Hydration: How much to consume while running?

Just received a question via message on Facebook about hydration:

What is the best way to hydrate without over "watering"?

My response:

I will do a short article on this topic in a few weeks, but the short answer is to drink when thirsty. It really is that easy, and DON'T be consuming things like gatorade or other sugary drinks unless you're doing very high intensity training or longer runs over an hour. The reason? Your body will have plenty of glucose stored up to get you through at least an hours worth of cardio. You may only burn somewhere around 300-500 calories in your shorter workout, and that can easily be replaced or surpassed by one sugary drink (like gatorade) making the gains you just made null. When I run my 10-12 mile runs in the morning, I ONLY consume water. If I'm doing anything greater than 12 miles, then I will consume some type of carb/protein supplement like a gel or powder mixed drink.

Some of the common advice you'll see out there in running magazines may have you consuming amounts such as 6-8 oz every 20-30 minutes. This may be safe, but realize there has never been a death related to dehydration in the US during official Marathon races, but there have been several deaths due to hyponatraemia (water intoxication). More recent occurrences of hyponatraemia have been seen in US military basic training camps, where water is often forced by instructors due to the fear of heat stroke and dehydration. You're body is going to help you with dehydration, and will force you to stop running if it really is becoming an issue, but if you simply "drink when thirsty" you'll be just fine. Hope this helps and enjoy!

Coffee: Is it Good for Me or Bad for Me?

 

Coffee is one of the world’s favorite and oldest drinks, with roots going back over 1,000 years ago.  Reportedly, coffee is consumed by one third of the world’s population, vastly making it the most consumed beverage other than water.  The research behind the benefits and downsides of coffee and caffeine continues to grow.  So what does the research say?  Should you really consider coffee as a supplement or a detriment?  None of this advice is intended to be medical advice, or to change your daily routine by adding coffee to your diet.  It is simply a look into some of the research that has been done on coffee and caffeine and how it may affect those who currently do consume this product.  In the end, it is up to you to make an educated choice on your coffee/tea habits, as that goes with anything you eat or drink.  I hope you enjoy this read, and maybe learn something from it.

What’s In Coffee?

Caffeine, also known as methylxanthine, is the major pharmacologically active compound in coffee.  Caffeine has been proven to have effects on a number of functions including the stimulation of the central nervous system (CNS), the stimulation of cardiac muscle, and the relaxation of smooth muscle especially bronchial muscle and to act on the kidney to produce diuresis.  (Waler and Suzuki, 1989)  In addition to caffeine, coffee also contains anti-oxidants and phytoestrogens, which may explain some of the benefits claimed by coffee consumption.  In the two diagrams listed below is a caffeine and anti-oxidant chart that compares amounts found in coffee, and popular coffee products:

Coffee product	Caffeine Range (mg/100 ml)
Brewed, Coffee	27-50
Instant, Coffee	25-35
Decaffeinated, brewed, coffee	0.8-1.7
Decaffeinated, instant, coffee	0.4-1.7
Espresso	100-165
Cappuccino/Latte	100-165
Mochachino, 1-oz shot	115-185

Table 1:  Caffeine content of different coffee products (Anon, 2004)

Source	Quantity (mmol)	%
Coffee	11.1	64
Fruit	1.8	11
Tea	1.4	8
Wine	0.8	5
Cereals	0.8	5
Vegetables	0.4	2
Other foods (fruit juices, edible fat, and cakes)	0.8	5

Table 2:  Antioxidants in various food groups  (Svilaas et al., 2004)

                       

Effects of Coffee:  The good, the bad, the ugly

Caffeine is a popular beverage among athletes, especially endurance athletes.  It is almost hard nowadays to find a supplement that does not contain caffeine.  Caffeine has been shown to produce slight increases in basal metabolic rate and increase the capacity for muscular work, which makes it popular for weight lifters and people wanting to burn fat (George, Ramalaskhmi, & Mohan Rao, 2008).  Studies have found that a cup of coffee (4 mg caffeine/kg body weight) consumed with a meal produced a significantly greater thermic response than that with a cup of decaffeinated coffee, and this difference can be almost totally accounted for by the thermogenic effect of the caffeine (Acheson et al., 1980).  The caution that must be applied when using caffeine in a supplement is that you must be aware of the total amount of caffeine that you are consuming throughout the day.  For example, if you are a coffee drinker in the mornings, and have 2-3 cups of coffee before heading to the gym, then while driving to the gym, you drink something like N.O. Explode, you could potentially be consuming enough caffeine equivalent to 5+ cups of coffee on top of the 2-3 cups previously consumed.  As you can see, it would be easy to over caffeinate unintentionally.  Yes, there really is a thing as drinking too much caffeine.  Higher doses of caffeine (Single dose of 1000–1500 mg) may lead to symptoms such as trembling, anxiety, loss of mental concentration, tachycardia, and sleep disorder. Few studies so far have been concerned on the relationship between coffee consumption and the central nervous system.  (George, Ramalaskhmi, & Mohan Rao, 2008)  Also, be aware that caffeine affects certain people differently, so what may be too much for one individual may not be the same for another.  Research shows us that harmful effects of coffee are associated with people who are sensitive to stimulants. Beyond this there is no evidence that coffee intake is connected with adverse health effects. Therefore the moderate consumption of 3–4 cups of instant or roasted coffee per day, assuming an average caffeine concentration of 60-85mg per cup, may be good for human health (Benoit et al., 2001).  Finally, people at high risk for blood clots, strokes, and heart attacks should avoid coffee and decaf due to the potentially high amounts of Vitamin K, which causes blood coagulation (Traub, 2011).

Coffee may have some beneficial effects to our health, to include certain types of cancer and some degenerative diseases.  Some of these studies are listed below:

1.       In a recent research study in Japan, the consumption of coffee has been related to a lower risk of cancer in oral cavity, pharynx, and oesophogus (Naganuma et al, 2008).

2.      Coffee was known to increase alertness as seen with the central nervous system (CNS) and improve performance on vigilance tasks and reduce fatigue (Smith, 2002).

3.      Coffee was known to provide a potential preventive influence of caffeine on suicide and depression (Klatsky et al., 1993). A dose dependent study showed that people consuming more than six cups of coffee/day showed a 5 fold lower risk of suicide than non-consumers.

4.      High levels of consumption, described as more than six cups a day, may be related to reduced risk of breast cancer. This was thought to be due to the level of phytoestrogens which, though small in comparison with other foods, can be significant in people who consume a great amount of coffee. Phytoestrogens may exert some protection against cancers, most especially breast cancer  (Nkondjock et al, 2006).

5.      Coffee develops stimulating effects on the central nervous system, the heart, and blood circulation, which are mainly caused by caffeine. Extensive epidemiological studies conclude that there is no correlation between coffee consumption and certain risk factors such as hypertension, heart infarction, diabetes, gout, or cancer diseases.  (George, Ramalaskhmi, & Mohan Rao, 2008)

6.      The antioxidants may be of great benefit in improving the quality of life by helping to prevent or postpone the onset of degenerative diseases (Svilaas et al., 2004).

How can Coffee affect your vitamin consumption?

Finally, the last part about coffee consumption is some of the potential harm that it may cause and how it may affect some of your supplements.  It is advised that coffee consumption should be avoided around the time of taking supplements such as calcium, some vitamins (B&C), zinc, and iron (Traub, 2011).  Another study showed that caffeine has been shown to increase urinary calcium excretion for several hours following consumption and there are some, but not extensive, data suggesting that caffeine and caffeine-containing beverages have a small negative effect on calcium balance, increasing the potential for bone density loss.  (Lanham-New et al, 2007)  The recommendation that I have found is that if you are taking a calcium, iron and Vitamin D,B,C supplement, then postpone taking these supplements until a few hours after coffee consumption.  Also, adding some milk to your coffee may help balance the calcium lost in drinking it.

If you are trying to reduce or eliminate your coffee consumption because of the potential for calcium loss and bone degradation, or are easily affected by caffeine, there are some wonderful coffee alternatives out there.  Green tea and black tea are both wonderful alternatives that contain about half the amount of caffeine and have been shown to contribute to fat loss.  LivingFuel’s produces a coffee substitute (caffeinated and de-caffeinated) that tastes like coffee, looks like coffee, and it is very easy to travel with.  Teecino is another company that produces a coffee alternative (caffeine-free) that is more of a tea which tastes like coffee.  In the end, you will have to make the decision for yourself on coffee consumption.  My own personal consumption is typically 2-3 cups of coffee a day, mostly black, because you need to remember that if you are adding things to your coffee like creamers and sugar, you’re greatly increasing the amount of calories and fat to your drink.  Initially a cup of black coffee will only contain 5-10 calories, but adding the additional flavor components could easily jump the total caloric value well over 100 calories per serving, and give your body additional sugar to potentially use as fat storage.

If you have any additional questions, comments, or feedback about this article, I would love to answer them for you.  Please leave a comment below or contact me on my Facebook page (search UltraFit Fitness & Nutrition).

References

Acheson, K. J., Zahorskia-Markiewicz, B., Pittet, P., Anantharaman, K., and Jequier, E. (1980). Caffeine and coffee : their influence on metabolic rate and substrate utilization in normal wt. and obese individuals. American Journal Clinical Nutrition., 33, 989–997.

Benoit, S., Christophe, C., Angelika, T. & Anne, C. (2001). Health effects and safety considerations.  Agricultural Series By Clarke, R. J., and Vitzthum, O. G. (Eds.), 165–183.

George, S. E.,  Ramalakshmi, K., Mohan Rao, L. J.  (2008).  A Perception on Health Benefits of Coffee.  Critical Reviews in Food Science & Nutrition, 48(5), 464-487.

Klatsky, A. L., Amstrong M. A., & Friedman, G. D. (1993). Coffee, Tea and mortality. American Journal of Epidemiology, 3, 375–381.

Lanham-New, S.A., Thompson, R.L., More, J., Brooke-Wavell, K., Hunking, P., & Medici, E.  (2007).  Importance of Vitamin D, Calcium, and Exercise to bone health with specific reference to children and adolescents.  British Nutrition Foundation, 32(4), 364-377.

Naganuma T, Kuriyama S, Kakizaki M et al (2008) Coffee consumption and the risk of oral, pharyngeal, and esophageal cancers in Japan: the Miyagi Cohort Study. American Journal of Epidemiology, 168(12), 1425-1432.

Nkondjock, A., Ghadirian, P., & Kotsopoulos, J. (2006) Coffee  consumption and breast cancer risk among BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers. International Journal of Cancer, 118(1), 103–107.

Smith, A. (2002). Effects of caffeine on human behavior. Food Chemical Toxicology, 40, 1243–1255.

Svilaas, A. Sakhi, A. K., Anderson, L. F., Svilaas, T., Strom, E. C., Jacobs, D. R., Ose, L. & Blomhoff, R. (2004). Intakes of Antioxidants in coffee, wine and  vegetables and coorelated with plasma carotenoids in humans.  Journal of Nutrition, 134, 562–567.

Traub, M.  (2011). Coffee, America's Favorite Drug.  Teeccino.com.  Retrieved from http://teeccino.com/building_optimal_health/141/Coffee,-America's-Favorite-Drug.html

Waler, G. R., & Suzuki, T. (1989). Caffeine metabolism by coffea arabica L. fruit. ASIC Thirteenth International Colloquium on Coffee, 351–361.

Hypertrophy: What is the right rep count for you?

 What is hypertrophy?  Hypertrophy is simply increasing the cross sectional size of muscle due to the stresses of weight training.  This is beneficial to understand for newbies in the gym.  A common question that is asked by anyone wanting to add resistance training to their program is:  How many reps/sets should I do?  Well that is going to highly depend on your goals.  First, figure out what you want; do you want to increase power, strength, muscle mass, or endurance/muscle tone?  For example, an endurance athlete may not want to do low reps/high weight, because it will cause extra muscle growth that can hinder speed.  Similarly, someone wanting to increase muscle mass will not want to do high rep, low weight because it will not give them the results they want. 

Warning:  Before starting any resistance training program, be sure to seek instruction on proper form and technique.  Start with low weight in order to master technique and build a base before adding more weight and lowering reps.

Without discussing the many different types, methods, and theories of work-out programs, the basics of reps and sets will look something like this:

Goal                                           Reps          Sets
Power                                         1-2             2-3
Strength                                       3-6             2-6
Hypertrophy (Muscle Mass)         6-12           3-6
Endurance (Muscle Tone)            15-20          2-3

The above chart is simply a tool to use as a starting point, and may not be applicable for all body types.  Each person's body will adapt differently to exercise.  After some experience you will be able to better tune your workouts to achieve your end goals.  Working with a personal trainer is a great way to start because they can can show you proper technique, form, and help you calculate your 1 Rep Max (1RM) and/or your 3 Rep Max (3RM) numbers which can be beneficial to find out the amount of weight you should be starting off with.  Again, depending on your goals, you'll normally be within your 60-80% 1RM. 

If you have any additional questions or comments, please leave them below.  Hope this helps and have a great week of training!

   

SuperFood/Green Supplements

I was asked today by a gentleman concerning supergreen or superfood supplements.  I highly recommend these types of supplements if you are unable to get enough green, leafy vegetables and antioxidants in your daily diet or for when traveling.  In addition, vegetables and fruits are not as nutritious today as they once were, due depletion in soil quality from overuse.  These supplements are jam packed with high quality broccolli, kale, spinach, spirulina, and much, much more.  There are many great choices out there, just be sure to read the labels.  You should see things like "organic" and contain only the nutrients your after.  You'll notice that even though the two I've listed below as my personal favorite, are very different.  One is primarily a superfood supplement, wherease the other is a superfood, protein, antioxidant, and probiotic.  You are are already taking some supplements, then you may be doubling your dosage by accident, so be sure to only buy the one's you need.

Enerprime Superfood:  Enerprime is a straight up superfood supplement.  Click here for the food label.

LivingFuel's Supergreens:  LivingFuel Supergreen is not only a supergreen supplement but contain's a lot more to include green superfoods, plant protein, vitamins, minerals, herbs, amino acids, antioxidants, essential fats, enzymes and probiotics.  Check here for the nutritional label.

Starting a Running Program

Jonathan recently asked a great question on my facebook page about how to start a running program.  This tends to be a common question asked among people who want to get back into shape, as it's one of the easiest and cheapest forms of exercise, and a lot of fun once you get going!  My first piece of advice is to hold the enthusiasm and start from square one, which would be getting a good pair of shoes.  If you have never done a foot analysist, I highly recommend you start there.  The nice thing is that if you live in a fairly large town, that has a specific running only store, they most often will do these for free by putting you on a treadmill and video taping your gait to determine how your feet pronate.  If you don't have one of these stores available where you live, don't worry, you can do a rudimentary test on yourself called the Wet Test (Runner's World Wet Test).

Once you have bought yourself a proper pair of running shoes, the first goal is to build a proper base to build upon later.  If you've ever known the type of person who has woken up one day and decided, "I'm going to go out and run 4-5 miles today", you'll probably be able to guess what happened the following day and understand that this is not a good idea.  Most likely, this person will be spending the next week in bed, barely being able to walk around.  Why?  Because they did not build a base, and just jumped in too quickly.  Instead, try going out and do a few long walks throughout the week.  Maybe 2-3 walks the first week to start off, and then analyze how you feel.  It's important to realize that everybody is going to adapt to exercise differently, so its important to start learning how to read your body and how it responds to exercise and nutrition.  The following week, start by walking 10-15 minutes and throw in a few short jogging sessions, maybe 10-15 minutes long, and then finish with a 10-15 minute walk.  Notice that the total time of exercise will put you between 20-30 minutes.  This type of running buildup program should only be accomplished 2-3 times a week (with days of rest in between), for about the first few weeks, until your body has had time to properly repair itself and begin building that base I spoke about earlier.  As you begin to feel less sore on each consecutive workout, then you can begin extending that jogging time to achieve your goals.  I also highly recommend that you throw in atleast one to two high intensity interval training (HIIT) sessions per week, once you have atleast a month of buildup under your belt.  The benefits of short duration, high-intensity has an enormous positive effect on muscle growth, improving cardiovascular health, and fat burning.  So what is an example of HIIT?  Try going to a track, and after completing a 10-15 minute warm-up, do a few 400m sprints, with about 1-2 minutes walking rest in between each sprint.  I will be doing a blog post later about the benefits of HIIT, but for now, don't get into the mindset that your cardio program has to be long and slow.  On a final note, realive that these HIIT workouts will be very stressful to the body (in a good way), but know that you may find yourself much more sore than normal, so take the proper rest between workouts, and never do HIIT more than 2-3 times a week, unless you have a specific reason too.

I hope all this information helps!  If you have any follow up questions, please leave them as a comment below this post.  Have a wonderful week in training, and enjoy those runs!

Protein Supplements: How they work and what to look for when buying

This week I want to discuss briefly about protein supplementation, sense it seems to be that just about everyone who works out will at some point begin taking this vital supplement. What people don’t realize is that there are huge differences in the protein supplements that are available to buy. Just to name a few, these differences include prices, ingredients, and sources of protein. Sales of protein supplements continue to rise each year, adding to the estimated $25 billion U.S. dietary supplement industry (Dennis, 2010). According to a survey conducted by the Ipsos-Public Affairs for the Council of Responsible Nutrition (CRN), 65% of adult Americans (approximately 150 million) label themselves as supplement users (CRN, 2009). Taking a protein supplement while following an exercise program can have beneficial outcomes, so let’s take a look at what these may be and how protein works to benefit you.

First, we must discuss what is protein? Protein is an organic compound composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. There are two types of proteins: complete and incomplete. Complete proteins contain all the essential amino acids, whereas incomplete proteins do not. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and muscle tissue. Amino acids are broken down into essential (body does not produce enough naturally to support growth, therefore must be supplemented), non-essential (produced naturally by the human body in sufficient amounts and therefore do not need to be supplemented), and conditionally-essential (cannot be produced by the human body in sufficient amounts during illness and during times of extreme emotional stress, so therefore may need to be supplemented) (ISSA, 2008). Complete protein sources include: whey, casein, milk, eggs, beef, cheese, chicken, fish, yogurt, cottage cheese, and turkey. Incomplete protein sources include: vegetables, fruits, rice, grains, oats, pasta, some nuts, bread, and sunflower seeds. Proteins in the body are responsible for synthesizing structural proteins like muscle and also responsible for synthesizing structural hormones (insulin, growth hormone, Insulin Growth Factor-1). In essence, this all means that proteins are responsible for muscle growth, recovery, strength, and absorption of nutrients into your muscle cells.

When consuming a proper diet, your bodies live in a net protein balance (NPB), where protein synthesis vs. protein breakdown, balance each other out. When you work out, especially in a resistance training program or endurance activity, you increase the opportunity for muscle protein synthesis -- an anabolic state where you grow/increase skeletal muscle mass. At the same time, muscle protein breakdown occurs which is a catabolic state when skeletal muscle mass decreases due to stresses placed on the body. Using protein, the body is able to repair the skeletal muscle mass to bring you back into a net protein balance, or a positive protein state which means bigger muscle mass. It is when you do not consume enough protein that your body goes into a negative protein balance (catabolic), and you decrease muscle mass. It has been shown that doing acute heavy resistance exercise (intermittent exercise of repeated short, high-intensity of 60-90% 1 RM) will stimulate an increase in muscle protein synthesis (Hulmi, Lockwood, Stout, 2010). Consuming a pre- or post-exercise protein supplement or essential amino acid (EAA) supplement will help increase the protein synthesis, aiding to new growth. One research study showed that individuals who consumed 15 g of whey protein isolate immediately before and after resistance exercise, for 21 weeks, increased muscle cross-sectional area and seemed to accelerate increases in muscle thickness more than ingestion of a non-energetic placebo (Hulmi et al, 2009). There are several studies that support the use of EAA’s and protein supplements when used with the context of exercise, in order to enhance recovery and reduce muscle soreness (Nosaka, Sacco, Mawatari, 2006; Buckley et al, 2010; Etheridge et al, 2008).

Now that we know that protein is good, when should we use it and how much? Studies vary on the best time to intake protein, but for the majority, research agrees that protein supplementation should be consumed within 1-3 hours post-exercise (Tipton et al, 2007). In addition, during a fasted state, muscle protein synthesis during or immediately after resistance exercise may be prevented by provision of EAA’s before and/or during exercise (Beelen et al, 2008). What research has found, is that as little as 10 g of protein supplementation has shown to be beneficial for muscle hypertrophy (growth). According to ISSA (2008), recommended protein quantities for light to moderate physical activity people tend to be between .8-1.0 g/kg of body weight and for endurance and strength-trained athletes between 1.2-1.8 g/kg of body weight. The amount of protein in your diet will change significantly depending on activity levels, workout programs, body types and goals. This is where I highly recommend a person to speak with a personal trainer and/or a fitness nutritionist to determine the right amount of protein for your diet. This reason for this is that just like too little protein can cause muscle catabolism, too much protein can cause increases in fat. The same goes with inadequate amounts of carbohydrates and fat in the diet. Now this is not suggesting that people have to start counting calories to ensure they are getting the right nutrients, but it does mean that you should be very mindful of what you eat every day and try to get into the habit of eating the right portions of food. This brings us to the last part of the topic on protein supplementation, which includes reading labels. Below are two examples of popular protein whey supplement labels, one good and one bad.

Label 1

Label 2

By quickly looking at the supplement facts section of each of these protein supplements, they both appear to be pretty good. At first glance I would see that they are both relatively low in sugar and have about the same amount of protein (doubling the serving size of label 2 will give us 34 grams). The big discrepancy of the two would be fat, 12g vs. .5g. That’s a difference of 11.5 g of fat! Where I see people make the largest mistakes in buying supplements is a failure to look at the “other” ingredients, which may explain why there is so much more fat in label 1. You’ll immediately notice that label 1 has almost 3 times the amount of ingredients vs. label 2. Even though label 1 shows 4 g of sugar, does that really mean there are not sweeteners? Reading the ingredients immediately show proof that there may be little natural “table” sugar but a ton of other artificial sweeteners that causes the same responses to the body (aka fat storage): maltodextrin, sucralose, fructose, resistant maltodextrin; not to mention the artificial flavorings and sunflower/canola oils. Cocoa powder is a sweetener that is used in both products, because it not only lightly sweetens but also has been proven to help aid in recovery and restoring muscle glycogen. So the lesson here is to not simply buy a product on cheap prices, and great tastes, but read the labels and buy something that is going to give you the most bang for your buck. Supplement companies know that people tend to buy products based on tastes and looks; therefore they get away with avoiding high quality ingredients into their supplements. The benefit of creating a poor quality protein with a great advertising campaign just means it allows the manufactures to increase their profit margin while bleeding your pockets. My technique is I try to buy supplements that have the shortest ingredient labels, that way I know that I’m not doubling up on my supplements (such as caffeine and vitamins) and not putting useless, harmful substances in my body.

I know this may seem overwhelming with all the research, but I want to give you the best information as possible to make an educated decision. The take away is learn to read labels, and find out what exactly you’re buying. I will have future discussions about Amino Acids and different types of proteins, so if you got a little confused, then don’t worry, we’ll clear that up next time. I hope this post helped, and have a great week of training!

References

The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN). (2009). Issues Surrounding Healthcare Key Priority for Supplement Users. Retrieved from http://www.crnusa.org/CRNPR09_ConsumerHC011509.html.

Dennis, J. (2010). Dietary Supplements 2010. Nutraceuticalsworld.com. Retrieved from http://www.nutraceuticalsworld.com/contents/view/17971.

Hulmi, J.J., Kovanen, V., Selänne, H., Kraemer, W.J., Häkkinen, K., Mero, A.A. (2009). Acute and long-term effects of resistance exercise with or without protein ingestion on muscle hypertrophy and gene expression. Amino Acids, 37, 297-308.

Etheridge, T., Philp, A., Watt, P.W. (2008). A single protein meal increases recovery of muscle function following an acute eccentric exercise bout. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab, 33, 483-488.

Buckley, J.D., Thomson, R.L., Coates, A.M., Howe, P.R., DeNichilo, M.O., Rowney, M.K. (2010). Supplementation with a whey protein hydrolysate enhances recovery of muscle force-generating capacity following eccentric exercise. J Sci Med Sport, 13,178-181.

Nosaka, K., Sacco, P., Mawatari, K. (2006) Effects of amino acid supplementation on muscle soreness and damage. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 16, 620-635.

Tipton K.D., Elliott, T.A., Cree, M.G., Aarsland, A.A., Sanford, A.P., Wolfe, R.R. (2007). Stimulation of net muscle protein synthesis by whey protein ingestion before and after exercise. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 292, 71-76.

Beelen, M., Tieland, M., Gijsen, A.P., Vandereyt, H., Kies, A.K., Kuipers, H., Saris, W.H., Koopman, R., Van Loon, L.J. (2008). Coingestion of carbohydrate and protein hydrolysate stimulates muscle protein synthesis during exercise in young men, with no further increase during subsequent overnight recovery. J Nut, 138, E2198-2204.

Beelen, M., Koopman, R., Gijsen, A.P., Vandereyt, H., Kies, A.K., Kuipers, H., Saris, W.H., Van Loon, L.J. (2008). Protein coingestion stimulates muscle protein synthesis during resistance-type exercise. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 295, E70-77.

Welcome to UltraFit Fitness & Nutrition

Welcome to the first posting to UltraFit Fitness & Nutrition blog. My purpose for this blog is to discuss topics of interest for runners, cyclists, triathletes and exercise enthusiasts. In addition to discusing these topics, I will also be discussing nutrition, fat burning, and general topics on exercise, nutrition and healthy living.

Currently I am an ultra-runner, ultra-cyclist, swimmer, triathlete, and love to weight train, eat healthy and share these interests with others. Some of my recent accomplishments have been the Leadville Trail 100 Ultramarathon, TwinPeaks 50 mile Ultramarathon, Pumpkinman Olympic Triathlon, and many other marathons and ultra races. In addition to these interests, I am a certified personal trainer, certified exercise nutritionist and exercise therapist through International Sports and Sciences (ISSA).

My goal is to bring you topics on the latest research that pertains to endurance sports, exercise, and nutrition. Also included in this blog will be video's, podcasts and research supported articles that will be completely free for you to watch or read.

If you have a question, I would love to hear them. Just leave a comment on this blog and I will get to answering those soon.