Sunday, December 18, 2011
Some Breakfast Tips
When you're trying to cut weight, but still need energy for your workout, eat most of your carbs early. Limit your carb intake after six in the evening.
Training Table Rule
There is an old saying: You can't outperform your self-image. Nor can you--and this is one of the most important nutrition points of all--out train a bad diet. The earlier you learn this, the easier the task.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Cattle Cocaine
Not too long ago a popular television ad for a fast food establishment featured the slogan: "Where's the beef?"
Well, today you might want to add another word to that catchy, little ditty: Where's the beef from? If the answer comes back Mexico or China, you may want to opt for fish or chicken, not beef or pork.
Since June of this year after several players on Mexico's national soccer team tested positive for a steroid, clenbuterol, Mexican officials have struggled with tracking down ranchers who supposedly spike livestock feed to make their cattle more attractive come market time.
Steers usually yield about 55% meat. On clenbuterol that yield jumps to around 62-65%. Cattle on the steroid for a month or two, according to some sources, can pack on 100 pounds or more of beef in each steer. If you can hear an old fashion cash register ringing somewhere in the background, you're getting the picture.
Problem here is one man's cash is another's poison, in more ways than one. Innocent people can get caught up like those soccer players who were later exonerated. Other unsuspecting, innocent souls just get sick from eating the contaminated beef, many winding up in the hospital.
Last June at the Under-17 World Cup in Mexico four more urine samples tested positive for traces of clenbuterol, alerting the Federation International Football Association, soccer's worldwide governing body, to test all 208 urine samples taken at the games. Earlier this year Germany's anti-doping organization warned athletes to avoid eating beef in Mexico because of the positive-doping risks. Clenbuterol in on the the banned list of the International Olympic Committee.
Roughly 54%, 109, of those samples showed traces of the banned substance. That turned out to be at least one member on 19 of the 24 teams competing. The FIFA later inspected meat samples from team hotels and found 30% contaminated with the steroid. Most countries ban the use of clenbuterol in farming. The U.S. and Europe prohibit using clenbuterol in food-producing animals.
In the jargon of pharmacology, clenbuterol is a beta2 sympathomimetic, a vasodilator, causing the blood vessels in the lungs to expand, increasing oxygen transportation, one of its performance-enhancing properties. Similar to adrenalin, only longer lasting, it's a powerful thermogenic used to burn fat. As one internet site that apparently sells the steroid puts it: "Clenbuterol is the most popular fat burning pill that is widely circulated in the world of bodybuilding, athletics and Hollywood."
In Mexico nearly all of those tested had levels lower than that banned by the authorities, so none of the players was suspended. Mexican law passed in 2007 carries a possible 7-year jail term for anyone lacing cattle with the banned substance. But this was not the first time clenbuterol reared its tainted presence in sports. In 2010, a three-time Tour de France winner from Spain, though later re-instated, tested postive for the drug. Also in 2010 a Chinese cyclist tested positive as did a minor league baseball player in the St. Louis Cardinal's organization who received a 50-game suspension.
In 2007 a former New York Mets clubhouse employee pleaded guilty to distributing illegal substances, one of which was clenbuterol, to numerous major league baseball players. He was fined and sentenced to five years probation and later wrote a book about his dealings. From cycling to baseball, from swimming to track, clenbuterol has a track record and not all the particpants appear to be innocent victims.
Mexican famers familar with the situation, according to one wire service report, refer to the powdery substance as "cattle cocaine" or "miracle salts." Many manufactured drugs are converted from insoluble into soluble salt forms known as hydrochloric salts. Salts are water soluble, making these drugs easier to assimilate and find their way into the blood stream. Hydrochloric salts are usually referred to by using the name of the base substance and adding on hydrocloride or HCL. The body routinely absorbs an HCL in 15-30 minutes.
The salt form of cocaine is known as cocaine HCL. The salt form of Lidocaine, an anesthetic used to numb wounds, as Lidocaine HCL. Adrenalin used by cutmen to stop bleeing in boxing is officially called adrenalin or epinephrine HCL. Clenbuterol is commonly sold in its hydrocloride salt form, Clenbuterol hydrochloride. So considering the amount of lean meat these doped-up cattle can add in such a short time, the term "miracle salts" isn't far fetched.
Outbreaks of people who got ill from ingesting the contaminated meat are not new either. There have been several in Mexico and China among other places. In 2006 hundreds people in Shanghai became ill after eating pork spiked with clenbuterol. In early 2009 another tainted-pork outbreak occurred in the province of Guangdong and earlier this year China's Ministry of Agriculture launched a crackdown on illegal additives to pig feed after a subsidiary of Shuanghui Group, China's largest meat producer, was implicated in using clenbuterol-laced pork in its meat products.
Mexico has a similar story. News reports state cases of the steroid showing up in beef have happened in 10 of the country's 31 states. Though the Mexican government has tried to play down the outbreaks, saying sickness from eating tainted beef used to be worse; one out of every eight jobs in Mexico depends on tourism, so they may be saying much less than they're willing to admit.
Symptoms include increased heart rate, palpitations, nasuea, vomiting, headache, increased blood pressure, hand tremors, insomnia and, in some cases, heart attack. Among athletes, clen, as it's known on the street, is more popular with females because it doesn't have many androgenic side effects like deepending the voice, thickening the skin or the facial hair associated with anabolic steroids. It comes in two forms, pill and syrup. In the early 1990s the FDA got wind of clenbuterol being used to pump up show animals. Because of its strong bronchodilator properties, the FDA did approve a syrup for veterinary use to treat asthma in horses.
t.m. hatter
Well, today you might want to add another word to that catchy, little ditty: Where's the beef from? If the answer comes back Mexico or China, you may want to opt for fish or chicken, not beef or pork.
Since June of this year after several players on Mexico's national soccer team tested positive for a steroid, clenbuterol, Mexican officials have struggled with tracking down ranchers who supposedly spike livestock feed to make their cattle more attractive come market time.
Steers usually yield about 55% meat. On clenbuterol that yield jumps to around 62-65%. Cattle on the steroid for a month or two, according to some sources, can pack on 100 pounds or more of beef in each steer. If you can hear an old fashion cash register ringing somewhere in the background, you're getting the picture.
Problem here is one man's cash is another's poison, in more ways than one. Innocent people can get caught up like those soccer players who were later exonerated. Other unsuspecting, innocent souls just get sick from eating the contaminated beef, many winding up in the hospital.
Last June at the Under-17 World Cup in Mexico four more urine samples tested positive for traces of clenbuterol, alerting the Federation International Football Association, soccer's worldwide governing body, to test all 208 urine samples taken at the games. Earlier this year Germany's anti-doping organization warned athletes to avoid eating beef in Mexico because of the positive-doping risks. Clenbuterol in on the the banned list of the International Olympic Committee.
Roughly 54%, 109, of those samples showed traces of the banned substance. That turned out to be at least one member on 19 of the 24 teams competing. The FIFA later inspected meat samples from team hotels and found 30% contaminated with the steroid. Most countries ban the use of clenbuterol in farming. The U.S. and Europe prohibit using clenbuterol in food-producing animals.
In the jargon of pharmacology, clenbuterol is a beta2 sympathomimetic, a vasodilator, causing the blood vessels in the lungs to expand, increasing oxygen transportation, one of its performance-enhancing properties. Similar to adrenalin, only longer lasting, it's a powerful thermogenic used to burn fat. As one internet site that apparently sells the steroid puts it: "Clenbuterol is the most popular fat burning pill that is widely circulated in the world of bodybuilding, athletics and Hollywood."
In Mexico nearly all of those tested had levels lower than that banned by the authorities, so none of the players was suspended. Mexican law passed in 2007 carries a possible 7-year jail term for anyone lacing cattle with the banned substance. But this was not the first time clenbuterol reared its tainted presence in sports. In 2010, a three-time Tour de France winner from Spain, though later re-instated, tested postive for the drug. Also in 2010 a Chinese cyclist tested positive as did a minor league baseball player in the St. Louis Cardinal's organization who received a 50-game suspension.
In 2007 a former New York Mets clubhouse employee pleaded guilty to distributing illegal substances, one of which was clenbuterol, to numerous major league baseball players. He was fined and sentenced to five years probation and later wrote a book about his dealings. From cycling to baseball, from swimming to track, clenbuterol has a track record and not all the particpants appear to be innocent victims.
Mexican famers familar with the situation, according to one wire service report, refer to the powdery substance as "cattle cocaine" or "miracle salts." Many manufactured drugs are converted from insoluble into soluble salt forms known as hydrochloric salts. Salts are water soluble, making these drugs easier to assimilate and find their way into the blood stream. Hydrochloric salts are usually referred to by using the name of the base substance and adding on hydrocloride or HCL. The body routinely absorbs an HCL in 15-30 minutes.
The salt form of cocaine is known as cocaine HCL. The salt form of Lidocaine, an anesthetic used to numb wounds, as Lidocaine HCL. Adrenalin used by cutmen to stop bleeing in boxing is officially called adrenalin or epinephrine HCL. Clenbuterol is commonly sold in its hydrocloride salt form, Clenbuterol hydrochloride. So considering the amount of lean meat these doped-up cattle can add in such a short time, the term "miracle salts" isn't far fetched.
Outbreaks of people who got ill from ingesting the contaminated meat are not new either. There have been several in Mexico and China among other places. In 2006 hundreds people in Shanghai became ill after eating pork spiked with clenbuterol. In early 2009 another tainted-pork outbreak occurred in the province of Guangdong and earlier this year China's Ministry of Agriculture launched a crackdown on illegal additives to pig feed after a subsidiary of Shuanghui Group, China's largest meat producer, was implicated in using clenbuterol-laced pork in its meat products.
Mexico has a similar story. News reports state cases of the steroid showing up in beef have happened in 10 of the country's 31 states. Though the Mexican government has tried to play down the outbreaks, saying sickness from eating tainted beef used to be worse; one out of every eight jobs in Mexico depends on tourism, so they may be saying much less than they're willing to admit.
Symptoms include increased heart rate, palpitations, nasuea, vomiting, headache, increased blood pressure, hand tremors, insomnia and, in some cases, heart attack. Among athletes, clen, as it's known on the street, is more popular with females because it doesn't have many androgenic side effects like deepending the voice, thickening the skin or the facial hair associated with anabolic steroids. It comes in two forms, pill and syrup. In the early 1990s the FDA got wind of clenbuterol being used to pump up show animals. Because of its strong bronchodilator properties, the FDA did approve a syrup for veterinary use to treat asthma in horses.
t.m. hatter
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Sleep Matters
Not too many lay people would make the connection between sleep and nutrition. But there is one. And apparently it's fairly significant.
Researchers have found a link between certain hormones and not only what you eat but how much. Limiting subjects to just four hours of sleep for two straight nights, scientists at the University of Chicago say, affected their levels of leptin, a hormone that signals the brain that you are full, decreasing it nearly 18%.
Another hormone, ghrelin, which increases one's urge for so-called comfort foods, increased 28%, according to these researchers. And that's not all. Lack of sleep can spike cortisol levels pushing your hunger button, making your appetite surge.
So trying to get by, as many of us do, on less than 8 hours sleep, especially if you're training hard and trying to lose or make weight, is a recipe for failure. Sleep matters and it matters more than most think, once again proving how connected most things are.
In our piece on cognitive recovery we mentioned the importance of sleep. Sleep is mysterious, to be sure, apparently more beneficial than just recharging the mind, but with yet much to learn about its mysteries. A July, 2011 study in the journal Sleep discussed the impact on athletic performance extended sleep had in college basketball players.
Conducted at the Stanford University Sleep Disorder Clinic and Research Laboratory, Palo, Alto, California, college basketball players extended their usual 7-hours of sleep per night to a minimum of 10 hours with an objective mean total sleep time of 8.5 hours. The study involved 11 members of Stanford's varsity team and covered two full seasons.
The results surprised researchers. Workout sprint times improved by nearly a second, their shooting accuracy by 9% on free throws and three-pointers. Similar improvements were noted in reaction time, fatigue and mood. One researcher summed up the study, saying: "an athlete's nightly sleep requirement should be considered integral to attaining peak performance."
Another study on the impact of sleep deprivation or poor sleep habits appeared in the journal of the American Medical Association just one month earlier, June, 2011: "Sleep Loss Dramatically Lowers Testoserone in Healthy Young Males."
It's been known for some time that after the age of about 30 testosterone levels decline at the rate of 1-2% per year. Besides sexual performance, testosterone plays an important role in building strength, muscle mass and bone density. Low levels also have been linked to poor concentration and fatigue.
According to the researchers, 15% of the adult working population in America gets by on 5 hours or less sleep a night, the same parameter used for the young men in the study. Healthy young men were defined here as slim with normal medical histories and an average age of 24. Testosterone was monitored through out the study. The lowest levels were recorded between 2 and 10 pm on their sleep-deprived days. Bottom line, the study concluded sleeping habits "can reduce testosterone levels in healthy young men to that seen in people 10-15 years older."
In our blurb on cognitive recovery we stated our bias that there are no over-trained athletes, only under-rested or under-recovered ones. An important aside is this: Many of the recommendations we hear about almost daily touting healthy living habits, whether its food or water or rest, center on average people. Hard training amateur and professional athletes are hardly average. Their needs are different, just as the needs in the pediatric and geriatric sets are different.
And this applies to not only the above but also to supplements like vitamins and minerals, proteins and carbohydrates. Fail to add them to your regimen at the peril of your own performance.
Here are a few tips from the Stanford sleep study.
*Prioritize sleep as part of your regular training regimen
*Extend nightly sleep for several weeks to reduce your sleep debt before competition.
*Maintain a low sleep debt by obtaining a sufficient amount of sleep (7 to 9 hours for adults and 9 or more for teens and young adults).
*Keep a regular sleep-wake schedule, going to bed and waking up at the same times every day.
*Take brief 20-30 minute naps to obtain additional sleep during the day, especially if drowsy.
j.z. plato
Researchers have found a link between certain hormones and not only what you eat but how much. Limiting subjects to just four hours of sleep for two straight nights, scientists at the University of Chicago say, affected their levels of leptin, a hormone that signals the brain that you are full, decreasing it nearly 18%.
Another hormone, ghrelin, which increases one's urge for so-called comfort foods, increased 28%, according to these researchers. And that's not all. Lack of sleep can spike cortisol levels pushing your hunger button, making your appetite surge.
So trying to get by, as many of us do, on less than 8 hours sleep, especially if you're training hard and trying to lose or make weight, is a recipe for failure. Sleep matters and it matters more than most think, once again proving how connected most things are.
In our piece on cognitive recovery we mentioned the importance of sleep. Sleep is mysterious, to be sure, apparently more beneficial than just recharging the mind, but with yet much to learn about its mysteries. A July, 2011 study in the journal Sleep discussed the impact on athletic performance extended sleep had in college basketball players.
Conducted at the Stanford University Sleep Disorder Clinic and Research Laboratory, Palo, Alto, California, college basketball players extended their usual 7-hours of sleep per night to a minimum of 10 hours with an objective mean total sleep time of 8.5 hours. The study involved 11 members of Stanford's varsity team and covered two full seasons.
The results surprised researchers. Workout sprint times improved by nearly a second, their shooting accuracy by 9% on free throws and three-pointers. Similar improvements were noted in reaction time, fatigue and mood. One researcher summed up the study, saying: "an athlete's nightly sleep requirement should be considered integral to attaining peak performance."
Another study on the impact of sleep deprivation or poor sleep habits appeared in the journal of the American Medical Association just one month earlier, June, 2011: "Sleep Loss Dramatically Lowers Testoserone in Healthy Young Males."
It's been known for some time that after the age of about 30 testosterone levels decline at the rate of 1-2% per year. Besides sexual performance, testosterone plays an important role in building strength, muscle mass and bone density. Low levels also have been linked to poor concentration and fatigue.
According to the researchers, 15% of the adult working population in America gets by on 5 hours or less sleep a night, the same parameter used for the young men in the study. Healthy young men were defined here as slim with normal medical histories and an average age of 24. Testosterone was monitored through out the study. The lowest levels were recorded between 2 and 10 pm on their sleep-deprived days. Bottom line, the study concluded sleeping habits "can reduce testosterone levels in healthy young men to that seen in people 10-15 years older."
In our blurb on cognitive recovery we stated our bias that there are no over-trained athletes, only under-rested or under-recovered ones. An important aside is this: Many of the recommendations we hear about almost daily touting healthy living habits, whether its food or water or rest, center on average people. Hard training amateur and professional athletes are hardly average. Their needs are different, just as the needs in the pediatric and geriatric sets are different.
And this applies to not only the above but also to supplements like vitamins and minerals, proteins and carbohydrates. Fail to add them to your regimen at the peril of your own performance.
Here are a few tips from the Stanford sleep study.
*Prioritize sleep as part of your regular training regimen
*Extend nightly sleep for several weeks to reduce your sleep debt before competition.
*Maintain a low sleep debt by obtaining a sufficient amount of sleep (7 to 9 hours for adults and 9 or more for teens and young adults).
*Keep a regular sleep-wake schedule, going to bed and waking up at the same times every day.
*Take brief 20-30 minute naps to obtain additional sleep during the day, especially if drowsy.
j.z. plato
Friday, October 21, 2011
Greens
A stalk of celery has about 6 calories. Someone once joked that you burn up more than that just chewing and digesting the stuff.
Though not exactly true that should tell you something about green veggies in particular and veggies in general. Most are loaded with vitamins, minerals, fiber and lots of water but very few calories.
Spinach is an excellent example, especially the fresh leafy kind. Spinach is loaded with vitamins A,C,K and B9 (folate or folic acid), minerals, calcium, magnesium, fiber (about 3 grams of useable carbs and 3 grams of fiber per one cup chopped and cooked) and beta-carotene.
And that ain't all folks. It's easy to prepare. Just heat up some olive oil in a no-stick skillet, mix in some crushed garlic and pepper, stir a few times and in a couple of minutes it's yummy time. It's also an excellent addition to your omelets. Or if you're too lazy to cook, use it to whip up a quick salad or garnish your sandwiches.
By the way, one cup of chopped celery equals 1.5 grams of useable carbs and 1.5 grams of fiber.
j.z. plato
Though not exactly true that should tell you something about green veggies in particular and veggies in general. Most are loaded with vitamins, minerals, fiber and lots of water but very few calories.
Spinach is an excellent example, especially the fresh leafy kind. Spinach is loaded with vitamins A,C,K and B9 (folate or folic acid), minerals, calcium, magnesium, fiber (about 3 grams of useable carbs and 3 grams of fiber per one cup chopped and cooked) and beta-carotene.
And that ain't all folks. It's easy to prepare. Just heat up some olive oil in a no-stick skillet, mix in some crushed garlic and pepper, stir a few times and in a couple of minutes it's yummy time. It's also an excellent addition to your omelets. Or if you're too lazy to cook, use it to whip up a quick salad or garnish your sandwiches.
By the way, one cup of chopped celery equals 1.5 grams of useable carbs and 1.5 grams of fiber.
j.z. plato
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Thomas Jefferson & Burger King
Thomas Jefferson, some of you may remember him; he was one of the founding fathers of this nation, once said: "I find the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have."
Now a lot of us can equate work with, say, the gym, all the sweat and pain and fatigue. But what about the training table and what we eat? Call it clean eating or eating clean.
It doesn't take much effort or sweat the next time you get hungry to jump into the car, whip over to Burger King drive through and order a Whopper. By the way, it's been reported that one Whopper, not those you toss on the cheese or whatever extras you like, contains 35 to 37 tablespoons of fat. And it's a fairly sure bet most of that fat is the unhealthy kind, just the kind you don't want.
So imagine what it would be like the next time you rolled up to the takeout window at BK and instead of a burger they handed you a sack with a tablespoon, some napkins and a plastic bowl full of fat. Now it's safe to say old Thomas never saw a car let along guide one through a fast food drive-in joint.
The point is: It takes some work and effort to eat clean. For one month just give it half the effort most of us put in at the gym and see how much luck you have at achieving your goal.
t.m.hatter
Now a lot of us can equate work with, say, the gym, all the sweat and pain and fatigue. But what about the training table and what we eat? Call it clean eating or eating clean.
It doesn't take much effort or sweat the next time you get hungry to jump into the car, whip over to Burger King drive through and order a Whopper. By the way, it's been reported that one Whopper, not those you toss on the cheese or whatever extras you like, contains 35 to 37 tablespoons of fat. And it's a fairly sure bet most of that fat is the unhealthy kind, just the kind you don't want.
So imagine what it would be like the next time you rolled up to the takeout window at BK and instead of a burger they handed you a sack with a tablespoon, some napkins and a plastic bowl full of fat. Now it's safe to say old Thomas never saw a car let along guide one through a fast food drive-in joint.
The point is: It takes some work and effort to eat clean. For one month just give it half the effort most of us put in at the gym and see how much luck you have at achieving your goal.
t.m.hatter
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Recovery
There is a lot of discussion about recovery in athletes these days. It's really a big subject, so we'll be brief and only touch on a bit of it. Before we begin, however, here's our bias and it's hardly an attempt to be semantically cute: There are no over-trained athletes, only under-rested ones, as in under-recovered.
The first thing you need to know there are many different forms of recovery. Physical is only one. Another form found in the literature is called cognitive recovery. Webster's defines cognition as "the mental state or faculty of knowing."
Cognitive recovery means a period of adjustment or rest is needed before one leaps from one stressful situation to what quite possibly could turn into another without a period of relaxing separation in between. I wish I had known that before I met my old girl friend. Man, talk about stressors. In the literature this period is known as deactivation. Look, they had to call it something. What this means is we need a time that prevents one stressful situation, say, hard training, from spilling over into another like job, family, future competition or any of the other myraid things that could upset the athlete.
A basic example is a quaterback in football who throws an interception and then spends all his time on the sidelines brooding about it and it affects his performance in the rest of the game. Self-doubt and self-blame can come into play here, feeding on themselves, possibly setting up fears about future performance. Not healthy.
When something unfavorable happens, you can analyze it, figure out what went wrong and work to fix it or you can choose to degrade yourself and, for that matter, any others around you. It's called blame. Blame and growth on the Richter Scale of emotions are diametric opposites.
Athletes spend gobs of time around their coaches and trainers, training hard, being pushed to improve, to get better. It hardly take a leap of the imagination to see that coaches and trainers on a subconscious level can become associated with stressful situations. Think Pavlov here.
In this case the coaches and trainers can become the stressors. So deactivation means a period of separation, a time when the athlete can start another activity. According to the literature, this can be a social activity or something private like watching a movie. Other suggestions include reading or listening to music. The take away message in all of this is the time needs to be spent where the athlete experiences no connection with the stressors, allowing recovery to begin.
Sleep is an important part of cognitive recovery. In our next post, Sleep Matters, we'll talk a bit about one of life's more mysterious states.
j.z. plato
The first thing you need to know there are many different forms of recovery. Physical is only one. Another form found in the literature is called cognitive recovery. Webster's defines cognition as "the mental state or faculty of knowing."
Cognitive recovery means a period of adjustment or rest is needed before one leaps from one stressful situation to what quite possibly could turn into another without a period of relaxing separation in between. I wish I had known that before I met my old girl friend. Man, talk about stressors. In the literature this period is known as deactivation. Look, they had to call it something. What this means is we need a time that prevents one stressful situation, say, hard training, from spilling over into another like job, family, future competition or any of the other myraid things that could upset the athlete.
A basic example is a quaterback in football who throws an interception and then spends all his time on the sidelines brooding about it and it affects his performance in the rest of the game. Self-doubt and self-blame can come into play here, feeding on themselves, possibly setting up fears about future performance. Not healthy.
When something unfavorable happens, you can analyze it, figure out what went wrong and work to fix it or you can choose to degrade yourself and, for that matter, any others around you. It's called blame. Blame and growth on the Richter Scale of emotions are diametric opposites.
Athletes spend gobs of time around their coaches and trainers, training hard, being pushed to improve, to get better. It hardly take a leap of the imagination to see that coaches and trainers on a subconscious level can become associated with stressful situations. Think Pavlov here.
In this case the coaches and trainers can become the stressors. So deactivation means a period of separation, a time when the athlete can start another activity. According to the literature, this can be a social activity or something private like watching a movie. Other suggestions include reading or listening to music. The take away message in all of this is the time needs to be spent where the athlete experiences no connection with the stressors, allowing recovery to begin.
Sleep is an important part of cognitive recovery. In our next post, Sleep Matters, we'll talk a bit about one of life's more mysterious states.
j.z. plato
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