Road To Tradition's - Nutrition & Recovery

During today's Road To Tradition's session, we covered Nutrition & Recovery. Several people have asked for a copy of the raw data that was shared, so I'm going to include it here, after the break.

A couple of points that I wanted to reinforce:

• The numbers are specific to SPRINT distance training. Longer distances have different consideration. If you would like information for longer races or need help dialing in your nutrition, please feel free to Contact Me.
• Counting calories is NOT encouraged. You should be counting your macro nutrients. Our bodies don't need generic calories. Our bodies need specific forms of nutrition. So we do not discuss "how many calories," instead we discuss "how many carbs, proteins, or fats do I need?" 
• You should be eating Real Food, not Products. If you cannot reasonably reproduce something you want to eat in your own kitchen, it is a Product, likely the result of heavy industrialization. Industrial products usually have more calories, less nutrients, and questionable contents.
  
  Example: Butter vs Margarine. Butter is a Real Food (if it contains simple ingredients like cream and salt) because it can be made easily at home. Margarine is a highly processed product that contains vegetable (and sometime petroleum) oils along with emulsifiers, colorants, and various artificial ingredients.
  
  Real Food is made from easily identifiable ingredients that you can buy at a grocery or farmer's market. Products are made from chemicals and concoctions that have to be formulated and produced in industrial equipment.
  
  Eat Real Food that you can make with your own two hands. Don't eat Products created in labs.
• Remember that recovery techniques are cumulative and can be done concurrently. You can ice and compress and elevate all at the same time. 

Read on, past the jump, for all the relevant Nutrition & Recovery notes provided today. If you have questions or concerns or need individual support, please feel free to Contact Me. Otherwise, I'll see you on the Road To Tradition's!

Six Fundamental Elements of Nutrition:

•Carbohydrates (per USAT:) 45% - 65% of diet
or 2.5 – 3.0 grams per pound of body weight

•Protein (per USAT:) 10% - 20% of diet
or .5 - .6 grams per pound of body weight

•Fat (per USAT:)  20% - 30% of diet
or .5 - .75 grams per pound of body weight

•Water: Daily intake of ½ Body Weight in oz

•Vitamins & Minerals:  Sports vitamin, and focus on Iron (8mg/day) calcium (1.0 – 1.3g/day) and Omega 3 (3g/day)

Nutrition During Training & Racing:

•Carbohydrates: 30g – 75g per hour, broken into 2 – 4 doses per hour

•Hydration: Sports drink of 8oz - 10oz for each dose of 15g – 20g of carbs 

•Race Day Cheat Sheet: 1 gel right before Swim Start, 1 gel immediately on the bike, big sip of fluid each mile,1 gel or solid at turn around, 1 gel at start of the run, and drink at each aid station.

Post-Training Recovery Nutrition:

•Fluids: Minimum of 20oz per hour of training that took place (in order to replace lost fluids)

•Food: 30min- 2hr after the workout, carbs and protein. Ideal combinations:
  1) 3:1 carb to protein ratio
  2) 0.5g of carbs & 0.15g of protein per lb
  3) 1.0g of carbs & 0.25g of protein per lb

Diet Consideration:

Findings from the National Weight Control Registry (http://www.nwcr.ws) after 22yrs of tracking over 10,000 individuals:

98% of individuals modified food intake, 94% increased their physical activity. Average male is 190lbs. Average female is 145lbs.

ANY “diet” works, if adhered to

Diets focusing on low carbs work quicker but have higher rate of failure

90% exercise an average of 1hr per day

78% eat breakfast every day

75% weigh themselves at least once a week

62% watch less than 10hrs of TV per week

Recovery: The Easy Stuff

•A good rule of thumb for recovery is: 4:1. For every hour of exercise, incorporate 15min of recovery.

•Recovery is cumulative and can take many forms

•The four easiest forms of recover can be remembered as: R.I.C.E.

•Rest. Ice. Compression. Elevation.

Recovery: Foam Rollers

Recommended: No more than 20 seconds on affected area, 2X per session. No more than 2X per day.

Recovery: Banding/Voodoo Floss

Recommended: Mobilize the area, go through a full range of motion for no more than 2 minutes. 2X each joint per session. No more than 2X per day.

Recovery: Sauna

Recommended: 15 - 30 minutes, 3 - 5 times per week, immediately after a workout if possible.

Recovery: Cold Dip

Recommended: 10 - 15 minutes, 3 - 5 times per week, immediately after a workout if possible.

Recovery: Stretching & Mobility Work

Recommended: Stretch every day, at least as part of a workout. Identify your limiters (ex: hamstrings) and stretch those.