Ponte Vedra High School

Over the last year, I slowly started eating worse and worse and exercising less and less.  My typical daily food intake for the summer of ’08 was a bagel sandwich for breakfast, chicken wings and fries for lunch, a bag of chips for a snack and topped off with a cheeseburger and fries for dinner. Along with drinking almost nothing but sweet tea, I gained almost twenty five pounds from the end of my sophomore year. When I started dancing again, and school, I may have lost five pounds solely from the lack of temptation. However, when I had to stop dancing all together due to knee injuries, I was not in a healthy state. The weight may have not been enough for people to generally notice due to my tall figure, but it was affecting more than my figure. I also noticed a bad attitude change and I was always tired.

Luckily, in January of the same year my parents decided that the whole family needed a lifestyle makeover. So, in an attempt to make this a healthy life makeover, they came up with outlines. We were to eat healthy and exercise to our discretion for four months and we would all have a weight loss goal. For the girls, we would need to lose fifteen pounds and for my dad, it would be twenty. In order to stay motivated, they came up with consequences and a reward. If anyone didn’t meet their weight loss goal, they would have a consequence that was designated specifically for them. Mine happened to be to wash both of my parent’s cars every weekend for a whole year. Although what motivated me the most was the reward; whoever lost the most percentage body fat would win a $200 shopping spree. With all of these in place, we began our diet on January fifth.

Because of my knee problems, I decided that my choice of fitness would be swimming.  So, for six times a week I would swim laps for 30-60 minutes and occasionally do abs workouts. The eating part of the lifestyle change was the hardest part to stay on track with. I started by counting calories and trying to keep the daily count to under 1,750. By doing this and focusing on a lot more fruits and vegetables my daily diet transformed into eating a small bowl of Special K for breakfast, half a sandwich with more meat and veggies than bread with a yogurt and a fruit for lunch, a small after school snack and finally a carb free dinner ( like a grilled chicken salad). Now I’m not going to lie and say that I never fell off the band wagon, but in order to keep myself sane, I allowed myself one “bad” meal a week along the lines of a buffalo chicken sandwich.

After four months my goal of fifteen pounds was surpassed by six pounds for a total of twenty one pounds and needless to say I saw a lot of improvements. I didn’t end up wining the reward money, but I didn’t feel upset because of all of the things I did obtain. I obviously felt lighter, but I also was a lot more positive and had tons of energy. I did get a little off track right after the end because I kept on focusing on foods that I couldn’t eat for those four months but now, two months after the diet I am maintaining a healthy weight by continuing to exercise daily and focusing on eating foods that are good for me.

If I had to give advice on starting a healthy life, I would say to start slow and don’t focus on any one side of health; you must both eat well and exercise. Exercise at first for only thirty minutes daily and slowly work your way up. For the diet side, counting calories at first until you get a general feel for what is good or what is too much.  A healthy weight is not being thin and looking good, but it is about feeling good about yourself and eating foods that better your life.

Top ten foods I live by now:

1. Nuts: almonds, peanuts, anything (the perfect snack that keeps you full!)
2. Chicken: contains protein without all of the fat that other meats have
3. Brown rice: a great alternative to white rice with almost half of the calories
4. Granola:  although high in calories, it is still really good for you
5. Grapes and Blueberries: taste as sweet as candy and easy to snack on
6. Wraps instead of bread on sandwiches: always wheat or wholegrain
7. Oatmeal: great alternative to cereal and contains more fiber
8. Eggs: contain a lot of protein to keep you from getting the munchies
9. 5 Calorie Jello: makes for the perfect dessert!
10. 100 Calorie Popcorn packs: better for you and contains more product than a bag of chips

Being an athlete these days means doing everything you possibly can to give yourself a chance to be successful. This is true now more than ever due to all of the information that is out there and all of the specialty coaches and trainers. What I have learned over and over again through my own playing days and afterwards as a coach and trainer is that above anything else you can do on the field and in the weight room is the way that you take care of your body and what you put in to it. Nutrition is the building blocks of anything that you do as an athlete because if you are not taking care of your body you will not have the energy to make the most out of your workouts and will not get the most out of your body during your games.

All coaches tell athletes that you need to be prepared and that preparation is what will help you to win games. It is no different when it comes to nutrition; it is so important for athletes to understand how to plan ahead and know what food they will need through the course of the day. Because you never know what will be provided and where you will be throughout the day it becomes imperative for an athlete to constantly pack the food they will need with them. All great athletes will always have a cooler with them for their shakes, and all the rest of the food that they may need through the course of the day so that come game time or workout time they will be ready to perform at their best.

Click here to listen to sports nutritionist Dr. Susan Kleiner discuss this topic and many more that will help you use nutrition to take your game to the next level.

To hear Dr. Kliener’s entire interview click here

Click here for the entire interview with Dr. Kleiner

]]> http://nutritionsg.com/understanding-calories/feed/ 0 00:01:01 One of the most difficult things as an athlete is determining what your caloric intake should be. There are so many factors that can go ... One of the most difficult things as an athlete is determining what your caloric intake should be. There are so many factors that can go into the calorie equation and everywhere you turn someone is telling you something different. Luckily sports nutritionist Dr. Susan Kleiner has tackled this issue first hand for sportsgist.com and has been able to shed some light and give guidance to those of us who have been struggling with the calorie dilemma. Click here for the entire interview with Dr. Kleiner calories,,diet,,nutrition,,performance,,weight,gain,,weight,loss kit.latham@gmail.com no No http://nutritionsg.com/halftime-to-eat-or-not-to-eat/ http://nutritionsg.com/halftime-to-eat-or-not-to-eat/#comments Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:41:57 +0000 admin http://nutritionsg.com/?p=9 Renowned sports nutritionist Susan Kleiner joined sportsgist.com in her regular scheduled podcast and this week covered, among other topics the plan that an athlete should have at half time. All athletes that play team sports have faced that challenge at halftime and that decision of whether or not it is better to grab some food or to just get off your feet, relax and listen to your coaches as you make the necessary adjustments for the second half. I know from personal experience there were times when half time rolled around and I was zapped of energy and feeling pretty hungry but never wanted to eat anything for fear of cramping in the second half.

Click to hear the entire interview with Dr. Kleiner

]]> http://nutritionsg.com/halftime-to-eat-or-not-to-eat/feed/ 0 00:01:01 Renowned sports nutritionist Susan Kleiner joined sportsgist.com in her regular scheduled podcast and this week covered, among other topics the plan that an athlete should ... Renowned sports nutritionist Susan Kleiner joined sportsgist.com in her regular scheduled podcast and this week covered, among other topics the plan that an athlete should have at half time. All athletes that play team sports have faced that challenge at halftime and that decision of whether or not it is better to grab some food or to just get off your feet, relax and listen to your coaches as you make the necessary adjustments for the second half. I know from personal experience there were times when half time rolled around and I was zapped of energy and feeling pretty hungry but never wanted to eat anything for fear of cramping in the second half. Click to hear the entire interview with Dr. Kleiner diet,,game,,hydration,,nutrition,,performance kit.latham@gmail.com no No http://nutritionsg.com/water-the-nutrient-for-life/ http://nutritionsg.com/water-the-nutrient-for-life/#comments Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:47:19 +0000 admin http://nutritionsg.com/?p=6 by Susan M. Kleiner, PhD, RD, FACN, CNS, FISSN

Proteins, carbs, vitamins, minerals, water, and fats. Of the 6 primary classes of nutrients, which is the most critical for growth, muscle development, and health? If you guessed water, you’re right!

WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE

But with all the obvious importance of water it appears that most of us aren’t drinking enough. Nearly one-third of the U.S. population is walking around slightly dehydrated. “So what?” you ask. “What’s the big deal about being slightly dehydrated?”

A VOLUMINOUS PROBLEM
Just about anyone who knows anything knows that you can get pretty sick and even die from severe dehydration. But the fact is that chronic, mild dehydration, a constant 1 to 2 percent deficit of body weight caused by loss of fluids, can have a measurable effect on mental and physical performance, muscle growth, and even long term health.

WATER AND YOUR MUSCLES

Since muscles are nearly 70 percent water, even a small loss of fluid will affect their function. Muscles are controlled by nerves. The electrical stimulation of nerves and contraction of muscles occurs due to the exchange of electrolytes dissolved in water across the nerve and muscle cell membranes. If you’re low on water or electrolytes, muscle strength and control are weakened. A water deficit of just 2 to 4 percent of your body weight can cut your strength-training workout by as much as 21 percent, and your aerobic power by a whopping 48 percent!

WATER AND YOUR FAT
When your goal is losing body fat, water is your friend. It can help take the edge off hunger so that you eat less, and it has no calories. If you are on a high protein diet, water is required to detoxify ammonia, a by-product of protein energy metabolism. And as you mobilize your stored fatty acids to burn off as energy, you release any fat-soluble toxins that have been benignly stored in your fat cells. The more fluid you drink the more dilute the toxins in your bloodstream, and the more rapidly they exit from your body.

WATER AND YOUR BRAIN
When it comes to peak mental capacity, whether in school or in competition, your hydration state will affect your performance. In a study of subjects’ abilities to perform mental exercises after heat-stress induced dehydration, a fluid loss of only 2 percent of body weight caused reductions in arithmetic ability, short-term memory, and the ability to visually track an object by 20 percent compared to their well-hydrated state.

WATER AND YOUR HEALTH
Probably most surprising is the effect that chronic, mild dehydration has on health and disease. It was a practice of Hippocrates to recommend large intakes of water to increase urine production and decrease the recurrence of urinary tract stones. Today approximately 12 to 15 percent of the general population will form a kidney stone at some time. Many factors can modify the urinary risk factors for developing stones. Of these, diet – especially fluid intake – is the only one that can be easily changed and that has a marked effect on all urinary risk factors.

Mild dehydration can also be a factor in the occurrence of mitral valve prolapse. In a study of 14 healthy women with normal heart function, mitral valve prolapse was induced by mild dehydration, and resolved with rehydration.

YOUR FLUID PLAN
Contrary to our drive to eat, our drive to drink is not as keen. Our thirst mechanism doesn’t kick in until we are already mildly dehydrated. When you’re working out moderately in a mild climate, you are probably losing 1 to 2 quarts (2 to 4 pounds) of fluid per hour through perspiration. That means that a 150 pound person can easily lose 2 percent of their body weight in fluid (3 pounds) within an hour. If exercise is more intense, or the environment is more extreme fluid losses will be greater. You can see how easily you become dehydrated. If you don’t replenish your fluid losses during exercise, you will fatigue early and your performance will be diminished. Without fluid replenishment after exercise, your performance on successive days will decay, and your long-term health may be at risk.

Monitor your hydration status. One of the easiest ways is to check your urine: it should be relatively odorless and no darker colored than straw. Anything more and it is a good sign that you are dehydrated and need to be drinking more.

DON’T GET CAUGHT EMPTY-HANDED

FLUID GUIDELINES

• Drink a minimum of 1 quart (4 cups) of fluid for every 1,000 calories you eat every day.
• Drink at least 5 cups of water every day.
• Fluids should be cool.
• For moderate exercise that lasts an hour or less, water is sufficient for replacing lost fluids. If you like flavored drinks better, then use flavored beverages.
• For intense exercise that lasts less than 1 hour and exercise lasting more than an hour, carbohydrate-electrolyte sport drinks are best.
• Drink 2 cups of fluid 2 hours before exercise.
• Drink 4-6 ounces every 15 to 20 minutes during exercise.
• Drink 4-6 ounces every 15 to 20 minutes during exercise.
• After exercise, drink 16-20 ounces (2-2½ cups) of fluid for every pound of body weight lost during exercise

Put your fears aside. Vegetarian diets are typically rich in carbohydrates, with plenty of protein and high performance fats. That’s the perfect prescription for exercisers and athletes. With 60 percent of your diet coming from carb-packed grains, beans, fruits and vegetables, there’s no way your performance will drop off. And you can certainly get enough protein to pack on plenty of muscle. But you do have to plan your diet well.

And just for clarity-sake, although research has taught us that eating too much of animal-based foods may result in the development of chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer, the problem is not that eating any amount of these foods is bad for you. But if you make animal foods the center of your diet, you just don’t have enough room left to eat all the fabulous plant foods like grains, beans, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables necessary to ward off disease.

ENSURING THE PROPER NUTRIENTS

Changing from a meat-centered to a plant-centered diet is not as simple as just eliminating the meat. The trick is to make sure you’re not skimping on any nutrients as you cut out certain foods. Vegans run the greatest risk of deficiencies because several vital nutrients including protein, vitamins B12 and D, iron, zinc, and calcium, are found in highest qualities or most significant amounts primarily in meat, eggs and dairy products.

SPECIAL FOCUS ON PROTEIN AND CARBOHYDRATE

When it comes to carbohydrates, don’t be misled by fads. The research is clear: if you want to train hard and long, you need plenty of carbohydrate to achieve your goals. Eating a vegetarian-style diet will make this easy. Plant-based foods are great sources of all the different carbohydrates and fibers that will keep you healthy and fuel intense workouts.

To get enough calories and nutrients, vegetarians should eat at least 1,800 calories a day. The following list gives you minimum servings for each day, with a suggestion of where to add more to increase calories.

Lacto-vegetarians:

Vegans:

Serving size guidelines:

A GOLD MEDAL LIFETIME

You are now on the road to improving your performance, and your life. Many successful athletes have chosen a vegetarian lifestyle. Not only could they perform at peak levels during their athletic careers, but they have maintained good health and longevity throughout the rest of their lives.

SIDEBAR

DETERMINING PROTEIN QUALITY

Approximate protein quality of various forms of protein found in food and supplements.*

*Data compiled by Dr. Richard Kreider, University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee