Sports Nutrition

I have decided that I’ve finally had enough of being the fattest female triathlete in Ottawa. Ha… seriously though, I’ve identified some nutritional deficiencies and bad habits that could be hazardous to my health as the off-season approaches, and as I get older and my metabolism slows down.

Numerous diet attempts, calorie-counting, and other restrictions have all met with failure over the years… I have neither gained nor lost a single pound since I was a teenager. My body seems programmed to stay at this composition and I’ve also “plateaued” athletically. Well this is causing me some distress and unhappiness, so I’m going to try a new and more balanced approach.

Wenzel Coaching/ Scott Saifer’s main Fueling plan for endurance athletes seems to be a good place to start, so I’ll outline the four general “Rules” to follow:

1. Cut out all processed sugars (except DURING exercise); avoid sucrose, glucose, fructose, dextrose, and corn-syrup. Consumption of fruit is not restricted. Reduce consumption of high glycemic index foods, e.g. white flours and starches (except DURING exercise).

2. Balance in every meal (include “good” fats and protein).

3. Drink lots of water. Avoid fruit juice and soft drinks.

4. Eat lots of vegetables.

Now, this plan doesn’t explicitly address alcohol, but since booze contains only empty calories, I’m going to restrict myself to a maximum of two (2) alcoholic drinks per 15+ hour workout week, one (1) drink per 10-15 hour workout week, and zero (0) allowed for each week where I exercise less than 10 hours. The only exception is during a race week: one extra drink is allowed that week, post-race.

Another source I am consulting is Monique Ryan’s “Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition”, and various publications from the Australian Institute of Sport. Stay tuned for updates as I attempt to wean myself off sugar and junk between Labour Day and Thanksgiving.