Nutrition

We don’t think much about our bones until something breaks, but as with most health issues, prevention is key. Bone mineral density (BMD) is one of several indicators of how susceptible bones are to fracture, and it is measured using Dual X-Ray Absorptiometry (DXA). A DXA scan measures three components of body composition: bone mass, fat mass, and lean mass, making it not only the most accurate for BMD measurement but also for body fat percentage. Diagnosis of low bone mass is based upon age and gender comparisons using “T or Z scores” which are calculated by the DXA software.
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The Internet offers an amazing array of sports nutrition information—but it also contributes to great confusion. Many runners complain to me about information overload; they have no idea whom to believe and how to determine which websites offer reputable advice. No wonder; if you google “credible sports nutrition information,” you' will find over four million links!
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This past August I raced in the Pikes Peak Ascent (PPA) for the second time.  The experiences between last year and this year were very different including the amount of training I was able to complete.  I obtained a personal best time by 12 minutes but not because I trained more.
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Recently, while running up Pikes Peak I came upon a fellow with good intentions explaining hydration to a woman who was new to mountain running. He said: "You don't need to carry water with you during the race; they have plenty of aid stations. Besides, most people over-hydrate anyway."  The problem saying this to a novice is that they might interpret this to mean they should not drink very much during the race.
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If you are a winter runner, you want to pay careful attention to your sports diet. Otherwise, lack of food and fluids can take the fun out of your outdoor activities. These tips can to help you fuel wisely for cold weather workouts.
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Picking the perfect menu to enhance your performance can be a difficult task. While many athletes know the words carbs, proteins and fats, they often don’t know how  to translate those words into food choices. Hence, the goal of this article is to offer specific food suggestions to fit a variety of exercise situations. Try to experiment with new foods to learn which ones settle best in your gut, don’t “talk back” and enhance your performance.
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Long days of work and training may cause serious damage to your well-intentioned dinner plans. A trip to the nearest fast food restaurant becomes your most logical decision. Unfortunately, many of the options at these establishments are less than ideal for athletes. Time constraints and hunger may lead you to choose foods that inhibit recovery and provide less than optimum nutrition. With a few tricks and a little kitchen know-how, you can have a healthy meal in no time.
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If you want to feel like Superwoman this race season, fueling up with nutrient-powered foods and smart supplementing has positive payoffs. Quality eating provides nutrients that boost your immune system, and supercharge your performance. Supplements build upon your best food choices and provide an edge on the race course. All the food and supplement strategies outlined below work for the guys as well, so eat up!
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It’s getting warmer! Heat, sometimes combined with humidity depending on where you live, can throw you a good curve ball during these summer months of training and competition. We have all heard stories about athletes being taken to the hospital during a race for dehydration, or collapsing before the finish line or seeing white spots with a tongue feeling like sandpaper. I will say that those are extreme cases and ones that can be easily prevented with a little know-how nutrition for the heat know-how.
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