You may recall, I did some traveling in May for vacation. I don’t know about you, but whenever I go on vacation it always seems like I have to work extra hard both before (to get ready for it), and after (to catch up from being away). For that reason, I did not get on my bike as much as I usually do. I think I may have had one 20ish mile ride a couple of weeks before and a couple of weeks after vacation, which put me into early June with only a couple of bike rides. Don’t worry, did not completely fall off the exercise wagon! I was still getting in runs, swims, and some core workouts. For me I can get a good workout in only one hour in those 3 areas, but with cycling it needs to be at least a couple of hours, which is not going to happen unless I have time to ride at least 30+ miles.
Well, a couple of weekends ago a group of “recreational cyclists” that I occasionally tag along with posted a 40ish mile route that I had not done before. It sounded like fun, so I decided to go for it, even though I had only been on my bike twice in the previous month, and only for short rides. The first half was great! We started at about 7:45 a.m. and the wind was at our back for 20 miles. We stopped at a small general store in a little town called Andice. There we had potty breaks and refueled.
The way back was not pretty! All those long rolling hills that we sped down we now had to ride UP, into a very strong headwind! Our group quickly split in two, but I managed to hang on to the back of wheel of the first group until we hit about mile 30. That’s when I found myself in no man’s land. My left leg had been spasming for some time already, but I had managed to keep it from completely cramping by pulling harder with my right leg. That turned out to not be such a good strategy because once I got on the biggest hill, my right leg started cramping up severely. I can honestly say I have never in my life had leg cramps that bad! It got so bad I could not pedal and had to jump off my bike for a few minutes and just stand on the side of the road. Eventually I was able to move my legs a little, so I walked a bit before hoping back on my bike and slowly making my way back to a couple of members of the group that had waited for me at the top of the next hill.
Let me tell you, I was definitely not dehydrated, and I was not low on electrolytes. I know, we are in the middle of summer in Texas, but I had already consumed at least 20 ounces of fluid that contained over 600 mg of potassium and sodium (plus other minerals), and another 400 mg in a nutrition bar at the rest stop, plus at least 20 ounces of additional water. I was able to confirm my hydration status once I got home and weighed (no change), and checked my urine (pale yellow, so had not overhydrated with water). So what caused my leg cramps?
I am guessing a couple of things. One, lack of fitness on the bike. I probably could have ridden an easy 40 miles with no problem even though I had only a couple of short rides the previous month, but since this ride had a lot of hills and a strong headwind (and later I realized my brake was rubbing) my legs just were not ready. The second thing was probably bad technique. Once my left leg started giving me grief, I did not maintain equal pressure all the way around my stroke with both legs. By pulling unevenly, I stressed my right leg so much that it started cramping as well.
So if you are suffering from leg cramps, it is probably just not one thing. Evaluate your hydration status, your electrolyte intake, AND your technique!
Happy cycling!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
My Review of Brazier's Thrive Fitness
You probably don't know this, but I am the current book reviewer for Vegetarian Nutrition Update, which is a newsletter published by the Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group - a part of the American Dietetic Association. I mention it because this week I would like to post my recently published review of Brendan Brazier's most recent book Thrive Fitness. He is touring the US, and this Sunday through Tuesday (June 12th through June 15th) he is going to be in Austin, TX making appearances at several natural foods type stores. So without further adieu, below is my review.
Reviewed by Christine E. Marquette, RD, LD, ACSM Certified Health Fitness Specialist
© 2010, Vegetarian Nutrition Update Newsletter; Vegetarian DPG, a dietetic practice group of the American Dietetic Association. Used with permission.
Thrive Fitness
by Brendan Brazier. Da Capo Press, 2009; 245 pages; $15.95; ISBN 978-0-7382-1362-0
Brendan Brazier is a professional ironman triathlete and vegan. Thrive Fitness is a follow up to his first book, Thrive. Thrive was primarily a diet-focused book, while Thrive Fitness takes a more holistic approach in instructing the reader how to gain strength, prevent disease and become more fit and healthier. Thrive Fitness is divided into four main sections, with a total of eight chapters. In the first section “What Happened to Our Health?” Brazier describes the current obesity epidemic and factors that contribute to this epidemic. He supports his statements with information from reputable sources including the Centers for Disease Control, the American Heart Association, and medical journals. In the second section, “What is Thrive Fitness?” he explains concepts such as “high-return exercise,” “high net-gain nutrition,” the importance of quality sleep, and stress reduction. I found this to be a very useful section in explaining how to best select what type of physical activity to choose in order to get the most out of it and prevent over-training syndrome. I also liked the way Brazier explained high net-gain nutrition and how this can lower physical stress on our bodies by avoiding foods that would provide little nutrition yet require our bodies to work harder to process them. “Training, Living, and Improving” is the third section and gives tips on the mental aspects of training as well as disease prevention. My only concern in this section is when he talks about “bad” LDL cholesterol and states, “only animal products contain this type of cholesterol.” This may lead the reader to think that plant foods contain the “good” type of cholesterol, whereas plants do not contain any type of cholesterol. The last section “Achieving and Maintaining Thrive Fitness” details starting his 6-week training plan and includes nutrients to focus on, recipes, shopping lists, a sample menu, training logs, and a Q & A section. As an ACSM Certified Health Fitness Specialist, my main concern with this section was a description of how to do bench dips that may actually cause shoulder injury; having your upper body so far away from the bench (as described and shown in the photo) has been shown to put a significant amount of strain on the shoulder. One limitation of the book is that recipes do not include any nutritional information. Despite a few concerns, I highly recommend this book to those who want to improve their health and fitness level while at the same time following a vegan diet.
by Brendan Brazier. Da Capo Press, 2009; 245 pages; $15.95; ISBN 978-0-7382-1362-0
Brendan Brazier is a professional ironman triathlete and vegan. Thrive Fitness is a follow up to his first book, Thrive. Thrive was primarily a diet-focused book, while Thrive Fitness takes a more holistic approach in instructing the reader how to gain strength, prevent disease and become more fit and healthier. Thrive Fitness is divided into four main sections, with a total of eight chapters. In the first section “What Happened to Our Health?” Brazier describes the current obesity epidemic and factors that contribute to this epidemic. He supports his statements with information from reputable sources including the Centers for Disease Control, the American Heart Association, and medical journals. In the second section, “What is Thrive Fitness?” he explains concepts such as “high-return exercise,” “high net-gain nutrition,” the importance of quality sleep, and stress reduction. I found this to be a very useful section in explaining how to best select what type of physical activity to choose in order to get the most out of it and prevent over-training syndrome. I also liked the way Brazier explained high net-gain nutrition and how this can lower physical stress on our bodies by avoiding foods that would provide little nutrition yet require our bodies to work harder to process them. “Training, Living, and Improving” is the third section and gives tips on the mental aspects of training as well as disease prevention. My only concern in this section is when he talks about “bad” LDL cholesterol and states, “only animal products contain this type of cholesterol.” This may lead the reader to think that plant foods contain the “good” type of cholesterol, whereas plants do not contain any type of cholesterol. The last section “Achieving and Maintaining Thrive Fitness” details starting his 6-week training plan and includes nutrients to focus on, recipes, shopping lists, a sample menu, training logs, and a Q & A section. As an ACSM Certified Health Fitness Specialist, my main concern with this section was a description of how to do bench dips that may actually cause shoulder injury; having your upper body so far away from the bench (as described and shown in the photo) has been shown to put a significant amount of strain on the shoulder. One limitation of the book is that recipes do not include any nutritional information. Despite a few concerns, I highly recommend this book to those who want to improve their health and fitness level while at the same time following a vegan diet.
Reviewed by Christine E. Marquette, RD, LD, ACSM Certified Health Fitness Specialist
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
The Omnivore’s Dilemma - a Review
As you may recall in my previous blog, I recently read The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan. If you have not read it, I highly recommend it. The book is broken into 3 sections: Industrial/Corn, Pastoral/Grass, and Personal/Forest. Each section is further broken down into several chapters. It includes some tough chapters on animal slaughter and factory farms, but that is only part of the book.
Section one starts out giving a history lesson on corn and the many products in this country that have corn as some sort of ingredient. It also details how this tremendous crop has become the bane of many farmers’ existence. I actually learned a few things that I didn’t already know regarding the vicious cycle of corn farming in America.
In section two, Pollan spends a week working on Polyface farm in Virginia. For those of you who saw Food, Inc., this is Joel Salatin’s farm where all the animals are allowed to practice their natural behaviors, spend most of their time “free on the range,” and are fed their natural diet. I have a lot of respect for Pollan actually experiencing the hard work that farmers like Joel Salatin go through.
Pollan wraps up the book with section three, in which he debates the ethics of eating animals, experiences hunting wild pig and foraging for wild mushrooms, and prepares an entire meal from scratch using items he obtained in his section three “adventures.”
I really appreciated the effort he put into “tracking” a particular food item from its start to where it may ultimately end up, whether it was corn from a large industrial farm, a steer in a factory farm, or a pig on a family farm. He does a good job of including virtually all aspects of our food supply system. As the title implies, he also contrasts four meals: a fast food meal in section one, an “organic industrial meal” purchased from Whole Foods in section two, a home cooked meal made from non-factory farmed “grass-fed” foods - which were fresh ingredients from Polyface Farm - also in section two, and another home cooked meal made from a combination of foods he foraged for, hunted, or grew in his own garden in section three.
At the end of the book, he includes all the sources he used in writing this piece and includes his website address. His website has many useful links, such as resources for sustainable eating, resources for gardeners/farmers/ranchers, and many more.
If you care about your health and the health of your family, I highly encourage you to read this book and learn more about where your food comes from.
Section one starts out giving a history lesson on corn and the many products in this country that have corn as some sort of ingredient. It also details how this tremendous crop has become the bane of many farmers’ existence. I actually learned a few things that I didn’t already know regarding the vicious cycle of corn farming in America.
In section two, Pollan spends a week working on Polyface farm in Virginia. For those of you who saw Food, Inc., this is Joel Salatin’s farm where all the animals are allowed to practice their natural behaviors, spend most of their time “free on the range,” and are fed their natural diet. I have a lot of respect for Pollan actually experiencing the hard work that farmers like Joel Salatin go through.
Pollan wraps up the book with section three, in which he debates the ethics of eating animals, experiences hunting wild pig and foraging for wild mushrooms, and prepares an entire meal from scratch using items he obtained in his section three “adventures.”
I really appreciated the effort he put into “tracking” a particular food item from its start to where it may ultimately end up, whether it was corn from a large industrial farm, a steer in a factory farm, or a pig on a family farm. He does a good job of including virtually all aspects of our food supply system. As the title implies, he also contrasts four meals: a fast food meal in section one, an “organic industrial meal” purchased from Whole Foods in section two, a home cooked meal made from non-factory farmed “grass-fed” foods - which were fresh ingredients from Polyface Farm - also in section two, and another home cooked meal made from a combination of foods he foraged for, hunted, or grew in his own garden in section three.
At the end of the book, he includes all the sources he used in writing this piece and includes his website address. His website has many useful links, such as resources for sustainable eating, resources for gardeners/farmers/ranchers, and many more.
If you care about your health and the health of your family, I highly encourage you to read this book and learn more about where your food comes from.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
