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Runner's WorldIn the months leading up to the Tour de France, every aspect of Lance Armstrong's training regimen has a purpose. And that includes eating. He ups his caloric intake from 3,000 to 6,000 calories per day. The percentage of carbohydrates in his diet also increases (from 60 to 70 percent of his calories), while he slightly decreases his protein and fat intake. This finely tuned nutritional balancing act, which has helped Armstrong win five consecutive Tours, was designed by Chris Carmichael, Armstrong's long-time coach, nutritionist, and friend.
As an Olympic trainer and a former competitive cyclist, Carmichael, the founder of Carmichael Training Systems, has learned that athletes need to match their nutritional intake to the demands of their training in order to achieve peak performance. In his new book, Food for Fitness: Eat Right to Train Right, Carmichael applies his nutritional principles to all types of athletes, particularly runners.
According to Carmichael, runners need to take a holistic approach to eating and training. "Diet and training are so closely intertwined, they can't be separated," he says. Runners' diets, therefore, need to evolve throughout the year to correspond with particular workouts. Essentially, Carmichael takes the training technique known as periodization (you break your training year into "periods" with different goals, then concentrate on specific training) and extends it to the training table.
The concept of periodization naturally translates to nutrition, because the amount of energy you burn changes as you go through weeks, months, and a full year of training. If you're eating the same number of calories all year, there is most likely a portion of the year when you're eating more food than you need. Likewise, there will be times when your training burns more calories and demands more nutrients than you are consuming. So just as your training focuses on different goals in different months of the year, you need to make sure you're eating enough food and the right kinds of foods to support your workouts.
But it isn't as simple as just eating an extra granola bar or two when you're running longer or harder. "Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are tied together and linked to how you perform," says Carmichael. So on top of eating more calories as your training intensifies, the ratio of carbohydrates to fats to proteins in your diet needs to change as well. "If you are training for a half-marathon, for example, you need a greater percentage of carbohydrates in your diet than if you're just running for fitness," he explains.
Like Lance Armstrong, when you're at the peak of your training, it's important to increase the percentage of carbs in your diet from about 60 to 70 percent to ensure you're giving your body enough fuel to enhance your workouts.
Not surprisingly, Carmichael cautions runners about popular low-carb diets. Slashing carbs can negatively affect a runner's health and performance. This is because carbohydrates are the body's high-octane fuel--the fuel it relies on for speed and power. Cutting carbs from your diet leads to depleted stores of glycogen (the form carbs take when stored in the body). Training in a glycogen-depleted state causes the body to struggle to maintain even low-intensity exercise, making it difficult to improve fitness. Still, with all due respect to carbohydrates, Carmichael notes that protein is more important than once thought for distance runners because of the role it plays in helping to transport carbohydrates throughout your system. Protein is particularly crucial during your postworkout meal.
"Recent evidence shows that adding protein to your high-carbohydrate postworkout meal enables the carbs to move more quickly into the muscles for faster refueling," he says. Carmichael advises a ratio of about 1 part protein to 7 parts carbohydrate, although it's more important simply to strive for a protein-carbohydrate combination than it is to achieve that specific ratio. A postrun meal of rice and chicken (heavier on the rice than the chicken) will get you what you need for a speedy recovery.
But good nutrition isn't about eliminating one type of food or nutrient in exchange for another. All foods have a place on Carmichael's table. It's just a matter of choosing the right foods, in the right proportions, at the right times, to yield the energy you need to run and live at an optimal level. His nutritional strategy even leaves room for indulgences, in moderation. Carmichael himself admits to bimonthly Ben & Jerry's binges. And Armstrong? It's said he goes for apple fritters whenever he can get his hands on them. Good luck finding those in France. Periodization For IdiotsHow do you apply the principles of periodization to your diet without complex nutrient calculations? Remember that the concept of eating more carbs during your heaviest training is more important than trying to adhere to specific numbers.
But when you're upping the miles, adding just one of these mini meals per day gives you the extra carbs you need to keep running strong.
1 cup vanilla yogurt + 1 cup fresh fruit (60 grams carbs)
Bonus Benefit: provides over 40 percent of your daily calcium needs
1 cup orange juice + 1 banana (52 grams carbs)
Bonus Benefit: packs almost 200 percent of the Daily Value for vitamin C
1 slice banana nut bread + 1 cup skim milk (about 45 grams carbs)
Bonus Benefit: gives you 25 percent of the Daily Value for calcium
1 PowerBar energy bar + 8 oz PowerBar Endurance sports drink (62 grams carbs)
Bonus Benefit: provides plenty of sodium and potassium to keep you well hydrated
Smoothie of 2 cups skim or soy milk + 1 1/2 cups strawberries + 2 Tbsp soy
protein (about 50 grams carbs)
Bonus Benefit: contributes about 5 grams of fiber
1 1/2 cups multigrain cereal + 1 1/2 cups skim milk (54 grams carbs)
Bonus Benefit: contains over 100 percent of the Daily Value for iron
1 bagel + 1 banana + 1 Tbsp nut butter (about 75 grams carbs)
Bonus Benefit: provides 12 grams of protein
Due to other programs happening the last week in June and the unavailabilty of the school in August I have decided to not hold a wrestling camp this summer. We will look to hold some clinics on Saturdays in the Fall and will let everyone know once we have finalized our plans.
Sorry - Coach Moss
For Active.com Cupcakes vs. MuffinsI recently had a few bakery-purchased cupcakes analyzed for a segment I did on National Public Radio and found that a 6.5-ounce vanilla cupcake (from the famed New York Crumbs bakery) has 780 calories, 107 grams of carbs and nearly 36 grams of fat. Magnolia (another famous New York bakery) sells a three-ounce cupcake with 389 calories, 52 grams of carbs and almost 19 grams of fat. So, cupcakes are not exactly the best snack choices. But that doesn't necessarily make muffins a slam dunk. In fact, muffins can be calorie catastrophes, and, unlike cupcakes, we don't usually think of them as dessert.
Most muffins start in the 400-calorie range. For instance, a four-ounce blueberry muffin is generally about 400 calories. And a Dunkin' Donuts Banana Walnut Muffin has 540 calories, 69g carbs, 25g fat, 10g protein and 520mg of sodium. At least when you pick a fruit-and-nut muffin, it will have some nutritional benefits (fiber, protein and some good fat)--however, that doesn't make it a "healthy" choice. Don't be fooled by muffins called "bran" or "whole grain"--there could be very little bran or whole grain in the muffin, so you get lots of calories for little reward.
Fit Tip: If you're among those who like the cake part of the cupcake and can forgo the frosting, you can save up to 140 calories. However, if you choose right, your better bet will still be a muffin. In fact, there are some great, healthy, low-calorie muffins on the market. Try Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Heart Healthy VitaTops from Vitalicious.com (only 100 calories) or make your own.
Pepperidge Farm Cheddar Goldfish vs. Nabisco Wheat ThinsIt's a toss up. Fifty-five Goldfish (about one ounce) have 150 calories (three calories each), 6g fat, 19g carbs, 3g protein and 250mg of sodium. As for Wheat Thins, 16 crackers (about an ounce), have 130 calories, 4g fat, 21g carbs, 2g protein and 260mg of sodium. But keep in mind that the Wheat Thins contain high-fructose corn syrup, which has been linked to obesity and diabetes.
What about 100% Whole Grain Wheat Thins-Baked Snack Crackers? They're whole grain, so they have to be good--right? Yes, it's better to have 100 percent whole grains, but that doesn't necessarily mean crackers are a healthy choice. Right after the whole-grain wheat, the next ingredients on the label are soybean oil, sugar, cornstarch, corn syrup, salt, high-fructose corn syrup and barley malt syrup--which add up to 21 grams of carbohydrates. And, interestingly, after consuming about 16 whole-grain crackers (140 calories) you'll have made only a small dent (2 grams) in your daily goal of consuming 25 to 38 grams of fiber.
Fit Tip: Go for Wasa Delikatess crackers. This Swedish import is an acquired taste, but once hooked, well, you're hooked. Just take a peek at the ingredients: rye flour (whole grain), water, salt, skimmed milk--that's it--nothing else. Each cracker has only 26 calories, 5.3 carbs, 0.1g fat and 1.3g of fiber. That's a lot of fiber for one cracker. Combos vs. Corn Nuts For some strange reason--maybe wishful thinking--I believed that Corn Nuts were a healthy choice. They have corn, right? Yes, in fact, the ingredients are corn, partially hydrogenated soybean and/or canola oil and salt--pretty straightforward. And they're really not as bad as they could be. A one-ounce portion has 120 calories, 4.5g fat, 21g carbs, 2g fiber, 3g protein and 180mg sodium. The only problem is that Corn Nuts are fried; however, the saturated fat content is still relatively low at 0.5 grams, whereas an ounce of potato chips has about three grams of saturated fat. And the Corn Nuts don't have any sugar.
What about Combos? Yes, they're made with real cheese, but cheese is 10th on the ingredients list. The first three ingredients are flour, vegetable oil and whey. A 1.75-ounce bag has 240 calories, 11g fat (5g saturated), 31g carbs (7g sugar) and 490mg of sodium.
Fit Tip: Looking for that cheesy combo taste? Try a spreadable pretzel cracker with some low-fat cheese. Trail Mix vs. Trail Mix Energy BarsThere are many types of energy bars and trail mix. For instance, PowerBar Nut Naturals have 210 calories, 10g fat, 20g carbs, 3g fiber and 10g protein in one 45-gram bar. And while this particular bar has a more readable ingredients label, most don't. Energy bars do give you some decent nutrients like fiber, fat and protein at a lower calorie level than, say, a candy bar, but they still need to be consumed carefully.
Now take a look at Planters Trail Mix Mixed Nuts & Raisins, which has 150 calories per ounce (a small handful), 11g fat (mostly healthy fat), 10g carbs, 2g fiber, 5g protein and only 15mg of sodium. The majority of the ingredients, other than the oil, (I'm not a fan of cottonseed oil) are decent: peanuts, raisins, cashews, almonds, brazil nuts, pistachios, peanut and/or cottonseed oil, salt. But not all trail mix is equally wholesome. Those that contain dried fruits and/or "yogurt-covered" anything have various preservatives and drying agents, which add many chemicals.
Fit Tip: Go with an all-natural organic trail mix such as Bear Naked Pacific Crest Mix, which has 140 calories with two grams of fiber and four grams of protein. It's a 100 percent organic combination of fruits, such as mangos and raisins, plus hearty nuts, including cashews and pistachios. Charles Stuart Platkin is an Active Expert , nutrition and public health advocate, author of the best seller Breaking the Pattern (Plume, 2005), Breaking the FAT Pattern (Plume, 2006) and Lighten Up (Penguin USA/Razorbill, 2006) and founder of Integrated Wellness Solutions. Sign up for The Diet Detective newsletter free at www.thedietdetective.com.
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By Ken Lipshez, Herald Staff |
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Fifteen local wrestlers are slated to make their way to New Haven next weekend for the State Open. Undefeated Jon Fiorillo (160 pounds, 47-0) leads a five-man Berlin contingent. Class L 119-pound champion Luke Walsh heads a three-man delegation from Farmington. Southington, with 103-pound Class LL titlist Doug Fontaine, bearing the colors also had three wrestlers qualify. Plainville had two, led by 160-pound Class M champion Mario Acca. T.J. Magnoli, who stormed through the 145-pound class at the ‘S’ championships, is Rocky Hill’s lone representative. New Britain sends junior Nick Giallucca, who finished fourth in Class LL. The Open begins Friday with the first round scheduled for 5 p.m. at the New Haven Athletic Center adjacent to Hillhouse High School. The quarterfinals should begin about 7 p.m. with the first round of consolations starting at 8 p.m. The meet reconvenes Saturday morning at 11 a.m. for the second round of consolations. The championship semifinals are slated for 12:30 p.m. The finals (6 p.m.) will be preceded by a parade of past champions and introductions. Joining Fiorillo from Berlin are junior Kevin Moss, senior Chris Solek, junior Ethan Berube and sophomore Ryan Bisson. Farmington coach Eric Misko will bring seniors Evan Baily and Ben Brody to accompany Walsh. Seniors Trevor Ritchie and Joe Dupuis round out Southington coach Derek Dion’s troupe. Freshman Matt Tanner will get his first taste of Open season for Doug Fink’s Plainville squad. WALSH PERSEVERES: Walsh (45-2) has mastered his lessons in leverage in utilizing his long, lean frame to frustrate opponents. “He’s worked so hard to make himself the great wrestler that he is,” Misko said. “He’s the most dedicated, he’s the hardest worker. A lot of coaches say that about their kids but I haven’t had a harder worker. So it’s special to watch him go out there and take care of business.” While Walsh is a model for wrestlers with a lanky body, Fiorillo is the prototype for the shorter, powerful competitor who uses his low center of gravity to great advantage. In finalist Kyle Lundberg of Guilford, Fiorillo found himself looking at a virtual mirror image. “He was one of the few kids that was about my height,” Fiorillo said. “He was one of the strongest kids I had to wrestle.”
“It’s a decent amount of pressure,” Fiorillo said. “Whenever I’m in the finals of some tournament or I have a big match, it’s usually in the back of my mind, but I try to just push it out of my mind.” He cited the bout against Bacon Academy’s then-unbeaten Sean Burgess as his toughest of the year. With coach Dave Tremblay bumping him up to 171 to face the challenge, he earned a 6-4 win. He also mentioned his numerous battles with Acca. He beat the Plainville junior twice this season but lost to him once a year ago. Acca engages him in a defensive match and keeps the score low. “His matches with me are always close,” Fiorillo said. “He knows how to wrestle me.”
“He wrestled (Berlin Open champion Shane Day) last year in the finals and competed well with him there,” Moss said. “He was out early with (a broken ankle) and he came back wrestled like eight matches before states.” In order to qualify under CIAC rules, Onofrio needed 12 decisions so losses were tacked on until he reached that standard. Onofrio overpowered Moss, 16-6, in the final. “He’s strong. He’s just got so much muscle on him that keeping up with him was tough,” Moss said. “I tried to outwork him but he stayed with me.”
Roncaioli, a 14th seed, defeated Andrew Rivera of Farmington in the first round but lost to No. 3 Nathan Nadeau of E.O. Smith. Relegated to the wrestlebacks, the Berlin junior defeated sixth-seeded Michael Ceruzzi of Hall, fourth-seeded Dan Cahalane of New Milford and No. 10 Cameron Gonzalez of Fitch. He lost to No. 2 Colin Donovan of Fairfield Ludlowe and No. 5 Jamison Blackwell of Bunnell in the 5-6 bout. Banks lost to Brody in the quarterfinals, won three times in the consolations and lost to Brody again in the battle for third place. |
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