WHAT TYPE OF CARBOHYDRATES ARE BEST?

Okay, but what type of carbs should the athlete be eating? The reason carbs have a bad reputation is because there are lots of low-quality sources out there, in the form of junk foods and other convenience foods that don’t offer any real nutrition – people fill up on them and pack on the pounds, but are still starving for nutrients. Over consumption of simple sugars (mono and disaccharides), like those found in candy and soda, has also been linked to the onset of type 2 diabetes and obesity. These types of carbs have a high glycemic index, which means they cause your blood sugar to rise rapidly and then eventually crash. The exception to the rule is the simple sugar found in fruits. Because fruits contain fiber, vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and other goodies, they generally prevent the sugars from being absorbed so rapidly in your system, so you don’t get that crash.

Aside from fruits, the other type of carbs you want in your diet are complex carbohydrates. Most complex carbs, or polysaccharides, have a lower glycemic index and so take longer to be broken down in the body, offering sustained energy over a longer time period without causing you to crash. They also provide your body with vital nutrients that tend to be more absorbable than the kind you get from vitamin supplements.

While it’s true there are a few exceptions – for example, white rice and potatoes both have an extremely high glycemic index – in general it’s better not to stress the details too much; glycemic index is only a small part of the story. For example, fructose (as in high fructose corn syrup) and ice cream both have a low glycemic index, and neither is exactly renowned for its health benefits. As long as it’s a healthy meal, our internal body chemistry usually balances things out. White rice eaten with beans, for example will have a lower glycemic index than white rice alone. Fats also lower glycemic index. The main point is to consume whole foods prepared in a healthy manner.

In general, complex carbohydrates should be part of your meals at least 3-5 hours before training or an event. Because they release their energy more slowly and evenly in the body, this ensures that you’ll have the energy you need to perform, and that you won’t be in the process of digesting at game-time. Great sources of complex carbs include brown rice, spelt or kamut bread, lentils, beans, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, brown rice pasta, quinoa, and more.

When Does The Glycemic Index Matter?

If you are training less than 90 to 120 minutes at a moderate level of intensity, high glycemic indexed carbs are noted not to help your body’s energy needs.

If you’re an endurance athlete, then glycemic index matters. High Glycemic carbs are recommended to athletes during prolonged exercise that require quick access to the glucose. Endurance athletes typically need to replenish their carbohydrate levels once they’ve moved beyond the 90 to 120 minute mark. If you’re an endurance athlete, you should be reloading your carbs every 15 to 30 minutes from the time of starting your activity as your core glycogen stores will deplete within 90 to 120 minutes depending on the level of intensity.

What’s the optimal carbohydrate to use? While athletes typically use sports drinks and gels, these sorts of products can have adverse affects on your body in the long term, and have been shown to damage athletes’ teeth. However, they’re currently the best products we’ve got, and are reasonably effective.

SUMMARY: POINTS TO REMEMBER

• Eat 60% carbohydrates at every meal, along with 20% protein and 20% healthy fat.

• Eat complex carbs at least 3-5 hours before training or competition.

• If you are training past 90-120 minutes, then you will need to reload using a source of high glycemic carbohydrates every 15-30 minutes once you have begun your activity.   It is suggested that you will need to replenish ½ gram of carbs every ½ hour.

• It takes 20 hours to replenish your body’s glycogen from carbohydrates after daily training.

• Calculate your daily carbohydrate needs (see above for chart and formula).

• Carbohydrates come from grains, legumes, fruits and starchy vegetables.

• Great sources include brown rice, spelt or kamut bread, lentils, beans, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, brown rice pasta, quinoa, and pretty much any fruit.

Copyright 2010 Life Health Secrets

It’s an unusual goal for a kid born and raised in South Jamaica, Queens – a rough neighborhood famous for gang violence and producing rap artists like 50 Cent. “If you’re not a successful individual coming out of that neighborhood, it’s not a big deal to anybody,” says Shaun, now twenty four years old. “No one’s expecting much from you. I’ve seen a lot of friends get destroyed by the neighborhood that I live in, and I don’t want to be just another statistic. I’ve lived my entire life going against what everyone said I couldn’t do.”

Like many inner city youths, Shaun was raised poor and fatherless. He was a lanky, skinny kid, and was often beat up by the local gangs and picked on at school for liking punk rock music and skateboarding. As financial conditions deteriorated at home, he took a job at a young age to help his mother pay the bills. Over time he began to feel depressed by his situation and decided he needed to change something in his life. That’s when he began to do push-ups and sit-ups, taking legendary NFL player and bodyweight trainer Hershel Walker as his inspiration.

Then, a dare from one of his friends led him to try to do 1,000 push-ups. He did it in 5 hours. The next time, he did it in 1 hour. After seeing a few videos of world record holder and ‘Iron Man’ Paddy Doyle, he began to take his training seriously. “I want people to remember my name for doing something good in the world,” says Shaun. This August, Shaun will attempt to do over 1,000 push-ups on his fists in less than eighteen minutes. If he succeeds, he will have beaten the world record currently held by Canadian Doug Pruden, who, in 2003 did 1,000 push-ups in 18 minutes and 13 seconds.

It’s a tough goal to achieve alone. Shaun is without a trainer, and has little time to speak of outside of work. Still, this hasn’t deterred him from staying focused and disciplined. “If you had told me 3-4 months ago that I was going to be doing 2,080 push-ups an hour, I would have laughed at you,” he says. “I didn’t believe my body was capable of doing that. But I’m doing it, and I’m doing it out of my job. I’ve taken the past 3 months to sculpt myself, mentally and physically. That means any Joe blow who wants to be in shape, if they just put their mind to it, they can do whatever they want.”

Copyright 2010 EliteSportsandFitness