by Joan Kent | Jun 2, 2014 | Best Practices, Health and Wellness, Master Instructor Blog
By Joan Kent
For over 13 years, until about a year and a half ago, I was in an athletic performance program that was progressive and periodized. Phases 2 and 3 involved some seriously difficult trainings. I was in the habit of eating what I called my “no-bonk breakfast” because it got me through even the toughest workouts without an energy crash.
Since then, nutrition trends have shifted, as they tend to do. So I thought I’d present the No-Bonk Breakfast in its original form and offer a few variations for those who would prefer those.
Here’s the original. It starts with oatmeal, although you shouldn’t eat that first, by itself. Cook it with water and cinnamon (for the glucose-stabilizing effect). If you’re feeling hardcore, you can open the refrigerator and find some protein, like chicken, from last night’s dinner and eat that while the oatmeal cooks. If not, stay with me for Plan B.
Plan B: Once the oatmeal is done, add a scoop of high-quality protein powder. This can be unflavored whey protein or a raw, vegan vegetable protein powder — or a combination of the two. (Other types of protein powder, like soy or brown rice, can also work. It’s a personal choice, although I find brown rice protein powder tends to upset my stomach.) Don’t cook the oatmeal with the protein powder, since heat can destroy amino acids. Add it to the cooked oatmeal.
Then add a wholesome fat. Examples might include raw, organic coconut oil; raw almond butter; cashew/macadamia butter (I gave you easy instructions for that over the holidays); walnuts, or another option that appeals to you.
If you want, you can add some fruit, such as ¼ cup of berries and/or ½ to 1 teaspoon of probiotic yogurt.
Okay, that’s the original breakfast. Many gluten-free readers will object to oats from that perspective. Instead, you can try exactly the same recipe using quinoa. Because quinoa is often a lunch or dinner item, people assume its seasonings need to be savory, but there’s no reason at all you can’t use cinnamon and fruit, if you wish.
Another gluten-free way to go is with brown rice. You might even try sweet potatoes. I’ve discovered that sweet potatoes and cinnamon make a great combination.
Some of these alternatives won’t lend themselves to blending with protein powder, so here are two suggestions: mix the protein powder in a cup with water and drink it first, then eat the rest of your breakfast, OR go back to the original, “hard-core” idea and eat some leftover protein from dinner while heating up your rice, sweet potatoes, or quinoa.
Whatever you decide, this will be a great pre-class or pre-ride meal, but do not have it immediately before the workout.
It’s a good idea to eat as soon as you get up in the morning. One sports nutrition expert advised us to wake up, use the bathroom as always, then immediately go into the kitchen and eat. That’s not only good advice, but somewhat radical, since it’s uncommon.
The worst thing to do is take care of everything else first — pack your gym bag (or get your cycling gear together), walk your dog, update your Facebook page — and then eat whatever you find before you run out the door. Doing that forces you to settle for the “grab-n-go” — whatever you can eat while driving, while cycling, while walking, or what-have-you. It also means the food won’t be available during your training because it will still be in your stomach.
So the No-Bonk plan is: a) wake up early and eat right away, so your food is more accessible when your body needs it; b) eat one of the above breakfasts that combines protein, complex starches, and healthful fats. Fruit is optional. Portion sizes are up to you. Judge your own calorie needs and what you can handle comfortably.
The right breakfast and the right timing should help you get through a tough class or a tough ride without an energy slump. Please let me know how this works for you.
by Joan Kent | May 7, 2012 | Health and Wellness
By Team ICG® Master Trainer Joan Kent
Training and nutrition go hand in hand. The more we train, the more questions may arise about what to eat. The questions matter to indoor-cycling instructors because our students come to us for answers.
Food cravings are one of the more interesting things that may occur with increased training. A craving is an intense urge or desire to eat a specific type of food. A common craving is for sugary foods. Some students can indulge their sugar cravings without repercussions. For others, giving in to cravings repeatedly can undermine their training or even lead to health issues — weight gain, high cholesterol, mood swings, diabetes, and more.
Below are some causes of sugar cravings to help you answer questions from your students.
Low glucose. This is probably the one we hear most often. The theory is that sugar cravings are caused by low blood glucose, which might occur if someone hasn’t eaten in a long time, or has skipped breakfast to take an early class. Evidence supports this. In fact, sugar cravings occur in response to how fast glucose drops, rather than how low. This could also mean that the student is eating junky carbs, which trigger lots of insulin and are fast “glucose-droppers.”
Biological need. Some sources think cravings express a biological need and should be answered with a “dose” of the craved food. Salt cravings are usually the example and seem to corroborate this viewpoint. Many people crave salty foods after hard trainings, so I’m inclined to think that salt cravings could indicate a biological need.
Evidence doesn’t support this explanation with respect to sugar cravings, though. Sugar has been shown to be addictive. A drug addict will get cravings for that drug, but the cravings don’t indicate a basic biological need and might suggest withdrawal (see below).
Too little fat. Research documents a sugar/fat seesaw (as one decreases in the diet, the other increases). Sugar cravings can definitely result from a diet that’s too low in fats. A previous ICI/PRO post (Controlling the Sugar/Fat Seesaw) explained that specific hormones and brain chemicals are involved. Eating healthful fats is a helpful solution.
Withdrawal. Another factor is withdrawal if, say, a student has recently quit drinking alcohol. This involves the chemicals affected by the original substance. Alcohol stimulates three brain chemicals that are also stimulated by sugar. The similarity makes sugar a short-term substitute for alcohol when cravings occur and explains why people in recovery from alcohol (or drugs) crave sugar and may eat it frequently or in large quantities. That can backfire due to priming (see Triggers below).
Triggers. Triggers may be external (seeing or smelling an appealing food) or internal (eating a small amount of a trigger food). Internal triggering is known as “priming”, and a small amount makes us want more. It’s the result of a specific brain receptor for the chemical dopamine. Some people are more susceptible to priming than others.
Chronic stress. While short-term stress tends to decrease appetite, chronic stress can stimulate appetite, alter brain chemistry, and result in mood changes and a preference for sugar.
Dysphoria. Dysphoria refers to bad moods. Any bad mood can trigger a sugar craving. Sugar alters brain chemistry in a way that changes mood, at least temporarily. Unfortunately, it can make things worse in the long run.
Serotonin disturbances. Disturbances in the chemical serotonin may occur in depression, seasonal affective disorder, PMS, menopause, chronic alcohol use, or insulin resistance. Any of these may result in sugar cravings. Serotonin is made from tryptophan, an amino acid. Insulin resistance can reduce serotonin production by keeping tryptophan from getting to the brain. Insulin resistance in 
turn may be caused by lots of things: genetics, obesity, chronic stress, or a diet that’s too high in fats, junky carbs, or fructose, the sugar in fruit.
Other craving triggers include a low-protein diet (this is a big one), or B-vitamin deficiencies, which tend to occur in clusters, rather than individually.
As I recommended in an interview with John several months ago, the fastest and most effective way to eliminate any craving is to take a teaspoon of TwinLab Super-B Complex. The B vitamins are co-factors (catalysts) in the formation of several key brain chemicals. When the chemicals are at optimal levels, cravings stop and don’t recur for up to 24 hours.
If your students are serious about eliminating cravings more permanently, you might suggest that they eat protein with virtually every meal or snack. Protein provides the amino acids for the brain chemicals that stop cravings.
My colleague Jim Karanas claims that people may lack awareness of cravings. He says we may disregard feelings about a food when our desire for it is unnaturally strong and justify eating it unconsciously.
Maybe that’s true. A final point, though, is that eating sugar can and will prime cravings, so the less sugar a student eats, the better. True, that’s easier said than done for some, but protein, healthful fats, and liquid B-complex can help.
by Ben Greenfield | May 7, 2010 | Ben Greenfield
It doesn't matter how much you exercise, how well you eat, or how strictly you control your caloric intake — your body is constantly stressed or your sleep is inadequate, you will constantly fail in pursuing your health, wellness, or performance goals. But if these barriers are removed, you will vastly improve your ability to gain maximum benefits from a good nutrition plan.
As you explain the importance of stress and sleep to your class, here is what to tell them:
The body has several neurotransmitters that are actively involved in control of appetite and mental motivation. Dopamine, one neurotransmitter, is your body's pleasure molecule, acting to significantly affect desire for activity, eating satisfaction and food cravings. Inadequate dopamine increases the chances that you will have a decreased drive to exercise and be less effective at regulating your nutritional intake.
(more…)
by Ben Greenfield | Apr 26, 2010 | Ben Greenfield
It starts with a good breakfast!
For your class to truly reap the full benefits of any workout, they must fuel and re-fuel properly — and a full understanding of pre and post-workout nutrition is one of the best gifts you can give your indoor cycling students!
It is important to understand that if the body’s carbohydrate stores are depleted, then fewer overall calories are burnt during the workout, more stress hormones are released during and after the workout, and the overall fitness response is hampered. Furthermore, if carbohydrate and protein levels are not replaced within 20-60 minutes following the workout (shorter periods of time applicable to individuals with higher metabolisms), then recovery is diminished, and a crucial window of time for the muscles to uptake sugar and proteins into muscle is missed.
Despite this fact, many students feel that in order to lose weight or burn fat, they must starve themselves both before and after their indoor cycling session. These individuals must be reminded that they are slowing their progress and wasting much of their workout benefit.
The best place to begin teaching your class about pre and post-workout nutrition is to give them several simple rules to follow:
(more…)
by Ben Greenfield | Apr 8, 2010 | Ben Greenfield
So if your indoor cycling students eat your fruits and vegetables, expose yourself to adequate sunlight, get plenty of sleep, and stay well hydrated, their body shouldn't really need a supplemental source of vitamins and minerals, right? Wrong.
Here are 5 powerful reasons that you explain to your students about why they need to take a multi-vitamin, no matter how healthy their lifestyle may be.
- Nutrient depletion in the soil. Modern farming techniques utilize fertilizers that actually deplete the soil of essential nutrients. Agriculture relies on the elements in the soil for absorption of proper amounts of minerals, and when this process is interrupted, the plant does not contain essential minerals and cannot form essential vitamins. And if the plant doesn't have it then you're not going to get it from eating the plant!
- Your ability to absorb nutrients from food actually decreases as you age. So while growing children should absolutely be taking a multivitamin to support healthy tissue and bone formation, supplementation becomes equally important for the older population. Sure, you could just eat more food, but this introduces a problem with caloric balance. Beware that many medications also interfere with proper nutrient absorption.
(more…)
