4 Nutrition Excuses You Need to Give Up in 2015

As we enter 2015, I'd like to help you get started on the right foot. In my office, there is no shortage of excuses for not following nutrition recommendations. While I work exclusively with athletes, these excuses can be heard from just about everyone trying to make healthier choices toward bigger goals. So it's time to "name it, claim it and tame it"...it is a new year, after all.

1. I like to sleep.
This is most often used an excuse for not eating breakfast or not eating a post-workout snack after late night training. I like to sleep too - who doesn't? However, it is about priorities. While getting 7-9 hours of sleep on average is a must, so is fueling your body correctly. Re-evaluate where your time is spent. Is there a reason you need to watch 3 hours of television at night? Do you really need to stay on social media until midnight? Its time to unplug early and go to sleep...or stop hitting snooze in the morning. Make a commitment to eating when your body needs you to.

Keep Performance & Body Comp Goals in Mind this Holiday Season!

Well, it's the holiday season again...a time for family, friends, and...FOOD! Unfortunately the holiday season falls - for many athletes - in the midst of the off-season and cold outdoor temperatures. So what's an athlete to do during the holidays to emerge still on track for his/her next race when January 2nd rolls around? Here are my performance-protecting holiday tips. Note: these are in order of importance!

1. Re-assess your goals.
While I understand you may have a March or April competition planned, the holidays may not be the best time to "kick your butt into gear" or "take your training to the next level". December can be a very stressful month - and remember that stress can wreak havoc on your metabolism, digestion and sleeping patterns. If trying to continue a hard-core training plan in the midst of everything is only adding undue stress, perhaps cut back a bit, take a deep breath, and try to enjoy time spent with family and friends.

Nutrition Tips for Athletes Ending the Fall Season

With the beginning of November, we near the end of the season for high school and college fall sports. This can mean a lot of different things. For one athlete, it might mean entering a true off-season. For another athlete, he may be transitioning into a winter sport. For a third athlete, she may be entering club season. Regardless of what the next step might be, here are some things every fall athlete should think about now.

1. Assess Your Goals
What were your goals this fall season and did you achieve them? If not, what might have been the reason and what changes need to be made now? What are you goals for the winter? If you are in the off-season, will you place a special emphasis on weight loss? If you are transitioning to a winter sport, do you need to make changes to fueling before the season starts? If you are entering club season, how will your eating need to change (timing and amount)?

Beyond the Liver: Alcohol & Athletes

This week, enjoy a guest blog post from Carrie Aprik MS, RD, CSSD. Carrie practices as sports RD in Michigan. She can be reached at Nutrition4Motion@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter @Nutri4Motion. Thanks Carrie!

Be Extraordinary, 

RDKate
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For many students, the college experience has become synonymous with binge drinking; an activity that may involve up to dozens of alcoholic drinks in a single weekend. Every weekend. Surprisingly, “excessive drinking” is classified as much less: 5 or more drinks in one bout for males, 4 or more for females.  According to the NCAA¹, though the prevalence has decreased, 46% and 33% of male and female athletes, respectively, admit to excessive drinking. Beyond the well-known threat of liver damage to the average college student, student athletes have many more alcohol-related issues to worry about.  

3 ways sleep deprivation ruins your training goals

Sleep is not always a priority for athletes, but it should be. In fact, ~28% of adults admit to getting less than 6 hours of sleep each night compared to the recommended 7-9 hours. Sleep deprivation (defined here as 4-6 hours of sleep nightly) has been linked to a host of health detriments. Here are the top three and why athletes should care.

1. Fatigue
The most obvious effect of lack of sleep is fatigue. Fatigue encourages more sedentary behavior, which in turn slows down your daily calorie burn. This can lead to increased body fat. Fatigue can also lead to that famous, "I'm just too tired to train; I'll take a nap instead" or perhaps the, "If I'm this tired, my body MUST need more sleep. I better not train." Enough days like this and suddenly you have lost multiple weeks of effective training. When your body is simply tired, no amount of hydration or snacks will solve the problem. The solution is to avoid this is in the first place by aiming for 7-9 hours of sleep nightly on average.

What the scale is and is not telling you about your body

A scale gives you information without context. A scale only provides a number at that specific time, but doesn’t tell you the complete story. Your weight can be affected day-to-day by many things that are not taken into account on a scale.  

What the scale doesn't tell you

Total health
·         A scale only reveals your body weight at a specific time, but not overall health.
·         Your healthy weight depends on diet, lean muscle, daily activity, metabolism, age, and genetics which a scale does not report (or in the case of lean muscle - not accurately).
·         The scale could indicate weight loss or gain, but doesn’t tell you if you are underweight or overweight for your height and body composition.

If you are hydrated or dehydrated

·         The scale might mislead you to think you have gained weight if you are well hydrated or lost weight if you are dehydrated.
·         If you experience a 2% weight loss post workout, this is not good weight loss because it indicates dehydration and electrolyte loss, which affect your performance.