What should you drink?

Continuing the blog on hydration, I thought I would look at the different types of drinks and when they may be useful in different situations.

When training or exercising, athletes need to consider the intensity of their session, the duration of the activity and the environmental conditions, and how these may affect their sweat rates. For example, if their session is a light aerobic session in a cool environment, their sweat rates and energy needs are going to be lower than if they were training at a high intensity on a hot summer's day.

Some sports have very little change in environmental conditions such as swimming or indoor sports, whereas some sports involve varying conditions and therefore athletes need to understand how their body responds to different conditions and be prepared in order to ensure they maximise their training and recovery.

There are three different types of drinks, based on the solute concentration and their osmotic pressure. 

Hypotonic - generally contains less than 4g of carbohydrates per 100ml. It provides little energy, but will be taken up by the body quickly, and therefore ideal for recreational sports or shorter or less strenuous exertion.  Examples include:

• Water
• WeakCordial 

Hypertonic - this type of drink generally has more than 8g of carbohydrates per 100ml and greater osmotic pressure than bodily fluids. Its main aim is to supply energy and the fluid is taken up more slowly than water. Ideal use is 30-60 mins before exercise and immediately after sports.  They are also useful for athletes who find they need a bit more energy.

• Milkshakes
• Smoothies
• Concentrated Fruit Juices 

Isotonic - this type of drink contains between 4-8g of carbohydrate per 100ml and has about the same osmotic pressure as bodily fluids. An Isotonic drink is taken up by the body about as quickly as water and they are intended to help hydration and provide energy.

• Sports Drinks
• Squash

Also considering the different times athletes may need to choose different drinks. 

Before Exercise - The main aims are to ensure the athlete is hydrated before exercise, as athletes will be able to meet energy needs through solid foods, therefore a hypotonic drink such as squash or water will be adequate. If it is prior to competition, and athletes struggle to eat, then isotonic drinks can help meet energy requirements while making sure athletes are hydrated. 

During - This will be dependent on the training programme. Many athletes will be fine with a hypotonic sports drink replacing fluid loss and athletes should choose drinks which are palatable to encourage consumption. However, if the training session or competition is high intensity and longer than 90 min, some athletes may need to include some energy, therefore an isotonic drink will meet an athletes needs. Other ways to meet this need if athletes prefer to drink water is to take a high carbohydrate snack to have alongside training which can be consumed at an appropriate interval. 

After - The session type and environment conditions will influence the athlete's choice of drink. After a  high intensity session, it is going to be important to replace energy and fluid needs. If an athlete is able to eat immediately after a session, a high carbohydrate snack alongside squash or water should be sufficient to meet their needs. However, if an athlete struggles to consume any food following a training session, a hypertonic drink which is high in carbohydrate will be able to support this. This is why many athletes now choose to drink milk or milkshakes after a training session. Athletes should be aware of when their sweat rates are high and make sure they adequately replace their fluid intake in the hour after a training session.

Athletes can monitor their hydration by comparing to a pee chart, a simple indication of their hydration status, with the idea to be on the paler side of the chart.  One of the main things is to to be happy and comfortable with what you drink. It could be the best drink which will help performance, but if the athlete doesn't like the taste they probably won't consume as much as is needed. 

Identity in sport

Recently, something happened which surprised me a lot.  I reached a point where I just couldn't talk about athletics anymore!  The watershed moment came on a recent altitude training trip to Ethiopia when I was staying at a training camp, surrounded by athletes, talking about athletics, all day long.

Don't get me wrong.  Sport is my life!  I run twice a day most days of the year, am in a bad mood when I haven't trained, have competed in the sport for more than 21 years and have no immediate plans of quitting, plan my social life around the race calendar, spend my holidays altitude training, studied sports science for 7 years, and have spent my entire working life supporting athletes and writing about sport.  I could not imagine my life without sport.  But at that moment in time, I just wanted to talk about something else!

I guess that even after all these years of being involved in sport, I've still managed to develop a personality independent of it.  True, sport has done a lot to make me the person I am, but I am not defined by it.  And that moment brought home to me just how important it is for athletes of all levels to have interests away from their sport, and to be able to switch off from repetition times, competitors' results, and target paces. Not only will it help with your performances as an athlete, but having interest outside of sport, and having an identity that is not completely built around sport, greatly eases the retirement transition.

I have often heard people say that you shouldn't study sport if you're an athlete; it'll be too much.  I can see where they're coming from, but there are a couple of flaws in their advice.   Who is going to make the best sports academics and practitioners, apart from the people who are genuinely interested in sport?  When advising athletes about career choices, I always encourage them to do something that they are interested in. Why study aeronautical engineering when you have no interest in either airplanes or engineering?  Yes, don't study sports science just because it has sport in the title - when you have no interest in science - but don't just avoid it because you already do sport.  There are many other ways to develop an identity that is not completely dependent on your sport and your performance as an athlete.

Let one thing lead to another

You may start out studying sport science, but this may lead to an interest in a particular area which takes you away from sport (e.g. biomechanics in ageing populations), and back again (e.g. how exercise can delay the ageing population).  Your interests are inspiring your career choices, but you have not pigeon-holed yourself because of what you see your identity to be.

Taking my own career as an example, I can explain this a little better.  I studied sports science because I was interested in sport and science.  This got me interested in research, and I did a PhD which looked at menstrual health in female athletes, something which I had a personal interest in.  Along the way I realised that I wanted to help athletes, and got a job supporting high performance athletes.  During this time I was surrounded, not only by high performance athletes, but by colleagues with a range of interests and hobbies.  I learned who to develop websites - when I set up a club website - and developed an interest in writing when writing athletics reports for a local newspaper.  I learned a range of skills on the job, that could be applied to a number of situations outside of sport.  Training at altitude in Kenya developed an interest in travel, and in African sociology and history.  I also got interested in photography, and started taking photos at races.  And I've always loved reading.  So the transition to writing a book which involved travel, taking lots of photos and running was an obvious one.  When doing that I learned about publishing, promotion, blogging and other social media, not to mention developing my stress management, self motivation and personal management skills.

The sport that I love has always been my guiding light, but I feel I have managed to develop a well rounded personality, with a range of interest (even if all these interests are related to sport).  I don't think I am defined by my results in athletics (probably just as well), or by anything else I have achieved along the way.  I am defined by how I behave, interact with others, and approach life.  All of these have been molded by my participation in sport, but would not change dramatically if I stopped running, and got a job away from sport tomorrow.

Surround yourself with the right people

There is no doubt but that being surrounded by the right people affects who we are, and how successful we become.  For some athletes that's being surrounded by other athletes that will motivate and push them. For others, being in a competitive environment 24/7 is just too much, and some successful athletes don't hang around with athletes at all.  Yes, you need people to understand you, but that doesn't always have to be other athletes.  Find the right mix of people for you.  Don't become stuck in a rut just because you and all your fiends have the some interests, drive and goals.  It's good if your friends have the similar values to you, but you don't have to have the same hobbies or interests as somebody else to get on with them.  In fact having a friend group with different interests, backgrounds and roles will not only help you in your sporting life, but will also help you moving forward from sport.

Don't let your results define your own self-worth

It's good to have stretching goals, to work hard towards those goals, and to celebrate in achieving those goals.  In fact there are few things more rewarding than finally realising a dream.  However, your self worth should't be defined by how fast you've ran, or what you achieved in sport.  I see myself as Elizabeth Egan, the person who takes on massive task, learns what she needed to along the way, overcomes a few setbacks along the way, and achieves what she sets out to do, rather than Elizabeth Egan who wrote a book.  The first is about character, is long-lasting and is independent of talent.  More importantly it consists of skills that can be transferred to any aspect of life.  The times we run, or medals we win are dependent on luck, other external factors, and talent, and will soon be forgotten about.  We can dine out for a lifetime on our personality and character, but even the Olympic golds will be forgotten about.

In summary
To have a long a successful sporting career, and a successful and rewarding life after sport, learn to have interests outside of sport. Surround yourself with a variety of well-rounded individuals, who may or may not participate in sport at a high level.  Other interests don't always have to have a negative impact on your focus or energy.  In fact, time away from thinking about training and performances usually have a positive impact.

Simple, nutritious smoothies and juices

The recent spell of fine weather has inspired me to get back into smoothie-making mode.  Summer months are an ideal time for smoothies as the seasonal berries provide a tasty addition, though this week I have been using the end of last year’s blackberries and loganberries from the freezer.

Smoothie and juice making can be as simple or as complicated as you make it, and the fruit (and vegetables) that you use is only limited by your imagination.  Rolled oats, ground almonds, sesame seeds, and peanut butter are just some of the other ingredients that you can use.  Milk, yogurt, coconut milk or almond milk can be used to add extra smoothness and increase the protein content, and nutmeg or ginger will give an extra kick to any juice.

Smoothies are high in vitamins and minerals, a great way of getting some or all of your 5-a-day, and are higher in fibre than traditional juices because they retain the pulp and skins.  They are also easier to make, and don't produce waste.  Smoothies are a particularly easy way of getting vital calories and nutrients in after a hard session on a hot day when you might not feel like eating food, and they can help to rehydrate you (read last weeks blog about hydration here).  Many fruits also contain natural chemicals which help increase appetite.

This is my basic go-to smoothie recipe

• Apple (cored and quartered) and/or banana to give it a nice texture and adds thickness
• Orange juice to make it more runny.  You can also use pineapple or apple juice, and if you have a juicer you can make the juice yourself.
• Frozen raspberries, blackberries, loganberries or similar berry to give it taste.  The frozen fruit means that the smoothie is already cool.  Add some ice cubes if the fruit is fresh.
•  Blend all the ingredients together in a blender for 30-40 seconds.Server more or less immediately.  Mind the brain freeze.

Like all my recipes, I don’t get too hung up on measurements.  I go with what I think is roughly right, and if it’s too thick, I just add more orange juice. If it's not thick enough, I add another apple or banana.

You don’t have to follow any particular recipe to make a great post-training snack or a nutritious drink to kick-start to the day.  Add something to give it texture, something to give it juice, and something to give it taste, and focus on what’s available to you at a reasonable price.  

And smoothies don’t have to be expensive.  Pick blackberries in the late summer (they’re free in most hedgerows!) and freeze them to use throughout the year.  Because any fresh fruit you add will be high in vitamin C, you can use 'from concentrate' juices to keep the cost down.

Smoothies are a great way of using up ripe fruit.  If you have bunches of bananas that are getting ripe, you can peel them and freeze them for use in future smoothies.

Juicing require more cleaning up afterwards.  Fruit and vegetables need to be very ripe, and some produce little juice, creating a lot of waste.  If using frozen fruit, ensure that you let them thaw first, or you'll end up with a lot of waste and practically no juice at all.  Juices can be diluted with refrigerated mineral water or sparkling water.

Any sort of blender will suffice for making smoothies, though there is a range of juicers and smoothie machines on the market.  Smoothie machines have some additional features over traditional blenders: a pouring spout, durable blades for crushing ice, and a pusher to ensure that the fruit and vegetables are all blended properly.  Juicers actually separate the juice from the pulp, skin, seeds and other debris, creating a large amount of waste, but providing a great way to make your own orange, apple or pineapple juice. Masticating and hydraulic juicers are more efficient (i.e. produce more juice) than centrifugal juicers, but are also more expensive. A number of other fruit and vegetables work well as juices, and in most cases, combining juiced fruit with blended fruit will give the best results.

Fruit

Apples - blending and juicing
Bananas - blending
Blackberries - blending
Blackcurrants - blending and juicing - strip from stalks
Blueberries - blending
Cherries - blending and juicing
Coconut flesh - blending
Grapefruit - juicing - peel before use
Grapes - blending and juicing
Kiwis - blending and juicing - peel before use
Mangos - blending - great for taste and texture
Melon - blending and juicing
Oranges - blending and juicing - peel before use
Papaya - blending - great for taste and texture
Passion fruit - blending and juicing - peel before use
Peaches and nectarines - blending and juicing
Pears - blending
Pineapple - juicing - remove plume, skin and core before use
Plums - blending
Raspberries - blending and juicing
Strawberries - blending and juicing - remove stalks before use
Watermelons - juicing

Vegetables

Avocados - blending
Beetroot - blending and juicing (cooked or uncooked)
Broccoli - blending and juicing
Carrots - blending and juicing
Cucumber - blending and juicing (adds a great kick to any drink)
Celery - juicing
Peppers - blending or juicing
Spinach - juicing (great for adding colour)
Sweet potatos - blending
Tomatoes - juicing

We'd love to hear what your favourite smoothie or juice recipe is, or if you have any special 'secret' ingredient.  Add your suggestions as comments below.

Are you drinking enough?

With one of the challenges of the World Cup being identified as the heat and hydration of the players, the recent warm weather we have enjoyed and the fact that I forgot my drinks bottle at my last training session, I thought it would be useful to include a topic on hydration.

Dehydration is caused by an athlete not sufficiently replacing fluid losses during exercise which is caused by sweating in order to maintain a constant core temperature and the body not over heating through exercise. Therefore sweat rates are naturally higher when athletes are exercising at higher temperatures. 

The main impairments are as follows, with the magnitude increasing as the level of dehydration increases: 

• Increased heart rate
• Impaired heat regulation- leading to the risk of heat stroke
• Exercise feels harder than normal
• Reduced mental function
• Reduced skill level
• Stomach upset

To prevent any of the above from occurring, athletes need to match their fluid losses with the amount of fluid they are drinking. The easiest way that athletes can do this is by taking their body weight before and after exercise, adding the amount of fluid they have taken in during the session and then this will give the total loss for the session. Once and athlete begins to understand their sweat losses, athletes can be prepared, taking into account the varying environmental conditions they may be training in.

To ensure that athletes maximise their rehydration, the most important thing is that drinks are palatable and are non-carbonated. The amount of carbohydrate and electrolytes will be linked to their palatability, the type of training and the environment the athlete is training in.

The Ageing Athlete

Today is a very big day for me.  This time 35 years ago, I was born.  Happy birthday me!

Turning 35 as an athlete is a big deal.  It means that I can compete as a masters V35 athlete - a category especially for athletes aged between 35 and 40!  While I plan to continue competing as a senior athlete, becoming a V35 has given me an additional boost, and some additional stretching, but exciting goals to aim for.

New Goals

When I was delivering a goal setting workshop earlier in the year, I used my target for this summer as an example of a SMARTER goal.  The goal is to win a medal in the 2,000m steeplechase at the European Masters Championships later this summer.  That's a pretty Specific goal!  It's also Measurable - at the end of the day, I'll either have a medal around my neck, or not.  Now for the Ambitious bit - well I've looked at some previous results and I will have to be at my best too achieve a medal, but my best times would put me in the mix - making the goal Realistic.  The goal is Time-bound - the day is Tuesday 26th August - and it is definitely Exciting - a trip to Turkey, a European medal, and a  shot at a V35 Irish record, all genuinely excite me.  And the goal is Relevant.  It's what I do!

Motivation

All these exciting new goals are giving me new motivation.  In an earlier blog we spoke about the relevance of goal setting in other aspects of lifestyle management, but the main thing that goal setting does is provide motivation.  After having similar goals for the past 10 years or so, I'm glad that I now have something concrete to aim for, and that's really helping with motivation.  As we get older, it's important to set goals that keep us motivated.  By the time we reach 35, we have a clear idea of what we can and can't achieve, and what motivates us - be that intrinsic or extrinsic factors.  There are of course unachieved goals and dreams, and now is a good time to reevaluate what's important and what will keep me motivated moving forward.

Adapting Training

Over the years, I've learned what works for me and what doesn't.  Keeping injury free is important, and experience has thought me that taking a day or two off now, can prevent missing a few weeks later now the line.  I am getting good at distinguishing between a bit of muscle damage soreness that will go away after a day or two, and a niggle that needs attention and rest.  There are more niggles than before, but a lot fewer actual injuries.

I also train a bit differently.  Running is mostly a hobby, and I have stopped being obsessed with times. Some days I leave the watch at home altogether.  That's not to say that I don't run hard.  Sometimes I run very, very hard, but I have realised that there is no point in getting hung up on what times I used to run, and thinking too much about what is and isn't possible.

Role Models

For some athletes, age doesn't seem to be a factor.  I was lucky enough to witness 3-time Olympian Jo Pavey run a European and Commonwealth Games qualifier for 10,000 m.  Pavey is 40, and was just returning from having her second child.  The following week she ran a world V40 record for 5,000 m, in the sort of time that athletes 10 years her junior can only dream of.  While I'm never going to achieve the sort of times that Pavey is running, I can hope to get close to my personal best times.

And if I fancy changing sport, there are many examples of shooters and equestrian athletes who participated at the Olympics well into their 70s.  Indeed, Oscar Swahn (shooting) won an Olympic gold medal when he was 64!

Nutrition: Alternative carbohydrate sources

The diet of endurance athletes is likely to consist of large amounts of pasta, rice and breakfast cereal.  Athletes don’t have to stick to these traditional, reliable old carbohydrates though, and can benefit from adding some less well known cereals and carbohydrate-rich foods to their diet.  Those with gluten or wheat intolerance will appreciate the variety, and foods like couscous and polenta are a lot quicker to prepare than rice and pasta.  Here are some of the available options, and what they can contribute to a healthy balanced diet:

Potatoes, unlike cereal based carbohydrates, are a vegetable, and as a result are particularly nutrient dense.  Among the micronutrients which they contain is vitamin C, something which you won’t find in pasta, noodles, or rice.  Cook potatoes in their skins to minimise vitamin C loss during cooking.  There is practically no fat or cholesterol in potatoes, and their skins, if consumed, are a good source of fibre.  Potatoes do have a higher GI than most other starchy foods, and are too often served deep fried (in the form of chips or crisps), or smothered in butter.

Sweet potatoes, like common potatoes, are versatile, and nutrient dense.  They have a lower GI, and unlike white potatoes, they can be mashed and creamed without butter.  They are a good source of fibre, Vitamins A, B6 and C, and Beta-carotene and also contain some protein.  They can be boiled, mashed and roasted, similar to potatoes, and can also be added to curry, risotto and pasta dishes.

Yams, a West African staple, are similar, but not related to sweet potatoes.  The can be cooked in a variety of ways, but traditionally are most often boiled, roasted or fried.  Yams have a lower GI than potatoes, and are a good source of fibre, potassium, manganese, vitamin B6 and vitamin C.

Other vegetables which are high in carbohydrates include cassava, artichokes, sweetcorn, winter squashes, and pumpkin.  Legumes, including peanuts, lentils, peas and beans are also sources of carbohydrate, and as low GI foods, can be added to rice, pasta and potato dishes to lower the overall GI of the dish.

Oats is a great breakfast food for athletes.  Hulled oats is not stripped of its bran or germ, like other processed grains.  In addition to high fibre content, oats has cardio-protective properties, and helps protect against a range of diseases.  Oats is generally served as porridge, though it can also be added to soups and stews, or used as the basis of flapjacks and a range of other sweet treats.

Polenta is a staple food in much of northern Italy.  The word ‘polenta’ literally means ‘cornmeal mush’ and is made from naturally low fat, low cholesterol, high fibre cornmeal ground cornmeal flour.  Polenta can be boiled, fried, baked in breads and cakes, or served alongside stews.  Instant powered polenta is widely available.  To make polenta, simply mix the cornmeal with water, and simmer until it thickens. ‘Wet’ polenta is served hot.  It can taste somewhat bland, but adding Italian cheese, herbs, pesto, or strong flavoured foods can greatly enhance the taste.  Alternatively, polenta can be left to cool, cut into slices and grilled or fried.

I recently discovered polenta, and stuck for time one day, came up with my own special recipe, which takes just 10 minutes to prepare.  It goes something like this:

1. Prepare some instant polenta as per packet instructions (stir some polenta into a saucepan of boiling water; add more until becomes a thick paste, simmer for 2 to 3 minutes).

2. Meanwhile poach two eggs.

3. Chop half a red pepper, grate 1 carrot, chop 1 tomato.  (I’ve chosen these vegetables because they don’t need to be cooked, but you can of course choose any vegetable that doesn’t need to be cooked, or stir-fry some vegetables in a separate pan.)

4. Grate or dice a small amount of cheese.  (A strong-flavoured soft cheese such as feta or blue cheese would help add taste to the bland polenta.)

5. Add the vegetables and cheese to the polenta and stir in with a large spoon of pesto, and some sunflower seeds or chopped walnuts.

6. Serve with the eggs.

This is a good dish for eating after training as it is quick to prepare, and is high in carbohydrates, protein and vitamins.  You can add some smoked salmon instead of the eggs, and experiment with different nuts and seeds.

Couscous, like pasta, is made from rolled semolina wheat.  It has more protein than rice or potatoes, and with a magical carbohydration:protein ration of 4:1, it is an ideal recovery food.  Quick-cook couscous takes no more than five minutes to prepare, and since it can be made with boiling water in a bowl, it is an ideal food for busy travelling athletes.  Couscous can be served hot or cold, and is an ideal accompaniment to salads.  Add cooked vegetables, smoked salmon and seeds for a great lunchbox meal, or mix in dried fruit, chopped nuts and a tablespoon of yoghurt for a sweet treat.

Quinoa is the edible seeds of a South American grain-like crop.  It has a light, fluffy texture, and a slight bite to it.  It is high in protein as well as carbohydrates.  Quinoa is boiled in water, similar to rice, until the germ and seed separate. Quinoa can be served with nuts, dried fruit, berries and honey for a great high-protein breakfast.

Rice is a calorie-dense, high carbohydrate, low fat crop, and the world’s most popular carbohydrate food.  Rice is also a good source of thiamin, niacin and vitamin E.  Basmati rice has a lower GI than other forms of white rice (the longer the grain, the lower the GI), and brown rice is packed with protein and fibre, and is a good source of B vitamins.  Rice is pretty versatile, and makes a great accompaniment to a range of meals.  Chilli con carne, vegetable and chicken curries and risottos are good carbohydrate-packed meals for athletes.  Risottos are a great way to use up leftovers, and can be made with whatever food is available in the fridge – roast chicken, peas, mushrooms, diced bacon, etc.

Rice noodles take just 3-4 minutes to prepare, have a low GI, and are a good addition to Thai curries and oriental soups.

Noodles are essentially a type of pasta, made with wheat, rice, buckwheat, mungbean or potato flour combined with egg.  Noodles tend to take less time than dried pasta to prepare, and are very versitile, making them a store cupboard favourite.  Choose to boil rather than fry the noodles, and add plenty of vegetables and nuts for a healthy, balanced change to standard pasta and rice.

Bread is a very versatile food, though how healthy it is depends on the type of flour and cooking method used.  More processed flour (e.g. white flour), has a higher GI than wholemeal flour.  Adding nuts and seeds can increase the nutritional content, and reduce the overall GI of the bread.  Rye bread is a particularly low GI option, and is high in soluble fibre.  Making your own bread is a good way to ensure that there are no nasty ingredients and is a lot easier than you would think.

Bulgar wheat has a nice nutty texture and flavour, and a medium-low GI.  It is a good source of fibre, thiamine and vitamin E.  Bulgar wheat, like couscous is as good cold as it is warm, and can be added to salads for a great lunchbox meal. 

Buckwheat, despite its name, is no relative to wheat, and is in fact a gluten-free grain.  It is popular in Russian and Eastern European cuisine, and has a strong flavour.  It is high in carbohydrate, protein and fibre, and low in cholesterol and fat.  Buckwheat flour, available in most health food stores, can be combined with wheat flour in pancakes and other wheat-based recipes.

Pearl barley is barley which has had the bran and outer hull removed.  It is low in fat and cholesterol and is a good source of fibre, and is quicker to prepare than other forms of barley.  Pearl barley is often added to stews, and other one-pot dishes.

Amaranth, unlike most other grains, is gluten-free, and suitable for individuals with celiac disease.  It has an excellent balance of carbohydrate, protein and fat, and is packed with both iron and calcium.  It also has a considerably lower GI than pasta.  Amaranth was a staple of the aztect, but its cultivation was banned by the conquistadores.  Today, it is often popped and mixed with honey for a nutritious snack.

Gnocci are small Italian dumplings that are made by binding potato and flour together with egg. Ready-made gnocci take just a few minutes to prepare, and can simply be served with pesto or a tomato-based pasta sauce.

Other staples from around the world include ingera (Ethiopia), a sourdough flatbread made from the iron-rich flour of the teff crop; ugali (Kenya), a dough food made from ground maize, and unsurprisingly, similar to polenta; and plantains, a banana like fruit which can only be eaten cooked, and which is a major staple in Camerron and DR Congo, Central America, the Caribbean, Colombia and Venezuela.

Go Faster Food is a particularly good book for endurance athletes looking to add some variety to their diets.  It includes recipes for a range of pasta, rice and couscous dishes. 

Improving Sleep Quality

I have chosen to look at sleep with this blog, triggered by the lack of sleep I was suffering four weeks ago. My much loved Springer Spaniel gave birth to six healthy gorgeous pups, but after three days she wasn’t producing enough milk to keep them going. As they became weaker we started to panic about keeping them going and had to resolve to feeding them ourselves. 

For the next two weeks between me and my partner we were bottle feeding them every 2hrs, through the day and night taking it in turns who had the night shift, and between us both getting very little sleep while we tried to work and train at the same time until they were old enough to go on solid food. Four weeks later we have six healthy pups and our lives are back to normal, but it made me realise how important sleep was and how we can enhance this to help our performance.

Sleep has a number of important physiological and cognitive functions which are important to athletes, especially submaximal, prolonged exercise. Poor sleeping habits may also influence memory, pain perception and immunity and inflammation- reducing the effectiveness of recovery. Furthermore, changes in metabolism may also alter appetite, food intake and protein synthesis. These factors can ultimately have a negative influence on an athlete’s nutritional metabolism and endocrine status and therefore reduce performance. 

According to a 2005 Gallup Poll in the US the average self-reported sleep duration of healthy individuals is 6.8hrs on weekdays and 7.4hrs on weekends. Sleep quality in athletes has only recently been looked at finding that a group of athletes had a total of 8hrs 36 in bed, but took longer to fall asleep and lower sleep quality, this is likely to be further exaggerated during competition period attributed to reasons such as pain, caffeine us, stress and worries. 

So relating to nutrition what practical things can athletes do to help their sleep quality?

Practical Applications:

• Focus on good sleep hygiene to maximise sleep quality and quantity
• High GI foods may promote sleep but should be consumed more than 1hr before bedtime- this will include white rice,  pasta, bread and potatoes  
• Diets high in carbohydrate may result in shorted sleep latencies
• Diets high in protein  may result in improved sleep quality
• Diets high in fat may negatively influence total sleep time
• When total caloric intake is decrease, sleep quality may be disturbed
• Small doses of tryptophan (1g) may improve both latency and sleep quality. This can be achieved by consuming approximately 300g of turkey or approximately 200g of pumpkin seeds

The person comes first. Always

A  few days ago, I picked up a copy of Sport magazine from April 25^th  - nothing like being up to date!  As the week in which the latest Manchester United manager received his marching orders, Moyes understandably receives considerable focus, and the cover story remembers Formula 1 legend Ayrton Senna, 20 years on from his tragic death, but it is two more minor stories that are of particular interest to Athlete Life Development, and the work that we do.

This first, an article entitled ‘Life After Sport’, looks at the difficulties faced by athletes when they retire from sport.  One of our recent blogs looked at this issue, and this article gives further real-life examples of the challenges that sportspeople such as boxer Ricky Hatton, middle distance runner Kelly Holmes and footballer Mick Quinn faced when retiring from their chosen sport, and how they coped with this major life event.

A lot of the current career transition research in sport is centred around encouraging sports men and women to view themselves as people, and to centre their self-image around his or herself as a person rather than his or herself as a an athlete, something which dual careers and interests outside of sport can help with.

Of course, we’re all about the person rather than the athlete at Athlete Life Development, and it is from this viewpoint that I can’t help but look at the commentary of David Moyes’s time at United, and feel a certain sense of regret.  Of course Moyes knew the pressures and media focus that he would face when he left Everton for the greatest job in football management, but still, wouldn’t it be nice if the media and those who comment on social media, took the time to think of Moyes as a person with feelings, just like me or you.  Nobody will be more disappointed with United’s results than Moyes himself – and in typical catastrophe theory fashion, bad results led to increased pressure, trying too hard, and an unbreakable downward spiral -  but maybe it wasn’t just a case of the wrong man for the job.  Perhaps it was the wrong job for the man.

Speaking of people with emotions brings us nicely (almost seamlessly) to the second piece of interest to us in Sport - an advertising feature on mental health.  The piece, publicising the work of Time to Change, England’s biggest programme to challenge mental health stigma and discrimination, looks at the mental health issues that British boxing legend Herol ‘Bomber’ Graham faced following his retirement from sport.  This is a common theme across sportspeople after they retire, but sportspeople can face depression at any stage in their careers.  Injury, disappointing results, and financial concerns can be trigger events, but even positive events like achieving lifelong goals can cause the most hardened of competitors to experience this most common of diseases. 

We discussed depression in sport in a previous post, but, with one in four people experiencing a mental health problem each year, it is an important issue to bring back into the spotlight.  Last week, Spanish long jumper and former European record holder Yago Lamela was found dead at his parents’ home.  Though the cause of death has not been formally announced, his family have revealed that he had been suffered from periods of severe depression and anxiety attacks since late in his athletic career, and that there had been at least one previous suicide attempt.

What can coaches and support personnel do to help?  

Firstly, always think of each of your athletes as a person, not just as an athlete, and focus on supporting the person as much as supporting the athlete. 

Encourage the athlete to follow other pursuits and to have interests outside of sport.  Recognise times of stress and anxiety in their lives – exams, job interviews, increasing media attention – and adapt training accordingly.  Not every athlete will become an Olympic Champion, but coaching provides the opportunity to make a positive impact on each and every person that you coach.  Athletes look up to their coach, and as coaches we have the opportunity to positively influence their lives in so many ways.

Remember that results should never come before the welfare of the person.

This, Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK, and the Green Ribbon awareness month in Ireland, is a good time to increase our awareness of the causes and symptoms of depression, anxiety and other mental illness.  If you know someone that has mental health issues, there is some good advice on starting the conversation here.

Educate yourself on eating disorders, overtraining, and other welfare issues which may affect athletes that you coach.  You don’t need to be able to solve issues, but you may need to signpost athletes to help.

Maintain an open and understanding approach to your coaching.  Athletes may find it difficult talking to a parent about welfare issues that they are experiencing, and coaches and other support personnel may often fill a crucial listening role.

This report of an event held in Dublin last January, sums up the role of the coach nicely.

How to increase the portions of fruits and vegetables in the athlete's diet

On the 1st of April 2014 the news headlines reported that eating seven or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day is healthier than the currently recommended five portions and would prolong lives by cutting the risk of dying from cancer and heart disease. 

An April Fool’s day joke to some, however, I have always encouraged athletes I have worked with to aim for a minimum of seven portions a day due to their increase in energy needs and the physiological demands of exercise. 

So what is a portion of fruit or vegetables?

Aim for a handful as a rule of thumb and other things to remember:

• Fresher the better- try to consume fruit and vegetable produce in their most natural state
• Wide Variety of fruits and vegetables 
• Try to consume as many different colors as possible

Tips to help athletes do this:

• Add fruits to breakfast cereals and desserts
• Choose fruits and vegetables  as snacks- such as dried fruits, vegetable stick
• Choose seasonal vegetables to help with freshness and cost
• Swap a sandwich for soup- homemade soups can be a good way of getting lots of different types in one go
• Fruit smoothies- again another way of including lots of different fruits in one go
• So how about a simple recipe and a twist on a regular dish to help increase the number of fruit and vegetable portions in one meal? Also cooked in a slow cooker so that its ready for when you return home from training.

Spaghetti Bolognaise (Serves 2)

Ingredients

500g Lean Steak Mince
Wholemeal Pasta

2 Garlic Cloves
1 Red Onion
1 Tin Chopped Tomatoes
500g Tomato Passata
1 Table spoon of Tomato Puree
Approx. 150gm Green Beans
100gms Baby Corn
100gms Button Mushrooms
(Or any 3 or 4 available vegetables of your choice, preferably of different colours.  Other options include carrots, parsnips, broccoli or peas)

Method

•  Peel and finely chop the red onion and start to fry with the olive oil
• Add the steak mince and fry with the onion until brown
• Add the mince and the onion to the slow cooker and add remaining ingredients to the contents.
• Leave to cook slowly throughout the day

When you return

•  Cook pasta
•   Season to taste
•  Add bolognaise to pasta when cooked

Injury prevention and treatment: lessons learned from 21 years of track and field

As part of my preparation for a workshop on injury prevention last week, I made a list of all the injuries that I’ve had over last 21 years – the length of time that I have been competing in athletics – and one thing stood out to me: I’ve been very, very lucky.  Well I like to think that I have made a bit of my own luck, as I will discuss later, but the list is notably short for a distance runner.

Injuries, take note: the page is already full!

The purpose of listing all my injuries is to highlight injury patterns, causes, and treatment, and to ask myself what I would have done differently.  While the sample size of one wouldn’t pass scientific significance levels, the duration of the sampling gives a useful snapshot into injury.  Before I go on to discuss injury prevention in general, I wanted to highlight a few of my ‘findings’.

I hope that I’m not tempting fate here, but I have never had a stress fracture.  I never trained on the road as a teenager, did so sparingly in my twenties, and now, further into my thirties than I’d like to admit, I still train off-road on a regular basis.  I feel that avoiding the roads until my body was mature enough to handle them, has had a large impact, if you pardon the pun, on my low injury rate.  Regular periods, eating a healthy diet, and having a slight addiction to cheese as a child and a teenager, has meant that my skeleton is in the best possible shape that it can be. 

However, I feel that the biggest factor in not getting injured in the early days was the four week end-of-season break that was enforced on us.  Four weeks of not running was like hell, but it meant that my body got an annual holiday, and I was always rearing to go at the start of the season.  There was some pride to be swallowed in the early season cross country races for which I would not have done as much training as my closest rivals, but these breaks (and occasions of pride swallowing) definitely never did me any harm.

Visual representation of some of the many causes of injury

Unfortunately, the biggest factor in diagnosing and treating injuries is often a lack of knowledge and I definitely didn’t do everything perfectly. These are some of the lessons I've learned along the way:

Lesson 1 - Different tissues respond differently.  Stress fractures and other bone injuries get sorer as a run goes on, while the pain associated with muscle or tendon injuries abates as the body warms up.  Some injuries clear up after a few days, but some need a very gradual return to training, sometimes starting with just a two or three minute run.  When I had shin pain in 2010, I rested for 4 or 5 days, as I had previously done for shin splints.  Bone, with a poorer blood supply than muscle, takes longer to heal and return from bone or tendon injury should be particularly gradual.  Then I'd come back training, feel good, and end up doing 40 or 50 minutes.  Then I'd wonder why I was in agony again the next day.  As I later found out, I had tendinitis  and needed to start with a 5 minute run, and increase very gradually.

Lesson 2 - Listen to the advice that you are given, and don’t be afraid to ask questions.  In 2012 I was bitten by a dog.  There was nothing that I could have done to prevent that injury.  But when the doctor prescribed antibiotics, I decided not to take them (I figured that if I wasn't on antibiotics I'd be back running in 2 or 3 days).  My leg ended up getting infected, and I missed two weeks of training.  As it turns out, the antibiotics weren't a precaution against possible infection, they were a necessity against inevitable infection.

Lesson 3 - Don't underestimate the value of rest.  Soft tissue breaks down during training, and needs time to rebuild and repair.  End of season breaks, easier weeks between meso cycles, and rest days every week or two, will help prevent injury, and allow you time to respond to training   There are no short cuts to success, and a rest day here and there can actually help prevent time out with injury.

Lesson 4 - Cross training isn't always the answer.  Non-weight bearing exercise can be a great way to maintain fitness when injured.  But it doesn't always work.  When I had the aforementioned tendonitis in my shin, I tried aquajogging to maintain some level of cardiovascular fitness, but it actually made the tendonitis worst.  Similarly, I tried cycling last year when I had a niggle in my foot, only to realise that it was my pedals that caused the niggle to begin with.  If an injury is caused by low body weight and over training (e.g. a stress fracture), think about what your body is telling you.  Cross training like mad may heal the injury, but it won't heal the underlying cause.

As time goes on, I'm better able to distinguish between discomfort and an injury, but it's taken me two decades of regular running to get to that stage.  Find a physiotherapist that you trust, and get niggles and pain sorted out before it becomes a major problem.  If in doubt, rest.

In future posts, we'll look into lifestyle factors relating to sports injuries, and deal with how to cope with injuries and other setbacks.

Building core strength and stability is one way of reducing the risk of injury.  To learn more about muscles, stability and injury prevention, get yourself a copy of this great book: 

It is said sport stars die twice, the first time at retirement

The announcement last week that Michael Phelps, the greatest swimmer of all time, was coming out of retirement and aiming to compete in the 2016 Olympics timed quite well with me finishing the autobiography This is Me,  Ian Thorpe’s journey out of retirement in his quest to qualify for the London Olympics, sadly unable to fulfil his dreams. 

I’ve heard the phrase that athletes come out of retirement an average of 1.6 times. I have probably contributed considerably to that statistic, retiring from swimming in 2006, retiring from pentathlon in 2010, retiring again from swimming in 2012 only to take up triathlon. Although I have never competed at the intense international level of Michael Phelps or Ian Thorpe, perhaps there are some similarities in the reasons why athletes come out of retirement whether they are amateur or professional. 

Other top names who have made a return to international sport after making the decision to end their career include Michael Schumacher, Ricky Hatton, Andrew Flintoff and James Cracknell.  So why do so many athletes struggle with retirement and make a return to sport?

Loss of identity - Athletes identify themselves by what they do - take that away and it’s like a major piece of them missing.

Sugar Ray Leonard said that his inability to separate the boxer from the man became all consuming, forcing him to the depths of depression and leading him to make repeated comebacks.

Biological Factors - Athletes who have retired fail to experience the endorphin highs since they no longer complete. They used to have regular doses of serotonin and suddenly that has stopped.  Athletes such as James Cracknell who don’t make a comeback in their former sport, chase adrenalin highs in other sports.

Tunnel Vision - An athlete’s regimented life leaves an athlete at loss with retirement bringing a void where the comfort of training routine once was.  

So how can athletes manage this transition?

There are two main differences between those who successfully manage their retirement and those who don’t. The reason why an athlete retires is important; if they are forced to retire through injury or de-selection the negativity can lead to a period of denial, isolation, anger and depression. The focus is a loss of way of life and not the beginning of a new one, a ‘grieving process’. The Professional Players Federation have found that 16% of the 1200 ex-footballers, rugby union and league players, jockeys and crickets interviewed experienced depression or feelings of despair.  

Those athletes who are better prepared and have plans in place of their retirement with a strong support group have a better acceptance for their decision and therefore manage the transition much more successfully. So how can athletes do this?

• Reduce the athlete’s exclusive identification with their sporting role and get involved in other areas of interest outside of their sporting career.
• Discover other interests or careers beyond their sporting career and begin to prepare for their retirement. Coaches should be encouraged to support their athletes skills outside of their sport
• Begin to take control of their daily routine
• Develop a strong support network of family and friends who can help support you through your retirement.

This is Me is a good example of some of the challenges athletes face in coming out of retirement. Ian Thorpe retired from swimming at the age of 24 after reaching his goals and achieving more than he could have dreamed of in the sport. The media was cited as being one of the main reasons why he quit the sport with the athlete fed up of the paparazzi that surrounded him. However, he loved the sport and ending his career created a void in his life. He missed the training, the competition and ‘swimming’ itself and  four years later, at the age of 28, he decided to return to the sport and attempt to make the London Olympics. 

The book goes on to describe the motivation for his return, how he managed his comeback and the setbacks and challenges he had to face along the way; the media, doping conspiracies and speculations against his sexuality and even though feedback from performances in training indicated he was on track, his performances in the Australian Olympic Trials were unable to secure him a placed at the 2012 Olympic Games. 

If he had made the decision earlier, given himself more than 18 months to prepare, would he have made the team?

Post Marathon Recovery

As the dust settles on the Virgin London Marathon which took place on Sunday, thousands of runners will be taking a well-earned rest after the months of long and hard training needed to met their goal and complete the challenging 26.2 mile distance.

During their training period, many runners will have experienced at least one occasion where they were unable to train due to a cold or flu like symptoms. Like many other endurance athletes, some will have suffered from repeated bouts of infections which caused a real disruption to their training routine and ultimately their performance. Suppressed immunity is common during and following periods of hard training, and athletes often pick up an illness shortly after a marathon or major race. In addition to allowing the mind and muscloskeletal systems to recuperate, the recovery period should aim to boost the immune system.

There are many theories as to why immune defence is weakened following strenuous endurance activity. Athletes with a high training load (more than 11h moderate intensity training per week), experience more than twice as many upper respiratory tract infections compared with those on low-moderate training volumes. So how can athletes help maintain their immune system and prevent the training disturbances caused by bouts of illnesses?

Here are a few starting points:

• Stay hydrated and try to rehydrate effectively as soon as possible post training or competition. This will help maintain saliva production and sustain the release of saliva proteins know to have important antimicrobial properties.
• Ensure sufficient rest - don’t return back to exercise too quickly and maintain light exercise until fully recovered.
• Ensure that you get adequate sleep (at least 7 hours per night) in order to help your body to recover and repair any damage that has occurred.
• Keep away from people suffering with cold or flu where possible, or reduce physical contact.
• Maintain good hygiene e.g. washing hands regularly.
• Promote recovery as much as you can - try to consume a good quality carbohydrate snack within 30mins post exercise. This may mean athletes need to be prepared by packing light snacks to have after training. Sometimes waiting until you get home is too late and can often lead to poor food choices.
• Forward plan to ensure that you have access to foods appropriate to meeting nutrition goals for training. Plan and prepare meals so that when you go grocery shopping you can ensure that your cupboard is full of things you need for healthy meals.
• Choose a wide variety of foods within your diet - each food has a different range of nutrients; the wider the choice and range of your foods, the more different nutrients you will consume.
• Include cereal rich foods such as wholemeal, multi-grain or seeded breads, brown rice or pasta. Athletes who are training for endurance activities need to maintain a high carbohydrate diet to support their energy needs and help their body to recover efficiently.
• Eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables throughout the day - the more colour the better.

Dear Asafa, ...

Last week it was announced that Jamaican sprinter and former world record holder Asafa Powell, was banned from competition for 18 months after testing positive for Oxiforan, a banned substance.  Powell claimed that the source of the substance was a nutritional supplement, which was given to him by his trainer, and which did not list Oxiforan as an ingredient.

Powel, his lawyer, and his agent, claim that he is innocent.  In this public letter to Asafa, I point out how he isn’t innocent, irrespective of whether or not he intended to cheat.

Dear Mr Powell,

While I may have been the first to cheer you on at a major championship, and hope that you might finally fulfil the potential that your fast times indicated, I have now lost all admiration for you as both an athlete and a person.  You have clearly broken the rules, so, in the words of Kim Collins, ‘man up’ and accept your punishment. 

As a lesson to you for the future (no doubt you’ll be like all the other cheats and won’t go away), and for other athletes who want to take the ‘I didn’t mean to cheat’ route, I just wanted to point out a few things that you should already have known.

1. Strict Liability – An athlete, and only an athlete is responsible for what is found in his or her body.  If you’re going through airport security and a gun is found in your bag, blaming someone else isn’t going to do you much good.  Similarly, you should be vigilant about what is going into your body, and don’t go blaming coaches, trainers, parents, agents, doctors, dogs or baby sitters when a banned substance is found in your body.
2. Nutrition supplements aren’t regulated, and the ingredient list should be taken with a pinch of salt.  The nandrolone scandal, now almost 20 years old, should have been a lesson to athletes that they can’t trust nutrition supplement producers.  We get that you don’t work in a supplement factory (I’m don’t know of any top level athlete that does), but surely you’ve heard other athletes blame positive tests on supplements they were taking?
3. If a supplement claims to be ‘mind-bending’, as Epiphany D1 does, it’s probably not something you should be taking.  Having said that, if the supplement is called Epiphany D1, it’s probably not something you take to make up for not eating your greens.  Other things which the supplement claims to do include enhancing focus, attentiveness, short term and long term memory and vision, speeding up auditory and spatial thought processing, and optimising motor coordination.  On reading these benefits, would the word ‘stimulant’ not immediately pop into your head?  Think again about what the supplement claims to do – surely this is performance enhancement that if not illegal, is immoral.
4. You benefited from a banned substance – there’s no denying that.  You should have to serve some punishment one those grounds alone.
5. Nutritional supplements are generally a waste of money, and if not, they probably contain banned substances that they don’t list.  Try eating a balanced diet, and stop trying to get an unfair advantage.
6. Next time you’re tested, try listing all the supplements and medications you’re taking on the doping form.  If there’s too many to remember, consider point 5 again.
7. Jamaican charm may get you a long way with the ladies, but it won’t get you out of sticky doping situations, nor will pretending to be stupid.

For me, only one question remains: was 18 months long enough?

That is all.

Elizabeth Egan

(for drug free sport)

p.s. This advice is free.  No need to thank me.  Similar advice is available on the WADA website.