clif, Myoplex) or fruit
• Scrambled eggs with whole wheat toast and preserves
• Low-fat cottage cheese with fruit or baked pita chips
• Cereal with fruit and low-fat milk

About an hour after your post-exercise snack, have a healthy, well-balanced meal - complex carbs, lean protein, healthy fats.  This will continue to promote protein turnover and muscle development.

As I mentioned before, make sure to stay hydrated.  Look at your pee.  If it's bright yellow - drink some more fluids!  A good rule of thumb is 1 ml of liquid (preferably H2O) per 1 calorie or 1/2 oz. to 1 oz. of liquid per pound, per day.  During high intensity exercise, you want to have about 7-10 oz. of water or sports drink every 15-20 minutes.  Afterward, have about 24 oz. per pound of weight lost.

And I promise - you will REALLY start to see results in your body and performance if you make sure to ALWAYS have your Nutrition in place for your work-outs.

Remember to think about it ahead of time!  If you are going to Spinning class and then have to go somewhere immediately afterward, bring a bar with you.  I always have Luna Bars http://www.lunabar.com/ in my car and my gym bag.

Here's to healthy, lean bodies!

Jill

Stress & The Battle of the Bulge

 Let's face it - we are an overstressed society.  Too many commitments, too many things to do, too many obligations, and too much work.  While many of us have mastered the art of multi-tasking (and take pride in doing so), we have spread ourselves much too thin and because of this, our health is starting to plummet and our weight is skyrocketing.

Stress is not easy to control, let alone get rid of.  It's in our blueprint and our hectic lifestyles perpetuate the problem.  But what is it really doing to our bodies???  You may be the type of person that exercises frequently (at high intensities for that matter), eats healthy, and does all the right things to maintain a healthy status quo.  The only problem is that your weight is not budging.  You can't seem to drop the excess lbs, especially in your abdomen.  This is the moment to re-evaluate your lifestyle and figure out if stress the confounding factor. 

Here's how stress is directly affecting your waistband.....

Cortisol is a hormone secreted by the adrenal glands in response to stress and is considered our "fight or flight" energy mechanism.  When released during times of increased stress, cortisol and adrenaline provide the body with an abundance of glucose (sugar) by breaking down fat, protein, and carbohydrates, and depositing it in the bloodstream for the bursts of energy we are demanding from our body.  The problem is - our body doesn't know the difference from sitting in traffic and being late for a meeting to being chased by a bear (our fight or flight response).  The glucose is still being pumped out.  Now, the excess sugar that was released and not used, accumulates in your abdominal area and is stored as fat.  Furthermore, elevated cortisol levels can decrease lean muscle mass, inhibit recovery from injuries, compromise the immune system, and increase inflammation in your body.

Another negative dietary impact of elevated cortisol levels is an increase in your appetite.  More specifically, a craving for carbohydrates (sugar) and fat, which we all know that excess of these two macronutrients keeps the dial moving up on the scale.  So....the cortisol is telling your brain to eat and your belly to store.  Definitely not good.

This detrimental process of constantly stressing our bodies to the extreme inhibit the body's natural ability to REST and RELAX!!!  Such are words infrequently used in today's society.  Which brings me to sleep.  Or the lack thereof.  When you are sleep-deprived, your cortisol levels are still working in overdrive, preventing secretion of hormones necessary to repair, restore, and rejuvenate during the sleep cycle such as the growth hormone, which helps to make you leaner and stronger.  Additionally, ghrelin (a hormone that triggers hunger) and leptin (a hormone that controls hunger) are greatly affected by lack of sleep and increased cortisol levels.  Here's what happens....Ghrelin increases - you eat more frequently.  AND leptin decreases - you lack control over how much and how often you are eating.  The last thing you want to eat when you are tired and stressed is a bowl of steamed veggies.  Forget that!  Give me salty and sugary foods!!!

Now I could go into a million and one ways on how to "de-stress".  But we all know the obvious.  Mediate, do yoga, go on a hike, sit and breathe (such a simple, yet unbearable task), hang out with friends, get more sleep, exercise, etc., etc.  And I think you should try and incorporate those activities often.  On the other hand.....how about trying something different?

• EXERCISE - It's a waste of time to exercise and stress your body even more when you are already feeling maxed out.  The best thing to do is REST.  You will benefit more from skipping the gym, eating something light, and getting some sleep than to jump on the treadmill for a dreadful hour.  Remember - you don't lose weight while you are working out.  You lose weight when your body is sleeping. 
• MIX IT UP -  Don't always do high intensity exercise (I should take my own advice).  Take it down a notch.  Less stress, less inflammation, less cortisol produced.
• INCREASE HEALTHY FATS - Omega 3's have been shown to decrease inflammation in the body and decrease cortisol levels.  Add some flaxseed oil/meal, walnuts, and fatty fish to your diet.

I would like to point out that every "body" is unique and hormone levels fluctuate significantly from one person to the next.  This may apply to you or maybe it doesn't.  But the common denominator is that ALL OF US are way too stressed.  Try and work on decreasing your stress levels by doing something relaxing that YOU love.  And if you are concerned about your hormone levels, ask your doctor to do a hormone profile on you.  The more you know, the better.

Here's to taking a deep breath and relaxing!!!!

Jill