What every running, pregnant momma should own (from my experience)

As a sports dietitian at 28 weeks pregnant with her second child, I have had plenty of time to practice running with a baby on board. While slightly intimidating at first, I actually found it to be an easier feat than expected. While not every woman's body cooperates with continued running into pregnancy, there are a few key items that make the process SIGNIFICANTLY easier. Assuming you have the okay from your doctor to run while pregnant, these must-haves are a few of my favorites:

1. A belly support band
I could not do any type of exercise in mid to late pregnancy without this miracle (running or otherwise). There are lots of brands out there to choose from. I personally chose one that had 3 separate Velcro adjustments so I can easily make it fit best as my belly grows (here it is). Toward the end of my first pregnancy, I started wearing the band all the time (not just during exercise) to decrease lower back pain; I anticipate I will do this again.

5 Critical Nutrition Solutions for High School Athletes

High school athletes are one of my favorite type of athlete to work with. They are typically highly motivated with big dreams of college play. However, it comes with the territory that they are also busy and often stressed. When working with high school athletes, here are some key nutrition things I emphasize to improve performance and reach future goals.

1. Change the when before you change the what
Instead of starting right away with eat this-not that, I start with timing of intake. Timing of intake makes a huge difference with respect to any performance goal. Plus, it is easier for a high school student to focus on eating a few more times during the day before worrying about what that food consists of.

2. Lets discuss your schedule
Knowing the athlete's school, practice, and competition schedule is critical to developing an eating plan that works. Every athlete's schedule is slightly different, so my understanding of their time restrictions makes a huge difference to their level of success with my eating program.

The #1 Myth of a Dancer's Diet

This week, enjoy a guest post from my intern, Danielle. She comes from an extensive background and dance, so was the perfect fit to provide an article about a dancer's diet.

Be Extraordinary,

RDKate
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Along with gymnasts and figure skaters, dancers tend to be body conscious athletes because they are often assessed by if their body is aesthetically pleasing verses solely how well they perform. Although not always treated as an athlete, dancers must put their bodies through great stress during conditioning, rehearsals, and dance classes. It is important that dancers fuel the body with an ample amount of energy just as any other athlete. This sometimes does not occur due to the lack of knowledge of fueling requirements. Instead of consuming the sufficient amount of calories each day to support the high level of performance and refuel the tank for the next rehearsal, some dancers restrict because they believe this to be a good way to protect their figure. In doing so, they do not eat enough food to support the amount of energy they are utilizing, which starves the muscles of the nutrients needed to give a standing ovation performance...and leaves the dancer drained.

The Myth: Eating one, low calorie meal per day is a good way to maintain my body size.

The Truth: Skipping meals will likely force the body to use muscle mass for energy. This prevents the body from burning off any excess body fat that might be present. It also can make the dancer tired, emotionally unstable and unable to focus, which all affect performance. In addition, under-eating deprives the body of many key nutrients, which may cause deficiencies and a lowered immune function, making the dancer more susceptible to injury and illness.

The Solution: Dancers should attempt to eat several small meals (or “mini” meals) throughout the day full of nutrient dense items such as whole wheat grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and lean proteins (i.e. nuts, yogurts and chicken). This pattern of eating will keep energy on-board so dancers can continue working hard. Consuming healthy foods throughout the day will also better support a lean figure.

When dancers eat better, they feel better physically and emotionally. That is sure to bring the crowd to its feet.

 

Picture source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/melillamirada/

Choosing the right "sports drink"

With the warm temperatures and humidity ready to peak, athletes are often left wondering which sports drink is the best fit for their sport type, time and intensity. 

First, let me clear up a few things about sports drinks:
1. Parents often are weary of sports drinks because of the sugar content. Keep in mind that sports drink provide 3 things to an athlete's working body: fluid, electrolytes and sugar. The sugar content is relatively low compared to other sweet drinks such as juice and soda. In fact, 1 cup of regular sports drink is an amount of sugar equivalent to 1 piece of fruit or 1 slice of bread. The sweetness of the sports drinks also encourages more fluid intake than plain water.

2. Dentists often speak poorly of sports drinks, citing research showing that sugary drinks increase cavities. Note that studies involved teeth that were continuously exposed/submersed in sports drink, which of course is not applicable to real life. The closest comparison would be the athlete who continuously sips sports drink throughout the course of the day. This is unnecessary. Sports drinks were are called such because they are meant to be drunk during sports...and that's it.