Fitness Freak Lifestyle Blog

ARE YOU FUELLING TO FAIL?

Post author By Mark Wolff
Post date March 11, 2020
No Comments on ARE YOU FUELLING TO FAIL?

The world of sports nutrition is quite an interesting space to be in. I often get to hear sob stories of failed races due stomach issues, lack of energy, severe cramping and nausea. Just this past week I stood at the 32Gi Sports Nutrition and Dis-Chem expo stands at the Cape Town Cycle Tour advising athletes on fuelling strategies based on their needs. The common theme I got from the few days there was that most athletes create very interesting meals but they have absolutely no idea how to cook. If you are going to make a chicken soup then why add lamb, beef and fish to it?

When it comes down to proper fuelling it needs to be a well thought out simple recipe of success. Complicating fuelling will only lead to issues whether rebound hypoglycemia, gastrointestinal distress, fatigue, nausea dehydration and a complete lack of energy.

Sports Nutrition products are designed to be a convenient fuelling source which meets a specific need. The carbohydrate blends, mineral levels and recommended volumes of consumption are calculated and designed to have a desired function. The minute you take that product and start to add other nutrients and blends into the mix there is absolutely no ways the desired effect will take place as you are changing the recipe for the successful pot of soup.

As an example 32Gi’s new Race Pro drink is designed so it can be a single bottle energy source feed for an entire event. I had an athlete tell me he tried it and along with the drink he consumed gels and nougat bars. He said the drink did not sit well with him and he felt terrible. I asked why he did that and his response was because he needed them.
Of course he would feel terrible. Here he is drinking a product that has a much higher gastric emptying rate than a gel and its designed to be used in a certain way for a desired effect, yet he throws a gel and nougat bar into the mix. That is just plain stupid and to explain it to him in simple terms I asked him if he likes peanut butter sandwiches? He said yes. So I told him the next time he makes a peanut butter sandwich add some broccoli and cauliflower with it between the two slices of bread and if he really wants it to taste great and make him feel better he should add some egg and chocolate to it. He looked at me and said you kidding right?
I said no not at all it seems you the kind of person that enjoys this mix. The point I was making was that this is exactly what he did with his fuelling. He concocted an unscientific complicated recipe for disaster which led to his fuelling failure.

When it comes to proper fuelling you need to make sure you know exactly what you are taking in, how much you are taking in and when you should be taking it.

So how do I develop a proper fuelling strategy?
Firstly you need to separate your energy and hydration requirements.
Energy requirements are unique to an individual and each person will have to figure out what works best for them. Energy required in endurance events comes mainly in the form of carbohydrates and protein. Short hard events 3 hours or under would not need protein intake but mainly carbohydrate intake to fuel the level of effort. As the duration of exercise increases carbohydrates together with a small portion of protein would play a bigger benefit in sparing glycogen and slowing amino acid breakdown due to gluconeogenisis which can lead to muscle fatigue.

Step 1: Determine the Energy Requirements
In terms of sports nutrition it’s important to understand that a balance between energy and digestive comfort is required. What you consume needs to be processed and each person is unique in how adaptive the digestive system is based on genetics and diet.
It’s best to start with the type of discipline you are wanting to do. Cycling provides more stability to the digestive system so generally a higher dosage of fuel can be tolerated. Running however generates a lot more sensitivity around the digestive system and smaller feeds are generally tolerated a lot better. Lower intensity exercise as well as lighter athletes can look at a lower carbohydrate intake while higher intensity exercise and heavier athletes will look at a much higher carbohydrate intake to support the efforts. This can range from 0.8g/kg bodyweight up to 1.5g/kg body weight per an hour. General Guidelines look at a protocol of 30g-60g of carbohydrates per an hour which equates to 120Kcals – 240kcals per an hour. Only in very specific carbohydrate blends can higher dosages be tolerated to support long duration exercise but this is not recommended without proper testing in training first.
The below chart is an approximate guideline of how you can approach your fuelling strategy but make sure to test it in training. Always start low and then build higher to ensure comfort and digestive system adaption.

Sport	Weight	Hourly Carbohydrate / Protein Dosage
Running	50-60kg	30 – 50g (120 – 200Kcals) Low GI Distress Risk
	60-70kg	30 – 60g (120 – 240Kcals) Low GI Distress Risk
	70-80kg	30 – 65g (160kcals-260Kcals) Medium GI distress Risk
	80kg >	40 -70g (160Kcals -280Kcals) Medium GI distress Risk
Cycling	50-60kg	30 – 60g (120 – 240Kcals) Low GI Distress Risk
	60-70kg	40 – 70g (160 – 280Kcals) Medium GI distress Risk
	70-80kg	50 – 80g (200kcals -320Kcals) Higher GI Distress Risk
	80kg >	50 -90g (200Kcals -360Kcals) High GI Distress Risk

Start with the lower volume zones and gradually increase the dosage in training to see what the best balance is of energy to digestive comfort. If the digestive system takes strain with higher dosages, then lower them. That is your tipping point. It’s best to consume in a drip feeding manner meaning more frequent feeds to get the desired amount. This reduces the risk of the digestive system going into distress as it’s easier to process smaller amounts at once. It also stabilises you better over time mitigating the roller coaster effect of highs and lows.

As mentioned above the fuel needs to support the effort. This is based on time and intensity. If we take a look at the basic training zones from zone 1 to zone 5 we know that lower intensity efforts will require a lower carbohydrate intake to support it as the body will have the ability to maximize fat usage as a source of fuel. However as we move through the zones which can also happen over time due to cardiac drift the carbohydrate volume will need to increase to support the efforts. As an simple example a slow Zone 1/2 ride of 2-3hrs will not need much carbohydrate support so in the case of a product recommendation 32Gi Endure and or 32Gi Hydrate electrolyte fizzies would be able to support this session. But take a hard quality session of say 90min to 2hrs with hitting Zone’s 3 – 5 where glycogen becomes the main fuel source then a higher dosage of carbohydrate intake is required to support that effort. To truly meet training adaptations meaning supporting your full potential properly when doing quality workouts it is important to fuel that effort properly. In this case a drink like 32Gi Race Pro, Race and 32Gi Gels would provide better fuelling support. I created a video a while back explaining the fuel tanks relative to zone training. It is worth a watch just Click Here to view.

Step 2: Choose your Energy Source to Meet your Fuelling Requirements
What format of fuel are you wanting to use to achieve your energy requirements. Do you prefer a liquid feed or a solid feed or do you prefer a combination of both?
The most important thing to remember is that you need to adhere to simplicity and a proper measured value to ensure you get exactly what you need as well as the correct absorption rates. Check the ingredients carefully you want it to be as clean and simple as possible. After all your stomach needs to process what you putting into it. Keep it carbohydrate dominant and very clean avoid fats they slow down the rate of absorption and especially avoid trans fats you only asking for trouble by mixing that into you fuelling strategy.

As a simple example if you are going with a concentrated energy feed like 32Gi Race Pro that will provide you with all your energy requirements in a single bottle then there is no need to take anything else with it. Its specifically designed to be absorbed at a certain rate in its current format and mixing it with another product will impact that. So the only thing required along side it would be a hydration drink such as 32Gi Hydrate or water. If you are wanting to use say an isotonic drink such as 32Gi Endure you need to have in mind that a bottle contains 44 grams of carbohydrates per a serving and if you drank 3/4 of that bottle in an hour you would only get around 33grams of carbohydrates per an hour which could be a serious energy deficit if you are aiming for a 60gram per an hour feed. So now you need to consider an external energy source which can be used with Endure which wont impact its efficacy but give you the required energy outcome. In this case adding in Chews or Gels would plug the gap in required hourly carbohydrate intake.

Step 3: How to Hydrate Properly
Once you have chosen your energy source you need to think about hydration very carefully. If you are using an isotonic drink which is providing you both energy and minerals to hydrate then you need to make sure that you will be able to take in the desired amount hourly to meet your hydration and energy needs. One of the reasons I advocate separating energy and hydration is because of weather conditions. On a hot day it will probably be easier to consume a bottle of an isotonic solution, however over consuming would mean knowing how many carbs you are taking externally to that and adjusting the feed accordingly. But what if its a cooler day? You don’t lose as much fluid in the form of sweat and you drink less fluid. However now your energy system is impacted by the calorie deficit and you need to adjust the feed accordingly. This might leave you consuming more energy in the form of gels which if not combined with the correct amounts of fluid can leave you with GI distress. The simplest feed is the easiest feed that does not require mathematical calculations during a session. In this case a single source feed and a single source hydration system are in my mind the simplest solution. From a hydration perspective you need to understand the conditions you will be exercising in and hydrate accordingly. Meaning the type of hydration drink will need to be determined according to the your sweat rate under various conditions. The idea is to try to replenish 80% of lost fluid. Water on its own is not as easily absorbed as a hypotonic drink and this is why I advocate a hypotonic solution to maximise fluid absorption and not take a chance. I wrote a blog Simply Hydrate explaining hydration in detail you can click here to take a read.

In summary I want you to understand that nutrition and proper fuelling are so critical not just in sports performance but also recovery and overall health. Many athletes focus on the training and wake up way too late to give the nutrition the proper focus it needs to perform, recover faster and remain in good health. Don’t be the athlete that spoils the soup and fuels your race to failure. Plan it properly, test it over and over in training, tweak it, bank it and take it to race day.

All the best

Mark Wolff is a certified exercise & sports nutritionist, endurance nutrition and physiology expert with over 20 years experience. An endurance multi-sport athlete with a running, triathlon, mountain biking and weight lifting background, he works extensively with professional and amateur athletes in a variety of sports disciplines as well as those just wanting to change their lifestyles. He firmly believes that a person can only reach their full potential when their health and nutrition is given the proper focus. Mark’s focus on nutrition and physiology is not just on training and racing, but he places major emphasis on recovery, immune system health, emotional stability, stress management and performance. Mark is co-founder of 32Gi, a sports nutrition company, focused mainly on health and endurance nutrition. He is also co-founder of Rapid Recover focused on pneumatic compression equipment to improve circulation for recovery, rehabilitation and health.

Nutrition

INTERMITTENT FASTING & THE ENDURANCE ATHLETE

Post author By Mark Wolff
Post date February 25, 2020
2 Comments on INTERMITTENT FASTING & THE ENDURANCE ATHLETE

Intermittent fasting has certainly come to the forefront over the past few years and more and more I am getting asked by endurance athletes whether I think intermittent fasting is a good idea?

The question I throw back in return is why do you want to do intermittent fasting? Mostly I hear endurance athletes telling me that they want to lose weight, lean out or become more fat efficient athletes. I guess the big question is what is your actual goal? Are you trying to lose weight? Are you trying to improve your previous best marathon or Ironman time or are you just doing it for health reasons.

Firstly intermittent fasting is a form of calorie restriction, correct? So if you can restrict calories by fasting then why can’t you restrict calories by eating correctly?
When you place your body into a fasted state you begin playing with hormones specifically leptin and ghrelin. The inability to balance these hormones properly due to either over eating or fasting can cause roller coaster effects which in the end do not land up serving the correct purpose.

The main question though is as an endurance athlete why would you even consider fasting?

Weight loss comes from eating correctly meaning a calorie restricted diet and proper macronutrient intake to support you unique requirements. This could be fat loss, muscle gain or maintenance. However as an endurance athlete what about energy, immunity, recovery and performance. Intermittent fasting will not support that at all. Actually quite the opposite it will hamper the recovery process, limit your energy levels and place your immune system under stress.

Let me further explain so that you fully understand the consequences of intermittent fasting while trying to be the best possible healthy endurance athlete.

RECOVERY
When it comes to recovery there are three main aspects that I look at and these are:

Rehydration
Muscle Protein Synthesis
Glycogen Restoration and blood sugar stabilization

If an athlete does intermittent fasting then rehydration and adequate fluid intake will not be an issue. The main issues will arise when it comes to muscle protein synthesis and glycogen replenishment. Adequate protein intake for an endurance athlete is important for recovery. Generally I work on around 1.4g – 1.7g of protein per a kilogram of body weight. This will depend on the athletes goals and training. Strength work and developing more lean muscle will require a higher protein intake while maintenance and repair will be on the lower side. Take a 70kg athlete who is training on average 90min a day. His required protein intake would be around 100-120g of protein per a day. This is in animal nutrition terms 4-5 chicken breasts or plant terms 2-3 cups of raw chickpeas. That is quite a lot of food. If the fasting window is quite long it means squeezing this protein intake into a small amount of time. However as we well know when it comes down to protein the human body is only capable of processing and absorbing a certain amount of protein every +-3hrs. This is generally in the region of +- 8-10 grams per hour. So its not possible to squash large protein portions into less meals and expect the correct portion amount for proper muscle protein synthesis to take place. Actually the opposite over eating protein ultimately causes a rise in blood sugar and that can easily lead to weight gain. We also know that consuming a protein with a carbohydrate post exercise up-regulates amino acid uptake specifically leucine which is a trigger for muscle protein synthesis.

What also allows for proper muscle protein synthesis is a positive nitrogen balance. Nitrogen is the most crucial component of amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein. What this means is that if you are fasting the amount of nitrogen excreted from the body is greater than the amount of nitrogen ingested and there is no repair work taking place actually the opposite. So you are actually not recovering and triggering decent training adaptations.

EATING FOR ENERGY
The next aspect I want to look at is the energy system our primary fuel tanks being glycogen and fat. Glycogen is our rocket fuel and used at higher intensities while in lower aerobic zones fat becomes the fuel of choice.
A hard workout where glycogen depletion takes place will require carbohydrate intake post exercise to rapidly start the glycogen replenishment process and stabilise blood sugar. Extending the fasted period a few hours post exercise will delay this from happening and can lead to fatigue. This will also hamper back to back sessions. Then when it does become time to break the fast how do you know how much to consume in the form of carbohydrates and protein. If you do not ensure proper glycogen replenishment and stabilisation without triggering a roller coaster ride you will generate the the opposite effect from fat burn to fat gain by overeating.

When it comes down to the main energy system, carbohydrates are without a doubt our rocket fuel. If you are going to be doing an FTP (Functional Threshold Power) test or an interval or track session. Then how can you expect to achieve the best possible numbers without fuelling the session properly. Being able to push those sessions to the best possible effort is what ultimately will lead to better gains, as well as more fat burning post exercise by elevating the metabolic rate that much more. It has been scientifically proven many times over that a fuelled session will give better performance numbers.

When it boils down to performance gains and being a fitter faster and stronger athlete then you need to fuel your effort.
Fuelling during an exercise session or eating post exercise recovery meals is not the reason endurance athletes are overweight. Weight gain comes with overeating and inadequate macronutrient meal blends.

The Fat Efficient Athlete
In order to become a fat efficient athlete intermittent fasting is not required. Fasted training is a good way of developing this, but that is completely different from intermittent fasting. A fasted session does require a recovery meal post exercise and the volume and type of meal will be determined by the duration and intensity of the exercise session. Failing to recover from an exercise session is without a doubt failing the session itself.

To summarise my views on intermittent fasting and endurance sport. They do not go hand in hand. Endurance sport replaces a large amount of physical stress on the body. This impacts the musculoskeletal system, the immune system and energy system. The athletes body requires nutrients to fuel, repair and fortify it constantly. Failing to give the body what it needs will ultimately lead to a lack of performance and potentially illness and injury.
If you want to perform, lean out and get your own resilient Lamborghini engine and body then learn how to eat properly and avoid short cuts which don’t benefit that goal. If you are only trying to lose weight or have a medical condition which requires a calorie restricted diet then intermittent fasting can play a roll. However if you are an athlete intent on being the best version of yourself then get your nutrition right and stop playing games.

Nutrition

CHANGING THE GAME

I figured with all the hype surrounding the Netflix launch of The Game Changers to my controversial post last week which got praises and shots from quite a few, intentionally I might add. I decided to put my views into a proper perspective to clear up any confusion and put this topic to rest.

If anyone had ever suggested to me 10 to 20 years ago that I would be vegan or completely plant-based I would have laughed it off and put the idea down immediately. Why?

But I love my meat and diary…

Firstly, I loved my meat and dairy and secondly, being an endurance athlete but coming from a strength background would have been against everything I was every taught or learned from a nutrition perspective.

Muscle mass equalled protein which equated to meat. Believe me in my twenties I could easily walk into Scrooges Diner and take on the “Big Challenge”. It was to eat a 42 oz steak, drink a quart of beer or coke, and consume a plate of chips all in under an hour. They gave you a free t-shirt for completing the challenge.

One day I walked in there and my mates set up another challenge for me. Take on a double Scrooges Challenge. I completed the first in 17 minutes, and the second was done in another 18 minutes.

Basically 48 oz of steak, 2 quart of beer, and two plates of chips downed in 45 minutes flat. That was “The Fitness Freak” 28 years ago.

If anyone ever toyed with idea of plant-based, vegan or anything close to it there was absolutely no chance I would have given it a second of a thought. It was completely cast aside as absolutely ridiculous.

When your lifestyle catches up with you

My weight lifting years were a lot about strength and muscle mass gain. However at the same time all the heavy lifting, the long hours of working and poor nutrition eventually took its toll on me.

At age 26 I contracted an illness which knocked me down for months. Not only did it hit me hard, it kept reoccurring year after year. Here I was a strong muscular conditioning expert, yet I could not get out of bed to even make it the bathroom. I had a high fever that lasted for weeks on end, chronic fatigue, and in a world of hurt.

The doctors had absolutely no idea what was going on and I was subject to a daily dose of blood tests, ultra sounds, liver biopsies and possibly anything you can think of. The doctors were completely at a loss.

I couldn’t let this go on. I had come to the sad realization that I had gotten away for years with unhealthy food, work stress, lack of sleep and heavy weights which eventually caused my elastic band to snap. I was afraid, very afraid.

The pinnacle of change in my life

My daughter was only a year old at the time and I was worried how would I be able to be healthy and ensure I could care for and provide. I decided to accept my illness. It’s the greatest thing you can do, because without acceptance you cannot move ahead. You just remain trapped in a world of hurt and pain.

My eventual diagnosed was a viral infection that I had picked up from my daughter, which in normal cases doesn’t wreak as much havoc as it did. I only had myself to blame. I led a less than stellar lifestyle and this was a BIG wake-up call.

To make matters worse, this illness wasn’t ever going to disappear. It had triggered an autoimmune response and regardless of most people developing antibodies to keep it at bay, my body decided during certain times to give into to it and I experienced a few more years of big attacks.

BUT this was the pinnacle of change in my life. I was NOT going to accept this and I was going to find a way of keeping myself strong and the illness away.

I became an expert of my own body

Nutrition, physiology, anatomy, lifestyle and exercise. I studied, I investigated, I made big changes and I started to become such an expert of the human body with regard to nutrition, exercise, endurance, fitness, health, illness, injury and weight-loss.

But that’s not all, I managed to take all of this and turn it into a lifestyle. A blueprint for a healthy life and creating longevity. The main areas I focused on was of course nutrition, sleep and training.

We all mostly train, we all eat, and sleep. So what is meant by this?

I had to find the exact nutrition my body required for me. The right amount of sleep to ensure lowered stress levels and recovery. AND of course ensuring that I understood exactly the kind of training was needed and how much of it to ensure performance and immune system strength, but not too much to cause the opposite effect.

Putting the pieces together to achieve success

I studied in-depth physiology, nutrition, endurance and strength principles. I studied and worked with some of the greatest minds in these fields to ensure that I became an expert. So that I could empower not just myself, but also to be able to guide others. After all, nothing is more important than ones health. Without it life cannot be lived to its full extent (Read my blog on the Fork in the Road).

I managed to lean out, 46 kilograms leaner! Not by becoming a vegan but by using my knowledge to clean up my eating, training and sleeping. I managed to suppress this re-occurring illness for 9 years. However in 2012 it reared its ugly head just before the last leg of a triathlon series.

I will never forget that day. I had been racing nicely and sitting there ready to snap up a podium step, all I needed was a solid finish on the last race. However on the day I was flat and my energy levels were just not there. I thought it was a cold but it was way more than that and the next few days it reared its ugly head. I was very ill and no doctor could figure it out.

Going back to the Drawing Board

I was back to the drawing board. What could I change what would get me back in control of my health again. At that stage I consulted with some immunologists who ran a batch of bloods and started cycling me on and off courses of antibiotics and tetracycline to kill what they had discovered. Twenty two courses in total to be honest over many months.

At the same time I placed myself on a ketogenic diet and was so serious about it that I made sure to run daily blood tests on myself to ensure I was remaining in a state of ketosis.

I figured if this bug thrived on carbs then I was going to give it the opposite. The war was real and after nine months the illness subsided and I could start training again.

I came back to good health and started competing again at a decent level, but every few months I sort of dipped back into illness. Then came out again with shorter infection periods. It took about 18 months to realise that the keto diet was too inflammatory. With my training volumes and intensity my recovery was not the best and it was weakening my immune system.

I decided to go back to a higher carbohydrate diet. Within a few weeks I felt the benefits again, especially on the energy and recovery side. It did not mean I was not fat efficient, I just focussed on carbohydrate periodization which worked very well.

So here I was with all the correct macronutrients which were definitely working in my favour but I still was not on top of my game where my health was concerned and I knew I could still improve.

My secret to going Vegan

So I decided to start with a slow process of elimination and see where it took me. The first to go was meat which left me with a wide variety of enjoyable “healthy foods”. Then with more tweaking and research I dropped the chicken leaving me classified as “Lacto-ovo vegetarian”.

I felt great if not much better than I had in years, but I still believe that one should never settle for great if you can go way beyond that. I then cut fish, hanging on to just eggs and dairy. I went for ethically sourcing eggs and dairy but its very limited in South Africa, here I am based. What you find in the FMCG chain stores is not genuinely free range or organic for that matter.

Then the big moment came cutting dairy. I was never a big dairy eater but I did enjoy a greek yogurt now and then. It was a big move for me and I held onto the eggs purely for a source of B12, and as an easy source of protein.

The Benefits of going Plant-Based

This process had now taken me to a round two years without so much as a cold or any medication. Without actually realizing it my immune system was way stronger and it only showed over time.

Training adaptations were better and my body fat dropped even more, getting me to a weight lighter than at my school graduation. I was feeling healthier & stronger and my ability to recover was definitely way better than it had been in years.

Being an “Ovo-vegetarian” I kept to a minimum and started to experiment more with plant-based proteins. I kept running blood tests to ensure my engine was strong and that I had no deficiencies. Eventually I dropped the eggs and went completely plant-based.

I was nervous as I wasn’t sure how my iron levels, B12 levels etc. would remain sufficient to ensure I could perform at my best and stay healthy. However bloods do not lie (check out my blog Bloods don’t Lie) but my levels were stellar. The best they had been in years.

Do I need to supplement?

Yes I do. But I was supplementing even when I was eating meat so the change did not make matters worse, in actual fact my iron levels had improved.

Did my B12 levels drop? Actually that is the surprising part, I analyzed my bloods from when I was eating animal sourced proteins and to be honest my B12 levels are better now than they were then. Across the board and closer to 50 years of age I feel way better now than I was in my 20’s and 30’s.

The best part of all no major lingering illness for years. Was this a “Game Changer” for me. Absolutely.

Am I telling everyone to go in the plant-based direction? Definitely NOT!

Important Health Elements

What I do need to state is the following. Firstly, I think it’s important to figure out what works best for an individual. Nutrition is unique to each person. One needs to make sure whatever they are eating is right for their health, performance and enjoyment. But that does not mean being set in our ways is the best. Sometimes experimentation and change is a good thing to see where it takes you.

Secondly, I am not an anti-animal food based activist BUT my biggest gripe is actually the source of the animal-based products. It’s a fact that most farmed animals, at least where I live, are grain fed, antibiotic and protein hormone loaded.

This means whatever you are eating from that source is highly inflammatory and increases the risk of disease way more. It’s a fact that research has been done on farmed animal meat.

It’s been found to be excessively high in omega 6 inflammatory fats and contains virtually no omega 3, vitamins, minerals nor levels of conjugated linoleic acid. This means high cardiovascular and disease risk. So yes big meat eaters when sourced from the normal farming methods are not great at all for your health.

As for endothelial function, as shown in The Game Changers when eating animal-based products, plant-based foods have shown to have an extremely positive benefit on it. AND In the lowering of risks such as CVD, Blood Pressure etc. that’s not new to medicine or science, but maybe to some it was an eye opener and something new. Of course one could still follow a 80/20 clean plant / clean animal derived food source and reap the benefits.

Things you need to consider

I think the things one needs to consider are fruits and vegetables. They provide you with a high level of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals ,so yes they should be eaten in abundance. Yes animals provide protein as well as other beneficial support such as collagen, omega 3 (in decent sourced options) but these can be sourced in plants as well. Believe me protein can easily be derived from plant-based sources.

I hear a lot of people commenting on what is sprayed on the outside of plants is more hazardous than eating farmed meat. But it’s actually pretty easily washed off with certain organic sprays, and there are hard exterior fruit and vegetable options.

The problem with animals is there is no washing off what they are fed. In the words of Dr Mark Hayman “You are what the animal you eat, eats” and that is the plain truth, whether dairy or meat the problem is the source.

Following a PAGAN type of diet PaleoVegan (Check out Dr Mark Hayman’s WTF Should I Eat, book) top sourced animal derived foods with a higher amount of plant-based foods is absolutely fine. As long as you feel it works for you.

Remember one thing when it comes to nutrition even if it’s working well it’s still a journey, and constant changes, experimentation, tweaking and modifications to any diet will keep you progressing from strength to strength. So experiment and play with the food see what works best for you.

I run bloods on myself every 3-4 months. They are a true reflection of my health as well as how often I am sick, how energetic I am, and of course analyzing emotional stability and happiness.

I often get asked if plant-based works for me. I never would have said this would have been my path of nutrition in life, but then again I followed what worked well for me. I was never afraid to be controversial, challenge and make the changes. It has certainly been a Game Changer for me..

Your in Healthy Living,

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Nutrition

RECOVER PROPERLY OR BREAK

Proper recovery nutrition is one of the most misunderstood aspects of any sport especially endurance. When it comes down to it, if you fail to recover properly then you have failed to make the proper gains from your training session. You will have also set yourself up for a domino effect of fatigue and injury risk and your ability to meet your goals in the next workout sessions. Not only is it about performance gains, but even more importantly immune system strength and overall health. Proper recovery from exercise is something that needs to be perfected and nailed every single time.

In this blog I am going to explain the simple process of how to tackle your recovery nutrition and to give it the correct focus it constantly needs.

To begin we need to understand that a recovery meal does not just consist of a meal post exercise with carbohydrates, proteins and fats. When it comes down to it there are many different opinions on where the focus should be. Strength athletes focus on protein, endurance athletes love their carbs and the weight conscious tend to go for the higher fat options. However to be pretty straightforward none of them are correct in their thinking. I will provide some clarity below.

Lets begin with the actual training session. In terms of duration and intensity each session will vary from the next. Some days are short recovery or low intensity sessions. Some days are longer duration, higher intensity or strength sessions. This means that each day the body will go through a different metabolic process of fuel tank usage and muscle engagement. There will be varying stresses placed on it and each will have different requirements when it comes to proper recovery.

Taking a look at the the human fuel tanks being primarily glycogen and fat each will have differing burn rates through a session. A higher intensity session will see a greater percentage depletion of glycogen than a shorter low intensity session. While the longer sessions even if a lower to medium intensity will tend to still dip into both fuel tanks due to cardiac drift of effort over time and higher calorie burn. A while back I created a nice little video explaining the fuel tank usage to make it simple to understand just click here for viewing.

In summary glycogen are your carbohydrate stores and are primarily used under higher intensity exercise while fat is mainly used as a source of fuel at lower intensity exercise. During exercise the body moves through varying rate of intensities and a combination of both fuel sources are used depending on the duration and intensity. There is another fuel tank which we would not want to use and that is protein. Yes protein can also be broken down into fuel but generally that is over very long hard endurance sessions. It is a fuel source we do not want to use and should be mitigated by proper fuelling during exercise. However for recovery it can help determine nutrition options post-exercise. As far as strength training goes, yes, more muscle damage is generally done in a strength session and mostly the energy system utilised for strength is ATP-PC ( adenosine triphosphate – phosphocreatine ) system, especially with explosiveness and this is combined with aerobic function. ATP-PC is short lived energy only lasting seconds but it can definitely equate to fatigue. So recovery from strength sessions is just as crucial as endurance exercise.

Now that we have an understanding of how the body is impacted from an energy system and stress perspective, it should make sense that in order to adapt properly and train again we would need to recover properly from that session.

The approach for proper recovery is quite simple and needs to broken into various steps. Once you understand this it will be easy to create your own personal recovery strategy day after day.

Let’s begin……………………………..

Step 1: How Long was your Training Session?
Keeping this simple I break it down into a short, medium or long session. Meaning the following
Short < 60 Minutes
Medium < 2.5 Hours
Long > 3 Hours

The duration of your session will ultimately determine the size and number of recovery meals to properly benefit from your training session. As a simple example consuming a large calorie meal after a short 60 minute session is an over kill, while under consuming after a long session will leave you feeling fatigued and hungry later on. Lets continue and I will fit the puzzle pieces together further down.

Step 2: How Intense was your Training Session?
Did you keep your heart rate low and steady for a short session or did you do an interval or tempo session creating a fair amount of effort. Remember that a low intensity session means a higher fat burn lower glycogen depletion session. While a high intensity session means higher glycogen depletion. The percentage of fuel tank usage will relate back to the composition of your meal. As a simple example; a recovery session will mean a low carb recovery meal, while a high intensity session means more glycogen (carbohydrate fuel) depletion, which would equate to a higher carbohydrate meal post-exercise to ensure replenishment of the glycogen fuel tank.

Step 3: How Muscularly Strenuous was my Session?
Protein intake in an athletes days can vary slightly. Generally I will set a target of around 1.4 grams – 1.7 grams of protein per a kilogram of body weight depending on whether the athlete is maintaining or aiming to gain more lean muscle mass. However in some cases for muscle gain and bouts of heavy strength training that amount of protein will go up to 2 grams / kilogram of body weight or more.

On a day where more muscle damage is done it would be wise to aim for a slightly higher protein intake through the day to be in a protein positive net balance to allow for proper recovery. Just remember the amount of protein per a single serving is limited in what the body can process and absorb, so its not a matter of loading protein in a single meal but more the frequency of protein intake through the day. I have written a previous blog on protein intake and it can be read by clicking here.

Now that we have those three thought steps in pace lets focus on Recovery. There are five main aspects to recovery in my mind.

Sleep
Rehydration
Muscle Protein Synthesis
Glycogen Replenishment
Immune System Strength

Sleep
Probably the most crucial aspect of longevity and health is sleep. An amateur athlete is very often sleep deprived due to the early waking hours and cutting short of sleep in order to train. Throw work stress and family stress into the mix and you are heading for disaster. Do not underestimate the power of sleep. The human body repairs and restores itself during the sleep cycles. Critical hormonal release states are triggered and failure to cycle through them is damaging. It’s not just about the duration of sleep but also the quality of sleep meaning few wake cycles and some nice deep sleep cycles. I have been analysing sleeping patterns now for around 14 years and it is as clear as day that a bad nights sleep impacts performance, ability to recover as well as weakens the immune system. Give it some focus and ensure you get at least a minimum of 7 hours of good quality sleep a night, preferably 8.

Rehydration
The human body is comprised mainly of water and during exercise there is a fair amount lost in the form of sweat. The longer the session the more fluid lost. It is absolutely crucial to rehydrate during and post session to replenish lost fluid in the form of sweat. During exercise its only possible to replenish around 80% of lost fluid however post exercise its important to get right back up to a proper hydrated state. Best is to consume a hypotonic drink to maximize fluid absorption and this can be done with a product such as 32Gi Hydrate. If you want a more in-depth look at hydration then check out my blog simply hydrate.

Muscle Protein Synthesis (MPS)
Endurance as well as strength require major muscle usage to perform any given activity. Protein are the building blocks and are critical in ensuring proper muscle recovery. I come across so many athletes who under eat protein. This only leads to injury, illness and fatigue as well as failure to achieve proper training adaptations in the form of strength and fitness gains. Let me break this down a little further.

White blood cells which of course fight infections, are comprised of protein. So lack of protein equates to lower immunity. Post-exercise an athletes immune system is lowered and the risk of infection higher. Don’t under estimate this. As far as muscle protein synthesis goes protein is crucial. Especially adequate branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) consumed of course with a complete protein. Another thing that many athletes fail to understand is there are proteins and proteins. It is important to find a complete healthy protein to get proper intake. L-Leucine is the most crucial branch chain to trigger MPS and there we would look at an intake of 2.5-3grams of L-Leucine to ensure the MPS trigger. Some protein serving sizes do not contain the correct amount and then supplementation would be advised.

Remember its not about the front label its about the actual content of the product. A protein portion post-exercise should be in the region of 20-35g depending on the weight of an individual, kind of exercise and overall protein goal for the day. Over-consumption of protein does not work due to the body not being able to process all of it, and in short it can lead to a rise in blood sugar and potential weight gain. Ensure you know your protein targets and stick to them.

Glycogen Replenishment
Glycogen – which is our carbohydrate stores – will mostly be depleted during exercise at a rate which is dependent on the duration and intensity of the session. A long hard session warrants a higher carbohydrate meal post-exercise which should be proportional to the glycogen depleted. Carbohydrates are what’s required to replenish glycogen stores. A short lower intensity session means a low carb meal. Over eat the carbs post a session which does not warrant it, and be assured you will mitigate fat burn and tend towards the gaining weight population.

Immune System Strength
Post-exercise susceptibility to illness is higher. Especially if in a contained environment like a gym where sick people sweat, train and touch everything opening endless possibilities of contact. Immunity is so crucial to any athlete especially during bouts of hard big volume sessions where the body undergoes way more stress. How does one strengthen their immune system? Well firstly a blood test to determine any insufficiency is worth it as if you are for example anaemic or have low vitamin D levels it will certainly play a role in weak immune system. That is the first step. Know your status and fortify accordingly. There is no point in dosing with vitamins and minerals if you have no idea where you are weak.

Hydrate properly and focus on gut bacteria strength as it’s another crucial aspect of immune system strength so pre and probiotics are worth it. Cutting refined foods and focusing on nutrient dense foods will help boost immunity. A supplement like glutamine is excellent for immune system strength as well as providing alkalinity to the gut. Vitamin D not Vitamin C is the wow factor in immune system strength. Most athletes I have had blood tested tend to be low on Vitamin D levels which is the one vitamin known to provide immunity. Vitamin C is an anti-oxidant with other properties, but it has nothing on Vitamin D as far as immunity goes.

Those are just a few examples, however its so vast and I wont go into too much detail on this as its a blog on its own for the future. But as a starting point get bloods and if you are not sure then check out my blog on bloods don’t lie.

The above is pretty self explanatory in terms of importance and focus. But I bet you are now asking for examples of post-exercise recovery meals and a little more insight on supplementation to ensure proper fast recovery and health. That is coming in my next blog :-).

However don’t despair, in the mean time together with the 32Gi and the Rapid Recover team we put together a recovery cheat sheet which I will email to you with pleasure – all you need to do is sign up to our newsletter by subscribing to my blog – and it will be emailed off to you.

all the best

Tags 32Gi, endurance, endurance sport, Endure, Fitness, Healthy Choices, immune system strength, longevity, nutrition, race, rapid recover, Recover, recovery meal, smoothie, sports nutrition, Sports Nutritionist

Training

THE YO-YO EFFECT

The Yo-Yo Effect

The number of athletes that hit hibernation mode in the colder months, especially after their goal races are quite large in number. So to are the volume and type of calories which they consume on a daily basis. This of course leads to a big wake up call when spring suddenly appears. I get to hear lots of “I need to shed so many kilograms of weight and get into shape”.

The problem is that coming out of winter a fair amount over weight actually means that getting back to fitness is a lot further off than you imagined. These are the kind of athletes that use exercise as a means to try to lose weight. I actually find it quite amusing because on one hand training at a much heavier weight places unnecessary strain on the body and of course in their minds they still thinking about paces they ran or rode while at a much lower weight. Also you cannot focus on losing weight and hope to perform simultaneously. Performance happens at an optimal weight and one cannot focus on quality and expect results when they dragging a ball and chain behind them. This will only lead to injury or illness and even more setbacks.

There is no excuse for anyone who spent many months getting into shape just to let themselves go and then battle back up again. It is all about consistency and of course proper nutrition.

When it comes down to proper sports nutrition food consumption needs to fall in line with volume and intensity of exercise. If exercise is reduced significantly then the calorie requirements need to drop down and fall in line. If you are not training then I am sorry to say you are not an athlete and you will need to eat according to sedentary individual nutrition guidelines.

Get back into shape with Proper Nutrition
Lets forget about what you should have done through the toned down training months. Now is that time of the year that you need to get back into shape and training is not the main focus to get back to shape and health. Its proper nutrition.

The aim of this blog is to get you back on track and hopefully to good fitness and health without placing yourself at risk for injury and illness.

When it comes to working with any athlete I first calculate what is called the rest metabolic or basal rate. They are different in how they are calculated but each is unique to an individual based on age, weight and of course the kind of body composition and metabolism. Although there are standard calculations, some people have slower or faster metabolism’s than others and this needs to be taken into account.

The RMR or BMR (Rest Metabolic or Basal Metabolic Rate ) of an individual will help me determine the approximate amount of calories that an athlete burns off on an average rest day. Once I understand this I then add in the weekly training and determine a physical activity level for that individual based on time and intensity. This will allow me to understand the type of calorie burn rate that an individual goes through during the week. When it boils down to sports nutrition each day is a different day and while some dietitians focus on an average daily intake for the week I disagree with this approach.

Take the shaped nutrition approach
I suggest focusing on a shaped nutrition approach where the volume and type of macro-nutrient intake revolves around your training. The reason its preferable is that each day our training differs. As an endurance athlete I can have a rest day or even two in a week and some weeks are completely loaded with heavy volumes and even more so on the weekends. Quality sessions also demand more from our body’s. This means on some days my calorie burn rate is very high and on some days its down pretty low.

The issue with just an average calorie deficit program is that if the dietitians are not themselves endurance athletes and not experiencing these major demands on the body from day to day and week to week then how can they understand what we go through. Its not just theoretical it has to be practical. If I have power numbers and paces to hit, I need proper fuelling and recovery. If strength is added in I need to again look at what I am consuming especially in the form of protein o help with recovery and training adaptations. It is not a constant number.

When talking about actual fuelling the human body has two major fuel tanks glycogen and fat. Some days, exercise dependant, I chew up more glycogen and some days are higher fat burn session days. This also determines the kind of fuel I should be consuming to ensure proper recovery between sessions. On days where I deplete glycogen stores a higher carbohydrate intake is required to help replenish them quickly to ensure I recover properly for the next session. On days where my glycogen stores are untouched I can afford to lower my carb intake. This is a form of carbohydrate cycling and works very well for endurance athletes who need to push decent numbers and ensure they recover quickly and properly between sessions.

Weight Loss and Power Maintenance
Lets talk about weight loss (specifically fat loss) and power maintenance. This is where the problems could be seen. Generally we see most dietary guidelines placing an individual in approximately a 500Kcal deficit to pull down the weight. I agree with the larger calorie deficit approach to weight loss however its not advisable during peak volume and hard training bouts. It’s also not just about the deficit its also very much about portioning each meal correctly to ensure that when you are training you actually able to also maximise elevated metabolic rate and fat burn through each day.

A few weeks ago I was standing at the Kauai in the gym next to a guy who was ordering a large smoothie. This particular smoothie was around 600Kcals. I asked him what training he did and he said he had done a 40 minute jog on the treadmill. Taking this session into account and the fact that he only burned off around max 400Kcals his recovery meal was already in excess of what he had burned off. I chatted to another athlete who ordered a healthy wrap but this wrap had a calorie content of of over 800Kcals and here we go again with a burn rate way lower than what the consumed after his session. Many people don’t realise that even if food is perceived as healthy it still means you can over eat the health.

With the above in mind I am not going to stop you from ordering your favourite health food but what I am going to do is make a suggestion so you can ensure you burn the fat and drop the weight. When it comes to body fat gain its all related to blood sugar, insulin and fat storage. If you can manage your blood sugar properly and keep your metabolic rate elevated you can absolutely burn a lot of fat through the day. The idea is to train, elevate the metabolic rate ( high intensity intervals work best) and then limit anything that will cause a major rise in blood sugar. This comes down to portion control because even a large piece of meat can elevate blood sugar due to its glycemic load when it breaks down.

How to still enjoy your Favourite Meal
One such way for example is to order your favourite smoothie. Just make sure you have the correct amount of protein in there to count towards getting your daily needs. Drink only half the smoothie post exercise and then an hour to ninety minutes later have the other half. If you go for a large calorie wrap then get it cut into quarters or thirds and split that meal over the day spaced nicely apart so as not to play havoc with your blood sugar and give yourself a fighting chance at burning that fat.

One thing I want to add is that if you are in peak racing season you cannot expect to be pushing out major mileage, power and pace numbers and expect to achieve your goals and recover properly with a large calorie deficit. In this case we narrow the deficit to ensure we can perform properly without fatiguing.

I will touch on macro nutrient recommendations in another blog but for now take note of where your focus should be. Don’y play Yo-Yo with your training and nutrition, keep it healthy keep it controlled and make sure to burn that fat.

all the best

Nutrition

WHY YOU HAVEN’T EARNED YOUR JUNK FOOD!!!

Post author By Mark Wolff
Post date August 18, 2019
1 Comment on WHY YOU HAVEN’T EARNED YOUR JUNK FOOD!!!

As a sports nutritionist I come across a diverse amount of people each day. What gets my attention the most is the group of people I call “the justifiable or the deserving“. This is collective group who will always justify their reasons for consuming junk or unhealthy food.

I always hear statements of “you only live once so enjoy it while you can” or my “grandmother lived to 90 and ate badly”. Then yesterday I commented on a Instagram post where an individual is posting her weight loss journey. I commend the commitment of the individual. it’s admirable and important, but the types of foods posted are mostly unhealthy.

It’s about more than just a Calorie Deficit

In no uncertain terms, weight can drop with a calorie deficit especially combined with exercise but the type of calories you are consuming play the most crucial role in fortifying your health.

Their justification was that this particular food was for a group of triathletes. Well that rocked me a little because in a way it was justification that because they were doing a triathlon they deserved this food. Well this is where the sports nutritionist in me stepped out and I decided to set the record straight by writing this blog.

In all honesty I am sure many of us had relatives who were not exactly the best when it came to eating healthily and lived to a ripe old age. When I think about the circumstances they lived in with not much technology, attachment to mobile phones and computers and in some cases very little television this for sure had lower stress levels on their lives. Second to that there was a stage where the quality of food they ate was actually way better than the quality of food that we have been seeing for many years on our shelves.

Junk Food = an Incredibly Powerful Health Destroyer

As technology progressed so did the complete demand of life. Technology has kept us on our toes constantly available with little ability to shut out the world. Simplicity has disappeared and complexity has entered our lives which has put more demands on our shoulders. The food and beverage industry itself has become an incredibly powerful health destroyer. Food demand has increased especially ready or easy to prep foods due to less time available for the average human being.

Cheap fillers are used to keep costs down and all the way back to the farms where fortified, force fed and antibiotic treated livestock has become the norm. Then we have processed meats, cereals, genetically modified and synthetic additives. The industry will create anything that is attractive to the human brain to drive up the craving and demand to enrich themselves constantly.

I won’t get into the debate of ethical and unethical right now as the focus on this blog is the justifiable and the deserving. In other words the athlete who feels that day in and out they burning off so many calories that they earned the junk and will get away with it.

Time to Bust the Bubble

Well I am sorry to burst the bubble here, but this could not be further from the truth. It is quite clear that every single active person will go through many stresses over a 24 hour period to anything such as possible lack of sleep, work stresses, family stresses, travel stresses, exposure to pollutants and much more.

There is one additional stress though an athlete places on his or her shoulders and that is called exercise. Believe it or not physical stress is a stress on the body and the more your train and the more intense the training the higher the physical stress. The problem now is that you are adding even more stress to your life.

Sure exercise can be a form of stress relief but endurance sport is way more stress on the body than just some stress relief. Hours of exercise create major physical demands on the body. Muscle damage, elevated heart rate for prolonged periods of time and a major change of how the engine’s organs operate in this environment over time.

Is endurance sport damaging? Absolutely volume and intensity play a major role of stress and damage to the body. Let’s face it one of the biggest habits of most athletes is they don’t know when to rest, how to rest, how to recover and how to adapt. It is always a case of more is better.

Athletes are healthy right? Wrong!

I have been witness to heart attacks, organ failures, severe injuries and illness. Oh but athletes are healthy right? Wrong!

It all depends on how that athlete treats his or her body and that is the where I get to my main point. The three main aspects I look at when it comes to an athletic endurance lifestyle.

Exercise
Sleep
Nutrition

These three elements are absolutely crucial to counteract the stresses you are placing on your body. Exercise needs to be structured in a way that is not over reaching, damaging and that an athlete can actually benefit from his exercise and get much stronger over time. Not just externally but internally meaning a stronger immune system and a much better conditioned cardiovascular system as well as improved function of all his or her organs.

In relation to sleep, this is the time the body does all its repair work. Late nights, early mornings and sleep sacrifice will only do you harm long term. The lack of sleep will definitely weaken you, leave you in a state of fatigue and has also been shown to cause cardiovascular issues over time. This is not a direction you want to head in.

The right way to fuel your body

Nutrition is the third element of this little triangle. What you consume will ultimately determine how your body copes with the stresses you place on it. When you place major physical demand on your body you need to give it the correct nutrition.

I have often used the comparison of a motor vehicle to a human being. Put the foot down on the gas in your Lamborghini or Ferrari and you better have proper high octane fuel. Fuel is what you place in your body from the time you wake up until the time you go to sleep. Place lower grade diesel fuel in your sports car and watch what happens over time. That engine will eventually seize either in the form of illness or injury.

No this is not an exaggeration. Having worked with amateur and professional athletes over the years I can honestly say that if you do not fuel with proper intent you will eventually break.

Below is a nice little graphic I put together for a presentation in my course The 4 Step Method – Become your own Nutrition Boss, showing how important the role of nutrition is through an athletes cycle.

A proper balance between training, resting (sleep) and nutrition needs to be a focal point for a healthy athlete.

It is a new era and the lifespan of the human being is without a doubt climbing due to medical technology, science and health awareness. These days when a healthy individual reaches the age of fifty he or she has most likely not even hit half way yet.

I wrote a previous blog called The Fork in the Road. (Click to read). You can play the games with your body when you are young but I can promise you that you will pay for it later when you are older.

So back to those who feel they earned their junk. Why don’t you think about what your body actually needs and give it the proper fuel to fortify, strengthen and improve. Aim for longevity and health not just emotional decisions for self satisfaction, and long term irreversible damage.

I will leave you with this quote which was popularized by the famous baseball player Mickey Mantle “If I knew I was going to live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself.”

Your in Healthy Living,

Mark Wolff is a certified exercise & sports nutritionist. An Endurance, nutrition, and physiology expert with over 20 years of experience.

Mark is an endurance and multi-sport athlete with a running, triathlon, mountain biking, and weightlifting background.

He works with professional and amateur athletes in a variety of sports disciplines. As well as those wanting to just change their lifestyle. He believes that a person can only reach their full potential when health and nutrition are given the proper focus.

Mark focuses not only on training and racing but he places a major emphasis on; recovery, immune system health, emotional stability, stress management, and performance.

Mark is co-founder of 32Gi, a sports nutrition company, focused on health and endurance nutrition. He is also co-founder of Rapid Recover, focused on pneumatic compression equipment to improve circulation for recovery, rehabilitation, and health.

Performance

FUELLING YOUR ULTRA PROPERLY

Post author By Mark Wolff
Post date May 13, 2019
1 Comment on FUELLING YOUR ULTRA PROPERLY

With only a few weeks left to Comrades Marathon there is a lot of chatter going around on fuelling, hydration, cramp prevention and immune system boosting to ensure health and decent day out. Unfortunately most of the advice is personal opinion without a clear understanding of what the human body actually requires in an endurance event over a long period of time.
As far as immune system strength goes I will touch on that in a separate blog to dispel the crazy myths that so many think work. In this blog I will cut through the nonsense and explain exactly how to approach your hydration and fuelling strategy for the big day.

In any ultra distance event there are three main areas of focus that need to be adhered to.

Pre-Race Meal
Fuelling Strategy
Hydration Strategy

If you can nail these three you are sure to have a pretty decent day out. Unfortunately many athletes tend to forget about the importance of this and often leave it too late to try it out in training. A proper nutrition strategy needs to be practised many times way in advance of the event and under similar conditions in order to ensure that it works well. If you do not test your strategy and plan it properly there is an excellent chance that your day will go pear shaped.

The Pre-Race Meal
Definitely the most important meal of your race day. A pre-race meal is so crucial in terms of setting the body up for those first few hours exercise. It is the only opportunity to ensure your fuel tanks stay topped up in the hours leading up to the race especially after a night of fasting. Stabilising your blood sugar and ensuring some fuel for the first bit of your race.

The morning meal of race day is vital. The food you consume prior to your race will form an important part of your actual race fuel.
It’s best to consume a meal which will provide you with stability and give you the energy requirements you need during the event. This meal should be a sustainable meal including carbs, make sure it does not spike your blood glucose levels but provides balance. If you are caffeine intolerant you will be able to benefit from taking in caffeine at this point.
Your meal should be consumed at least 2 hours before the event and have a volume of around +-300 – 400 Calories. A meal should consist of easily digestible carbohydrates and some protein. Fibre should be limited as much as possible as it can lead bowel irritation and digestive discomfort. If you are even slightly lactose intolerant then avoid any dairy at all costs.
Some examples of a pre-race meal are listed below.

Rolled oats, peanut or almond butter, half banana
Toast (low fibre) oats or seed load, peanut or almond
butter, honey, banana
Cereal or porridge (low fibre) with some fruit and nut butter.
Potato or white rice pudding
Pancakes
Eggs on toast

If you are a fan of racing or training on caffeine then now is the time to dose on it. Generally its recommended to consume around 1-2mg of caffeine per a kilogram of bodyweight. Caffeine has been shown to help free up free fatty acids which is an excellent source of fuel in a long distance event. It has also demonstrated the effects of delaying the onset of fatigue as well as improving oxygen uptake which of course is a major benefit to the energy system in any long distance event. Caffeine also plays a role in performance improvement during a long distance event. If you have no experimented with caffeine in training then do not try it on race day.

Some nutritionists advocate that you should consume heavy or blood glucose spiking products prior to your event to maximize liver glycogen levels. I am personally against this. The event is not a high intensity event its a pace controlled ultra and you will by no means be doing yourself any favours by elevating your blood sugar significantly. The opposite it will most likely cause some major issues early on. Lastly do not over hydrate prior to the event. This can cause an overloaded bladder and major discomfort. Moderate fluid consumption prior to the event is absolutely fine.

FUELLING YOUR ULTRA
The best way to spare glycogen in a long endurance event is proper pacing, and moderate carb consumption. In an ultra marathon proper clock feeding or distance marker feeding (assuming you know your exact pace) is the ultimate way to fuel. We call this a drip feeding mechanism. The idea is to fuel smaller amounts more frequently.
Why is this a benefit?
It simply reduces the risk of GI (gastrointestinal distress) and prevents major peaks and troughs providing better blood sugar stabilization during exercise. Secondly it allows better fluid absorption as not a large amount of fluid is required with the intake meaning more manageable feeds to provide energy as well as fluid to keep you hydrated.
Consuming a high large amount of glucose concentrate (such as a standard gel) requires a fair amount of fluid to ensure a proper dilution ratio (isotonic) to ensure efficient fluid and energy pull through. Failure to do so will likely lead to gastrointestinal distress as well as dehydration.
Do not delay your fuelling in you race. Start early on and keep it consistent.
Mix it up nicely even combining some food solids along route such as bites of a banana or potato can make for a nice break in between the monotony of other feeds.

Its crucial to get protein in the system during a long distant event as well. I highly advocate consumption either hourly or at certain points in the event. It has been shown to help in delaying the onset of muscle fatigue as well keep you satiated topped up and the hunger at bay.

Below are examples of fuelling charts of elite and amateur athletes to give you an idea of the planning that goes into place not just for training but from a nutrition perspective as well.

* The below charts are tried and tested method for an athlete of specific weight, pacing, fuelling and hydration requirements. Each person is unique in what they require and what works for one person will not necessarily work for the next.

The following products are utilized in the fuelling charts below

Elite Athlete Fuelling Structure

Amateur Athlete 1 Fuelling Structure

Amateur Athlete 2 Fuelling Structure

Elite Athlete 2 Fuelling Structure

STAYING HYDRATED IN YOUR ULTRA
Hydration is where most of the chaos occurs in an ultra distance event. This is very often when the wheels come falling off and the body just goes through a world of hurt and pain. I would even go so far as to say that proper hydration is even more crucial than energy intake.
You need to firstly understand that consuming water in large amounts on route does not mean you will remain hydrated. Hydration depends largely on the absorption rate of the fluid you are consuming. Water on its own has a low absorption rate as opposed to water consumed with a mineral solution (in particular sodium). When it comes to proper hydration the idea is to take in around 80% of fluid lost in the form of sweat. Small frequent sips of fluid intake will be easier to be absorbed however I would suggest consuming fluid with a mineral solution which is hypotonic or isotonic in nature to maximize the absorption of the fluid. I have written a previous blog on hydration which will help clarify this Simply Hydrate (Click Here)

Over consumption of water will only lead to what we call the washing machine effect. When the stomach gets overloaded with fluid as its not being absorbed and this can lead to a large amount of discomfort as well as in severe cases the dreaded hyponatremia. If you do feel fluid sloshing in your stomach and its not being absorbed you need to stop drinking immediately and consume something in the form of salt to help pull that fluid out. Once it empties you can carry on hydrating again. Under over hydrated circumstances very often thirst actually kicks in quite strongly so do not mistake this for dehydration it can be over hydration as well and your stomach will signal on which side of the fence you are sitting. One of the main reasons I developed the 32Gi Cramp Assalt gel (Click for more Info) was to address this exact issue. It’s a hydration gel which is designed to maximize fluid absorption during exercise as well as containing an anti-cramp trigger. Prevention however is better than cure and its an easily carried product which is sure to aid proper hydration.

In conclusion I just want to stress when it comes to fuelling and hydrating the least amount taken in to achieve the best result is what you should aim for. Under consuming can always be addressed but over consumption will swing the pendulum way to hard and leave you in a really tough space that will be pretty hard to get out of.

Over the next few weeks we will be giving a lot of tips and tricks as we head towards Comrades Marathon and hopefully we can guide you to your best day out.

all the best

Mark Wolff is a certified exercise & sports nutritionist, endurance nutrition and physiology expert with over 20 years experience. An endurance multi-sport athlete with a running, triathlon, mountain biking and weight lifting background, he works extensively with professional and amateur athletes in a variety of sports disciplines as well as those just wanting to change their lifestyles. He firmly believes that a person can only reach their full potential when their health and nutrition is given the proper focus. Mark’s focus on nutrition and physiology is not just on training and racing, but he places major emphasis on recovery, immune system health, emotional stability, stress management and performance. Mark is co-founder of 32Gi, a sports nutrition company, focused mainly on health and endurance nutrition. He is also co-founder of Rapid Recover focussed on pneumatic compression equipment to improve circulation for recovery and health.

Performance

POSSIBLY THE SILVER BULLET?

Post author By Mark Wolff
Post date April 1, 2019
4 Comments on POSSIBLY THE SILVER BULLET?

Over the last few weeks there has been a lot of hype and excitement over 32Gi’s latest edition to its product range the new 32Gi Race Pro.
It is a product that I have taken great pride in developing and getting to market. This blog is aimed at to giving you the low down on everything you need to know about it.

First let me explain the history of how this product came about. There is a nice little story as to why we decided to bring it to market. For many years I have been working very closely with many athletes on their sports nutrition. When it comes to the various theories of sports nutrition there are many debates that take place as to what is actually scientifically proven. Often with research we see cases for and against different scenarios and often it boils down to what works for an individual. As a professional sports nutritionist and endurance exercise expert I have been intimately involved with many different athletes at all different levels and each has a unique need and requirement when it comes to nutrition and fuelling strategies.

The last 9 years I have had the fortune of seconding some of the best ultra runners in the world at Comrades Marathon. If anything Comrades is one of the true testers of what an athletes body will go through over time. Duration of effort is huge especially with the temperature variations during the course of the day and the elite athletes are running around the 3:47min/km pace over the 90km course for the coveted title. This is by no means an easy task. The climbs and descents are extensive and the route is undulating and tough. If anything the digestive system undergoes a huge amount of stress especially in light of temperature climb over time and where much of the blood is diverted away from the digestive tracts to the heart, lungs and working muscles for performance as well as the skin for cooling. This leaves the digestive system fairly sensitive over time and proper fuelling and hydration on the day can make or break your efforts on route to the finish line.

I have also worked very closely with triathletes over the years to develop successful fuelling strategies especially during long course events. However the digestive system is much more stable while on the bike. What a triathlete consumes during a long course triathlon will not work the same for an ultra runner. With running the cooling effect is much lower and the high impact of running combined with other various factors leave the digestive system way more sensitive.

With the ultra runners the fuelling methods needed to be more conservative and a focus has to be placed on reducing the risks associated with GI (gastrointestinal) distress as well as hydration.
A few years ago I developed a drip feeding mechanism which meant smaller feeds more frequently over time to help stabilize the energy system and reduce the risk of gastrointestinal complications. The first few years we kept the focus on the carbohydrate feed ensuring the digestive system coped well with the carbohydrate combination and volume of intake over time. It is important to stress that carbohydrates are not created equal and each has varying properties depending on how much is consumed as well as the volume and type of fluid consumed with it.
This ultimately determines the gastric emptying rate and the efficiency of glucose supply as well as fluid absorption to remain hydrated. I have written a previous blog discussing osmolality and the various drink mixture options which can be read about here (Simply Hydrate). Most energy product users don’t actually understand the difference between the different saccharides (sugars) that are available and some are classified as sugars and others are not depending on the type of saccharides or combination of use. Sugar gets a bad wrap as the bad one, but most have no clue how untrue that is because they fail to understand the actual attributes of the carbohydrates used and the composition of them to achieve a specific function.

Once I was satisfied with various carbohydrate fuelling methods we started to introduce protein intake with the carbohydrates in the longer distance events. The purpose was to achieve a reduction in the onset of muscle fatigue and to keep an athlete more stable and satiated on route. After much testing with the triathlon community with 32Gi Recover (click here for more info on 32Gi Recover) during long distance events and the excellent feedback, I began my testing on the ultra runners. The idea was to introduce the protein feed a few hours into the event. The elites would feed around half way and for the back pack athletes earlier to get it between the 3-4hr mark. Fuelling needs to be time not distance based and this is something most athletes get wrong. An athlete covering 45km’s at 3:50 – 4:00min pace will hit that mark under 3hrs while an athlete running around 6-7min pace will only reach the 25-30km mark in that same time. Meaning fuelling is very different and unique for each athlete.

The feedback with the protein intake was phenomenal and the amount of ultra distance runners that incorporated the protein feed into their fuelling strategies were elated at the results. Then came the turn around point and that was the introduction of caffeine into the protein mix in the form of coffee. This not only made the drink more palatable later in the race due to the reduction of sweetness but the caffeine kept the athletes nicely focussed and able to perform.
It’s important to mention that it’s a fact that caffeine is a scientifically proven performance enhancer for endurance sport. The major shift came over the last few years where I was holding up two seconding bottles for the elite athletes to give them a choice on route. One bottle was the pure carbohydrate drink mix and the other the protein / carbohydrate combination. I noticed the demand for the protein shake was increasing. Last year at Comrades the majority of elite runners I was feeding consumed the protein shake on route. I knew the composition was not perfect for the distance but in the timing of the feeds and volumes I gave, certainly did the trick.

Enter project Race Pro. The idea was to develop a world class carbohydrate protein endurance sports drink which was very different to any other product in the market and just did the job better.

32Gi Recover uses a 1:3 ratio of protein to carbohydrates which is excellent for recovery. However for Race Pro I wanted approximately a 1:7 ratio making it much more of a carbohydrate endurance drink with the ability to completely stabilize the energy system and assist in delaying the onset of muscle fatigue. I wanted it to be highly palatable over time and I wanted the drink to have an excellent gastric emptying rate to provide immediate energy and stability as well as reduced risk of gastrointestinal distress.

We decided to use a HBCD (Highly Branched Cyclic Dextrin) as the main carbohydrate due to its incredibly high gastric emptying rate and ability to provide immediate energy in the form of much needed glucose to the working muscles. We then added some stage releasing carbohydrates to stagger the release providing some stability and we topped this off with a high quality plant based protein. The structure of the drink went through a few modifications during the testing phase to ensure the key criteria of the drink were met.

Immediate and Stable Energy
Digestive Comfort
Reduction in Muscle Fatigue

Eventually we reached the correct formulation and now all that was left was to properly flavour it and run intense testing.
At 32Gi we do not use unnatural flavours or colours and this is a strict criteria the brand adheres to. Each product needs to be clean and meet the food category classification. At the onset of the testing phase I used a fruit flavour but then realised it was not suitable for this product. We then turned back the clock to how the athletes had raved about the chocolate and coffee mix they were fed on Comrades route and we decided to test this blend. Real cocoa and a high quality coffee to ensure a nice flavour as well as decent caffeine content. When the testing started I was thinking this is too good to be true. Session after session I was absolutely loving the drink. I then used it over a 12 week period where every single weekend was 4.5hr – 6hr training sessions in hot temperatures to see how the product faired over time. I was extremely happy with the outcome. I have a very sensitive stomach and I found the product to be easy on the digestive system but more importantly it kept my energy levels stable and completely comfortable throughout every single session.
I then tested the product in a stage racing simulation which included multiple long distance intense efforts on consecutive training days. It was very apparent that Race Pro enabled a quicker recovery between sessions by ensuring stability during the session and the much needed MPS (muscle protein synthesis) post exercise with the addition of the protein into the feed. I did comparisons on pure carbohydrate feeds against the Race Pro over distance and the Race Pro just gave me a much better sense of stability, spot on energy and reduced hunger post exercise.

So let me explain a little deeper as to why 32Gi Race Pro is going to be such a successful endurance sports drink.
It utilizes one of the most advanced carbohydrates in the world which is exceptional at emptying the digestive system and providing immediate energy while keeping the digestive system very comfortable. A carbohydrate of this nature is expensive and of high quality. Another philosophy of 32Gi is we don’t compromise on quality and we we will make sure the best ingredients we can get our hands on will be available to the masses. If this means reducing margin to ensure the customer can afford the product then we will do our utmost to ensure the consumer can get their hands on it at the correct price. I launched a video a few months ago explaining how instead of using an unhealthy synthetic blue colour in our blueberry and lime flavour products (lime is blue + orange to get to green) we use a very expensive blue spirulina extract (click here to watch video). We place a priority on the health of our consumers and do not compromise.

Race Pro has the much needed property of providing stability with other unique carbohydrates and this with the protein content is guaranteed to leave any athlete feeling topped up, energetic and comfortable through any endurance training or racing session. What makes the product even more attractive is that it can be a single feed bottle by making a concentrate according to calorie requirements. In other words no other fuel needed. Toss all the other carry along’s go with simplicity to focus on a convenient and nourishing feed which is guaranteed to keep you stable over time. The only other need is hydration and this can come in the form of water or preferably 32Gi Hydrate to ensure optimal fluid absorption.
A final but noteworthy attribute is the simple fact that both flavours just taste so good over time and there is the addition of caffeine in the product for those that want it during their session.

In conclusion I have always stated there are no silver bullets when it comes to sports nutrition and performance. I think I might need to eat those words as it’s highly possible the silver bullet has arrived in the form of 32Gi Race Pro. Don’t take my word for it, go and give it a try for yourself.

all the best

Mark Wolff is a certified exercise & sports nutritionist, endurance nutrition and physiology expert with over 20 years experience. An endurance multi-sport athlete with a running, triathlon, mountain biking and weight lifting background, he works extensively with professional and amateur athletes in a variety of sports disciplines as well as those just wanting to change their lifestyles. He firmly believes that a person can only reach their full potential when their health and nutrition is given the proper focus. Mark’s focus on nutrition and physiology is not just on training and racing, but he places major emphasis on recovery, immune system health, emotional stability, stress management and performance. Mark is co-founder of 32Gi, a sports nutrition company, focused mainly on health and endurance nutrition. He is also co-founder of Rapid Recover focussed on pneumatic compression equipment to improve circulation for recovery and health.

Performance

“TAPER TO SUCCESS & NOT TO FAILURE”

Post author By Mark Wolff
Post date March 28, 2019
2 Comments on “TAPER TO SUCCESS & NOT TO FAILURE”

One of the most critical periods prior to a race is what’s known as the taper period. In longer distance events such as marathons, Ironman distance events, ultra’s or stage races, a peak in training volume is reached. Then comes the time to reduce volume, recover, sharpen and arrive at race day fresh. This is known as the taper period. Many athletes put a lot of focus on the actual training and recovery aspects but completely miss the most fundamental aspect of the tapering period and that is nutrition. Another misunderstanding is the type of quality training that needs to be maintained until race day. Many athletes drop volume but then tend to neglect proper sharpening which involves speed and strength work. The focus of this blog is aimed at the nutrition required during the taper phase.

The kind of nutrition you take in the 2-3 weeks before a big event can make or break your big day. There are a few areas where nutrition plays a very critical role when it comes to the taper period and very often these can get the better of an athlete.
These are:

Immune System Strength
Weight Management
Muscle Recovery
Race fuel preparation

Immune System Strength
An athlete’s biggest fear is falling ill prior to race day. Let’s face it when we hit peak training volumes 3 weeks out from a big event our bodies are fatigued, immune system is low and we are very susceptible to infection. Even more so when we are exposed to children or closed work spaces on a daily basis. Contrary to popular belief athletes are quite weak at fighting illness during volume periods of training.

Weight Management
Heavy volume training periods only mean one thing, cravings. An athlete requires food to fuel the body not just from an energy point of view but also from a recovery perspective. Many athletes also feel the need to eat because they deserve it after long hard sessions. Sugar highs and sugar lows causes appetite triggers and as disciplined as athletes are when it comes to training, they often fail when it comes to eating. There are also many athletes that worry constantly about weight gain and eat insufficiently to support the bodies fuelling requirements. Once training volume is reduced one of the toughest things to be able to do is shape the eating volume accordingly. Many athletes arrive at race day a lot heavier than they were during training and this is a common athlete mistake.

Muscle Recovery
A taper period is there for one thing. Muscle recovery and strength gains. It’s time to repair and recover and build. Remember training breaks you down, proper rest and recovery builds you up and makes you stronger. How you recover physically has a large dependency on nutrition not just reduced training and rest.

Race Fuel Preparation
The way you prepare your body from a nutrition perspective in the weeks and days leading up to an event will either make or break your fuelling strategy on the day. What you eat can either make your race fuel strategy very effective or completely the opposite and this is something you need to constantly have in mind as you approach the big day.

With all of the above in mind, I felt it quite good timing to discuss these aspects especially with goal races approaching fast.

Where your focus should be on a training perspective should be pretty well understood in terms of quality sessions leading up to the race. If you are not sure how to properly taper from a physical point of view towards your big race its best to consult a knowledgeable coach. The focus of this blog as mentioned earlier revolves around the nutrition leading up to your big day.

With a few weeks out of your big day, it is not easy to focus on nutrition. You have to make a conscious effort to make the right decisions when it comes to eating and drinking, because whether you like to believe it or not, you can make a big difference on the actual day by taking the best nutritional approach. Eat with intent.

Where to start is quite simple, just try to adhere to these few simple rules.

Don’t Eat Out
Eating out firstly is not necessarily eating healthy unless you are completely sure of exactly what is on your plate. Just because it’s a grilled chicken breast or a fillet doesn’t mean it is basting free, not loaded with trans fats and has the correct nutrients. The risk of falling ill is one aspect as well as the issue of irritating digestive symptoms and then weight gain. Rather know what you are ingesting, keep it clean, keep it lean and prepare your own meals that you can ensure the nutrients you are taking in have a benefit and not a detriment.

Reduce or Cut Sugar Intake
Cutting sugar intake is one of the smartest things you could possibly do in leading up to a big event. By sugar I don’t just mean physical sugar. I am speaking about the large anti-nutritious carbohydrate portions that most people are so emotionally attached to in the form of instant and processed cereals, noodles and grains. Rather take in carbohydrates which have excellent properties not just from an energy point of view, but also for immunity strengthening. The better your carb selection the stronger you will arrive at race day. Opt for carbohydrates which are nutrient dense, such as vegetables in the form of greens, spinach broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, Swiss chard and the likes. Reduce fruit intake to a bare minimum and stick to the immune boosting lower sugar fruits such as berries.
Sugar just plays unnecessary havoc with blood sugar, and during the taper weeks it can only assist with contracting illness (the bad guys love to feed off sugar) and of course unnecessary weight gain due to roller coaster riding not to mention emotional highs and lows which play on pre-race nerves as well as sleep. Cutting it will certainly benefit you on race day.

The Protein Factor
Depending on the type of nutrition plan you are on whether LCHF (low carb high fat) or HCLF (high carb low fat) Beach, Paleo, Vegetarian, Vegan and the likes ensure that your protein intake is of quality and not just quantity based. By this I mean don’t overdo the protein, eat according to your requirements. Opt for proteins which are leaner and measure your fat intake with known fat measurements. Consuming leaner proteins can also easier on the digestive system. If you are a meat eater sticking to chicken, turkey, fish and eggs can keep the digestive system happy, and for plant based eaters such as myself I generally choose a fair amount of vegetable proteins such as pea, rice, hemp as well as protein rich beans and grains. Keep the preparation clean and preferably keep dressings to an unprocessed form.

Fats
Fats are so critical to any diet. They are an incredible source of fuel, and the only reason to keep fat intake very low is if your carb intake is very high. Try to get some good fats into the diet, Omega-3’s such as salmon, tuna, sardines, pilchards as well as the vegetable forms of flax and chia seeds make for excellent nutrient dense foods. One of the things I advocate in taper week is to up the MCT’s (medium chain triglyceride’s). They are fats that are not stored but more utilized as a source of energy and these are the types of fats you want in your system during a long endurance event. If you have never consumed MCT’s then don’t suddenly start as it takes time for the bowels to adapt and can cause digestive discomfort.

Hydration
I cannot stress enough the amount of fluid you should be consuming on a daily basis especially in the taper period. Try to aim for 30ml – 40ml’s per a kilogram of bodyweight, it might sound like a lot of fluid but it’s not at all. If you want to ensure you arrive at race day properly hydrated, in good health, topped energy levels and on top of the world then put some focus on your fluid intake. Whether in the form of water or herbal teas both are perfectly fine. If you are thinking in the form of fruit juice and coffee my answer to that is no as its high in sugar. If you are wanting a flavoured water, take a ¼ grapefruit and squeeze it into a liter of water, or a lime would be perfect. Sugar in fruit is very high and a fruit juice is just loaded with sugar. As for coffee check out the next section.
Personally I am a huge fan of mineral loading prior to a big training session or a race. Water with mineral increases the rate of fluid absorption. I use 32Gi Hydrate and consume a a few glasses day in order to maximize fluid absorption. It works incredibly well.

The Caffeine Effect
Caffeine can be a benefit or drawback. Caffeine is a mild stimulant that occurs naturally in a variety of plant species. There are people who view caffeine as a useful stimulant that increases ones concentration and awareness as well as many other physical traits. The important thing to remember is that caffeine affects each and every individual very differently depending on the amount consumed, the frequency of consumption, and a person’s individual tolerance levels.

Let’s get to the facts. Scientific proof of caffeine and sports performance is actually pretty strong. One thing to remember though and this is from a health perspective. Caffeine is a stimulant and it does have addictive properties. In a healthy diet your consumption should be limited and health professionals will recommend around 0-7 cups of coffee a week as a limit. Unfortunately the majority of people consume a much larger amount. One thing is certain caffeine does stimulate and it plays with one’s emotional and energy stability. Stimulant drinks such as coffee are also known to be one of the biggest role players in a person gaining weight and affecting emotional stability. Another important consideration is that caffeine impacts the ability to sleep properly and this is a critical element of endurance recovery. Caffeine also causes a rise in acidity in the digestive system, and from a health perspective one should try to consume a diet that is more alkaline, acid of course can lead to issues especially in sport. Finally caffeine has diuretic properties causing loss of fluid, and the last thing you want to be is dehydrated during a sporting event. An athlete that consumes caffeine in excess is actually doing himself a complete disservice.

So with all this negativity in mind, how can caffeine really help me as an athlete? Well there are two major benefits that caffeine has, the first is that consumed on its own without sugar has shown to raise the amount of free fatty acids available for use as a source of fuel. Fat of course is an incredibly powerful form of fuel and the more free fatty acids you have available for use in an endurance event the more you are able to benefit from it. There is one slight consideration though? That in order for this to work well, a person should be slightly caffeine intolerant, meaning at least not a lot of caffeine 7-10 days or more before and event, my recommendation is to cut it for longer. The second thing is the timing of consumption before an event. In scientific testing it’s been shown a consumption of around 1-2mg of caffeine per a kilogram of bodyweight around 3-4hrs before an event is best. It gives the body time to mobilise free fatty acids for use as well as being long enough before the event to remove the acid from the system, reduce the diuretic effect and of course negate the risk of dehydration.

The second major benefit is caffeine for recovery. Yes, believe it. It’s been shown that having caffeine with a complex carbohydrate after exercise has shown to speed up the time taken for glycogen replenishment. Under testing it’s been shown to speed up the process by as much as 60%. As an example a rolled oats meal and a very strong espresso or two as a recovery. Thought you would like that one. Just remember to hydrate yourself consistently afterwards. As I often recommend one cup of coffee = two glasses of additional water intake to keep you properly hydrated.

Finally, there is another major benefit, and this is the wake up & focus effect. In a major sporting event the mental endurance plays a very crucial role and the ingestion of caffeine has demonstrated the support of this and the ability to improve performance. The downside though is that an athlete who consistently takes a large amount of caffeine will not feel this affect as much as an athlete who refrains more from caffeine.

One thing I have to stress is if you are planning caffeine intake on race day should trial it during training. It is important to know how much you require through the event hourly and how you respond to it. I would suggest around 30-60mg per an hour. However some athletes like myself go up to around 120mg or more per an hour in an endurance event.

Race Day Nutrition
This is a very important mention. During your taper weeks you have a last few chances to check out your race day nutrition strategy. It keeps one confident and in check with what they are going to do on race day. The two aspects to look at are the pre-race meal, and this can easily be checked by getting up early eating a pre training meal and going out on a training session at tempo pace to gauge how you feel. The second type of testing is to fuel during a training session. This is also quite simple to do as all you need is at least 90min or longer and go out fairly fast (tempo) pace to test how your stomach and palate will cope with intake during the session. The other aspect’s to look out for are convenience form a carry and consumption point of view. The more you test your nutrition for an event over different durations and intensities the far better prepared you will be for the big day. Start months before and make sure you get it right.

To conclude this little blog I want to stress the importance of nutrition during the taper weeks and in the days leading up to your big event. It is often overlooked but yet it plays a vital role. Follow these simple guidelines and reach your race day, feeling energetic, healthy and at the proper race weight to give it your all.

Best of luck

All the best

Mark Wolff is a certified exercise & sports nutritionist, endurance nutrition and physiology expert with over 20 years experience. An endurance multi-sport athlete with a running, triathlon, mountain biking and weight lifting background, he works extensively with professional and amateur athletes in a variety of sports disciplines as well as those just wanting to change their lifestyles. He firmly believes that a person can only reach their full potential when their health and nutrition is given the proper focus. Mark’s focus on nutrition and physiology is not just on training and racing, but he places major emphasis on recovery, immune system health, emotional stability, stress management and performance. Mark is co-founder of 32Gi, a sports nutrition company, focused mainly on health and endurance nutrition. He is also co-founder of Rapid Recover focussed on pneumatic compression equipment to improve circulation for recovery and health.

Health

YOU MIGHT BE FIT BUT YOUR GUT CAN LET YOU DOWN

Post author By Mark Wolff
Post date February 18, 2019
3 Comments on YOU MIGHT BE FIT BUT YOUR GUT CAN LET YOU DOWN

Over the last few years I have engaged with a fair amount of athletes who constantly suffer from gut issues during exercise especially on race day. It is a very important issue to touch on and through this blog I hope to shed some light on the pitfalls of GI (gastrointestinal) distress and how to try to manage it. I myself have a very sensitive stomach and over the years have developed and followed some very key methods to keep the stomach issues a bay.

It is a fact that more runners will suffer from GI distress than cyclists. It is a much higher impact sport and the digestive system takes a bit more of a beating with the foot pounding. However that is not to say cyclists do not have their issues, they certainly do and this can be related to posture on the bike which can also add to the discomfort. Let me start by saying there is no full and sure way to completely understand exactly what your unique trigger is but there definitely are plenty of reasons as to why GI distress can occur and if properly managed they can be mitigated.

There are conditions that occur during exercise which place the digestive system under stress.
The first of course is the fact that when embarking on a training or racing session blood is required to transport oxygen to the muscles that are actively working. This pulls blood away from the digestive tracts and diverts that flow to the active muscles as well as to the surface of the skin as those vessels are required for cooling the body. This is an effect called splanchnic hypoperfusion which can lead to intestinal distress and compromise the intestinal barrier function. In short this increases intestinal permeability which means that a type of leaky gut syndrome occurs which can cause major discomfort in the form of pain, bloatedness due to excess gas as well as nausea and diarrhoea. The higher the intensity you perform at the more blood is moved to the muscles and the more sensitive the digestive system becomes.

Another aspect of GI distress is the brain gastrointestinal tract communication pathway. It is a fact that when we have digestive discomfort in any form the brain is signalled but at the same time when we have certain emotions such as nervousness, anxiety, sadness, anger or happiness our brain speaks to our gut. Without a doubt stresses can play a big role in determining how the gut bacteria behave. It is a two way communication channel and our health is very much determined by our mindset. Pre-training or racing nerves can have a major influence on how your stomach will behave on the day. I am sure many of you remember training days where you get up relaxed and off with a group of friends for a nice training session. However on race day you are up and down to the loo hoping you will make it to the start line.

Sports nutrition also plays a crucial role in that highly concentrated carbohydrates such as gels or certain drink mixes can cause digestive discomfort. Believe it or not taking a high amount of carbohydrates can upset the fluid energy balance pulling more water into the digestive system and actually increasing the risk of dehydration which will certainly upset the stomach. Feelings of nausea, irritability, stomach pain can very much be associated with a build up of glucose in the gut.

A simple example is if you consume a gel during exercise you have to take in a certain amount of water with it to ensure the dilution process is correct. Some gels are pre mixed with water but those that are not need to be diluted to reduce the risk of GI distress and onset of dehydration. So for example a gel with 20-25grams of carbohydrates in it would require approximately a fluid consumption of around 100ml per 6-10grams of carbohydrate ingestion to be on the safe side. So this means around 200 – 400ml of fluid. Quite a fair amount and this is definitely one of the major pitfalls of most athletes. The failure to understand the energy / fluid requirements to ensure a balance in the body which allows for both fuelling and hydration.

Another crucial aspect of sports nutrition is the ability to oxidize carbohydrates. Many athletes train fasted or train low and race high to improve their fat burn efficiency at higher intensities and try to gain the extra benefit of carbohydrate intake on race day. However if you do not train your gut to cope with the food intake on the day of your race you will not have the ability to properly break it down and absorb it efficiently. This places you at risk.

Finally the last trigger of course can be issues with your daily diet. I am of the firm belief that if you feel discomfort with any food then you need to eliminate it. There are however some foods that can certainly cause more discomfort than others. The top of my list is dairy for those that are lactose intolerant it is certainly one of the triggers of GI distress during exercise and best to avoid if you are not sure. Many people are fibre intolerant I personally limit fibre intake from 72hrs before any long or racing session. Fibre can cause gut havoc. High fat and protein intake before a session can also cause GI distress. They are not easily broken down and as opposed to carbohydrates and in many cases this can also be a trigger. Additionally on the nutrition side of things is the method of high FODMAP food reduction.

What are FODMAP’s?
FODMAP stands for Fermentable, Oligosacchiride, Disacchiride, Monosacchiride, and Polyols.
Developed in Australia, the FODMAP diet was developed to deal with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) fairly new to other parts of the world the diet has seen some good success in reducing the symptoms associated with irritable bowel.

How does it work?
FODMAPS are basically a group of short chain carbohydrates which occur in many foods such as wheat, dates honey and milk to name a few. These short-chain carbohydrates have been shown to increase osmotic load in the small intestine which means it will pull water into it and upset the digestive system. These food types are broken down with a fermentation process by gut bacteria which creates gas and discomfort especially in an athlete that is exercising. Best is to avoid high FODMAP foods in the week leading to a race or important training sessions in an attempt to reduce the risks of GI distress. If you suffer severely from IBS or Proctitis this could be a good direction to take.

Another important item to consider which I have not touched on yet is alcohol. As much as you want to argue with me, it causes GI disruption and can be considered another major player in causing GI distress. It also causes dehydration and we know that this is another trigger of GI distress. If I cannot convince an you to reduce or quit then you should take jump and read a previous blog I wrote Endurance vs Alcohol. My personal opinion is that you should never have any alcohol in a race week or anywhere close to long training sessions.

So with all this in mind how do we tackle the dreaded tummy troubles that impact so many athletes across the globe.

A number of steps need to be adhered to:

No eating foods that negatively impact you
If eating any food impacts you negatively just avoid it. Identify those foods that you are emotionally attached to however cause tummy trouble, list them and avoid them. Just find a replacement there are plenty of options available.

Avoid dairy, fibre high fat and protein meals close to your important training or racing sessions.
We know these food types put more strain on the digestive system especially when under stress. So best is to avoid them to be sure. Proper experimentation will guide you, but rather start off clean and introduce to test and monitor the impact.

Train the gut
Do not just train low (low carbohydrate or fasted) you also need to train high. There is a benefit to fasted or low carbohydrate training in order to became more fat burn efficient. However failing to train the gut to adapt to fuel intake on the day will certainly cause issues. It is a fact that increasing carbohydrate intake during exercise will also allow your digestive system to become more efficient at oxidizing those carbohydrates. Make sure you are using the correct product for you and that you know exactly how to use it. You want to get the best of both worlds. Check out my previous blog So You Really Think you have Your Sports Nutrition Right?

Avoid high FODMAP foods
As mentioned above this has shown to quite successful in many that suffer from irritable bowl syndrome. Here is a link to an application which can be installed to help with food selection when it comes to FODMAP eating
FODMAP Mobile App

Avoid Alcohol
Check out my blog for a more in-depth discussion on this Click Here

During Exercise
I am a firm advocate of drip feeding during an endurance event. Taking in small amounts of carbohydrates more frequently over a longer period of time reduces the risk of GI distress caused by a glucose overload. Separate out your hydration and energy requirements and ensure there is balance. I am an advocate of mineral loading to help with fluid absorption and reduce the risks associated with dehydration which is also a major factor in GI distress. Check out my blog on Simply Hydrate if you are wanting more information on proper hydration.

Relax Relax Relax
We know so well that endurance sport is very much a mental game. As mentioned above anxiety and nervousness can absolutely trigger an irritable bowel. Find ways to calm yourself and stay relaxed. Maybe its speaking to others, or putting on your favourite playlist to shut out the world. Whatever your coping mechanism find one that works to keep you happy, content, confident and relaxed.

I hope this helps, please feel free to email me if you have any questions

all the best

Yours in Health and Fitness

Mark Wolff is a certified exercise & sports nutritionist, endurance nutrition and physiology expert with over 20 years experience. An endurance multi-sport athlete with a running, triathlon, mountain biking and weight lifting background, he works extensively with professional and amateur athletes in a variety of sports disciplines as well as those just wanting to change their lifestyles. He firmly believes that a person can only reach their full potential when their health and nutrition is given the proper focus. Mark’s focus on nutrition and physiology is not just on training and racing, but he places major emphasis on recovery, immune system health, emotional stability, stress management and performance. Mark is co-founder of 32Gi, a sports nutrition company, focused mainly on health and endurance nutrition. He is also co-founder of Rapid Recover focussed on pneumatic compression equipment to improve circulation for recovery and health.

Tags cycling, Endurance Lifestyle, endurance sport, Endure, Fitneess, GI Distress, health, Hydration, running, sports nutrition, Sports Nutritionist, triathlon, Trots