5-Ingredient Race Breakfast

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by Brooke Schohl, MS, RD, CSSD, METS II

It is SO important to have more than just a carb-loading breakfast the morning before a race! Set yourself up for success with a balanced (carb, fat, protein) meal that keeps blood sugar stable and kicks the race off with a bang.

Here’s a great idea:

  • Van’s Power Grain Waffles (1-2)
  • Coconut Butter
  • Raw Honey
  • Chia/Flax Seed Mix
  • Hard-boiled egg (1-2)

Brooke Schohl, MS, RD, CSSD, METS Level II is a registered sports dietitian and the owner of Fuel to the Finish Endurance Nutrition Coaching in Scottsdale, Arizona. She is an avid triathlete, having completed many triathlons of all distances including three IRONMAN races. She integrates that personal experience and knowledge into developing customized, sport-specific, metabolically efficient fueling plans for her clients. Brooke and her husband, John, own Destination Kona Triathlon Store in south Scottsdale, Arizona. For more information on services and offerings, visit her website at www.fueltothefinish.com.

Life Time Tri CapTex Offers New On-Course Nutrition

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Please join us in welcoming Accelerade® Sports Drink and Accel Gel® Rapid Energy Gel as on-course nutrition sponsors along with Endurox® R4® as the recovery drink sponsor for the Life Time Tri CapTex.

Accelerade will be offered in two refreshing flavors; lemon lime and lemonade at each transition, aid stations on the run course and at the finish line. Accel Gel will be available on course in three great tasting flavors; chocolate, citrus orange and strawberry kiwi.

If you are not a current user of Accelerade, we encourage you to sample it prior to race day on a ride or run in order to acclimate your body to a sport drink with protein. Protein occasionally causes GI discomfort in a limited number of individuals. We have found that the best way to reduce the possibility of GI distress is by taking small quantities of fluid (1/2 ounce) regularly ( every 10 minutes) during strenuous exercise.

Endurox R4 will be available in the athlete recovery area in fruit punch.

Accelerade Sports Drink, Accel Gel Rapid Energy Gels and Endurox R4 Recovery Drink all contain a 4:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein, scientifically proven to be the optimal ratio to help the body extend endurance, replenish muscle glycogen, provide more energy faster and speed muscle recovery.

Click here and use the coupon code CapTex to receive a special deal when you pay a flat shipping of $3.99 for free samples of Accelerade®, Accel Gel® and Endurox® R4® directly to your door.

Throw Out Those 2016 Nutrition Resolutions

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By Brooke Schohl, MS, RD, CSSD, METS

Anyone other than me tired of hearing about New Year’s resolutions? Blah, blah, blah.

Maybe you think that attitude is harsh – especially coming from someone like me, a sports dietician. Shouldn’t I care about self-improvement? Better health? Of course I do. In fact, every interaction I have with my clients includes realistic goal setting. Note that one key word here is realistic. The other key word? Goal. Which brings us to the question of the day: What is the difference between a resolution and a goal?

Take a look at these definitions on the right, courtesy of my handy online dictionary.

Now, I’m not claiming to be a language expert, but I get the idea that resolutions tend to be all or nothing. Extreme. Drastic. Difficult to sustain.

For example:
I will eliminate all carbs from my diet.
I will cut out wine.
I will lose 30 pounds by March.
I will have 10 servings of veggies per day.

I prefer the term “goal” instead of resolution. Goals can be awesome when executed in the right way. Realistic. Attainable. Sustainable. Established correctly, they set you up for success rather than failure.

For example:
I will scale back on grain carbs, focusing more on fruit and vegetable carb sources.
I will limit wine to three glasses per week.
I will decrease body fat by 2% by the end of March.
I will include a vegetable with two of my meals per day.

Once you’ve developed realistic, attainable goals, keep the following four things in mind when it comes to nutrition goal setting.

1) It won’t be easy.
Goals worth meeting won’t be met overnight. You’ve heard this before and it’s 100% true: There is no quick fix when it comes to nutrition. There are 100 bad food choices for every good choice. It demands work, preparation and a shift in mentality leading to a lifestyle change. You can meet your goals, but you must work for it.

2) You must find your own motivators to stay on track over the long haul.
365 days is a long time. It’s easy to be motivated on January 2, but how do you retain that drive all year? Visualize your success. Go ahead and feel the emotions of crossing that finish line feeling amazing. Or fitting into your “skinny” jeans. Or improving your bloodwork parameters to go off that medication. Elation, success, confidence. Summoning these emotions before you actually hit your goal will help you stay on track.

3) You’re going to mess up.
Each day is full of choices. We are human beings and we aren’t perfect. We are going to make progress and then slide back down that hill again. And that’s ok. Each morning is a clean slate. Don’t let a wrong turn derail you, leading to more bad choices.

4) Don’t let the scale run your life.
I’m going to level with you: You probably aren’t ever going to weigh again what you weighed in high school or college. And that’s ok! Your adult body is different from your teenage body. Focus on body composition over the number on the scale. Remember that you are an athlete, which means you have loads of muscle mass, which weighs more than fat. If you feel good about yourself and fit into your clothes, try, try, try to let the number go.

In Summary
Goals are essential to life, whether it be work, personal, family, training, financial, or nutrition and health. If you need some help developing or implementing your nutrition goals, give me a shout. And to leave you with a last wish for the New Year: Make 2016 an annus mirabilis!

Brooke Schohl, MS, RD, CSSD, METS Level II is a registered sports dietitian and the owner of Fuel to the Finish Endurance Nutrition Coaching in Scottsdale, Arizona. She is an avid triathlete, having completed many triathlons of all distances including three Ironman races. She integrates that personal experience and knowledge into developing customized, sport-specific, metabolically efficient fueling plans for her clients. Brooke and her husband, John, own Destination Kona Triathlon Store in south Scottsdale, Arizona. For more information on services and offerings, visit her website at www.fueltothefinish.com.

Get the Best Bang for Your Buck: What to Look for in a Sport Nutrition Product

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By Brooke Schohl, MS, RD, METS Level II

Sport nutrition products are a multi-billion dollar industry. As the popularity of endurance racing events continue to grow, the marketplace has become saturated with these foods. You have your choice of gels, chews, bars, powders, pills and smoothies. How in the world do you determine the best fuel source for you?

I teach my clients to incorporate clean eating strategies into their everyday lives as well as during training and racing. After all, don’t training fueling and everyday fueling become synonymous for most of us? Clean eating means searching out foods that provide the best nutritional value and are minimally processed, leaving nutrients intact. This also means being selective about packaged products when they are consumed. Do you know and understand what every ingredient is in that item? You should.

Based on these fueling strategies, here are the important questions to ask on your quest for the best sport nutrition products:

WHEN DO YOU USE IT?
There are pre-workout, during-workout and post-workout sport fuels. What are you looking for? I typically reserve sport product use for “during” only and urge clients to eat real food pre- and post-workout. Protein shakes have become a staple in many athletes’ diets, which is ok if they are limited to one per day and are a quality whey or vegetarian protein source (i.e., no weird ingredients/additives). The same concept applies to bars – stick with a maximum of one per day and ensure you are comfortable with the ingredient list.

WHAT IS THE EFFECT ON BLOOD SUGAR?
Most sport products are comprised of quickly digesting sugars that inherently raise blood sugar, especially when used outside of training. You don’t want your blood sugar to be yo-yoing all over the place – it does nothing to help your energy levels, body composition, performance or general health. There are products emerging designed to stabilize blood sugar and provide a more consistent, gradual release of energy over time.

WHAT ARE THE INGREDIENTS?
You can gather from my comments above that ingredients are hugely important to me. They should be to you too. So many of our food choices offer a laundry list of questionable ingredients and it’s time we stop accepting this as the norm. When looking at sport nutrition products, it’s important to determine where the sugar source is coming from. Is the sugar source something natural like a puree extracted from fruit? Or something manufactured in a lab? The more natural option will be gentler on your stomach, and will taste much better to boot.

IS IT NON-GMO/ORGANIC?
Although these features may drive the price up a bit, they are nice to have. Non-GMO is essential. Genetically modified products have no place in a clean-eating diet. Organic items are also important, especially when considering products with fruit, nuts and grains included.

The times are a-changing when it comes to sport nutrition products. A new wave of more natural, non-GMO, organic, blood sugar stable products are on their way in, which is great news for endurance athletes. But please do use real food when the opportunity is there, even in favor of a more natural sport product. And contact me if you’d like help getting your fuel plan dialed in.

Brooke Schohl, MS, RD, METS Level II is a registered sports dietitian and the owner of Fuel to the Finish Endurance Nutrition Coaching in Scottsdale, Arizona. She is an avid triathlete, having completed many triathlons of all distances including 3 Ironman races. She integrates that personal experience and knowledge into developing customized, sport-specific, metabolically efficient fueling plans for her clients. Brooke and her husband, John, own Destination Kona Triathlon Store in south Scottsdale, Arizona. For more information on services and offerings, visit her website at www.fueltothefinish.com.

 

Recover On the Go

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By Brooke Schohl, MS, RD

Recovery is a very important part of training, one that rejuvenates the body and prepares you for that next workout. Make sure you will be ready to go by smartly refueling your body after workouts that demand it.

What types of workouts require refueling? Generally anything longer than two to three hours. The longer the workout, the more fuel stores are depleted. Focus on carbohydrates to fill up glycogen stores, amino acids to halt muscle breakdown and build new muscle, and fats to keep blood sugar stable and continue fat oxidation.

Here are some carb-fat-protein combos you can take on-the-go.

Vegetarian or Vegan Performance Protein Shake
Simply mix one scoop of vegetarian or vegan protein powder with cold water and you’ll get about 25 grams of post-workout protein. If you can, blend the protein powder with fruit and maybe some leafy greens. But if you’re on-the-go, consume a half banana with the protein for carb replenishment.

Pecan or Coconut Rolled Dates
Dates are an excellent source of carbs plus selenium, manganese, magnesium and copper. Roll them in chopped nuts or shredded coconut to add fat and/or protein to the mix. Some stores, such as Whole Foods, sell pre-rolled dates.

Banana + Almond Butter
Bananas are a great carb source, but don’t consume them alone – keep blood sugar stable and halt muscle breakdown by adding nut butter to the snack. Some nut butters, like Justin’s Nut Butters, are sold in convenient single serving pouches that are easy to pack.

Packaged Bars
Bars make perfectly packable recovery snacks. Look for bars that boast just two to five ingredients – and make sure they are ingredients that you recognize. Pick a non-chocolate flavor to avoid melting issues. These bars contain quality sources of carbs (like dates), as well as protein and fat.

Trail Mix
This snack provides a good carb-plus-fat-plus-protein mix from dried fruit, nuts and seeds. Avoid mixes that include ingredients with added sugar (such as chocolate or yogurt chips, M&Ms, etc.). Even better: Make your own.

Brooke Schohl, MS, RD, METS, is a registered sports dietitian and the owner of Fuel to the Finish Endurance Nutrition Coaching in Scottsdale, Arizona. She is an avid triathlete, having completed many triathlons of all distances including three Ironman races. She integrates that personal experience and knowledge into developing customized, sport-specific, metabolically efficient fueling plans for her clients. Brooke and her husband, John, own two Scottsdale, Arizona-based triathlon stores named Destination Kona. For more information on services and offerings, visit her website at www.fueltothefinish.com.