Saturday 19 September 2009

Working Smarter Not Harder...

This morning I woke up bright and early, ate a bowl of sugar free museli, with milk mixed with a scoop of syner-protein to stabilise my blood sugar, followed by a portion of TNT(one scoop provides as much energy as a kilogram of fresh fruit and vegetables and is low in GI ( glycemic index)). This low protein and GI fibre mix stabilised my blood sugar levels (glucose) and gave me plenty of natural healthy energy ready for a mornings bike ride. We rode 40 + miles on the bike, and I must say my energy levels were pretty good throughout the ride, no heavy legs, climbing well on the hills and when I got back another scoop of syner-protein to help with repair and recovery. Other riders dad and son were both feeling worse for wear during the ride (low energy levels, lack of regular training, ride seemed like hard work for both). I am not sure what dad ate for supper or breakfast but his son had eaten a fish and chip supper the night before, a breakfast bowl of cheerios and lucozade, an aspartarme laden energy drink during the ride . Next time I reach for an energy drink, naturally I will choose Solstic for great tasting, natural energy to support me even further .
One of the riders suggested using a glucose mix for the feed bottle,but I was unsure how helpful this would be in terms energy levels. This rider also suggested a skimmed milk powder instead of creatine or whey protein. Again, I was doubtful how this would help the riders concerned, lots of skimmed milk powders contain hidden sugars. Always check the labels and conduct thorough research before making a decision about a product. Recently I came across a triathlete who had this particular experience. Since switching to Syner-protein has made significant improvements in performance on less training.
Extensive research has shown that high levels of glucose in the blood sugar can lead to diabetes and low levels of glucose can lead to hypoglycemia. One of the friends suggested making home made energy bars which would be very expensive to make and contained lots of dried fruit and a whole jar of honey. I am sure they are wonderful, however busy people do not always have time to bake, may find it hard to digest bars while riding, and with a whole jar of honey in the bars the sugar content is guaranteed to be high and may cause an imbalance to the blood sugar levels. Rod Freeman, cycling bargains racing team manager, knows his riders always perform better, "with good nutrition, regular training and sports massage. "
Earlier this year Active Edge Solutions supported cycling bargains racing team cyclists at the Peterborough stage of the tour the riders found as a result they rode well and recovered faster because of Sue's style of specific sports massage. Choices are best for the individual and a more informed choice can make the difference to working smarter in your training, performance and recovery. Now, I wonder, which athletes are working smarter not harder when it comes to nutrition, training and good body maintenance!
Sports Massage: http://www.activeedgesolutions.co.uk/
Tour Series, Peterborough
photo credit, Paul Frost

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