Sean discusses his triathlon pre race advice including what happens the day before a race. He discusses planning, strategy and all the details to think about before the start of the race. Check out his full race video on our page. Sean tells us about his nutrition, training, and supplementation before the race. We discuss expectations and the difficulties of preparations leading to the big day of the triathlon race. Pop over to his other video which shows the footage from race day. As always we are here to answer your questions on any related to health, nutrition and fitness. We always aim to provide you evidence based recommendations to help you meet you fitness goals.
Sean dives into his first triathlon sprint race of the season. The race was in the kalamazoo battle creek michigan area in the early spring. It was an awesome start the to the year, we follow him through the race in this video. You get to see the swim, bike, and run components of a triathlon race. He gives us a nice review of how he thought he did and how he can improve. Another video will be uploaded discussing registering, setting up your transitions, and nutrition/supplement strategy before the race. You can check out his pre-race interview showing all the planning, strategy, and preparation that went into getting ready for his race.
There is no doubt that non-GMO, vegetarian, vegan, natural, organic, and plant based protein have been buzzwords in nutrition over the last few years. We all know that protein is great for building muscle, boosting the immune system, and regulating blood sugars. But what about vegetable based protein, will it actually do the job? Vegetable based protein is a great choice for people who have either egg or dairy allergies. A Cambridge study found that people using plant based protein as their biggest source of protein had no amino acid deficiencies and therefore were able to utilize the amino acids equally to their whey counterparts. Other studies show it could have less harmful side effects, as well. One study showed that male vegetarians under 65 were 45% less likely to have a heart attack than those who ate meat. Jim Morris is a vegan bodybuilder, who talks about how whey protein was giving him a lot of digestive problems, and the amazing difference plant based protein has made for him. A lot of people have questioned, if we can really use plant based protein the same as whey. Dr. Jordan Joy made a wonderful study titled, “The effects of 8 weeks of whey or rice supplementation body composition and exercise performance.” The results showed that there both groups of protein users gained muscle and strength, but there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups. So, if you are deciding to go vegan, vegetarian due to digestive issues or just seeking a healthier life try switching up your protein supplement. It seems that plant based protein is a great option. If you have any additional questions please feel free to contact us or comment below.
Some great options for plant based proteins include:
What diet is best for weight loss and how to a build a diet plan?
What is the best diet for weight loss? I get this question all of the time. Diets are hard to stick to and normally a change in the way you look at and interact with food along with some calculations and planning are the keys to long term success. I have always felt that nutrition is the hardest part of being healthy and for me personally far more difficult than making it to the gym everyday.
The Science:
We pulled some research studies comparing some of the most popular mainstream diets. One study published in the New England Journal of Medicine which is one of the most prestigious scientific journals compared three different diets. 1) low fat diet, restricted calorie 2) Mediterranean, restricted calorie, or low-carbohydrate, non-restricted calorie. The test groups did great with over 95% adhering to their diet at one year and still nearly 85% at two years.
The average weight loss was 2.9kg (6.38lbs) for the low fat group. 4.4kg (9.68lbs) for the mediterranean diet group and 4.7kg (10.34lbs) for the low carbohydrate group. Looking at the other positive outcomes of the study those on the low carbohydrate diet decreased their ratio of total cholesterol to good cholesterol (HDL) even more so than the low fat group which is great. Low carbohydrate diets are also associated with decrease risk of type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and some cancers. Those in the study with diabetes had the best results with lowering there blood glucose (sugar) levels and decreasing insulin resistance while on the Mediterranean diet. Overall each of these diets left the study participants with great results so your personal preference may the best to guide you to which diet that you are most likely to stick with.
The low carb diet:
With that said side effects are more common with very low carbohydrate diets and can be particularly difficult to stick with especially if you intake fewer than 50 grams of carbohydrates per day. When you intake very low levels of carbohydrates your body goes into a state of ketosis (a change in the way your body uses energy stores) and you do lose weight however, much of the weight loss is from the breakdown of glycogen (the molecule your muscle stores energy as) and water. Constipation, headaches, bad breath, muscle craps, diarrhea, and weakness are all relatively common when on a very low carbohydrate diet. I personally wouldn’t recommend this for a long term weight loss diet.
The Mediterranean diet:
The Mediterranean diet consists of high monounsaturated fats and less saturated fats, moderate red wine consumption, vegetables, fruits, legumes, and gains. This diet also has a relatively low intake of meat and meat products. The Mediterranean diet is associated with decreased cardiovascular risk and risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Calculating your bodies energy expenditure:
Ultimately the best diet is based on your bodies energy expenditure and your food preference. To calculate your energy expenditure multiply 22 by your weight in kg (to get your weight in kilograms divide your bodyweight in pounds by 2.2). That will estimate your energy expenditure +/-20%. Ideally the calories you intake through food will be just below your bodies resting energy expenditure causing you to lose weight. Another option some people use is counting macronutrients (carbs, fats, proteins). Some healthcare professionals do not recommend counting macronutrients composition but it is commonplace especially in bodybuilding and the fitness community.
Setting up your diet and calculating your caloric goal:
An ideal initial weight loss goal can be set at 5-7 percent of body fat so aim to meet that goal and go from there. A good place to start is by creating a diet 500 calories below your energy expenditure (which you calculated above). You may think going even more than 500 calories below your daily energy expenditure but don’t it’s a recipe for failure. Weigh yourself once a week, and you should lose around 0.5kg (1.1lbs) weekly. Your body will adapt and your metabolism will change over 3-6 months where further adjustments may need to be made. This information will get your well on your way with your weight loss journey. Feel free to ask questions were are always here to answer them with science backed evidence! Interested in a custom meal plan and fitness routine to help you meet your goals? Check out our online shop!
Getting started on your weight loss journey sources:
Reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes with the Mediterranean diet: results of the PREDIMED-Reus nutrition intervention randomized trial. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20929998
Maintaining your fitness with a busy lifestyle can be difficult. A few weeks ago I received this exact question from Mel, a second year medical student about She was wondering about the practicality of committing to a contract at a local boxing club to help stay active during her third year medical school rotations. This one hit close to home because as medical students we realize how hard it seems to make time to get to the gym to get a good workout in. A large part of the reason that we founded Ironsnack was to show people who have a busy lifestyle that they are still able to meet their nutrition and fitness goals.
The Context:
Currently as a second year medical student she spend a lot of time in the classroom and has to study in the evenings regularly but there is a degree of flexibility where you are in a classroom setting. When you finally get the honor to start treating patients in your third year of medical school you lose some of the flexibility as it’s more of a work schedule than a class schedule and sometimes you stay late to ensure the patients needs are met. Since the schedule gets busier and more rigid she’s a bit leery to sign the contract. But she mentioned that she would consider it worthwhile even if she was able to go at least three times per week.
I say absolutely go for it! If you know you love boxing and it’s going to give you some time away from the books and the hospital do it. Too many people fall into a sedentary lifestyle when they hit the workplace. Maintaining relationships with my family and friends and continuing to pursue my personal fitness goals are two of my highest priorities when I am on my free time.
The Science:
In traditional Ironsnack fashion we like to support our reasoning with science and evidence. There have been a variety of studies particularly in adolescents that looked at the relationship between exercise and academic success. One particular study by Sanders et. al found that those with more physical activity had higher grade point averages, less depression, and better relationships. These mental and social benefits pair nicely with the health improvements of decreasing bad cholesterol (LDL) and increase in good cholesterol (HDL), improvement in glucose metabolism, increased strength and reduction in sports related injuries. The real possibility of burnout is often discussed in medicine. Medical students in particularly can have up to a 50% burnout rate and sadly 10% of students even struggle with suicidal ideation. A study by Beck et. al. showed that exercise has the potential to reduce stress and prevent the development of deeper depression. A Mayo clinic study found that residents and fellows who enrolled in an exercise program had better quality of life assessment after a 12 week period and were at a lower risk of burnout. Time and time again studies have supported that exercise, particularly aerobic exercise, can help with anxiety, distress while also improving your mood, increasing your intellectual functioning and improving your self concept.
The Reality:
So now we have shared the science with you. However, the science doesn’t necessarily answer the question about the practicality of squeezing a fitness regimen into a busy lifestyle. For me I have always been inspired by seeing others accomplish their goals. To be able to see someone come before me and be successful in a particular area always allowed me to approach my goals with more confidence. There is no doubt that you will be more crunched for time in the coming year. There is always time for fitness but you have to be willing to make it a priority. I think you setting the goal of three days a week is a totally realistic and achievable goal. There are definitely times when making it to the gym will be more difficult the most challenging time for me was during surgery. However, maybe I can inspire you with this. During my 12 week NPC physique show preparation I managed to make it to the gym 6 days a week for 2 hours each day. During this time I was also meal prepping so I would cook and pack food at least 4 hours per week. Clean up took around 45 minutes to 1 hour a day and I spent time eating 6 meals per day. I certainly was stretched thin but I maintained my academics and pushed my health and fitness to the next level. I absolutely believe that you can maintain a fitness and health even with a busy lifestyle. One of the biggest suggestions I can give you is prepare to hit your gym session immediately after walking out the hospital. Make it yourself your top priority and I believe you will see improvements in all the other areas of your life. I hope that answers your question Mel! We love getting questions from our followers feel free to comment below or use the contact page to send us a question.
Sources for maintaining fitness with a busy lifestyle:
Exercise is positively related to adolescent’s relationships and academics
Alcohol along with many other things can hinder you ability to gain muscle. Alcohol consumption came sometimes go right along with lack of sleep (all night benders) and poor nutrition (greasy drunken burger cravings). Alcohol consumption has many negative effects on the human body. We have probably all found out the hard way alcohol can dehydrate you. It dehydrates you by blocking the action of ADH (anti-diuretic hormone) a hormone that allows your kidney to prevent excess loss of water from your body. When the body is reduced by 2% or more of total body water it directly affects your performance and also can reduce muscle volume. Being dehydrated can decrease strength (by approximately 2%), power (by approximately 3%) and high-intensity endurance (by approximately 10%). There have also been studies on how it has affected muscular development. One study found a decrease in MPS (myofibrillar protein synthesis) this directly affects muscle hypertrophy (increase in muscle size). This decrease in protein and therefore muscle synthesis occurred even when protein was supplemented along with the alcohol. This leads to an inefficient post workout recovery period and the interruptions to this critical period less gain of muscle size. Studies in rats have shown that alcohol consumption may also compromise muscle integrity. This is evident through increases in plasma creatine kinase (marker for muscle damage). Meaning that if you drink around the time that you are lifting increased muscle damage may be occurring. If that wasn’t enough it has also shown to suppress testosterone levels. A hormone not only important for muscle development but also reproductive health. Also, don’t forget the caloric aspect of alcohol consumption that we discussed in our macronutrient article. So next time you are thinking about having a drink before, after….. or during your workout you now know why you should skip it.
