Personal identity: a short task

In a previous blog I wrote about the importance of having an identity that is not solely based around your successes as an athlete.  I want to take this opportunity to share a task that I asked young talented individual to complete as part of a workshop I ran on dual careers a few weeks ago.  This is a useful task for individuals of all ages to complete, and is a good starting point for career planning, a way of focusing and motivating individuals, or simply an exercise to boost confidence.

This is me
Explore your personal identity by filling an A3 sheet of paper with things that make up you and your personality.  Use words, phrases, sentences, pictures, or images cut from magazines and lay out the page in whatever way you feel appropriate.  Include some or all of the following:

• Successes that you have had outside of sport
• Characteristics that define your personality (e.g. three words that describe you)
• Long term goals – 1 for sport; 1 for education/career; 1 for life in general
• What I would like to be when I ‘grow up’.
• Hobbies
• Things you like (food, books, tv) – Pick one and explain why you like it
• Skills (maybe things that you’ve learned from sport that you can apply to life
• Things that make you happy/laugh
• Things that you like about your sport
• Why you do your sport
• Favourite subjects at school
• Your coping skills
• You top values*

This should be a positive document.  Use only positive words.  From this task you should see that there is more to you than just a person that goes to school, or a person that does sport.  You are multidimensional!

* Values-type exercises are among my favourite career planning tools.  Below is a list of some values.  Take some time working through the list and thinking about what each word means to you (each individual will interpret the values differently).  The theory is that those who are happiest in their careers have work and careers which meet their values.  Once you’ve made a list of the values that are most important to you, write them on a small piece of paper, and place it in your wallet.  Check it regularly and ensure that your values are being met on a daily basis.

Older individuals can take the above task a step further to help with career decisions.  Instead of just depicting the current you on a sheet of paper, you can depict your career so far as a journey or timeline, and explain how you’ve got from one stage to the next.  In a metaphorical sense, plotting your journey so far will help to see where the road is leading you.  Write down the key stages and words and talk through the plot with a friend or any willing listener.  This is a useful task when big decisions have to be made, as it takes the emphasis away from the pressure decision, and helps get you into your comfort zone.  We are all experts in our own lives, so that’s where we should focus our attentions.

I’ve included a further adaptation of the ‘This is Me’ task from a career perspective below.  This is something that I did for a recent job interview.  Essentially all of my work experience is in a sporting perspective, but writing it down like I did below helped me realise just how broad that experience is.  It’s ok to have life experiences that are just sports related, but recognising the skills that are transferable is key.  We’ll explore transferable skills in a future post.

Hopefully doing the above task will help you realise just how multi-dimensional you are and highlight areas that you can branch into.  Maybe it’ll inspire you to take up a new hobby, or generate an interest that you can explore on training camps when you have plenty of time on your hands.

Helping recovery from late training and competition

With more and more clubs struggling to get time in sports facilities, many athletes are face training, competition or matches late at night. I've known many swimming clubs have pool time 9-10pm (and then followed by a 7am morning session), and was recently expected to be on court for a match for 9.15. This provides an athlete with a few challenges- Motivation, fueling, and then recovery so that the athlete is able to train again efficiently the next day, especially if it is an early start.

So how can athletes best fit their preparation and recovery at this time at night in order to be able to train or compete at the best, and be able to recover quickly and effectively?

1) Be prepared- You will have a time table or schedule which will give you notice when these late sessions may be. Make sure you are aware of this, especially if its not frequent so you can get ready. Plan your day, and meals so that there is one less thing to think about.

2) Try to understand how long your body needs between a meal and training. Individuals will vary, but you should allow at least an hour between the meal and training time. If you know it will be an intense training session or match, try to have small snacks at regular intervals to top up energy levels. This would also apply to those who struggle to stomach meals before they have to train and compete, or those who suffer with nerves.

3) Be flexible with your meals. Perhaps have a larger, later lunch which is high in carbohydrate and then have smaller snacks closer to the game or training and after the match.

4) As its later, an athlete may struggle to replace their fluid needs before they go to bed. So athletes should try to ensure they start the match or training session hydrated as normal, paying more attention to taking fluid on board than they normally would. At the end of the match or training session, again attention should be paid to replacing fluid losses, taking a drink with them to bed that they can drink if they wake during the night.

5) Even though it is late, attention should be paid to a post recovery snack or meal. There may be little or no appetite, but in order to help recovery there should be something consumed immediately after which is high in carbohydrate to help restore carbohydrate used in exercise and a good source of protein to help muscle repair. This should be approximately 1g Carbohydrate per kg of body weight.

Some good choices for smaller recovery snacks before bedtime which are quick and easy:

• Healthy Breakfast Cereal and Milk 
• Milk and Banana
• Yoghurt and fresh fruit
• Wholegrain bread- as toast with jam. Or as a sandwich with a light filling
• Jacket Potato with filling- Tuna & Sweetcorn, Chicken, Baked Beans

Short Days and Long Nights

As the nights get longer and colder, the hours of daylight become shorter, meaning that we see less of the sun and are exposed to fewer UV rays.

This is good news for those that burn easily, but its not just sun tans and sun burn that UV rays are responsible for. They also help produce a large proportion of our Vitamin D requirement as sunlight reacts with a precursor of the vitamin on the skin. Vitamin D deficiencies are becoming more common in athletes, partially due to the precautions taken to prevent skin damage from the sun.

While there is no strong evidence to suggest that Vitamin D deficiency leads to under-performance in athletes, it will have effects on their ability to train and recover and on injury risk. Athletes who are are Vitamin D deficient could be at increased risk of minor illnesses and stress fractures, ultimately leading to interruption in training and competition.

Vitamin D, along with Calcium, Phosphorous and Protein, has a key influence on the growth and mineralisation of bones. It is involved in the absorption of calcium, meaning an athlete could have a really good intake of Calcium within their diet, but if the Vitamin D levels are low, this won't be able to have a positive effect on bone growth and strength.

Vitamin D also has a role in immune function, making it an important nutrient for athletes involved in heavy training. 

Its not all doom and gloom though! Although sunlight is the best source of Vitamin D, small amounts can be taken in through the diet, particularly through fish sources - reiterating their importance within our diet.

Good Sources include:

• Fortified Cereals
• Eggs
• Margarine
• Tuna 
• Sardines
• Mackerel

So why not enjoy training outside and making the most of the daylight we have at the moment, and take advantage of the sources above in our diet. Simple meal ideas include- Jacket Potato or Pasta with Tuna and Sweetcorn, or an Omelet adding lots of different vegetables for variety and added nutritional benefit. 

The Break is Over

As I sit here aching from two days of training after nearly a month layoff, I decided I should take a rest day.  In the past few years I have only taken a couple of weeks fully off, with a couple of easy weeks, but this year, due to other events, it made sense to have a complete rest for four weeks. And I am noticing the difference as I try to get fit again.

As hoped, this has given me a new motivation to train and compete, and hopefully my body, like my mind, will soon be ready to do so.  As so many athletes are also preparing to step back into winter training, I thought I would give a few hints and tips to help ease back into it.

Before I start, lets remember that it is important to take a break from training and competition. It allows both your body and mind to recover, and allows athletes to re-focus. However, when you stop exercising completely you loose aerobic fitness, lungs loose elasticity, blood vessels shrink and blood volume decreases. You use oxygen less efficiently and your heart pumps less blood per beat, not only that but you will also have lost muscles strength. Therefore, when you go back to exercise, just like a car that has been parked in a garage for several years, your body needs to be warmed up before it is taken out for hard exercise. If an athlete was to return to the same types of workouts as they were doing before the break, then the athlete risks straining inspiratory and expiratory muscles but also joints and muscles can become more stressed and increase the risk of injury.

Below are some simple tips which will help reduce the problems faced when athletes return back to exercise:

• Have a plan - it’s easier to commit, especially when motivation drops, when you have a plan, and a plan can stop you from doing too much too quickly
• Set attainable goals - and ease back into training, build slowly and allow momentum to grow.
• Weight training (even if it’s just body weight) - this allows you to build strength and prevent injury. Functional exercises are great to start with. 
• Get training partners - help to maintain motivation especially when the cold nights are coming in.
• Stretch - improve recovery, help flexibility and prevent injury.
• Try something new - Those athletes who are used to running and cycling on the roads could be encouraged to try cross country running or mountain biking to help gain fitness in a different environment, one which will  help challenge the core muscles too.
• Keep warm - whilst out training and when you finish training remember you will cool down fast too.  Remember to take layers to keep warm once training is finished.
• Stay Hydrated - Even during the winter and in the colder months you need to stay hydrated and remember to drink even when you may not feel thirsty. 
• Plymometrics - Be aware of explosive movements. When cold these movements pose a greater risk of injury.  Always remember to warm up properly.

Preparing for the rainy day - without stressing about it

Lifestyle support is, in many ways, a form of preparation for the unknown.  How will we cope when things go wrong? What will we do with our lives when we retire from sport?    But how do we prepare for things going wrong, without stressing about it or constantly fearing the unknown?  How do we plan for the rainy day without becoming so scared of the rain that we don’t want to leave the house?

Planning for all eventualities needs to become a passive part of our being.  We need to remember to always have a raincoat or umbrella in the bottom of our kitbags, without even thinking about the rain, or how a wet day might affect our performance.  This comes with planning and practice. 

But planning can only take care of so much, and for the days that even the best planning in the world couldn’t have prepared us for, we need to develop a sense of humor and acceptance.  Beating ourselves up over something we couldn’t control won’t make things any better.  There are times when we just need let go of the control and let the adrenalin take us through.

And don’t ever look back on the rainy days and regret not having taken the opportunity to splash about in the puddles.  Because those are the days when the sun truly shines for us.

The role of lifestyle support in the professional era

In a previous post we examined what Lifestyle and Personal Development support is.  In this post, we look at why such support is vital in the modern high performance sport environment, using rugby union as an example.

Lifestyle support is the youngest of the performance support services, and it’s only in the last ten years that lifestyle or personal development advisors have become regular staff members within the high performance sport environment.  In some ways, this is not surprising.  The need for such support has increased with increased professionalism in sport.  The role of the lifestyle or personal development advisor is often to manage or counteract the negative aspects of being a full-time athlete.  The role is often a hidden safety net which allows performance directors to continue on their one-track road to success at any cost.

Encouraging athletes to consider dual careers and to prepare for life after sport is often in direct conflict to the messages portrayed by those who manage performance (encouraging centralized training and full-time sport, and recommending reduced distractions from performance) or the very environment that increased professionalism brings with it (increased time demands as an athlete; increased money and subsequent reduced need to work). 

Counteracting the effects of increased professionalism

If we take Rugby Union – a sport which has shifted from an amateur sport where players were not paid to a big business sport where players have the potential to earn enough as a player to set themselves up for life, in the space of just over a decade – as an example, we quickly see why lifestyle and personal development planning has become so important.

Rugby has traditionally been associated with private schools and third level institutes where, in the armature era, most players had well-paying jobs and secure futures when they retired from the sport.  Quickly, and refreshingly, the sport has become the sport of the masses, both in terms of participants and spectators, but unfortunately, professionalization of the sport has meant that an increasing number of players forego their education, in favor of a sports career which one injury or a bad run of form could end in an instant.

Players are being talent spotted earlier and earlier, reducing the chances that they will have naturally completed their education by the time they reach senior level.  Of course academies insist that players stay in school, and many provide additional tutoring and support to enable players to do so, but the point is that these measures have to be put in place just to maintain equilibrium.

For many players, the lure of big money contracts in France can be too great to ignore, and while living and playing in another country can be a life-changing experience for many, money can’t be the only reason to move.  Players should be encouraged to consider all factors in the decision making process and those who decide that France is for them may need to be supported through the major life change.

The celebrity status associated with being a successful player, and the accessibility of players to the fans via social media can bring about a host of other issues.  Blanket bans of social media can prevent players making stupid mistakes, but do little to increase the player’s marketability or help them develop a unique image.

While it may sound like a bit of a contradiction, professional players tend to have a lot of time on their hands.  This can bring with it a range of potential problems, including boredom, addiction, depression and anti-social behavior. 

Managing lifestyles for performance purposes

Athletes are often busy people with a number of different factors to juggle.  Athletes need to be fresh and well rested to perform at their best, and a well managed lifestyle will help them to perform in their sport and to get the most from potential opportunities that arise.  Talk management, goal setting and decision making skills can help an athlete manage their lifestyle, while managing stress and priortising demands will also have far reaching benefits. 

Preparing for life after sport

We have spoken before about the importance of preparing for life after sport, and encouraging a player/athlete to prepare for life after sport is an important part of lifestyle and personal development support.  Few athletes/players get to choose when they end their careers, particularly in a sport like rugby where career-ending injuries and deselection are common reasons for retiring.  Athletes should be encouraged to plan for life after sport from the very beginning. 

Creating the well-balanced individual

Players and athletes can potentially become trapped in a life where they eat, sleep and breath their sport, with little balance or connection with the ‘real’ world.  True, many transferable skills, including teamwork and goal setting, can be learned in the sporting environment, but players who have nothing to think about other than turning up to training on time, who are surrounded by similarly-minded teammates on a regular basis, and whose only daily decision is chicken or salmon for lunch at the club canteen, can loose touch with reality and quickly forget how to fend for themselves.  They can also quickly become bored.  As lifestyle and personal development consultants, we therefore have a responsibility to expose the players to other experiences and opportunities.  Many sportspeople value the contribution of distractions in their lives.

Recent examples include Irish 800m runner Mark English who, not long after winning the 800m bronze medal at this summer’s European Athletics Championships, stated that he was looking forward to getting back into his Medical studies at UCD:

"I love having something to distract me from all the training during the winter," English said. "You can't just be an athlete with nothing going on in your life." - See more at: http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/medical-career-offers-refreshing-perspective-for-clinical-english-30521181.html#sthash.Ait3NEZU.dpuf

"I love having something to distract me from all the training during the winter," English said. "You can't just be an athlete with nothing going on in your life." - See more at: http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/medical-career-offers-refreshing-perspective-for-clinical-english-30521181.html#sthash.Ait3NEZU.dpuf

"I love having something to distract me form all the training during the winter," English said.  "You can't just be an athlete with nothing going on in your life." (Irish Independent 20/8/14)

Similarly, Jo Pavey, who at 40 won 10,000m gold at the same championships, stated that being a mother to two children helped improve her performance:

The mother of two ... thinks it is her self-satisfied approach to life and flexibility that is key to the form that has finally given her the first major title of her career. (Athletics Weekly 13/8/14)

Having distractions away from sport is particularly beneficial when dealing with injury, and as mentioned previously, having an identity which is not completely dependent on sporting success can help an athlete cope with retirement. 

Social responsibility

Sport has a responsibility to look after its players and athletes and to help create well-rounded individuals who can give back to the community.  Giving athletes the skills to deal with setbacks and to manage mini transitions can help prepare them for life beyond sport.  Athletes should be encouraged to make the most of every opportunity that comes their way.  They should never see competing in sport as a sacrifice or an excuse to put their lives on hold.  They should exit the sport a better person than they entered it.  Player welfare is an important factor, and with an ever increasing number of cases of depression, eating disorders and addiction being reported among high performance sportspeople, it’s clear that even more work needs to be done on that front.

Can Pizza be Healthy?

Done right, pizza can be a great way to get your five-a-day! But all too often, the circular feast, taken straight from the freezer or dropped off by they delivery boy, contains nothing resembling a fresh vegetable and is topped with a small truck load of fat-laden cheese and peperoni.

This week's quick and simple recipe suggestion will give you some ideas of how you can enjoy the taste and convenience of a pizza without any of the guild.

1. Warberton's Square Wraps make a great base for a pizza-type snack.  They can be purchased in most large supermarkets, and cost approximately £1.30 for a pack or six.  They are cheaper than standard pizza bases, and cook much quicker.

2. Spread a generous layer of pesto or tomato puree across the base, taking care to reach right to the edges.  There is no need for fancy pizza topping sauces, and if you're feeling particularly enthusiastic you can make your own pesto.

3. Add toppings of your choice.  The pizza will only take 10-15 minutes to cook, so toppings should be chosen accordingly.  Raw chicken wouldn't be suitable, but cooked chicken leftovers would be a great addition.  Here are some other suggestions:

• Any cooked meat
• Smoked salmon or tinned tuna
• Peppers
• Courgettes, very finely chopped or thinly sliced
• Mushrooms
• Tomatoes
• Sweetcorn
• Onion
• Garlic
• Olives
• Chilli Peppers
• Pineapple
• Sunflower seeds
• Green leaves - rocket, spinach or basil

Avoid Peperoni and other high-fat, high-salt processed meats

4. Sprinkle some fresh or dried parsley, oregano or mixed herbs on top.

5. If so desired, top with a small amount of cheese.  Feta or cheddar are good choices.  Remember that the base is very thin, and the ingredients will be quite moist, so only a small amount of cheese will be required.

6. Cook in a hot oven until the base is crispy and slightly browned.

7. Enjoy!

Therapeutic Actions and Activities: The Key to Emotional Balance?

Too often we view therapy as something which only those with severe depression, anxiety or psychological issues undergo to 'fix' their problems.  But perhaps we can all benefit from taking part in therapeutic activities.  Maybe there are activities we can engage in on a regular basis to prevent depression, anxiety or other psychological issues, and prevent disappointments, anger and upsets from becoming long-term issues or affecting our performance.  It's only in recent years that I've noticed what I do to keep myself 'sane', and performing at my best, but having identified them allows me to keep a check on my emotions.  These are my top 4 therapeutic activities:

Writing

When I was young, I struggled with writing,  I was inadequately skilled to transfer the thoughts and images inside my head into anything resembling beautiful pros, but over time I have found joy in writing.  Simply putting words together gives me confidence and a sense of purpose, and I can't even begin to explain the sense of achievement obtained from writing and publishing a book.  And apparently I'm funnier when I write than when I talk!  But writing has a much broader benefit.  Putting my thoughts in writing can help keep me focused, reaffirm my goals, identify what is making me angry/confused/blue, and work through those issues.  Writing a blog or something which someone else is going to read, forces me to express my thoughts in a postive way.  Both myself and Rachael have written blogs that will never be published, but simply putting our thoughts on paper eradicated the confusion or anger that we were feeling, or helped us change our perspective on a particular situation.  If you are angry about something, try writing down your arguments for why you're angry, what the other person's perspective might be, and what you can do to fix it.  As you right, some of your opinions might change, and some of the anger abate.  Then you can look to sort out the real issues.  Don't underestimate the power of expressing yourself on paper!

Tidying up for someone else

If I'm feeling particularly blue, or stressed because things are slipping out of my control, something which gets me back on track, is sorting out an untidy store cupboard or an out-of-control attic for somebody else.  The more impossible the task seems, the harder I work to bring it under control, and the happier I become.  It's as if putting order on a seemingly uncontrollable mess makes my thoughts and emotions look a lot easier to manage.

Drawing up a plan

There are few things more motivational than ticking items off a to-do list, or crossing off sections of a weekly plan, but sometimes just putting the plan together in the first place can give you the kick start you need.  Putting  everything that needs to be done down on paper can help put order on chaos, and turn panic into calm.  Often we know that there's a lot to be done, but putting together a plan can help focus us. 

Running

Running has always been my sanctury.  Many a problem or conundrum has been sorted out in my head while on a run, and many big, life-changing decisions have been made over the course of a 5 or 6 mile run.  I find it difficult to run when angry, negative or highly stressed, and I don't like not to run, so those thoughts and and emotions are quickly turned into positive ones in order to let me get on with the business of running. Running also allows me time to dream and hatch plans to take over some aspect or other of the world.  Often I later realise that my dreams are unattainable or my plans unachievable, but every once in while I come up with a grand scheme that will change my life forever.

Singing in the shower, collecting sticks for the fire and walking the dog are just some of the other activities which help me turn negative thoughts or emotions into positive ones, and allow me to gain control over my life.

Talking is one of the most popular and effective forms of therapy, and it's true that a problem shared is a problem halved.  If you are feeling stress or down, or feel that your life is spiraling out of control, talk to someone.  Just getting things off your chest can make a worry or stress disappear.  However, always talking about your problems without any bias for action or motivation to change things, can be a very ineffective form of therapy.  Talking can sometimes reaffirm negative emotions such as anger or hatred, result in you asking for advice rather than making decisions for yourself, and waste a lot of time.  Always talking to the wrong person may lead you to moan, or wallow in self pity.  This, I feel, is why I find writing far more therapeutic.  With nobody taking my side, I have to work issues out for myself.  After all, there is nobody as expert in my life as I am, and we all have capacity to solve our own problems.  Talking can help us realise that, but we shouldn't just talk to those who will take our side, or tell us what to do.  In a future post, we will look at the role of talking as a form of therapy in more detail, and examine how it can be most effective.

You don't have to be down or depressed to engage in therapeutic activities.  Regularly engaging in therapeutic activity can help prevent depression, manage stress, make decisions and refocus on what's important, and simply doing things that we enjoy can help us maintain that all important 'balance' in life.  Find the activities and situations where you can best control your thoughts and emotions and engage in them when needed. 

Autumn Picking

I am lucky to be able to grow a lot of fruits and vegetables in my garden and as we start moving into the autumn months there is an abundance of blackberries to choose from and this year they seem to be much bigger than normal!

Although they are pretty simple to grow, there are also many to choose from on local hedgerows which can be just as good (although perhaps avoid those along the road side) and now is a good opportunity to take advantage of a good source of vitamins from this seasonal fruit.  

So what are the benefits of Blackberries?

Blackberries are packed with antioxidants including vitamin C and bioflavonoids like spinach, apples plums and grapes.  The dark blue not only provides another colour into your rainbow of fruits and vegetables to be eaten, but the dark colour also means it’s has one of the highest anti-oxidant levels of all fruits.

Vitamin C must be part of the everyday diet as the body can't produce it and it plays a role in exercise metabolism as well as to maintain health.

During exercise there is normally damage to muscles especially during harder workouts and this must be repaired in order for the athlete to recover and adapt. One function of Vitamin C is in the process of making collagen, and important ingredient in the repair of damaged muscles and tissue. It also reduces the amount of oxidative stress an athletes may suffer and therefor help to reduce the amount of illnesses picked up by athletes and allows them to train optimally.

As always Blackberries provide the best benefits in their natural state so an easy way to include them in your diet is as a smoothie or by adding them to cereals, I will include a simple apple and blackberry crumble recipe to this blog which provides an idea to use them for dessert.  

Tips for Blackberries:

Buying: If possible, don’t. Wild berries have a depth of flavour. Search out brambles near you avoiding roadside or polluted spots.  Even in cities you can find blackberries growing on scrubland, canal side paths and wooded areas.

Storing: Keep them cool and dry and eat within a day or two. Blackberries do freeze well and it’s a good idea to get a few bags in the freezer to use with apples throughout the winter.

Preparing: Wash thoroughly especially in they have been hand-picked. 

Simple Apple and Blackberry Crumble
(Prep 10mins, Cook 25mins and serves 4)

Ingredients:

Topping:
120g Plain Flour
60g Caster Sugar
60g unsalted butter

For the Fruit Compote:
300g Cooking Apples
30g unsalted butter
30g sugar
115g Blackberries
¼ tsp ground cinnamon

1. Heat Oven to 190C Gas Mark 5
2. Crumble Topping: Tip the flour and sugar into a large bowl and add butter. Using your fingertips rub the butter into the flour to make a light breadcrumb texture.
3. Compote- Peel and core the apples into small chunks. Put the sugar and butter into a saucepan and melt over a medium heat. Cook for 3mins until the mixture turns to a light caramel. Stir in the apples and cook for 3mins
4.  Cover, remove from the heat and leave for 2-3 minutes in the pan
5.  Add the compote to the cooking dish and add the crumble topping to the top of the mixture and also add some muesli or oats to add nutritional value and then cook in the oven for 20-30mins- until the crumble topping starts to brown.

Nutrition: Fuel for Females

Good nutrition is important for all athletes as they endeavor to fuel their sport, optimise their body composition, and remain healthy.  Nutrition is, however, often of greater concern to female athletes than their male counterparts.  Females naturally have a higher body fat percentage than males and can often become obsessed with dieting.  Societal pressure to conform to a certain appearance, irrespective of body type, as well as pressure from coaches and other support staff, can confound body image issues, and may lead to eating disorders.  Female athletes also carry a greater risk of iron-deficiency anemia than their male and sedentary female counterparts, and must ensure they have adequate calcium intake to prevent against stress fractures and osteoporosis.

Calorie Intake

Females have a slightly lower overall calorie requirement than males, due to their lower muscle mass and smaller body size (on average), but have higher demands for iron, and equal requirements for calcium and some other nutrients.  They, therefore, need to ensure that they eat a variety of nutrient dense foods.

Restriction of calories is a common practice among female athletes, particularly in endurance sports and sports such as gymnastics and diving where a lean physique is deemed desirable, but this is not the best approach to maximising performance.  Calorie restriction can directly and indirectly lead to the female athlete triad, and a lack of nutrients can confound the effect that low body fat and low hormone levels have on bone mineral density.  Women, just like men, need to fuel their bodies.

The Female Athlete Triad

In summary, the Female Athlete Triad, which was discussed in some detail in a previous post, is a trio of inter-related conditions - disordered eating, menstrual dysfunction and low bone mineral density - common in female athletes.  Low energy intake through disordered eating, along with other factors, lead to menstrual dysfunction, which in turn leads to low bone mineral density.  An inadequate diet can also directly affect bone mineral density.  In general, participation in sport and exercise has profound health benefits, but disordered eating, and the absence of menses, can reverse the positive effects of exercise on bone health and other factors.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

Pregnant and lactating females have greater calorie and nutritional requirements, and those considering pregnancy should increase their intake of folic acid in advance of conception.  Those who are planning to exercise while pregnant should seek advice on both exercise and nutrition.

Iron

Iron is a very important mineral for both performance and general health.  Iron is an important component of hemoglobin which is responsible for transporting oxygen around the body.  Low iron levels will quickly result in poor performance in endurance athletes, but can lead to a number of other health and performance issues, including poor recovery, depressed mood states and reduced immune function. More information on the importance of iron can be found here.

Calcium

As mentioned previously, calcium requirements are as high in females as in males, though dairy products (often the best source of calcium), are often restrict in females trying to maintain a low body weight or lean body mass.  We will cover the importance of calcium and how to ensure adequate calcium in the diet in a future post.  However, it is important to stress that vegans, or those who restrict their diary intake, risk getting adequate calcium in their diet.  Low calcium intake, together with low body weight, is a disaster for bones.

Summary

Females should take special care to ensure that all their nutritional demands are being met.  Iron and calcium intake are particularly important, and special care should be taken if the athlete is vegetarian.  In some cases supplements may be required.  Most importantly, all female athletes should develop a positive relationship with food.  Food is not the enemy.

Lifestyle, personal development and welfare support

There's more to high performance sport than training for an event, turning up, and competing.  Athletes, particularly in the professional era, have a lot to think about.  Eating healthily on a tight budget, keeping their finances in order, balancing a social life with an intense training programme, dealing with the media, keeping sponsors happy, handling the expectations of others, coping with long periods of time on the road, building functional relationships with coaches and teammates, keeping anti-doping whereabouts information up-t-date, and dealing with injury and other setbacks, are just some of the additional challenges faced by athletes.  Add to that the everyday demands of human life, work and educational commitments, personal relationships and financial concerns, and the busy life of the athlete, becomes the hectic life of the person.

With all these concerns and issues to balance, it's easy to see why an athlete might benefit from having a member of support staff to keep them on top of their 'life'.  But there is also something else that needs to be considered, and that's where the welfare, career or lifestyle support person really comes into their own.  A sporting career is like few other careers.  A lucky athletes will compete at their peak to somewhere in their early to mid thirties.  Many will finish much earlier, be it due to injury, burnout, lack of funding, or simply reaching their sporting goals.  Usually when individuals retire, they're done with work.  They've earned enough money to see them through their final years, and though a life without work can be difficult for anyone, of any age, to adjust to, the more relaxed pace of life is usually welcomed.  Retiring from a career in your early thirties is a whole different conundrum.  Goals may not have been achieved, few athletes have earned enough money to last the rest of their lives, and having lived on adrenaline and endorphines for many years previously, a massive void normally dominates the outlook of a retired sportsperson.  Retirement in the athlete has been likened to bereavement, and a particularly traumatic one in those who have not prepared for the retirement, or have not been able, for whatever reason, to retire on their terms.

The lifestyle adviser or welfare support person can help the athlete prepare for retirement in a number of ways.  Crucial to the transition is the development of other skills, and preparation for another job or career after sport.  A considerable volume of research supports the pursuit of dual careers from the early days, and though the value of dual careers is widely accepted, the reality is often very different.  Centralised training, increased professionalism, and increased social pressures on athletes makes the pursuit of education, training and employment very difficult for high performance athletes.  Furthermore, the increased money involved in sport often means that athletes don't need to work during the good years, meaning that they have less experience, and less earning potential after sport.  As professional increases, the role of lifestyle and welfare personnel becomes more important.  They are, to some extent, constantly fighting against the system.

Helping with transitions, dual careers and retirement is just part of what the lifestyle, career or welfare support person will help an athlete with.  Councelling and communication skills are important, and by helping an athlete work through their small issues, they are helping build the skills to manage and deal with issues and challenges in the future.  Development of goal setting, time management, conflict resolution and decision making skills will stand to an athlete in future sporting and non-sporting contexts, and though largely relevant to life outside of sport, some of these skills will actually help the athlete in their sporting performance.

This piece from the EIS website outlines how Performance Lifestyles helped Olympic champion rower Katherine Granger achieve sporting success. One of the greatest challenges of this whole area of support, however, is that not all strategies will help to improve performance.  Conflicting roles often exist, particularly if the lifestyle advisor or welfare officer is employed directly by the governing body or funding agency.  How do you support an potential Olympic medallist with depression would be best to spend time away from the support, when the sport as a whole, and ultimately your position, is dependent on medals won at the Olympics.  Obviously, the athlete's welfare is always top of your agenda, but measurement of your performance can be far from clear-cut.

While nutritionists are universally called nutritionists, and sports psychologists are known as sports psychologists across the board, different terms are often used to describe the people who provide the crucial lifestyle support to athletes.  UK Sport, and relevant home country sports institutes (EIS, SINI, SIS and SportWales), refer to the area as Performance Lifestyles, delivered by Performance Lifestyle advisors.  The Irish Institute of Sport run a Performance Transition Support Programme that is "designed to help [athletes] recover, refocus and re-energise" after an Olympic Games, and prepare for the next phase of their life. They refer to the area as Athlete Lifestyle.  TASS refer to the area as Education and Lifestyle Support; The Australian Institute of Sport deliver support through their Personal Excellence (PE) and Athlete Career and Education (ACE) programmes and High Performance Sport New Zealand runs an Athlete Life Programme delivered by Athlete Life Advisors. The England Cricket Board and the Professional Cricket Association run a comprehensive programme delivered by their Personal Development and Welfare Team, while the support professional rugby players receive through the RPA is delivered by Player Development Managers. Support personnel on some university scholarship programmes are simply called mentors.  The skills required by these professionals, the CPD opportunities available, and routes into this type of work will be covered in a future post.

Most professional athletes have access to lifestyle support through their national governing body or professional players association.  Athletes who are not yet at that level, and who would benefit from support, can contact us at Athlete Life Development to discuss and arrange one-to-one or small group support sessions.

Milk and Eggs: Nature's Best Recovery Foods

Over the coming months, as part of our nutrition theme, we'll be featuring some main food groups, outlining their role in sports nutrition, and sharing ideas of how they can be added to the diet. To kick us off, this week we cover milk and eggs, two of the best (and cheapest) sources of protein available.

Nature's best

Both milk and eggs contain all the essential amino acids in the correct proportions.  As the main food to sustain animal life before birth (eggs) and after birth (milk), it is unsurprising that both foods are nutrient rich.  In addition to protein, eggs are also a good source of vitamins B2, B12, D, E, folic acid, iron and a substance called choline which is involved in fat transport and in the production of phospholipids, an important component of cell membranes.  With a perfect blend of amino acids, as well as high levels of calcium (essential for bone health and the prevention of stress fractures), and other nutrients involved in metabolism and tissue growth, milk is the perfect recovery drink.

Unfortunately, despite their nutritional value, both eggs and milk have received bad press.  Eggs are high in cholesterol, though there is little evidence, if any, to link consumption of eggs with heart disease.  Milk is often advised against because of its high fat content, though a glass of full fat milk contains less saturated fat than a couple of biscuits.  Cow's milk is also, unfortunately, not tolerable by all, and dairy allergies and lactose intolerance is common.  Both foods do have important roles to play in the diet, and below we suggest some alternatives.

EGGS

The eggs of almost all birds, reptiles and turtles are edible, and most are eaten somewhere in the world.  Indeed, many are a delicacy.  The egg of the common hen, however, is by far the mostly widely available and commonly eaten egg in the West, and it is hen eggs that we will focus on in this piece.

The majority of the egg's nutritional value is found in the yolk, though the white is also a good source of protein, has no cholesterol, and contains very little fat.

Cholesterol and eggs

Eggs are high in cholesterol, but eating eggs doesn't usually contribute significantly to blood cholesterol levels; foods high in saturated fat have a much greater affect.  Egg are low in saturated fat, and egg whites don't contain any cholesterol, and can be used unsparingly in the diet.

Checking for freshness

Shops should only sell eggs less than 21 days old.  They are safe to eat up to 28 days, if kept in the correct conditions, though fresher eggs are better for certain dishes.  If you are unsure about the age of an egg, there are a number of ways of checking its freshness.  The simplest way is to place an unbroken egg in a glass of water.  Fresh eggs will sink straight to the bottom; older, but still safe to eat eggs will sit in the middle of the water, and old eggs, which should be thrown away, will float to the top.  The appearance of the yolk and white of the egg will change with age.  When broken onto a plate, a fresh egg will have two distinct layers to its white, and a rounded yolk.  The layers of the white merge and the yolk flattens with age.  The final test for freshness is the smell test.  Bad eggs have an unmistakable, unpleasant, sulphorus smell.

Storing eggs
The shell of the egg is porous, making it vulnerable to bacteria and odour contamination.  Storing eggs in their box, or in a special egg compartment in the fridge, away from fish, will help protect them from smells.  Fresh eggs can be stored in a well ventilated place, at less than 20°, for up to a week, or in the fridge for 3 to 4 weeks.  Refrigerated eggs should be brought back to room temperature before cooking.

Beaten eggs, in a container loosely covered with cling film, can be stored in the fridge for 1 to 2 days.  Whole, shelled eggs can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days.  Egg whites can be frozen in an airtight container.  They should be defrosted in the fridge and used immediately.  Cooked eggs can only be stored if they are fully cooked.  Shelled eggs can be loosly wrapped in cling film and stored in the fridge for 1-2 days.  Hard boiled eggs which are left in their shells will develop an unappetising blue-grey ring around the yolk.

Egg safety
Some eggs may contain the salmonella bacteria, which, if not completely cooked or pasturised, can cause serious illness resulting in abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea. Mayonnaise, ice cream and mousse are based on raw eggs.  While commercial versions of these product use pasturised eggs, home-made versions may carry a salmonella risk. At-risk individuals (children, pregnant women, the elderly), as well as athletes in the run-up to an important competition, should minimise their salmonella risk, and avoid raw or undercooked eggs.

Cooking eggs
Eggs' real value comes in their versatility.  They can be boiled, fried, poached or even baked on their own, mixed with some milk and seasoning (and optional other ingredients) and scrambled, or simply turned into an omelet.  They can be eaten hot or cold, and used to increase the protein content of a number of dishes.  They also form the basis of quiches, frittatas and tarts.  Egg-based recipes such as quiches and omelets are also a great way to use up leftovers, though beware of the high saturated fat content of any recipe using pastry.

While frying is the simplest way to cook an egg, it's also the least healthy option, because of the fat involved in the cooking process.  Poaching or boiling are much better options.  Poached egg on toast makes a simple, cheap and nutritious recovery snack, while cooked hard boiled eggs are a great addition to salads and sandwiches.

The Bord Bia (Irish Food Board) website has a range of great egg recipes that you might like to try.

MILK
Cow's milk, with its slightly sweet, mild and subtle flavour is the most popular form of milk used for human consumption, though the milk of other animals, including goats and sheep, and milk made from plants such as soya, rice and almonds can also be consumed.  Commercially available milk usually comes from Frisian cows, though the milk of Jersey and Guernsey cows, richer in flavour, higher in fat and darker in colour, is also popular.

Recovery food
As mentioned previously, milk's perfect balance of protein makes it an ideal recovery drink.  It also contains some sugars for refueling, and a lot of water and the electrolytes sodium and potassium to help with rehydration.

Read more: http://stronglifts.com/milk-post-workout-build-muscle-gains/

Milk makes a tasty recovery drink on it's own, as part of a banana or chocolate milk-shake, or added to a fruit smoothie.

Milk and saturated fat
Full fat milk has gained a lot of bad press, particularly in relation to it's saturated fat content.  While it is true that whole or full-fat milk contains just over twice the fat content of semi-skimmed milk, it's worth putting the fat values into context.  A 200ml glass of full fat milk contains 7.8 g of fat; approximately the same as two chocolate digestive biscuits.  Semi-skimmed milk is a good choice, as it has approximately the same protein, carbohydrate, vitamin and mineral content as whole milk, with half the fat, but those who prefer the taste of full fat milk shouldn't get hung up on it's fat content - just skip one of the chocolate digestives instead!

Skimmed milk typically has half  the calories, a fraction of the fat and most of the vitamins and calcium of full fat milk, but is low in the fat-soluable vitamins A and D.  It is therefore not suitable for young children.

Alternatives
Goat's milk is a good alternative for those with a diary alergy.  It has a stronger flavour and is less widely available, but has a similar nutritional content, is easier to digest and contains less lactose than cow's milk.  Soya milk, made from pulverized soya beans, is suitable for vegans and those with lactose intolerance.  It has a thicker consistency than cow's milk, and has a slightly nutty flavour.  It curdles in very hot coffee and tea.

Buttermilk, traditionally made from the thin, unstable liquid left over after making butter, but more recently made from fermented skimmed milk and milk solids, is particularly low in fat.  It is, however, not to everyone's taste.

Storing milk
Milk should be stored in the fridge.  It usually lasts no more than 3-4 days in the fridge after opening, irrespective of its use-by date, and can quickly sour when the weather is very warm.

Calcium and iron - not the perfect mix
Calcium is one of the substances which can affect iron absorption.  To maximise absorption, avoid drinking milk at the same time as you take iron supplements or eat iron rich foods.

Do you have any milk or egg-based recipes that you'd like to share?  We'd love to hear from you.  Just add suggestions as comments below.

Nutritional Practices for Ultra-Endurance Events

Following on from last week’s blog about the demands of ultra endurance events, this week I will start to look at some of the nutritional practices that athletes can apply when training and competing in ultra-distance events.  

Appropriate and consistent training is one of the key factors in ensuring a successful performance in an ultra- distance event and supporting this training with the appropriate nutrition will also ensure that the athlete is ready to give their best performance on race day.

Preparation is also vital for race day success and  thorough planning and organisation when it comes to nutrition will ensure that a compromise is reached between achieving a light pack weight and carrying sufficient and effective fuel for the race.

Hydration

Staying hydrated and replacing fluid lost through sweat is important for not only performance but also for health reasons. Minor levels of dehydration will affect both physical and mental output whilst training and competing. Significant dehydration creates a significant risk of heat stroke and severe dehydration could lead to death.

During the week prior to the competition, the athlete should drink the recommended 2L per day and replace fluids lost through sweat in training to make sure that hydration levels are optimum levels before the start of the race.   

On race day, the athlete should start drinking as soon as they have woken up, and try to consume approximately 500ml before the start of the race.  This will ensure that any small fluid losses overnight are replaced.

During the race, the athlete should aim to replace the fluid lost through dehydration. This will be difficult, as most athletes cannot tolerate large fluid intake, especially in hot conditions.  A good compromise is to limit dehydration levels to less than 2% of the body weight. Measuring sweat rates during training and build-up races, as mentioned in an earlier blog, will help estimate how much they will need to drink.

Athletes should choose a drink which is palatable, not fizzy and, for these events, fluid which provides carbohydrate and electrolytes. This doesn't need to be a branded sports drink; in fact, a home made squash drink with a pinch of salt can be as effective and, for some, more tolerable than a sports drink. 

Carbohydrate

A lot of focus was previously been put on carbohydrate loading in preparing glycogen stores for the race. However, this will occur naturally providing that high carbohydrate intake is consumed alongside a pre-race taper and the focus which was previously suggested is not necessary.

Ultra endurance events often have early starts with minimal time on the morning of the race to get the appropriate nutrition on board. High Carbohydrate, low fat and low fibre foods should be on the list for athletes to eat and at least 100g of carbohydrate is a good amount to aim for to top up glycogen stores. Good examples include white bread jam sandwiches, cereal bars, breakfast cereals, bananas and fluids such as fruit juices, soft drinks and sports drinks. To facilitate rapid gastric emptying and nutritional absorption food should ideally be consumed 3-4 hours before race start.  Closer to the start of the race (1hr), a further carbohydrate snack will help prevent decreases in blood sugar levels during the early section of the race.

During the race, muscle and glycogen levels will normally last between 60-90 minutes, before the body needs to turn to other energy sources. At this point, the athlete is unlikely to maintain the same output and is sometimes known as hitting the wall. Maintaining carbohydrate levels during the competition will help the athlete to maintain output for longer.

The recommended intake is 1g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight per hour, and can be consumed in a variety of forms. For most athletes this will mean an intake of at least 50gms of carbohydrate every hour. Common sources include sports drinks, gels and bananas, but, during the latter stages of longer distance events, sandwiches and more savory snacks are common choices.  The following foods contain 30-60g of carbohydrate:

• 500ml fruit juice or soft drink 
• 500ml Sports Drink  
• Sports or Energy Bar
• 2 handful of sweets or dried fruit
• 4-6 Jaffa Cakes
• Cereal Bar
• 2 Carbohydrate Gels

Food choices will often depend on the race provisions, athlete preferences and the ability to transport them during the event, all of which should be researched and practiced during training, and preferably a test race. Athletes must also have a 'plan b' just in case things don't go to plan on race day, or the athlete suffers stomach discomfort.

Nutritional Considerations for Ultra-Endurance Events

Participation in ultra-endurance events has been increasing as cycling, Ironman triathlons and running events are all becoming popular challenges for people to test their physical limits. So when my partner asked for nutrition advice for his 12hr Time Trial event, I thought this could be a good topic to blog about.  I have split the topic into two sections - the first will look at the physical challenges the body faces when being put through ultra-endurance events and the second will look at the nutritional strategies that athletes can use to ensure they achieve their goals.

By definition, an ultra-endurance is an event which last over 6hrs in duration, and the athletes who are successful are those who have the ability to sustain higher absolute speed for a given distance than the other competitors. The three main demands which are placed on the body during this time are:

• Meeting energy demands
• Maintaining body temperature
• Replacing fluid and electrolyte loss

Alongside that, there are increased injury and immune function risk after the event has taken place, and these have to be managed.

Hyperthermia - Maintaining Core Body Temperature

As well as supplying oxygen-rich blood to the body, the heart helps control body temperature by pumping warm blood to the skin where body heat is lost through the evaporation of sweat. During prolonged periods of exercise, heat is produced and increased heat loss needs to occur through sweating to maintain a constant body temperature and body functions.

There are certain factors which can prevent or reduce sweating and heat loss - high humidity can reduce evaporation and dehydration can impair the ability to transfer heat from muscles to the skin. In both situations, the increase in the core body temperature will increase the risk of heat problems. Muscle weakness and disorientation can develop with smaller increases in body temperatures with more serious effects occurring as the body temperature rises. Ways in which an athlete can maintain a constant body temperature will be looked at in the next blog.

Hyponatremia - Fluid and Electrolyte Loss

In recent years, it has been suggested that dehydration in marathon runners is over emphasised and results in some runners suffering with hyponatremia. During exercise, electrolytes, as well as fluids, are also lost in sweat.  Sodium and potassium are the main two electrolytes lost and need to be replaced at some point, depending on the duration and intensity of the event. 

Hyponatremia is the dilution of sodium levels in the blood often caused by the consumption of too much fluid and not replacing the lost electrolytes in sweat. This eventually causes swelling of the brain which can be fatal and has been reported during marathon events in recent years.  This is more common in slower runners who have more time to drink, and are often encouraged to do so. Ways in which athletes can maintain their electrolyte levels will be discussed in the next blog. 

Glycogen Depletion

Carbohydrates are the main energy source during endurance events and provide energy to the muscles at a rate which can sustain a fast pace optimal for performance. Carbohydrates are found as glycogen in the muscles and liver and as blood glucose. As blood glucose is used up, the body converts glycogen into glucose and releases it into the bloodstream to maintain a constant supply of energy. However, glycogen stores are and can only sustain a high work rate for about 60-90mins. If carbohydrates are not replaced at or before the point of glycogen depletion, the body must turn to other energy sources to maintain this work rate. The main alternative source is fats which can sustain exercise for much longer than glycogen, but at a much slower rate. It is much harder to maintain the same pace following the shift in fuel source, a point which is often known as ‘bonking’ or ‘hitting the wall.’ It is important to maintain levels of muscle glycogen and blood glucose for as long as possible. Ways to do this will be discussed in the next blog.

Injury and the Immune System

Due to the length of time an athlete will be performing the same activity and the same action over and over again, there is going to be a considerable amount of stress placed on certain muscles, bones and other soft tissues. Muscle damage and inflammation can remain for several days after completion of the event, and tissues can take much longer than normal to fully repair. Even while the athlete may be celebrating completing the event or achieving their goal, there are a number of things which they can do to aid recovery and prepare for the next training session or event.

As well as the muscle damage, as part of the repair process, cytokines are released from the injured area to promote an influx of white blood cells from the immune system, and these remain elevated following prolonged exercise.  However, there are other markers of immune function which are lower after completing an endurance event, leaving the immune system less able to protect the body from infections. This is why many athletes become ill after endurance events or high intensity training. There are certain practices athletes can do to ensure that both injury and muscle soreness can be reduced and this will be looked at next time.

Supplements and anti-doping

With a few high profile doping cases recently gone through appeals hearings, now is a good time to revisit the area of anti-doping, particularly in relation to adverse findings as the result of contaminated supplements.

Strict Liability

The first point to reiterate is the notion of strict liability.  This means that the athlete alone if responsible for what is found in their bodies.  There have been a number of cases where athletes have failed drug tests without knowingly taking a banned performance enhancing substance.  The consequences in these cases, if a non-specified substance (generally substances which have limited performance enhancing benefits), is, by default, a two year ban, which in some cases gets reduced to 6 months.

Why do Supplements Carry a Risk?

Food supplements are not subject to the very strict monitoring that medical drugs are.  Because of this, they can contain just about anything!

• They can contain substances that are not listed on the label.
• Substances can be named under a very different name to that which appears on the WADA code
• They can be manufactured in the same factories as products which contain banned substances, and become contaminated.
• Products say that they are 'approved' and athletes believe that that makes them ok to take.
• The 'sports nutrition' industry is a lucrative business. They give products to high performance athletes in return for endorsement.  Athletes like getting free stuff, and all of a sudden the perception is that you can't perform without taking a range of products.

Current Position

Until recently, the advice from UKAD was not to take any supplements.  That made life a lot easier from the perspective of the Anti-doping advisor perspective. You could just tell an athlete that the advice was not to take anything, and then they could choose to heed that advice or not.  Things have changed in recent years, and while UKAD cannot endorse any products, they now give advice based on the likelihood that athletes are going to take supplements anyway, and the current approach is based on risk reduction rather than elimination.  This is fine, and their advice is sound, but in the absence of any information relating to products (or types of products) which carry a high risk, have been linked with positive tests in the past, or which contain banned substances, it's very difficult to hammer home to athletes just how seriously they should be taking the whole matter.  In the ten or so years that I have been involved in advising athletes, the only product I have really seen named is JACK3D, a product which is now banned for sale in the UK and Ireland ...

Positive Moves

... Or at least that was until I saw this recent announcement from the Australian anti-doping body.  In it they name three products which have been shown to contain banned substances, and advise against certain groups of supplements.  They recommend taking special care with weight-loss supplements and with supplements claiming to improve mental performance.  This level of information is very useful when educating athletes.

I have also since noticed that the body responsible for anti-doping in the US (USADA) has a list of high risk supplements - details of supplements which either list banned supplements or have been found to contain banned substances.  Of course this list is by no means complete, but can give some indication to athletes the level of precaution they need to take.  The list includes Ephany D1, the vitamin/mineral/herbal supplement which was blamed for Asafa Powell's failed drug test.

Removing some of the Grey Areas

I find it bizarre why athletes would need to take weight-loss supplements, or to 'get them up' for training or competition.  A wise man - the man who thought me everything I know about athletics - once (or 100 times) told us that if it doesn't work, it's a waste of money and if it does work, it's probably illegal. While this may not be completely true, it's been a good motto to live by.  For me, anti-doping has nothing to do with being caught.  I would hate to look back in a few years and not be able to say that what I achieved in sport, no matter how pitiful, was 100% me.  For me, too many grey areas are created by our fixation on rules and what you can get away with.  Performing clean should be about much more than that.

What Athletes Should Do

Consider the need - Despite the claims, few food supplements actually legally help improve performance, and none make up for poor nutrition.  Consider what changes you can make to your diet, before you resort to any nutritional supplement.  Only take supplements that you actually need.

Consider the risks and the consequences - Some of the risks associated with nutritional supplements are listed above.  From January 2015, first-time doping offences, where there was an intention to cheat, will result in a 4 year ban. The onus will shift to the athlete to prove that there was no intention to cheat.  It is highly likely that more inadvertent doping offences for non-specified substances than before will result in 2 year bans. But think beyond the bans and tangible consequences of inadvertently using a supplement that's found to contain a banned substance.  Consider how you would feel if someone told you that that harmless looking 'endurance enhancer' that you have been using for the last 2 years contains EPO, and that your performances have been artificially enhanced, or that the 'herbal' supplement that you have been using to help shift a few pounds actually contains amphetamines, and has been damaging your health.

Do what you can to reduce the risk - While no anti-doping body can 100% guarantee that a produce does not contain a banned substance, some products sign up to undergo rigorous testing, and those which have not been found to contain substances are listed on sites such as Informed-Sport.  

• Check that any products that you plan on using have undergone this testing.  
• Check what other products are made by the same company/in the same factory - there is an increased risk of contamination if made in the same factory as products which contain banned substances.  
• Do some online research to see if the product has been linked with any doping cases in the past.  
• Check any active ingredients against drug databases (Global Dro in UK; Eirpharm in Ireland).
• Keep all packets and samples of the product, so it can be tested if you have a case to answer.
• If you are chosen for a test, ensure that you list all products that you are taking on the doping declaration form.  It's very difficult to claim that the adverse finding was for a supplement that you hadn't declared you were using.