Nutrition is key to becoming an overall healthy triathlete, but it becomes even more important on race day for fueling performance, avoiding GI issues and recovering from your efforts. Follow this sample menu, suggested by nutrition and performance coach Krista Austin, Ph.D., for guidelines on how to eat on race day. You will want to test-run your nutrition/meals during training so there are no surprises. A cardinal rule in triathlon: Don’t do or try anything new on race day. Night before the race 5:30 p.m. Low-fiber dinner: White spaghetti with a low-fat meat marinara sauce and white bread rolls; or rice and lean meat with a low-fat sauce. Drink electrolyte beverages. Why: “Energy-rich carbohydrate helps top off glycogen stores for race day, and all of the meal helps minimize the chance of GI distress,” Austin says. Triathlete.com: Whole foods for recovery 5 tips for the night before 1. Eat a relatively early dinner, no later than 12 hours before your race start if possible. 2. Make carbohydrates (rice, pasta, bread, veggies) the focal point of your pre-race dinner, but don’t feel compelled to gorge on them. 3. Avoid foods you seldom eat. Try to eat something similar to the type of dinner you normally eat before a big day of training. 4. Consider choosing a “ritual” dinner that you re-create more or less exactly before every race. This can calm pre-race anxiety and put you in the right mind frame to compete. 5. Don’t drink too much water (or other fluid). You are not a camel. You cannot store water. Overhydrating will only necessitate sleep-ruining bathroom trips during the night. Triathlete.com: Battling a nervous stomach Race day 5 a.m. Light breakfast: Plain bagel with creamy peanut butter and a cup of coffee. Why: “Foods rich in carbohydrate, such as a bagel, will help restore liver glycogen that was depleted overnight,” Austin says. “These are also low in residue, which will help minimize GI distress during competition.” If your body can tolerate coffee, Austin says caffeine “can help increase the amount of work you can perform and sustain.” 6 to 6:50 a.m. Sip a sports drink. Why: “Supplying carbohydrate in the hour prior to competition can help maintain stable blood-glucose levels and has been shown to enhance performance,” Austin says. 7 to 8:30 a.m. For a sprint race lasting 1.5 hours, take in 30–60g of carbohydrate, ideally in liquid form on the bike. Aim for 20–24oz of liquid with 200mg of sodium per 6–8oz. Why: For a race longer than 60 minutes, carbohydrates help performance by delaying muscle glycogen depletion, Austin says. Triathlete.com: Fuel like a pro Post-race 8:45 a.m. Recover with 1 gram of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight (if you’re 150 pounds, that’s 68kg, so 68g of carbs) and 6 to 20g of protein. Good options include: a protein recovery beverage, PB&J sandwich, yogurt and cereal or cheese and crackers. Why: “Carbohydrate consumption immediately after competition helps facilitate recovery by restoring muscle glycogen and minimizing inflammation,” Austin says. “Protein assists with the body’s ability to take in carbohydrate and restores broken-down muscle.” 11 a.m. Eat a recovery snack comprising 50% to 55% carbohydrate with the rest being lean proteins and healthy fats. Good options include: a banana with nut butter, Greek yogurt, fruit and granola or eggs and whole-wheat toast. Why: “Eating every two to three hours assists in maintaining a stable blood glucose level, which not only facilitates recovery but is also important for sustaining metabolism, optimizing body composition and overall health,” Austin says. 1 p.m. Lunch: chili, baked potato, salad and fruit Why: “Chili contains meat and beans with appropriate amounts of protein and fiber to help lower the meal’s glycemic response, along with the fiber found in salad and fruit,” Austin says. “The fiber and protein content will also help you feel full and satisfied. Remember to control your portions though – since a 1.5-hour competition does not cause a significant energy deficit.” 4 p.m. Snack: Low-glycemic, same goal and options as 11 a.m. Why: Continues to aid in recovery and sustains metabolism. 7 p.m. Dinner: Lean red meat, grilled vegetables, polenta and fruit; real-fruit sorbet for dessert Why: “Red meat contains protein, and the fiber in grilled vegetables and fruit will help lower the glycemic response, since metabolism slows as we prepare for bed,” Austin says. “Red meat is also good for endurance athletes to help maintain iron stores. Sorbet should provide a treat that is not overly high in calories, but does provide a reward for the day’s race.” Filed under: 2012 Fit Nation Triathlon Challenge , Triathlete.com Tagged: Jené Shaw — Triathlete.com

Want to lose weight for good? “The key is exercising consistently in a way that burns calories, reduces body fat, builds muscle, and stokes your metabolism,” fitness expert Geralyn Coopersmith says. “That’s what this plan is all about.” It combines fat-burning cardio interval workouts with muscle-building strength training , so you’ll burn even more calories—even when you’re not exercising. Outdoor-walking workout: 1. Walk at a moderate pace for 3 minutes. 2. Use normal strides, arms swinging alongside your body. 3. Power-walk (take shorter, faster steps, drive bent elbows back, and let hips move side to side) for 1 minute. Focus on landing on your heel and rolling through the ball of the foot and the toe. 4. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for a total of 30 minutes. Treadmill workout: 1. Walk at a moderate pace for 3 minutes. 2. Pick up the pace and increase incline by 2–3 percent for 1 minute. You should be exerting enough effort so that it’s hard to keep up a conversation. 3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for a total of 30 minutes. Elliptical workout: 1. Use light resistance with high ramp for 3 minutes. 2. Lower ramp and increase resistance; work at a challenging pace for 1 minute. 3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for a total of 30 minutes. Bike workout: (outdoor or indoor) 1. Pedal at a moderate intensity (a 6 or 7 out of 10) for 3 minutes. 2. Up intensity (to an 8 or 9 out of 10) for 1 minute. 3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for a total of 30 minutes. Back to Health ‘s Feel Great Weight Plan

Dr. Jennifer Shu, CNNHealth's Living Well expert doctor, is a pediatrician, mother of two and co-author of " Food Fights: Winning the Nutritional Challenges of Parenthood Armed With Insight, Humor, and a Bottle of Ketchup ." In my pediatric practice, it is sometimes difficult to look at a child and tell whether he or she is at a healthy weight for his or her height and age. Many children tell me they think they are overweight, while parents believe their children are just right, or perhaps too thin. This is where numbers come in handy – objective measurements, including a child’s weight, height and body mass index , or BMI – are useful tools when talking to families about a child’s size. While factors such as body frame and muscle composition may make a person’s BMI higher or lower than expected, these measurements are generally more accurate than eyeballing a child to see if he or she is over- or underweight. So, what do all these numbers mean? Weight and height are self-explanatory. BMI, a calculation that takes into consideration the height and weight, is a fairly good reflection of a person’s body fat. For children, height, weight and BMI are plotted on standard growth charts that give percentile curves for the measurements. A healthy weight means having a BMI percentile between 5 and 85. A BMI over the 85th percentile (meaning the child’s BMI is greater than 85% of other children of the same age and gender) is defined as being overweight, while 95% or greater is considered obese. A BMI below 5 percentile is considered to be underweight. Unfortunately, as obesity becomes more common among children, diseases once thought to be primarily a problem of adulthood are showing up in kids. For this reason, children should be screened for medical complications of obesity, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Not everyone agrees when you should start screening your children, but the latest recommendation is to test cholesterol between 9 and 11 years old and then again between 17 and 21. Ask your pediatrician for his or her opinion based on your child’s BMI. Blood pressure can be measured with a cuff at the doctor’s office, and diabetes and high cholesterol can be checked with simple blood tests. These tests may include blood sugar, hemoglobin A1c and insulin levels for diabetes; a lipid panel (such as cholesterol and triglycerides) which, along with blood pressure, is a marker for heart disease; and tests for liver problems that can occur with obesity. In some situations it might be important to rule out medical causes of obesity. For example, patients who have a higher concentration of fat in the neck and head region could have Cushing's syndrome, and those who are relatively short for their weight and age and have other symptoms might have low thyroid function. When counseling families about nutrition and exercise, I find it most effective to emphasize healthy habits for the whole family, rather than to single out individual children since they ultimately need their parents' help to stick to new routines. Also, the entire family can benefit from following a healthy lifestyle. Finally, while the categories “overweight” and “obese” are used when determining the best treatment approach for a child’s size, they aren’t always the best terms to use with children. Telling children that they are at an “unhealthy weight” or that their “weight is not well matched with their height and age” can be a better tactic – this philosophy applies whether a person is over or under his or her ideal weight range. For information, visit wecan.nhlbi.nih.gov or letsmove.gov . Filed under: Children’s Health , Obesity Tagged: Dr. Jennifer Shu – CNNHealth Living Well expert

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Self here on FitSugar! Some women may take it easy during their last trimester, but Hilary Duff isn’t the type to let her workouts slide just because she’s eating for two. The singer-actress may be seven months pregnant, but according to her trainer of eight years, Vivica Jensen, she’s still staying fit with biweekly Piloxing sessions. “Piloxing is the first fitness program that blends the best of Pilates, boxing, and dance into a high-energy, hour-long interval workout,” says Jensen, who created the hybrid class. “I put a lot of focus into balance and alignment, which can be thrown off when you’re pregnant. You also get a great cardio workout, and the boxing element tones your arms and legs.” Although Jensen has tweaked Duff’s workouts to accommodate her pregnancy, she’s quick to point out that the mom-to-be is no slouch in the gym. “Since Hilary was already in good shape, she’s able to do everything but at her own pace with a few modifications like taking more breaks to drink water and catch her breath when her heart rate goes up and not doing advanced ab exercises,” says Jensen. As her due date draws near, the former Lizzie McGuire star is also preparing her body for the hardships of labor. That means plenty of arm, leg, chest, and core exercises. “For now, I’m focusing on her core muscles because I want those muscles intact so she has an easier delivery,” says Jensen. Just don’t expect Mrs. Comrie to stay bedridden for very long since “Hilary loves being healthy and has always been very active. Once she gets the OK from her doctor, we’re really going to kick it up a notch,” says Jensen. “She’s tough with amazing form, so I’m able to work her hard and really kick her butt!” Want to stay fit throughout all nine months of your pregnancy (or even if you’re not eating for two!)? Incorporate four moves into your regular workout routine to get buff like Duff. Read on for the moves.

FitSugar community member (and fitness instructor) livinginthin gives us a primer on Tabata training, a type of high-intensity interval workout. You’ve probably heard the word Tabata by now (and if you haven’t, you will!). So what exactly  is this hot new fitness trend, and why you should care about it? What is Tabata? The term Tabata was coined after the Japanese researcher Dr. Izumi Tabata, who compared the effectiveness of short, very high-intensity training (bursts of maximal effort for 20 seconds followed by 10 seconds of recovery, repeated for four minutes in total) to a traditional 60-minute aerobic workout. Who should do it? Anyone looking to amp up their fitness level, maximize their cardio time, burn more calories, and blast off more fat in way less time. The key to a successful Tabata session is being able to hit the high levels of intensity (the participants in the Tabata study worked at 170 percent of their VO2 Max – that’s killer!). If you are new to exercise, or returning after a long hiatus, you may want to progress slowly with trying a Tabata workout. Learn more about Tabata, after the break!

Some may leave their gym shorts and running shoes at home when they jet off for a vacation, but FitSugar readers make it a point to sneak fitness into their schedules while traveling . And I commend you for doing so, because when you’ve got a mai tai in one hand and a gripping novel in the other, it can take a lot of willpower to head to the gym. Working out while on vacation can actually be an exhilarating and rewarding experience - especially if you try a new class. Here’s why trips afar are the best time to switch up your fitness routine

MIAMI (CBSMiami.com) – Kids in America today get hit with a barrage of issues that are hard for adults to deal with. Unfortunately, that leads many kids and teenagers to suffer from depression at an early age. Fourteen-year-old Hayley Pace is on multiple prescription medications to help her problems. The meds help Hayley balance out her attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, Tourette Syndrome, and her bipolar disorder. But Hayley isn’t letting all the meds bring her down. “Mental illness isn’t anything to be ashamed of,” Hayley said, “like a kid with diabetes who has to take medication to feel better.” Hayley said the only shame would be not to deal with it. She said she’s proud to be the poster child of a kid with a mental disorder and every time she sits in her therapist’s office, she sits under a picture of Abraham Lincoln. “Abe Lincoln suffered suicidal depression,” psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Bober said, “and he was able to change the world and our country.” Dr. Bober also has a picture of former British prime minister Winston Churchill, who also suffered from mood and bipolar disorders, but like Lincoln, was able to spur change on a worldwide level. “Mental illness doesn’t have to be an impediment to you succeeding,” Dr. Bober said. Identifying the problem early is the job of the caregivers. Approximately one in 33 children have depression, but one in eight teens suffers from depression. The problem is that unlike adults, kids often will not verbalize their problems. Among the warning signs: irritability, throwing tantrums, constant stomach aches, boredom, always being tired, getting into fights, and the “whatever phase.” “You’ll say, how are you…they’ll say whatever; I don’t care. They lose interest in things,” Dr. Bober said. The biggest problem is if their long-term mood effects their ability to do normal everyday things, such as classwork. Hayley said that her treatment has been successful so far. She also said that it’s good to talk about her problem and that it’s okay to get help to help you find the right balance to help you achieve your goals.

Pilates has a rep as a girly exercise form that attracts ladies who lunch. Private sessions can be pricey, but mat classes will work your entire body. Originally called Contrology, the practice was actually developed to rehab injured soldiers after WW I – talk about functional fitness! After teaching the method for years (and rehabbing my own chronic back injury with it), I have decided Pilates makes everything better, from life’s basics like sitting to things more extreme like CrossFit. Here are four Pilates fundamentals that everyone can benefit from learning. Breathing The most basic human function, breathing supports life and a fit life, too. A proper inhale fuels your muscles with oxygen, and a powerful exhale helps you engage your deep abs to protect your spine and support your torso. The conscious and studied breathing in Pilates might feel tedious at first, but learning how to breathe into your lower lungs, rather than just your chest, helps makes you a more efficient cardio machine. The Pilates method of inhaling wide through the ribs and exhaling by contracting the deep abs to push the diaphragm into the lungs also means you can keep your upper body and neck relaxed as you take in air. Learn three more benefits when you keep reading.

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar. Chances are you've already seen Tony Horton. Built like Brad Pitt but with a sense of humor like Will Ferrell waving a cowbell, he's hard to miss whether he's on late-night TV (pick a channel, any channel) pimping his 10-Minute Trainer workouts or on QVC selling out his wildly popular P90X workout program . When he enthuses, "Just give me 90 days and I'll get you huge results," it sounds a little too good to be true, but having done two cycles myself, I can tell you this is one workout that lives up to the hype. And since Tony, as he asked me to call him in our interview, is coming out with P90X 2 in December 2011, now is the perfect time to try P90X !  Here's why: 1. No more plateaus. The core idea behind the P90X workout is what Tony calls "muscle confusion." By doing a different type of workout every day you'll keep your muscles guessing, which means you'll keep them working hard. 2. Entertainment. Tony and his crew crack jokes and do all kinds of hilarious moves (my favorite is The Rockstar) to keep your mind off the pain. And the dude is funny. 3. Well-rounded workouts. Drawing from weight lifting, interval training , yoga, plyometrics , and martial arts, among other things, you'll work your body from every angle thereby increasing your power, strength, balance, and athletic ability. See more reasons to try P90X after the break!

Donna asks… Why would a mag/cal supplement free me of my anxiety disorder symptoms for two months and then stop helping? I have had chronic stress for 9 years, but could metal in my body (fillings, leg rod, tap water) also play into these anxiety disorder symptoms (heart palpitations, arrhythmia, shortness of breath)? Jonjune answers: I understand what you mean, i also got symptoms like this before but i now i feel good, better. I am taking Vilift and everything is normal for me now. Mary asks… How do you cure or lessen Social Anxiety Disorder symptoms? I’m pretty sure I have Social Anxiety Disorder . I don’t have the money to get a proper diagnosis, but it can’t possibly be anything else. It makes life…existence…a nightmare. How can I get rid of the fear of being around people? Is there a drug that can do this, without making me dopey? Or, is there some self-hypnosis that can help? Jonjune answers: Well, it is hard to make a self diagnosis. There are counseling centers will provide services on a sliding scale. You may benefit from counseling more than you think. There are also medicines. A lot of antidepressants, such as Paxil, are also used for Social Anxiety Disorder. I was diagnosis with SAD and have been on Effexor, Wellbutrin and Lamictal for years. This combination works well for me. I don’t feel drowsy or anything. Some times I have constipation. Charles asks… Does a diagnosis of social anxiety disorder require that symptoms occur each and every time…? Does a diagnosis of social anxiety disorder require that symptoms occur each and every time one is in the feared situation?… Is it considered just ‘shyness’ if the symptoms ( anxiety , sweating, heart palpitations, etc.) occur only during SOME occurrences of that situation, but not in others? Jonjune answers: Not necessarily, “social anxiety disorder also called social phobia, is an anxiety disorder characterized by intense fear in social situations causing considerable distress and impaired ability to function in at least some parts of daily life.” That’s the “character” of it. The diagnosis can be of a specific disorder (when only particular situations are feared} or a generalized disorder. Generalized social anxiety disorder typically involves a persistent, intense, chronic fear of being judged by others and of being embarrassed or humiliated by one’s own actions; overcoming it can be quite difficult. Symptoms vary and can include a wide range of cognitive, physical and physiological aspects. However, Psychologist Dr, Ray Crozier argues that the official criteria laid out makes it “difficult to ascertain whether the person being interviewed adheres to the DSM-III-R criteria or whether they are merely exhibiting poor social skills or shyness. So there you go. It can be a combination of things and not always a disorder. If it’s causing problems, it is a problem.. Sandy asks… What diseases can cause the same symptoms as anxiety disorder? I was doing some research (helping a friend) who complains of being constantly dizzy and disoriented. He had a panic attack in his car a few months ago and now everytime he gets into his car he comes close to suffering another one. However, the dizziness and disorientation (he also has problems sleeping) are constant, car or not. His parents think it’s anxiety but I’m not quite sure. What other diseases or disorders can cause those symptoms ? Jonjune answers: Hyperthyroidism? David asks… what is the best anti anxiety medicine for physical symptoms of anxiety disorder? my heart is not abnormally beating just i always notice it beating out of chest and i was told this is a part of physical symptoms of anxiety disorder and also i get shortness of breath or winded easy sometimes so what are the physical symptoms you get and what is the best anti anxiety remedy..? Jonjune answers: I get heart palpitations ALL THE TIME apparently it’s quite normal, go to your doctor and get an ECG to rule out physical symptoms. Go see a counselor or psychologist, you may not have to go on medication, therapy can help a lot. If you have an anxiety disorder, you should know it, you’d be anxious most of the time, go and google “anxiety disorder symptoms”. You could just be a little stressed out at the moment. Talk to your doctor. Powered by Yahoo! Answers Related Blogs