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Nutrition Performance Sports Nutrition

STRUCTURED FUELLING – FAILING TO PREPARE IS PREPARING TO FAIL

When it comes down to race preparation athletes are all about the training never the nutrition around it. It is often an after thought. However its not just nutrition in and around the training an athlete should be focussed on its also the daily nutritional intake from waking up all the way to bed time. It plays a vital roll in maintaining an energy balance, supporting the recovery process, and keeping that immune system in check.

A few weeks ago, I participated in my first race after many years in hibernation due to ongoing commitments which never afforded me the time to put in the proper preparation. But when I decide to race it’s really a test of my consistent training and I don’t race for fun. I set a goal and stick to it. This time I went for Ironman 70.3 Tiberius with the single goal of getting a category podium to qualify for world champs. I knew what I needed to do from a numbers perspective to hit the target. But aside from training numbers the nutrition had to be spot on to support the effort. Over and above the actual training my age being a tender 51 meant recovery between sessions is more challenging and so dietary changes were needed to support the increases in volume and intensity. I wont dive into the daily nutrition in this blog as its quite detailed. I will leave that for another day. The purpose of this blog is to explain the approach to race day nutrition and how I properly prepared for it. Hopefully you can take away something and use it towards your big day.

WHEN DO YOU START?
Kicking off a race day nutrition plan needs to be tried and tested in training as much as you can. This needs to start many months before the actual race. In my case it was 10 months prior to race day. A fuelling plan needs to be properly structured, and tried, tested and stuck to like glue on race day.

FIRST STEPS
The first step you need to make is to think about the disciplines of swim bike and run and in your mind put a picture together of how you want to fuel each of those three.



-SWIM

Swimming being the first discipline means a pre-race meal and possible top ups on route to the start. In my case I decided to use 32Gi Pre-Race Meal as my pre-race fuel and because it such an important part of race day I consumed it prior to all my long and hard sessions. I also ensured I consumed it prior to most of my swims to ensure my digestive system was comfortable throughout. The serving sizes varied depending on how long before a training session I consumed it.

– BIKE
Generally this is the longest leg of a triathlon and the fuelling required to hold an effort for hours means a good fuelling plan that is simple and convenient while on the go.

Often cyclists complicate bike feeding, and this is something I like to keep as simple as possible. The way to determine intake on the bike is to understand a few very important things.

1.First is how long are you planning on riding for?

2.How many calories you are wanting to take in hourly (carbs only or carbs + protein)

3.How much fluid are you planning on consuming hourly for hydration purposes (this is weather and temperature dependant with heat and or humidity which can increase fluid loss)

In my case I pegged the bike to 2h30 as a pretty good estimate based on testing and in my case I went with around 280Kcals per an hour which equates to 70gram carbohydrates per an hour. Race weight is +-66kg placing me at over 1gram carbs per kg of body weight. However, I opted to go with 32Gi Race Pro which is a carbohydrate rich drink with a protein portion. I find protein intake during a long event keeps me stable and it can mitigate the onset of gluconeogenesis which can trigger muscle fatigue. 32Gi Race Pro is a single source feed so for me it was a simple uncomplicated feed and nothing else was needed from an energy perspective. I went with the mocha flavour due to it containing caffeine. I enjoy racing on caffeine. I decided to use a 600ml bottle and test the concentrate. This meant 10 scoops of Race Pro in the bottle for a 2.5hr ride. Aside from energy we need to also think about fluid intake to remain hydrated. By placing 10 scoops of Race Pro in a 600ml bottle that has turned the drink into a hypertonic solution which will provide energy, but it is not possible to hydrate. So, to manage this I placed an 800ml bottle of 32Gi Hydrate on the bike for hydration purposes. Optimal hydration is around 80% of lost fluid in the form of sweat. How do I know this number? I weigh myself before and after training sessions to determin weight loss which equates to fluid loss. During testing all went very well and I found my digestive system tolerated everything very well. The way I fed was alternating sips of energy and hydration spaced around 10min apart meaning Race Pro intake 3 times per an hour with fluid intake in between as needed. As we moved towards much hotter weather I realised that my fluid intake was not sufficient and that my sodium intake needed to be upped a little more. This led to a slight modification. Instead of 10 scoops in the 600ml bottle I placed 4 scoops in there to keep the solution isotonic (hydrates and provides energy with a more even pull through) and then I used a soft 300ml squeeze bottle which I placed the concentrate in, and carried that in my suite pocket for easy access. I then increased my Hydrate intake to 1.5 tablets in the hydration bottle so that I could get in around +-750mg sodium per an hour.
This worked amazingly well and on all training rides energy levels as well digestive comfort was spot on. I just needed to do one more test and this was on a 90km simulation which I did around 6 weeks out from race day. I woke up ate my 32Gi Pre-Race Meal as planned, pre-hydrated a little and then went out for a hard effort on the bike with my set fuelling strategy. I completed the course in 2h27 and the fuelling was perfect. These kind of tests demonstrate not just the level of fitness you at but more importantly the fuel required to achieve that effort was correct. It takes the stress off having to worry about any changes or adjustments. When it works bank it and take it to race day with a smile.

Run
The run leg is often where athletes can make or break their race, and this is determined by how well they fuelled on the bike leg and then how they continue to fuel through the run leg. A lot of triathletes test their fuelling on the bike and that is all then very often decide to rely on the course fuel for the rest of their race. I advocate never to rely on race course nutrition. You just do not know what you are getting from a dilution factor and that everything will go smoothly on the day. At Ironman Tiberius which was also Middle Eastern Championships 32Gi was the official nutrition partner. I remember going down the run course and being offered 32Gi products at the aid station by an athlete volunteering who knew me well. I refused the feed and kept going. He was a little in shock that I didn’t take my own fuel off the course. I explained to him afterwards when you go to battle take your own weapons that way you know they will work. The run course fuel was not my chosen fuel in training. My Run fuel was simple another soft squeeze bottles this time a 250ml hydra pack with a 32Gi Race Pro concentrate. All I needed in addition was water on the course and nothing else. Again, during training, I would run with the pack in my tri suite to get used to the feel and to ensure it worked well for me. I also did testers using longer harder efforts or brick sessions to test the nutrition worked well. Once I had tested dozens of times and was confident in the fuelling, I banked it.

ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS
The one thing I have not spoke about which is vital in any triathlon is always to be prepared for anything. In this case often full distances allow special need bags for those that want some insurance. In my case the transition zone becomes very important.
On race morning I place two extra bottles in the bike and run bags one is a hydration bottle which is just water and 32Gi Hydrate and the other is a 250ml bottle of Race Pro with some 32Gi G-Shot’s (caffeine shots). These bottles are there in case I need to top up on energy or hydrate between the different legs of the race. The caffeine is something I take in prior to the race start and a just in case between legs.  

In my case our event started way over an hour after transition closed and I needed to use the time wisely to keep myself topped up. I sipped on Race Pro prior to the start of the event.

PLANNED NUTRITION
Below is exactly what went to the race course

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED
As they say if you fail to prepare then prepare to fail. As much as we watched the weather and had an idea of conditions, race day threw us a nice curve ball. At 4am the rain came down and a hard the wind picked up. This was going to be a tough day out for most of the field. The cooler conditions and the rain made for slight changes in my nutritional strategy. What happens when temps drop is fluid loss is not as high and so I dropped my sodium down to +-500mg an hour instead of the 750mg planned. I also decided to start the feed from the concentrated squeeze bottle in order to allow the body to hit peak temperatures to keep fluid intake nominal and not over do it early on. Later when my fluid loss was slightly higher I would switch to more fluid with the small Race Pro bottle in the bottle cage. Minor adjustments to an already tried and tested plan.

THE END RESULT
Physically it wasn’t my best day out due to a number of reasons but I am never one for excuses and regardless we soldier on. Regardless of how I felt my race times were in line for a tough day out. The nutrition was perfect down to the red carpet and I never felt any discomfort or lack of energy.

Although I wanted the top step I had to settle for second place. My podium goal achieved and that is what I set out to do from the day I decided to enter the race.

The point of this blog is really to stress the importance of proper structure not just in training but in the nutrition in and around the training. There is no ways you can reach your true potential or push any hard efforts without a tried and tested nutrition and hydration strategy.

Below is a how I structured my race day nutrition. I know some of you have never truly given the nutrition much in-depth thought and many just thumb suck their way through. But you ask any professional or elite athlete about their intake during an event they will break it down into the finest of details because they know it’s the difference between a win a loss and a hard or smoother day out.

Hopefully you learned something from this approach above and will give your nutrition some proper thought before your big day.

Yours in health always

M

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Health Nutrition Performance

ARE YOU IMPAIRING YOUR ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE BY TRYING TO FOCUS ON WEIGHT LOSS?

After more than two decades in speciliaizing with athlete nutrition I still constantly come across the same mistakes athletes tend to keep making over and over again.

UNDEREATING
Most people understand that a calorie deficit is required for weight loss. Its proven science that if you consume less than you are burning off over time you will see a decline in weight. Then weight loss happens and the calorie deficit continues because the individual wants to lose more weight but then it becomes too much of a sacrifice and so the domino effect begins. Lowered metabolic health and lots of rebounds and roller coastering with no stability and progress over time.

Each individual has a unique rest metabolic rate. This is an estimation of calorie burn rate through normal bodily function at rest. Add in some additional factors such as exercise and one can get a pretty accurate estimation of total daily burn rate.

When it comes down to athletes, every day is a different day. Some days an athlete will rest, some days they will have shorter duration sessions, sometimes longer duration, somtimes more intense quality days and then every so often you will find those athletes that train twice or more a day. What this means in simple terms is that a highly active individual will generally have quite a broad differential range of energy expenditure from a day to day basis. This is what I define as an athletes unique daily burn rate.

When athletes come knocking at my door and tell me they want to lose weight the first thing I say is it really weight loss or is it a change in body composition? Shape means more than a scale. Percentage of lean muscle to total mass is what I look for in any individual and this might not change the scale a lot but it can certainly change the centimeters.

With this in mind I need to first guage a number of things.

1. What is your goal and how far out are you from it?
If you are a few months out from a race and you are trying to lose weight you then are making a huge mistake. Weight loss is not a point of focus before a major event. Main focus should be supporting the training from a performance and recovery perspective. This means maintaining an energy balance and not eating in a deficit which depending on the extent of that will over time lead to lack of energy, lack of ability to push pace and power numbers, lack of recovery, lower training adaptations, low and slow progression and possibe decline in fitness and strength and then the higher the likelihood of triggering illness or injury.

2. What is your current Training Routine
Any active individual has a training regime whether maintaining or increasing fitness or strength or gearing towards an event. As mentioned earlier energy expenditure differs greatly depending on the duration and intensity of an exercise session. This means that on a day to day basis energy intake in the form of food will differ. Some days you will need to eat more especially those longer harder training sessions. And some days you can eat less due to lower intensity, shorter sessions or rest days. When thinking about nutrition it always needs to fit the training like a glove. The two should work seamlessly hand in hand to ensure optimal energy, recovery and of course taking your goal into account which is actually fat loss and maintaining or increasing lean muscle.

3. What is you current Health Status
Who doesn’t love a good view of an athletes blood chemistry. So often I come across “healthy active” individuals only to get back a nice batch of bloods which tell me otherwise. Seriously though, when it comes to constantly being active it means placing the body under additoinal physiological stress. Any additional stresses on the body when the engine is less than stellar could spell a lot of trouble over time and in some cases I have actually seen certain metabolic panel markers a reason for an athletes inability to stay healthy, injury free and get into great shape. So yes, show me your blood first and only then will I show you some direction.

4. What do your meals look like?

I love it when people tell me they eat healthy. You know if I had not been doing this for so long I would be far more trusting in what people say. When it comes to nutrition with me its black and white. Diarize what you eat and drink on a daily basis and then let me analyze all those ones and zeros. The numbers speak for themselves. Healthy eating can mean very different things to different people. I mean is a smoothie healthy? In most cases they not. It competely depends on the ingredients, macronutirent composition and the volume of the meal. Most are loaded with sugar and believe me the blood glucose monitors love take off soon after consumption.

So getting back to “weight loss” is it really about that or is it about simply improving your health which will empower you to perform better and at the same time optimze your engine and shell.

Let me get back to this idea of being active and wanting weight loss and then under eating. It just does not work. If you truly want to do this properly then time your calorie deficits, ensure they are not excessive but only slight and gradual over time. Excessive calorie deficits break down the body, lower perfomance numbers, lower metabolic health and leave you in a less than stellar health space and ability to perform.
Place an emphasis on health. Maximize and optimize your nutrition intake and do not aim for quick fixes.

Time, patience, consistency and discipline equates to success.

Yours in Health and Fitness always

M

Categories
Health Nutrition Performance Recovery Sports Nutrition

Is Intermittent Fasting A Good Idea For Athletes?


Intermittent fasting has undoubtedly come to the forefront over the past few years, and more and more, I am getting asked by athletes whether I think intermittent fasting is a good idea? One needs to ask, what is your reasoning for doing intermittent fasting? I mostly hear athletes telling me that they want to lose weight, lean out, become more fat efficient, or improve health. I guess the big question is, what is your actual goal? Are you trying to lose weight? Are you trying to improve your previous best marathon or Ironman time, or are you just doing it for health reasons?

Firstly, it’s a fact that intermittent fasting is a form of calorie restriction. So if you can restrict calories by fasting, why can’t you limit calories by eating correctly? When you place your body into a fasted state, you begin playing with leptin and ghrelin hormones. The inability to balance these hormones properly due to overeating or fasting can cause roller-coaster effects that do not serve the intended purpose. If trying to limit the insulin response by placing yourself in a fasted state is the objective, you should know that this can also be done in a non-fasting state.

The main question, though, is, why would you even consider fasting as an active individual or an athlete? 

Weight loss comes from eating correctly, meaning a calorie-restricted diet and proper macronutrient intake to support your unique requirements. Lean muscle gain also comes from eating correctly and ensuring proper macronutrient intake daily. I am just trying to stress how vital nutrition is for fat loss, muscle gain, and maintenance. However, what about energy, immunity, recovery, and performance as an athlete. Intermittent fasting does not support those systems. Quite the opposite, it will hamper the recovery process, limit your energy levels, and place your immune system under additional stress. 

Let me explain to fully understand the consequences of intermittent fasting while trying to be the best possible healthy athlete.

RECOVERY

When it comes to recovery, there are three main aspects that I look at, and these are:

  • Rehydration
  • Muscle Protein Synthesis
  • Glycogen Restoration and blood sugar stabilization

If an athlete embarks on intermittent fasting, then rehydration and adequate fluid intake will not be an issue. The main problems will arise regarding muscle protein synthesis and glycogen replenishment. Adequate protein intake for any athlete is essential for recovery. Generally, I work on around 1.4g – 1.7g of protein per kilogram of body weight for endurance athletes. Then, for lean muscle increase or strength athletes, the protein volume can quickly move to 2g/kg body weight and higher. The volume needed will depend on the athletes’ goals and exercise regime. 

Strength work and developing more lean muscle will require a higher protein intake, while maintenance and repair will be lower. 

Take as an example a 70kg athlete who is training on average 90min a day. His goals are body fat loss, increased lean muscle, and strength. More of a combination athlete. In this case, I would advise a protein intake of at least 120-130g of protein per day. In animal nutrition terms, 5 chicken breasts or plant terms 2kg of boiled lentils. That is quite a lot of food in protein terms. Most intermittent fasters deploy a 16:8 window which is quite long. It means squeezing this protein intake into a small amount of time.

However, as we know, when it comes down to protein, the human body can only process and absorb a certain amount of protein every +-3hrs. This is generally in the region of +- 8-11 grams per hour. If you are a plant-based eater, you will expect severe GI distress in consuming a high amount of plant protein in a short window period as fiber content is a lot higher. So, as you can see, it’s not possible to squash large protein portions into fewer meals and expect the correct portion amount for proper muscle protein synthesis to take place. Overeating protein can also trigger elevations in blood sugar, easily leading to weight gain. We also know that consuming a protein with a carbohydrate post-exercise up-regulates amino acid uptake, specifically leucine, a significant trigger for muscle protein synthesis. 

What also allows for proper muscle protein synthesis is a positive nitrogen balance. Nitrogen is the most crucial component of amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein. This means that if you are fasting, the amount of nitrogen excreted from the body is greater than the amount of nitrogen ingested, and there is no repair work taking place. It places you in a catabolic or breakdown state. This means limited training adaptations and limited progress. 

EATING FOR ENERGY

The next aspect I want to look at is the energy system, our primary fuel tanks being glycogen and fat. Glycogen is our rocket fuel used at higher intensities, while fat becomes the fuel of choice in lower aerobic zones. 

A hard workout where glycogen depletion takes place will require carbohydrate intake post-exercise to start the glycogen replenishment process and stabilise blood sugar rapidly. This would often result in high muscle damage, meaning protein intake also needs to be considered after exercise. Extending the fasted period a few hours post-exercise will delay the recovery process, leading to fatigue. This will also hamper back-to-back sessions. Then when it does become time to break the fast, how do you know how much to consume in carbohydrates and protein. The body has requirements from a macronutrient perspective and post-exercise stresses, which must be met to ensure a proper and healthy recovery. 

When it comes down to the primary energy system, carbohydrates are, without a doubt, our rocket fuel if you are going to be doing an FTP (Functional Threshold Power) test or an interval or track session. Then how can you expect to achieve the best possible numbers without fuelling the session properly? Pushing those sessions to the best possible effort will ultimately lead to better gains and more fat burning post-exercise by elevating the metabolic rate that much more. It has been scientifically proven that a fuelled session will give better performance numbers. Better performance numbers equate to better training adaptations.

When it boils down to performance gains and being a fitter, faster and stronger athlete, you need to fuel your effort. Fuelling during an exercise session or eating post-exercise recovery meals is not why athletes are overweight. Weight gain comes with overeating and inadequate macronutrient meal construction throughout the whole day and week. 

The Fat Efficient Athlete

To become a fat-efficient athlete, intermittent fasting is not required. Fasted training is a good way of developing this, but that is entirely different from intermittent fasting. A fasted session does require a recovery meal post-exercise, and the volume and type of meal will be determined by the duration and intensity of the exercise session. Failing to recover from an exercise session is, without a doubt, failing the session itself. 

To summarise my views on intermittent fasting and sports performance. They do not go hand in hand. Whether endurance or strength disciplines or a combination of the two, they place a lot of physical stress on the body. This impacts the musculoskeletal system, the immune system, and the energy system. The athlete’s body requires nutrients to fuel, repair, and fortify it constantly. Failing to give the body what it needs will ultimately lead to a lack of performance and potentially illness or injury.

If you want to perform, get stronger, lean out, and get your resilient engine and body, then learn to eat correctly and avoid shortcuts that don’t benefit those goals.

If you are only trying to lose weight or have a medical condition that requires a calorie-restricted diet, then intermittent fasting can play a role. However, if you are an athlete intent on being the best version of yourself, get your nutrition right and stop playing games. 

Mark Wolff is a preventative health specialist with a physiology, chemistry/blood chemistry, exercise physiology, and nutrition background. He has been consulting in this space for more than 25 years, focusing on endurance and strength athletes. Working with professional and amateur athletes in various sports disciplines and people just wanting to change their lifestyles, Mark believes that a person can only reach their full potential when the foundation of health is given the proper focus. Mark places a significant emphasis on recovery, immune system and metabolic health, emotional stability, stress management, and performance.

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I APOLOGIZE…..

If the last two years is anything to go by there is definitely one message which resonates across the board with everyone. That message is health. No matter what anyone says human health has certainly come to the forefont of global focus. What is sad is that it took the fear of a pandemic to wake people up and make them realise that.

Humanity across the globe is in a very unhealthy state but moreover a large percentage of the unhealthy population is based on very poor lifestyle decisions which have a detrimental impact on ones health and of course the consequences that come with it. Usually an individual will only value their health when they no longer have it. It’s debilitating physical and emotional impact period can leave a person begging for their health back. If and when it does return they generally go back to their previous bad habits. No lessons learned just Russian roulette with their health future.

The pandemic though brought another angle to the forefont and that was the question of am I healthy? If I do catch this virus how will my body respond? It is a very vital question to ask. I come across so many people in life who tell me they are healthy but once we start to dig deep we find that in actuality they are not. I mainly work with athletes. Take a look at them in general and your perception is lean, fast, strong and resilient. I take a look at them and see vulnerabilities caused by additional stresses on a body which can suppress proper immune sytem function as well as trigger a whole other host of potential issues which are never seen on the surface. Yes, they can also be high risk candidates.

When the pandemic started and treatment protocols were not crystal clear my immediate advice was tone down the training volume and intensity, focus on good nutrition, plenty of good sleep and fortify your health because that was our only initial natural fighting mechanism. Many did the opposite with their backyard ultra’s and clocking up the biggest home training sessions I have ever seen in my life. There were many who then when contracted covid got hurt and knocked down way worse than they should have. When I saw what was happening I took a bit of an angry and somewhat arrogant stance commenting that many had just taken their health for granted and now they were paying the price for their poor decisions.

I owe you an apology. Its not your fault. You were never guided, never taught, and grew up in an environment in which you didn’t know any better. It should not take a pandemic and fear mongering to make us change our attitudes towards our own health. It should be ingrained from a young age. Nutrition, exercise and general health should be taught at schools, should be brought into our homes and should be all encompassing in a family environment. However its very rare to find.

I dont like who I became. The pandemic triggered a huge sense of anger and resentment inside of me with the world looking for quick fixes and solutions to solve a pandemic which had absolutely no mercy on the vulnerable.
Admittedly I was one of the fearful when covid hit. The media loves sensationalism its how they make their money and fear was at the top of the list.

Eventually when I caught my first covid infection I had to go through the motions of a symptomatic illness that millions of others went through before me not knowing which way it would go. In hindsight the infection that hit my wife and I was fairly mild compared to many and we were over it in around ten days and slowly back to routine.
I was told by someone that I was lucky. That flared up some more anger because for the past 30 years of my life I have placed a huge amount of effort and focus on preventative health, through studying and constantly practicing. every single day of my life. Luck has nothing to do with it I lashed back. However again I need to apologize. My own turning point was three decades ago when I too succumbed to illness and it was my wake up call and my calling in life. If this is what it took me to wake up then it isn’t any different for others.

There was a major war going on across the globe of health versus covid. Having experienced covid and having some like minded experts at my side I became a frontline soldier. I went straight into the health battle and never looked back. Even to the extent that when my wifes son caught delta a year after our first infection I intentionally exposed ourselves to him to prove that health is the trump card here. We went through the second covid infection but this time way milder than the previous one. To be honest only two days of sinus irritation and then bloods were run and were all good and so again back to routine.

I was told by someone that my “brilliant chess move” was like cleaning my teeth with a shotgun. My convictions are solid, I just told him that for him it was fear talking, but I had already experienced covid and so I had none.
More arrogance set in because we bounced covid twice with ease and heath became even more of a trump card.
BUT, in hindsight I openly admit this was not a very clever move. As an educator and mentor it was pretty damn stupid. I demonstrated something which could have led others to do the same thing with dire consequences. Very few people on this planet actually have a true snapshot of their health. Their definition of health is an snapshot of how they feel from day to day based on physical and emotional feeling and function. They might not actually know what it truly feels like to be energetic and truly healthy. Its a biased opinion based on their life experiences.

I have let you all down. I played the health card over and over again during a pandemic when you did not have the slightest understanding of how you could be directly impacted by it. But because you do not have that indepth knowledge and know how into measuring your own health you could easily be at risk. Not just pandemic risk but any potential health threats that come your way.

The last few weeks I decided to take a step back and went into deep thought as to how I can try to make this world a better place. I am tired of the ongoing battles and arguments ensuing the globe. I have my opinions but my job is to encourage motivate, and help others achieve a much higher level of health and longevity.
So for now the only way forward is to educate and motivate . To use all my experience and evidence based knowledge and the knowledge of others to give you the best possible opportunity at strengthening, improving and fortifying your health.

Its a new year, certainly a new era and all I can do is promise you to keep striving to help change lives for the better going forwards.

Yours in health always

M



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Uncategorized

DROP THAT BODY FAT IN WINTER

Winter is that time of the year where most athletes hate getting up early in the dark hours and love the comfort of their warm beds.

Along with this comes the process of comfort eating.

The drop in temperatures leaves our bodies expending a little more energy to keep warm and so there are additional feelings of hunger that require satiation. However, most people tap into their emotional eating and consume an unhealthy mix of foods to provide them that level of comfort. Meal structure is lost and so too are the hopes of coming out of winter in good shape. 

SO HOW DO YOU EXIT WINTER LEANER & MEANER?
There are several steps you need to take and if you follow these you will succeed. 

SET YOUR GOALS
So you know you want to come out of winter leaner and meaner but what does that mean in terms of body composition goals?

The first step is to know your current weight and your current body composition in terms of body fat. You might be fearful of the numbers but once it is in black and white you can set yourself a goal as to where you want to go. As an example, you might want to drop a few percent body fat but if you do not have a starting point then you will not be able to measure your rate of success. Whatever your goal, whether it’s to drop a few kilograms, increase a few kilograms, drop body fat, drop waist circumference you do need a starting point. Numbers do not lie, and they set the foundation from which to launch. 

STRUCTURE YOUR TRAINING
Exercise is the only way to increase lean muscle. It is not possible to strengthen and grow lean muscle without some form of resistance training. Winter is a brilliant time to add a mix of strength sessions to the routine. They do not have to be long-drawn-out sessions. As little as 30min x 3 times, a week is sufficient to trigger hypertrophy with a split routine incorporating all muscle groups. I like to mix it up and target a combination of muscle groups a couple of times a week. This does not mean I neglect my running, cycling, cardiovascular exercise etc. It just means I reduce my volume sufficiently to incorporate a fair amount of strength training. 

NUTRITION IS KEY
Now we get to the low down on how to drop the body fat. Smart eating is the way to get that body fat down and it’s quite simple. Firstly, no it does not mean fasting, it means eating and eating well. 

Step 1 is to determine how many calories you are currently burning off on any day at rest and including exercise. Once you know this amount of energy expenditure you need to make sure you consume a deficit. So as an example, if an individual burns off around 2500Kcals daily and wants to lose weight then I would suggest a deficit of around 500Kcals meaning his intake should be no more than 2000Kcals. If you want a nice gradual loss over a longer period, you could go with a slightly lower deficit of around 300Kcals but for faster results, the former is better.

Do not think eating even more of a calorie deficit is good for you because it is not necessarily. It can cause fatigue, slow recovery, and drop those energy levels limiting your ability to perform. I often hear people tell me that to increase muscle one needs to eat in a surplus. This is not true, to gain weight sure you need to eat in a surplus, but you can still increase lean muscle by eating in a slight deficit or maintaining. The key to muscle growth is proper macronutrient intake specifically protein.

Let’s talk macronutrients for a bit………………

In my previous blog, I harped on about protein being the king macronutrient for increasing lean muscle and dropping body fat. Yes, this is vital, and you do need to consume the correct amount of protein per kilogram of body weight to achieve this. 

However for body fat loss, fiber is also important and a high fiber diet will see you feeling satiated and keeping blood glucose levels down. This is the trick with body fat dropping. It is ensuring you control blood sugar levels properly while giving it the proper nutrients required to achieve your end goal.

In many cases, people shift to keto diets to try to control blood sugar. I do not think this is a wise idea as it diminishes power and pace over time and that is what I would want to push harder during the winter months. An individual whose organs function normally and secretes insulin the way it was meant to will not have a problem processing carbohydrates. Most important is the volume of carbohydrates you consume per meal and if controlled you can limit blood sugar elevation. Doing this correctly can keep you in a fat-burning mode most of the time. So smaller meals more spread over the day is an excellent way of controlling blood sugar, hunger and stabilizing energy levels properly.

FLUID CONSUMPTION
Water is so vital in any healthy eating regime. I advise consuming around 30-40ml per kilogram of body weight daily. Now with the winter months and the cold many people turn to loads of coffee consumption and many with sugar. Instead of playing havoc with excess caffeine consumption and loading yourself with sugar try to incorporate some herbal teas. Green tea is my favourite and due to its catechins especially EGCG it can increase metabolic rate aiding weight loss. Over and above this its polyphenols provide a host of health benefits.

Another trick is to have ice water which cools down the core temperature leaving the body to work harder to warm it up. Not many people can wake up to a glass of ice in winter so green tea would be your next best bet .

To sum up train smart, eat smart and use this period to make the positive gains you are looking for towards your goals instead of hampering them and having to do some damage control when you exit the winter period.

Just a few tips to help you through this period

DON’T LET WINTER BREAK YOU, LET IT MAKE YOU.

Mark Wolff is a certified exercise & sports nutritionist, endurance nutrition and physiology expert with over 20 years experience. An endurance multi-sport athlete with a running, triathlon, mountain biking and weight lifting background, he works extensively with professional and amateur athletes in a variety of sports disciplines as well as those just wanting to change their lifestyles. He firmly believes that a person can only reach their full potential when their health and nutrition is given the proper focus. Mark’s focus on nutrition and physiology is not just on training and racing, but he places major emphasis on recovery, immune system health, emotional stability, stress management and performance. Mark is co-founder of 32Gi, a sports nutrition company, focused mainly on health and endurance nutrition. He is also co-founder of Rapid Recover focused on pneumatic compression equipment to improve circulation for recovery, rehabilitation and health.

Categories
Uncategorized

REFLECTIONS OF A PANDEMIC YEAR

I am going to start this post with a very short descriptive sentence “2020 was an absolutely f’ed up year” and I am sure most of the worlds population feels that way. On a personal note this has been an absolute roller coaster ride and I am the kind of individual that does not take kindly to situations that are out of my control. I am an analytical person that thrives on statistics, numbers, predictions and strategies with predictable and achievable end goals and outcomes. Well this year took all of that knowledge and know how and just threw it on its head which made it a very challenging one.

2020 was the start of what felt like a movie except we are the main characters. Thrown into a complete lockdown for which was basically our peak of summer and racing season it suddenly became a psychological battle for most with the inability to venture outdoors even to train. Some of us were more fortunate in that home gyms and indoor training equipment made it possible to continue exercising however the difficulty for most was the motivation factor with no known goals as events were postponed and cancelled. Over and above that financial worries set in with many. Income sources were burned out and many companies were put into red zones of retrenchment and the inability to support their loyal staff. In some cases like mine with airports shut down and travel restrictions as well as the cycle of lockdowns across the globe, I was unable to see my children. Its now nearly been nearly a year since I have seen them last. Simple things we took for granted now became unachievable.

It sounds like an entire year of doom and gloom, and there are still unkowns, however as the year went on I started to find some light in the situation. I noticed that what many take for granted slowly started to come to the forefront of importance.
There is a proverb which goes “he who has health has hope, and he who has hope has everything”. Its a quote which has stuck very close to me for more than twenty years. I have mentioned in the past that in my twenties I fell victim to a virus which pretty much threw my entire world into chaos. It did not leave me alone and for years I battled with the ups and downs of reinfections and long lasting bouts of post viral and chronic fatigue. It took an enormous amount of focus and effort to take back control and over many years of studying and knowledge gaining eventually I was able to turn the tables. I managed to get to a position where those tables could never turn back. I could never let my guard down ever and I needed to ensure I had my nutrition, sleep and exercise routines completely down packed. It was never perfect but over many years of gaining more and more knowledge and tweaking here and there I finally became a master of my own health.

When Covid hit I was more determined than ever to make sure that health came to the forefront for myself, my family, friends and all the athletes I work with. It was the only weapon we had in such an unkown situation. Exercise continued, nutrition became a lot more focussed and easier due to constant kitchen access. Gaining proper sleep was pretty easy with no need of having to get up at the crack of dawn to travel. When lockdown eased later in the year Covid struck rampantly and my wife and I landed up contracting the illness. We didn’t know what to expect and took it one day at a time. Symptoms set in with what seemed to be a sinus infection and fatigue and every day was a different story. We didn’t suffer with fevers or lung function issues just severe headaches, some muscle aches and lingering fatigue. Exercise stopped completely and we focussed on nutrition and sleep.

I must admit it was a roller coaster ride not knowing what to expect from one day to the next, it didn’t feel natural and symptoms changed here and there but my wife and I both agreed we had been way sicker in our lives with previous infections.
After the 14 day quarantine period we still felt lingering viral fatigue but straight off to the physician for a full medical and some drips to help with the post viral oxidative stress. Bloods were completely normal for my wife and mine were a little out with hyperferritnemia and elevated liver function. Covid is known to impact iron so that would have explained it. However me being mainly plant based it did not elevate it much at all. Liver function could have been due to meds or it could have flared up my previous infection which was associated with liver function issues. The knowledge of being able to deal with these issues as well as working with an exellent physician as a sounding board made it pretty simple to get back on track. The post viral fatigue faded over the next two weeks and once the cardiologist gave the green light it was back to proper training and getting back on track.

The more and more people I engaged with that had caught Covid the more I realised that there was a pattern forming. The young were not being affected as much as the elderly. Those that were generally in good health tended to overcome it pretty well and get back to normality quite quickly. Many that I know who have not really looked after their health, have overtrained or exerted themselves a lot, sacrificed on sleep and nutrition or with underlying conditions etc seemed to be far worse for wear and battled through the illness. So much confusion also hit the medical fraternity never really knowing what to expect when patients contracted the illness. Then there were even those who were very ill who tested negative for Covid and that threw even more confusion into the works. As the year dragged on and the more people I came into contact with who had contracted Covid the more it became clearer and clearer. Health is the surely greatest form of wealth.

I had this thought that when we are young we have these immaculate immune systems which function at their optimal and as we age we can either nurture them or damage them. Most of the world damages their health. Poor nutrition choices, processed foods, junk food, lack of exercise, poor sleep, working around the clock and additional stress factors do not bode well for a healthy individual but rather weaken the body and make it more susceptible to illness.

I am currently on an athlete blood chemistry course with some top docs and scientists who in their eccentric nature love the numbers just as much as I do. I remember one lecture clearly which focussed on a cluster of over 32 scientific research reports discussing nutrition and blood markers. The doc threw a sentence out there saying unfortunately the research we are looking at was carried out with a population where over 90% of the participants are obese. Taking into account other factors that basically means 98% of those participants are unnhealthy. In short the results of this science cluster in all likelihood cannt be applied to a health athlete.
Why was this a big eye opener? Simple the majority of the world is unhealthy. Many have done damage to themselves over time resulting in long term health issues or medical conditions. The problem with an illness like Covid is that it has no mercy on these individuals. Some will get away but many will not and this is the frightening reality of the situation. Statistics of illness and death rates caused by Covid again is spread across a globe of predominantly unhealhy individuals.

World health day ,Stethoscope wrapped around globe on pastel blue background. Save the wold, Global health care and Green Earth day concept

As the year comes to a close with potential treatment methods in the form of a vaccine and much more knowledge on the situation at hand. I can only but utter that for all of you out there who have not contracted Covid now is the time to realise you were given an opportunity light. You are given the chance to truly focus on your health and build it like you have never built it before. Do not become complacent because this is not gone and there is no guarantee that it cannot happen again. Those who have had Covid and experienced the suffering and those who have lost loved ones truly realise the harsh nature of what many have had to face and experience this terrible year. You are the ones that truly know the value of what it means to have health and hope. Many have become complacent and many are just waiting to be vaccinated to end this nightmare. However we unforuntatly know there are never quick fixes in life and I urge you all to hang on to your health with everything you have. Respect it, nurture it, look after it and fortify it for without health there is no hope and without hope there is nothing.

Many blessings for 2021
yours in health always

M

Mark Wolff is a certified exercise & sports nutritionist, endurance nutrition and physiology expert with over 20 years experience. An endurance multi-sport athlete with a running, triathlon, mountain biking and weight lifting background, he works extensively with professional and amateur athletes in a variety of sports disciplines as well as those just wanting to change their lifestyles. He firmly believes that a person can only reach their full potential when their health and nutrition is given the proper focus. Mark’s focus on nutrition and physiology is not just on training and racing, but he places major emphasis on recovery, immune system health, emotional stability, stress management and performance. Mark is co-founder of 32Gi, a sports nutrition company, focused mainly on health and endurance nutrition. He is also co-founder of Rapid Recover focused on pneumatic compression equipment to improve circulation for recovery, rehabilitation and health.

Categories
Nutrition

Stop! Before you take your next Protein Shake

Hey All, It’s Mark Wolff, The Fitness Freak! I caused quite a stir on social media when trying to see how much of the TRUTH people knew about the ESSENTIAL macronutrient, Protein.

Based on the responses, and through both my learnings and practices, I want to share with you the three main reason why Protein intake needs to be taken seriously.

https://youtu.be/2CySAQi-TH4

I also want you to know how much Protein you should be taking…what Proteins are best for both your health and recovery…AND what to look for in a Protein Powder.

Why you need to know your Protein Nitrogen Balance

Today, I’m going to give you three key reasons why protein consumption, specifically monitoring your protein intake is so important. Number one, have you heard of the term MPB?

This is what we call muscle protein breakdown and this is what occurs during exercise, whether you’re a strength athlete or an endurance athlete, muscle protein breakdown occurs and in order for the muscle to be repaired, restored, remodelled, strengthened, a process called MPS or muscle protein synthesis needs to occur.

For muscle protein synthesis to occur, your body has to be in an anabolic or growth state and the only way it can be in an anabolic or growth state is if you’re in a nitrogen positive balance. Nitrogen is a gas which is produced primarily through the consumption of protein.

If you do not consume a sufficient amount of protein in your diet, you will not be in a nitrogen positive balance or an anabolic state, and so MPS will not occur and you’ll actually be breaking yourself down, not building yourself up. The last thing you want to do is be in a catabolic or breaking down state. That is reason number one.

What does a TEFlon pan have to do with Protein intake? Nothing, but TEF does

Reason number two, have you heard of the term TEF?

TEF is the thermal effect of food. Believe it or not, food has a thermogenic effect on the human body and in actual fact; Protein has the highest thermogenic effect on the human body. In actual fact, up to 30% of calories consumed in the form of Protein can be burnt off during the digestive process due to thermogenesis.

Carbohydrates are a little bit lower and you can go up to about 15% with carbs, depending on the kind of carbohydrate you consume, but remember there are some carbohydrates that are high in protein. Quinoa, for example, is a high protein grain. And then on the fat side, that’s on the lower end. If you want to speed up your metabolism, you want to drop body fat, you want to change your body composition, increase lean muscle mass, it’s another reason to focus on protein consumption.

What does Protein have to do with your Immune System? Find out…

Reason number three, lastly, immune system strength. Yes, immune system strength.

Immunoglobulins or antibodies as we know them, are derived from proteins. If you do not consume a sufficient amount of protein in your diet, you are weakening your immune system. Your body will not have the ability to produce antibodies efficiently to be able to fight off bacterial or viral infections and that’s the last thing that you want.

Remember, if you want a strong immune system and you want to look after your health, then protein consumption is again, a vital measure. Those are the three main reasons why you do need to focus on protein consumption. You need to know how much you need to be consuming based on your kind of lifestyle and you also need to know what kind of proteins to consume and how to time that protein intake.

Protein amount per day (it’s a little more complex than that)

Firstly, the volume of Protein that you should consume on a daily basis will ultimately depend on your lifestyle, your goals etc. A sedentary person, for example, that doesn’t do any exercise will consume a very low portion of protein per day and that’s usually around, maybe roughly 1 g of Protein per kg of body weight. Where we look at active individuals, it’s anywhere from 1.2g up to about 1.7g per kg of body weight for endurance athletes. As we age our protein demands actually increase as well.

And when it comes to strength athletes, it goes way higher, over 2g of Protein per kg of body weight. Ultimately, depending on your goals, whether you’re trying to increase lean muscle mass, drop body fat, maintain etc. we can determine the amount of protein you should be consuming daily.

20-30g of Protein every couple of hours   

The second thing that I need to mention is you cannot get all your Protein requirements in one single serving. Protein, unfortunately, can only be processed in bouts of approximately 20-30 g of Protein every couple of hours. The human body cannot process much more and so if you try and consume all your protein in one sitting, only a portion of that will be utilised and the balance will have to be converted ultimately into blood glucose. And if not utilised, ultimately then converted into fat and stored as fat.

That is why big meat eaters actually land up gaining weight, especially when they’re combining it with portions of carbohydrates etc. which cause a rise in blood sugar. So, it is very important to understand what your Protein targets are, and you need to stick to those Protein targets. But the second thing is, you need to periodise your Protein intake and that means consuming portions of protein throughout the day, from the time you get up until the time you go to sleep.

And this is why I’m not a big fan of intermittent fasting. Sure, for weight loss it’s one thing, but if you want to be a performance athlete and you want those gains, specifically strength, speed, fitness, and you need to help the body recover, then you cannot be fasting, you need to give it the protein that it requires.

Not all Proteins are created equalling (this is why you should care!)

In this final segment around our protein discussion I’m going to talk a little bit about the two primary sources of Protein, the one being animal-based Protein sources and the other being plant-based Protein sources. We know that animal-based Protein sources has been a firm favourite.

Why? Because it’s got a rich and complete amino acid profile, whereas plant-based proteins have always been thought to be inferior. But that is not actually true. There’s been a big shift towards plant-based eating. Why? Not just from an ethical point of view, but from a health point of view. It has been shown that plant-based eaters have a much lower risk of diseases such as types of cancers, ischemic heart disease, diabetes, hypertension etc. and obesity. And this is why there’s been a big shift.

The thing is, if animal-based Proteins have a complete and rich amino acid profile, why would I look at consuming a plant-based Protein and it’s quite simple. You can achieve a complete and rich amino acid profile from plant proteins as well. Simply put, all you’ve got to do is combine different sources of plant proteins together to achieve that. I’m going to give you a simple example.

If I look at pea protein for example, or a pea protein isolate, sure, pea protein is high in lysine, but it is low in cysteine and methionine. If I look at rice protein, or a rice protein isolate for example, it is very low in lysine, but it is very high in cysteine and methionine. By combining those two plant-based sources together, I get a full, rich amino acid profile and it is absolutely perfect for consumption.

Plant Proteins are Alkaline Diet Foods

Not only that, plant-based proteins are more alkalizing whereas animal-based proteins are slightly or highly acidic. And that is one of the reasons why plant-based proteins are also a big, firm favourite. So, whatever you decide to do, just remember, protein consumption, whether it’s plant-based or whether it’s animal-based, you need to mix it up and choose what’s best for your health. It’s not just from a sports performance point of view, and that’s where the focus needs to come on the nutrition side of things.

The Best Healthy Protein Powder

When looking at a Protein Powder – opt for something with a Rich Amino Acid Profile. Make sure it is a clean quality product with no cheap fillers.

Ideally look at something that has Zero Sugar, and with no hidden Carbs! Take full control of your Protein portion – and add it quilt free to your smoothies, pancakes, protein cups, oats, etc.

Make a protein supplement choice for your Health first not just for performance.

Looking for a great option? click here

Categories
Health

9 WAYS TO COMBAT LOCKDOWN EATING

LOCKDOWN – YOUR GAIN OR LOSS

CLICK HERE to see how Mark can personally help you

During the global Covid-19 pandemic most populations have been or are in some form of lockdown, there has been a growing concern to manage nutrition properly and ensure health, proper weight management, as well as to stay in top shape.

There are several genuine and valid concerns.

Firstly, before lockdown occurred most people were leading consistently active lifestyles. Gym visits and outdoor activities such as running, and cycling were routine. Calorie burn rates were up nicely due to a higher and consistent volume of training.

Then, for many it came to a grinding halt. The minute your training intensity and volume drops so too should your calorie intake to fall in line. Eating more calories than you burn off will absolutely lead to weight gain. 

Over and above this lockdown has left people more sedentary than their normal daily routines. Driving around, walking to meetings and general office run arounds such as shopping and walking around for longer periods of time which add to calorie burn rates have also dropped significantly.

There is way more lounging around and frequent kitchen visits have become part of the normal daily routine. Emotional stability has been thrown out of whack due to the uncertainty of what lies ahead. Stress levels are on the rise for many and in a lot of cases depression has started to emerge.

This has led to emotional eating for a lot of people. Easy kitchen access and comfort foods has exaggerated the situation even more. Sleeping problems and elevated stress levels also play a part in this emotional roller coaster ride many of the world’s population is currently on. 

It’s not an easy situation by any means. However, there are some ways to manage it and emerge in a healthy state.

The Power of Exercise & Nutrition

EXERCISE:
No matter your circumstances whether indoor training equipment or not this is the time for adaption. Human movement including some strength training is vital from a health perspective. There are plenty of creative ways to mix it up from body weight strength and core exercises to simple intensity interval sessions.

If you have access to indoor training equipment such as treadmills, smart bike trainers and weights then there is no excuse for keeping it up. It does not take a lot to prevent muscle atrophy and just doing at least thirty minutes of exercise daily is sure to keep your body happy physically and mentally.  

NUTRITION:
As mentioned earlier nutrition is numero uno in keeping in shape. Not just from a weight management point of view but to also fortify and strengthen the immune system. What you put into your mouth each day will ultimately determine how your overall health.

My 9 Top Tips for Managing your Nutrition

1. Avoid the Junk
Keep the processed / junk foods out the house. If its not in the kitchen it is not accessible.
2. Natural is Best
Stock natural whole foods to make wholesome valuable nutrient dense meals.

3. Higher Fibre Low Glycaemic Foods
Aim for higher fibre and lower glycaemic foods to ensure good satiation as well as lowered blood sugar and controlled insulin levels. Incorporate a decent amount of nutrient dense lower glycaemic plant-based foods mainly in the form of vegetables.

4. Plan your Plate
Do not wake up without an eating plan for the day. If you have a structure you will not go wrong. However, if you have not planned your eating for the day you will base your meals on emotion and will just go off the path.

5. Drop the Treats
Treats in the form of sweets or pastries needs to be controlled. Lockdown has left many experimenting and baking away in the kitchen. This will just boost the emotional need for more and lead to a decline in healthy eating potentially promoting weight gain. If you are looking at making treats there are plenty of healthy options out there which are sugar free and low in calories.

6. Overeating Health
Most do not understand how to construct a meal based on proper required macronutrients intake. It is possible to overeat health. Just because the ingredients are healthy does not make your overall meal healthy. Carbohydrates, proteins and fats play an important role in any nutrition planning. Get them wrong and you will land up gaining weight.

7. Portion Control
Instead of large meals at any one sitting. Rather eat smaller meal portions more frequently throughout the day. This is the best way of managing insulin levels and ensuring you do not overeat.

8. Healthy Fats
Fats come in different forms. Avoid all processed fats such as hydrogenated vegetable oils and trans fats. Eat natural healthy fats and try to ensure the majority are unsaturated fats which provide much better health benefits to the body.

9. No Out-Training Bad Nutrition
This will never work. If you can train a lot due to being in lockdown then it does not mean you can out train a bad diet. The opposite. The minute you increase stress on the body due to intense or volume exercise then proper quality food intake needs to come up to help support it. Hard training and poor eating will place your body at risk for injury or illness.

In short, this period has provided challenges to many of us and its by no means easy when curve balls are thrown at us in life. Routines are completely turned upside down and all it requires is adapting quickly. Sitting around thinking about what is wrong does not solve the problem.

When it comes to health quick decisive decisions must be made to preserve and strengthen it. My advice is do not let yourself down you are in complete control. What you do today and tomorrow will set you up nicely for many weeks and months to come. Just give it some planning and focus.

need Mark’s help? Click here

Categories
Health

YOUR BATHROOM SCALE IS AN INSTRUMENT OF TORTURE

“In the Middle Ages, they had guillotines, stretch racks, whips and chains.  Nowadays, we have a much more effective torture device called the BATHROOM SCALE.“ – Stephen Phillips

***Want to ask me live questions? Join in on my FREE weekly webinars.***

The following statements will probably mean a whole lot to most of you on an emotional level. When engaging with people I often hear so much about the bathroom scale, and I thought it was about time people out there actually became more knowledgeable about its use and how to change their bad bathroom habits.

“I gained a kilogram of weight this past week”, or 

“I am 500 grams heavier today then I was yesterday”, or

 ”That bloody scale it’s my best friend and my worst enemy it just depends on the day”. And finally,

“Please don’t make me stand on that scale I can’t sleep at night just thinking about it”.

It’s amazing how some are so dependent on the scale and others dread it to a severe degree. After most workouts I see the guys in the gym change room lining up to weigh themselves. Some even do it with their clothes on as they exit to head towards work.
Ladies don’t you even think of laughing, you are far worse. Many of you love to weigh yourselves at least 2 to 10 times a day. It’s like some form of addiction, the nicotine craving of this century or are you just plain mad?
I think it is about time the record was set straight because grams, kilograms and pounds are enough to drive anyone insane.

Weight is often used as a reflection of general health.

The BMI (Body Mass Index) is a quick measure to determine your general health based on your height, whether you are overweight or not. However, it is not an accurate reflection of your true health status. There are various body types, and without going into too much technical detail, every human being is unique, everyone has different musculoskeletal structures. Some people are tall and thin some medium and muscular and some short and stocky, well known as ectomorph, mesomorph and endomorph classification.


Some of us are pure in our classifications, while a large percentage of us have combinations of body types. It is possible to be ectomorphic and with diet and exercise gain some more mesomorphic characteristics.


Basically, what I am trying to say is that the scale is not useful in determining an accurate picture of what your bodies status really is. Let’s be blunt about it, most of you are trying to achieve weight loss or gain, with no knowledge of your body’s composition.

For whom is a scale the most useful?

I find the scale is mostly useful for elite athletes or professionals that need to fit into a certain weight category for competition, such as powerlifting, boxing, and others. In cycling, a lot of preparation is geared around power to mass weight ratio, in other words how much power is required to propel a certain amount of weight to achieve maximum performance. You can understand that for a cyclist in the mountains, this is a key measurement.

The other use of the scale is a more scientific use of how much fluid should be taken in by an athlete during exercise, and this is usually a replenishment volume for fluid lost in the form of sweat. Some serious athletes will weigh themselves before and after exercise in various environments from hot to cold, to get a fairly accurate idea of the amount of fluid they lose and how much they need to take in to keep their hydration levels up during an event.    

Are you Wasting your time weighing-in 10 times a day?

Now I have told you where the scale is most useful, and I bet very few of you fit into those categories. You are probably wondering if you are wasting your time weighing yourself ten times a day.

In short yes you are. It really is not a realistic reflection of your true body composition, and the most basic reason is, how much percentage of that weight comprises of muscle and fat? You have no clue, and I can tell you that many times I have monitored people who are fatter at a lighter than heavier weight.

Simply put, a simple bathroom scale cannot differentiate between muscle and fat. In terms of weight and health, I was once deemed to be a health risk, due to my weight being excessive at a medium height. This was however so far from the truth, as I had a higher percentage of lean muscle mass. I was a poor “health statistic” thanks to BMI ratings, but in more than excellent health. 

Thinner does not always mean healthier.

A lot of women often say they don’t want to gain muscle. Well I have news for you ladies, this does not mean you will be muscular and bulky, the contrary, toned in shape and healthy.

A leaner muscle mass means you burn off more calories to move around as it requires more energy, you use a lot less energy to move fat, as fatty tissue is an already easily tapped energy source.  Thinner does not always mean healthier, either. Extremely thin people often have a lower-than-desired lean muscle mass percentage which can lead to health risks.

When we do not ingest enough calories, not only do we lose a percentage of our fat, we also diminish the percentage of lean mass. Starvation studies have proven that losses of lean mass and fatty tissue leave people with the same percentage of body fat after weeks of starvation. So, in truth you are wasting your time and harming your health.        

If You Want the Scale To Show You Are Losing Weight Then Focus On This!

A shocking fact is that fat takes up more than four times as much space as lean muscle mass but weighs far less. So, if you want to reduce your size, then reduce your percentage of body fat.

An obvious indicator is your waistline which is well known as a health measurement factor of visceral fat. If your pants are loosening around the waist and your weight is staying constant, then you are heading in the right direction. 

So, what do I recommend?


Straightforward and simple, invest in two simple items, a skin fold calliper to measure body fat and a tape measure to measure body part circumference. If you can afford it, an impedance meter can also be used to measure body fat quite quickly and although not the most accurate it still can form a baseline if used correctly. 

A skin fold calliper measurement is a good reflection of body fat measurement, and I would use at least a 7-point test for a more accurate measure. Also, when measuring, once every 2-3 weeks should be enough to monitor your progress, you won’t notice major difference daily. The second measuring device I mentioned earlier is the tape measure. You can use this to record your neck size, waistline, biceps, thighs calves and chest.

Always measure at the same time of the day to ensure less accuracy fluctuations. The other option is to go to professional to do these measurements for you.

Based in the Johannesburg area in South Africa? I can highly recommend contacting Zac van Heerden. He is vastly experienced and works will athletes all across the world.

Below is a table showing general body fat guidelines of course athletes drop even lower on the body fat scale.  

Health RatingMaleFemale
Healthy10% – 20%15% – 25%
Moderately High20% – 25%25% – 30%
High25% – 30%30% – 35%
Obese 30%35%

People who fall into the Moderately High category to higher have an increased risk with health problems such as diabetes, blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

I hope this has set you on the right track, try quitting that adrenaline pumping scale routine for a while, which significantly affects your emotional health. Track your progress in a more beneficial way, and you will start to realise the scale is totally “overweighed”.

Want to ask me more questions? Join in on my FREE weekly webinars.

All the best,

M.

Categories
Health

HARDEN YOUR HEALTH

The last few weeks has seen global efforts to thwart COVID-19 the latest Corona virus strain which is creating momentum worldwide with escalating infection rates. Over the last few days we as athletes have also seen the postponement and cancellation of some major sporting events which as hard a pill as it is to swallow , but its definitely the correct course of action to reduce high a infection risk. Plenty of training and racing goals have been thrown a curve ball and these goal posts have had to be shifted. Personally right now I feel the focus should be on our health and ensuring we are not just responsible for ourselves but for those around us.

The training for us all should continue as we do not just do this for finish line medals and kudos. For most of us it’s a lifestyle and yes racing motivates us to train. However right now we have a much more important motivating factor which should keep us on our toes and that my friends is health. As we stand without a treatment for this virus our only course of action is to boost our own immune systems and make sure that we are in excellent condition to be able to fight off any infection that comes our way.

Training and racing especially as intensity and volumes increase so does immune system suppression which makes us far more susceptible to infection and illness. In line with a real war we are just about to face, I decided to put together a short guide of how we as athletes can strengthen our health and boost our immune systems to be able to navigate this next part of our journey.

WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT HEALTH STATUS
Starting with the basics, it’s always best to get a proper snapshot of your health first. How can you hope to strengthen your immune system if you have an underlying condition? In my line of work I come across many athletes with underlying conditions such as anaemia, insufficient vitamin levels, improper organ function or underlying infections and inflammation. If you have an underlying condition and do not know about it then you basically starting on the back foot and this needs to be addressed first.

What should you do?
A full medical with a nice batch of basic bloods & some additional vitamin and mineral testing to make sure everything is in good order. Remember as an athlete you place your body under stress and if certain levels are on the low end its highly likely that you will reduce them further and impact your health. Vitamin drips in my view are a complete waste of time without understanding exactly what you are treating. There is something called excessive vitamin and mineral dosing and in some cases this can be highly toxic to the body. My advice is to see a medical professional and get it done properly without playing a guessing game. I wrote in a previous blog called Blood’s don’t Lie you can check it out by clicking here.

LISTEN TO YOUR MESSAGES
Once you get the results from your physician its best to discuss them with him or her and make sure everything is in line. Remember you are an athlete not a couch potato. So make sure the physician understands that because some might say your levels are normal. However that is the general population norm. You want to rather be on the upper end of the spectrum not on the lower end due to the amount of stress the body goes through daily. If you do have an underlying condition you have to address it. Athletes are so good at ignoring issues when it comes to injury and illness. Don’t ignore them and adhere to proper medical advice.

NUTRITION
Proper nutrition is absolutely the health fuel for your engine. Healthy nutrition allows the body to fortify and strengthen itself against illness and disease as well as ensure our energy system is kept up at all times. When we make bad food choices we place additional stresses on the body and in times of need when we should be our strongest to fight off foreign invaders this should be kept to a bare minimum. After all our own natural defences are all we have and we need to make sure that they are fortified. Eat nutrient dense meals with plenty of vegetables and fruit and ensure that you are eating properly for your unique needs. As an athlete ensure your calorie intake is not an excessive deficit so that the body gets sufficient nutrients to help with restoration and repair. Carbohydrates often get a bad rap however when it comes down to endurance sport carbohydrates are your fuel king and when it comes to recovery there is nothing that will get your fuel tank recovered quicker than carbs. Remember carbohydrates can come in healthy forms such as fruits and vegetables which are high in anti-oxidants and free radical fighting nutrients. Eat with intent and insure that whatever goes into your mouth has a purpose for strengthening your body.

TRAINING
It’s a scientific fact that exercise boosts the body’s ability to fight off infection and illness. However, one should not over do it. Endurance athletes tend to place huge stresses on the body with intense bouts of volume training. This will certainly place the immune system at risk. Over-training places any athlete at risk to infection. Rather stagger your sessions properly, reduce intensity ratios and volumes and allow the body to fortify itself without over stressing it. With most events now cancelled or postponed do yourself a favour and switch your focus to health especially in these trying times. Get outdoors more and limit your visits to the gyms in order to protect yourself more from infection risk. Most importantly just keep on going.

SUPPLEMENTATION
Alongside a healthy eating regime supplementation can play a beneficial role. I mentioned earlier blood tests can show where there are areas of deficiency and those can be addressed. Right now though our focus is on immune system strengthening and there are a number of supplements which have been shown to aid immunity.

Vitamin C
Its amazing how Vitamin C is at the top of most people’s lists when it comes to immune boosting. However it is not really the king on the list. It is an antioxidant which helps fortify and reduce inflammation however its over estimated by a large amount due to massive ongoing marketing in the supplements sector.

Vitamin D
If someone asks me what to take for immune system strength I will always advocate vitamin D as one of the best immune system defences. Vitamin D can improve immune system responses and a deficiency in vitamin D is associated with increased susceptibility to infection. Research suggests that vitamin D can help reduce the risk of respiratory infections, including colds and flu especially among people who don’t get enough of the vitamin from diet or exposure to sunlight which is most of the population. Athletes tend to train in the early morning hours and many also indoors which limits exposure to sunlight and then again sun creams further limit the body from it. It is worth dosing with vitamin D and a simple blood test.

Wellmune®
This is something you have probably never heard of but it is the bomb. Wellmune®  is a leading natural yeast beta glucan clinically proven to help strengthen your immune system. In a clinical study, marathoners taking Wellmune® for four weeks experienced a 40% reduction in upper respiratory tract infection symptoms. Wellmune® primes immune cells helping them find and kill foreign invaders.Where can you get this ingredient. 32Gi’s new plant based pure protein being launched this week contains the correct dosage of Wellmune® to ensure your immune system is properly fortified. A medically backed natural supplement is absolutely worth taking.

32Gi’s NEW Immune Boosting Pure Protein

Zinc
I think zinc is an awesome mineral . It does help the immune system fight off invading bacteria and viruses and worth dosing to keep immunity up nicely as well as it being good for the skin.

Elderberry
Elderberry is packed with antioxidants and vitamins that may boost your immune system. It can aid the reduction of inflammation, lower stress levels and help protect the heart. It is often advocated in the prevention and ease of cold and flu symptoms.

Probiotics
Probiotics are there to keep the gut healthy and to ensure the immune system functions well. Taken from a peer reviewed research publication it states that probiotics can also modulate the immune system, enhancing the body’s innate immunity. This modulating effect helps alleviate excessive inflammation in the gut, thereby boosting immune function. We know that health gut bacteria is important for proper health and immune system function and there is no harm in dosing with probiotics on a daily basis.

In short there are many avenues we can try to help fortify and improve our immune system function and health. Not all vitamins and minerals have been researched to such an extent that they are conclusively providing the best benefit. We are after all unique and what works for one individual may not work for another. One thing we do know and that is proven, is that proper healthy nutrition, plenty of good sleep and exercise goes a long way to ensure that our body’s remain physically strong and healthy to weather the storms.

all the best

M

Mark Wolff is a certified exercise & sports nutritionist, endurance nutrition and physiology expert with over 20 years experience. An endurance multi-sport athlete with a running, triathlon, mountain biking and weight lifting background, he works extensively with professional and amateur athletes in a variety of sports disciplines as well as those just wanting to change their lifestyles. He firmly believes that a person can only reach their full potential when their health and nutrition is given the proper focus. Mark’s focus on nutrition and physiology is not just on training and racing, but he places major emphasis on recovery, immune system health, emotional stability, stress management and performance. Mark is co-founder of 32Gi, a sports nutrition company, focused mainly on health and endurance nutrition. He is also co-founder of Rapid Recover focused on pneumatic compression equipment to improve circulation for recovery, rehabilitation and health.