Marathon You Can Do It

I just found this marathon nutrition tips by Marathoner Deena Kastor.

It’s a good idea to know which foods provide the biggest carbohydrate bang per serving, but you don’t necessarily have to approach each meal with a fork and a calculator. Marathoner Deena Kastor, who won bronze at the 2004 Olympics, believes that once you understand how your body processes different carbohydrates — that is, which foods provide lasting energy for you — you can approach your meals with an intuitive sense of what you need.

“I focus on adding another heaping spoonful of pasta or a few more potatoes,” she says. “Before the Athens marathon, I also ate a lot of dense fruits with high sugar content: pears, bananas, grapes. They replaced a lot of electrolytes and minerals I knew I was sweating out.”

Read original article calculating carbs for endurance athletes

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: 2004 Olympics, Athens Marathon, Bananas, Carbohydrate, Carbohydrates, Carbs, Deena Kastor, Electrolytes, Endurance Athletes, Grapes, Intuitive Sense, Lasting Energy, Minerals, Nutrition Tips, Olympics, Original Article, Pasta, Pears, Potatoes, Sugar Content

Valerie Bertinelli lost 40p after following Jenny Craig weight loss program. The secret of the program is having a balance between food and exercise.

According to this site, Valerie Bertinelli Program consisted of

Daily Calorries – Not more than 1200

Foods – plenty of fruit and unlimited servings of nonstarchy vegetables like carrots, broccoli and tomatoes.

Exercise – Walking 10,000 steps a day

Small stuff that made the program a success

• She jotted down what she consumed, making her more aware of her choices.
• She signed up together with her boyfriend to encourage and keep each other in check.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: 10 000 Steps, Bertinelli Valerie, Broccoli, Carrots, Choices, Diet Program, Exercise, Jenny Craig, Lost, Nonstarchy Vegetables, Small Stuff, Success, Tomatoes, Valerie Bertinelli, Walking 10 000 Steps, Weight Loss Plan, Weight Loss Program

Just before 2009 NYC Marathon, American marathon runner, Ryan Hall was interviewed by a Chicago paper. Ryan was asked the following question;

What’s your go-to, night-before-the-race meal?

Ryan Hall : Pasta, olive oil and Cytomax Muscle Milk Protein Shake.

Another interesting question from the interview was his answer on his strategy for Boston Marathon

What’s your strategy for those Boston hills–and downhills?

Ryan Hall : My strategy for the hills in Boston are to run the same effort level whether I am going up, down or flat, which means I will obviously slow down going up the hills and fly down the back of them. I think that energy management is one of the keys to running a good marathon. The better I can keep it locked in at the right effort level, despite the terrain, the better I will run.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Boston Hills, Boston Marathon, diet, Effort Level, Energy Management, Fly, Marathon Runner, Muscle Milk Protein, Nyc Marathon, Olive Oil, Pasta, Right Effort, Ryan Hall

According to legend, when Sanya Richards was 16 years old in Junior high school she told her father or also doubles up as her coach “I don’t like the feeling of losing, and I’m willing to do whatever you say it would take for me to be the best,”

Her father immediately designed a core program that featured a thousand crunches daily.

Food diet of a future champion

On the other hand her mother, a former gym instructor back in Jamaica, put Sanya Richard on a food diet of chicken, fish and vegetables.

As adopted from a Sanya Richards story on USAToday

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Champion, Coach, Core Program, Fish, Food Diet, Gym Instructor, Jamaica, Junior High School, Sanya Richards, Vegetables

Runners planning to run a race should pay attention to their nutrition during the last week before planning to run a 5k , 10K , half marathon or a full marathon.

Nutrition last week before the big race

Increase your daily intake of carbohydrate, particularly whole grains, fruits and vegetables, during training. An increase in daily protein intake is also recommended, with the balance coming from dietary fat.

Carbohydrate is the major fuel used during training, and both carbohydrate and protein may help facilitate muscle recovery.

Practice fluid and carbohydrate intake, both as water and sports drinks, during training so that you are comfortable with the procedure during the marathon. Know the sport drink that will be used in your marathon, and train with it. You may also wish to experiment with carbohydrate gels (some contain caffeine; see comment below on Running a faster marathon); if the marathon provides gels at points on the course, try to experiment with the specific brand.

P.S. Remember to take plenty of sleep during the week so that, even if you don’t sleep on the eve of the race, it won’t matter.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Carbohydrate Intake, Daily Protein Intake, Eve, Fruits And Vegetables, half marathon, marathon runners, Muscle Recovery, Nutrition, Running Marathon, sleep, Sport Drink, Sports Drinks, Train, Whole Grains Fruits And Vegetables

Chocolate milk is the new sports drink, many runners drink chocolate milk during a race and drink it after a race as a recovery drink.

If you are one of those people like me who love the kitchen and you want to make your own chocolate milk, this chocolate milk recipe might interest you?

For a homemade cold choclate milk recipe:

11 ounces milk

1 ounce water

1 1/2 teaspoons cocoa

2 tablespoons sugar

How to brew chocolate mix

• Put sugar, cocoa, and water in microwavable 12 oz glass.
• Microwave for 30 seconds or until sugar and cocoa dissolve.
• add cold milk and stir.

You can drink your choclate milk cold or warm.

Some facts about chocolate milk.

Chocolate milk has 60 more calories than pure milk.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Calories, Chocolate Mix, Chocolate Recipe, Cocoa, Cold Milk, Drink Chocolate Milk, Facts About Chocolate, Homemade Chocolate, How To Make Chocolate, Microwave, Milk Chocolate, New Sports, Ounce, Runners, Teaspoons

After a run it is recommended to drink a recovery drink to replenish lost energy, fluid and electrolytes.

Water as running Recovery drink

The cheapest and most popular recovery drink is good old water. Water helps in restoring lost water through sweating and cooling down the body. Drinking water also helps in preparing the stomach for proper food digestion. Experts tend to agree that rehydrating with water until urine is pale yellow is the way to go.

Sports Energy Drinks

Drinkigng a sports energy drink with a mix of carbs, protein and sodium within an hour of finishing the race is crucial.

Carbohydrate Milk Drink

The chocolate milk has the magic 4:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio, is cheap and tastes good.

Whatever you choose, drink what you enjoy

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Carbohydrate, Chocolate Milk, Drinking Water, Energy Drink, Energy Drinks, Food Digestion, Magic 4, Marathon Running, Milk Chocolate, Milk Drink, Old Water, Pale Yellow, Proper Food, Protein, Sodium, Sports Drink, Sports Drinks, Sports Energy, Stomach, Water Water

Chris Carmichael was Lance Armstrong coach since 1990 and he is the one who designed his nutritional program that powered the Texan to eight Tour De France victories.

The goal of the nutritional program was to ensure Lance Armstrong remained lean and powerful.

The coach looked at the demands of his training and lifestyle and used that information to design his nutrition program.

Off season training diet

During the fall and winter Lance trained at moderate intensity. To fuel this level of training, he didnt need as many calories as he does at the height of the racing season. He ate less food during this time. 60% of his calories came from carbohydrates. Protein was added into the mix

Training for The Tour De France.

AS the tour neared, the coach altered the nutritional program. Lance ate more food and 70% of his calories came from carbohydrates because he needed the fast-burning fuel to power his aerobic and anaerobic energy systems. Protein intake was reduced.

As adopted from NBC article to read the full article click the link.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Burning Fuel, Calories, Chris Carmichael, Coach, Diet Program, Energy Systems, Fall And Winter, France Victories, Lance Armstrong, Lifestyle, Moderate Intensity, Nbc, Nutrition Program, Nutritional Diet, Protein Intake, Tour De France

Because carbohydrates are the primary fuel source for active muscles, athletes need to consume them on a daily basis.

Carbohydrate-rich foods include: –

1. Fruits
2. vegetables (potatoes and beans),
3. Grains,
4. Breads,
5. cereals and some dairy products (milk and yogurt).

In general, the best diet for an athlete is one that contains a variety of foods from each of the major food groups—this will help ensure that your diet is made up of nutrient-rich foods.

Approximately 55-60% of total calories should come from carbohydrates. Athletes need to consume carbohydrates before, during and after exercise to provide fuel for the body and support overall health.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Athlete, Calories, Carbohydrate, Carbohydrates, Cereals, Daily Basis, Dairy Products Milk, diet, Exercise, Food Groups, Fruits Vegetables, Fuel Source, Grains, Health, muscles, Nutrient Rich Foods, Potatoes, Runners, Yogurt

South Beach Diet foods are about eating good carbohydrates and fats and avoiding bad carbs and fats.

When a person eats bad carbohydrates and fats they feel hungrier, causing them to eat more, which causes weight gain. People following on south beach diet are trying slimming and weight loss.

South Beach Diet Phases

South beach diet works in phases, the first two for a specific timeframe and the third phase for life.

South Beach Diet Phase 1 Food List

This phase is about carbohydrate restriction. Foods eaten are lean meats, such as chicken, turkey, fish, shellfish, vegetables, low fat cheese, nuts and eggs.

South Beach Diet Phase 2 Food List

Proteins, vegetables, starch and fruits.

South Beach diet Food plan

The South beach diet has plan for foods to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It claims you will lose weight while still being able to enjoy your favourite foods.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: Bad Carbohydrates, Bad Carbs, Breakfast Lunch, Chicken Turkey, Diet Food Plan, Diet Phase 1, Diet Works, Favourite Foods, Fish Shellfish, Lean Meats, Low Fat Cheese, South Beach Diet, South Beach Diet Food List, South Beach Diet Foods, South Beach Diet Phase, South Beach Diet Phase 1, South Beach Diet Phase 1 Food List, South Beach Diet Phase 2, South Beach Diet Phase 2 Food List, South Beach Diet Phases, South Beach Diet Plan, South Beach Diet Recipe