Could a simple magnesium supplement improve sleep?
The USDA's Agricultural Research Service says it might:

"Can't sleep? You are not alone. Not being able to sleep, or insomnia, is a common complaint, especially among people older than 50. More than half of all people aged 65 years and older have sleep problems."

"Not surprisingly, lack of sleep is caused mainly by factors that are more common later in life, such as breathing problems, illness and medications. Yet, scientists have proved that poor sleep is not a natural part of aging."

"A factor getting more attention recently is poor nutrition. A low intake of the mineral magnesium may be one nutritional factor causing sleep problems.  A low intake of the mineral magnesium may be one nutritional factor causing sleep problems."

"Magnesium plays a key role in the body's chemistry that regulates sleep. This may be why persons with long-term lack of sleep, or abnormal brain waves during deep sleep, often have low magnesium in their blood."

"Magnesium treatment increased deep sleep and improved brain waves during sleep in 12 elderly subjects. Magnesium treatment decreased time to fall asleep and improved sleep quality of 11 alcoholic patients who often have a low magnesium status. Magnesium deficiency increased time awake at the expense of deep sleep in rats. Feeding magnesium to the rats restored their sleep patterns to normal." (I wish they had provided references.)

"A national food consumption survey found that many Americans, especially older women, consume less than the RDA for magnesium."

"Another risk factor for low magnesium status in older women is the use of calcium supplements without magnesium for bone health. High calcium intakes can make magnesium deficiency worse."

Here's some good advice from Livestrong:

"It's nearly impossible to overdose on magnesium from diet alone. The possibility of a magnesium overdose increases when you take magnesium supplements. If you're unsure of your magnesium levels, talk to your health care provider and ask your doctor to check them for you. Until your appointment or test results come back, you can include magnesium-rich foods in your diet such as nuts, whole wheat flour, oatmeal, bananas and shredded wheat."

almond photo by HealthAliciousNess     fruit photo by keepon

 What you eat on race day (hopefully tried and finessed in training sessions) can make a huge difference in your ability to maintain your pace near the end of your event and recover quickly afterwards. The training for your 100 km ride is the practice ground for you to determine which foods/fluids work best for you before, during and after training. It will also allow you to learn how much of what foods and fluids you will need to eat/drink to keep you energized. Use these tips in your training sessions NOW to determine your needs for this fall’s 100 km ride:

Experiment with the nutrition you need  before the event. This will boost your confidence in the choices you make BEFORE, DURING and AFTER you cycle hard. Eating carbohydrates during exercise has the potential to delay fatigue and enhance your performance. Remember that everyone is different. What works for you is not necessarily the best choice for one of your training buddies! Make a list of potential “winning” foods and fluids to try out during training to see what works best for you.

Practice Tips

* Focus on fluids and easily digestible carbohydrate-rich foods and beverages before and during every training session;
* Experiment with foods and drinks in training and “test” races (like a long time trial) to determine the best timing and your tolerance for pre-exercise foods and fluids;
* Refuel, rehydrate and rest-up post-workout to be stocked up and ready to go for your next training session;
* Eat foods full of protective nutrients for long-term health that will also fuel your body for optimal training and race day performance.  
 

Choose Smart Carbs

Carbohydrate rich foods (e.g. fruit, milk, yogurt, veggies, rice, pasta, breads, cereals, legumes, cookies, and sweet desserts) are vital for boosting pre-, during and post-workout energy levels and mood. Carbohydrate-rich foods are the body’s preferred source of fuel for higher intensity activity (race-pace cycling), plus they keep you in a positive frame of mind. Lack of carbs before and during a workout leads to whining, cranky cyclists who quickly run out of steam. But pay attention…not all carbs are the same! If you have trouble with wheat-based foods, choose rice, quinoa and potatoes as your starchy carbohydrates of choice. These are gluten-free/low-gluten alternatives to wheat-based products such as pasta, breads and wheat/oat-based cereals.

PRE-WORKOUT

The amount of muscle glycogen (the storage form of carbohydrate in muscle cells) you have on reserve reflects your eating and exercise habits over the past few days; however, the meals you eat right before a competition can also provide additional energy. A strategy for pre-event meals will help you prevent hunger or fatigue during your race and provide your body with adequate fuel to keep performing well. Larger meals should be consumed 3 to 4 hours before training sessions and competitions to ensure that you’ve digested the food you eat and you are ready to perform. Sometimes you may not have a lot of time to eat a meal, so eat a large snack 1 to 2 hours before your training/competition to get the energy you need. For training sessions and competitions lasting more then 60 minutes, a small snack 15 to 30 minutes beforehand is a good idea to ensure that you are topped up and ready to go! Use the examples below to help you plan your own pre-workout nutrition program.   Read complete article 

This article is from http://www.womenscycling.ca

photo by Maureen Lunn

One of the components of my fitness regime is trying to eat healthy - and baking bread is part of that program.  I started several years ago after my daughter took a class at King Arthur Flour and was enthused and proselytizing others.  I got hooked and when our kids gave me a big Kitchen Aid mixer, I really started getting serious.  Now I bake about once a week.

Today is bread making day -- a rather long process. Set aside about 4-5 hours to make this recipe. However, I can write,  pack book orders, go for a run, and do other activities as the bread rises, in this case three times.  I’ve settled into an oatmeal-honey bread out of one of the King Arthur bread books (they’re all great). 

It’s a good thing to weigh out the ingredients.  Start with 5.3 oz of rolled oats -- the old-fashioned kind and add 1 lb, 8 oz of lukewarm water.  Put in about 2.4 oz of honey and 1.5 teaspoons of yeast and a few tablespoons of dried milk.   Let it set for about 20 minutes so the oatmeal can soften.

The recipe then calls for 1 lb, 8 oz of high-gluten flour (I use King Arthur white) and 8 oz of whole wheat flour.  I’ll often jack up the whole wheat component, dropping back the amount of white flour, realizing my loaves will be a little more dense.  Fiddle with it, it’s not rocket science.  Add 2.4 oz of vegetable oil and 3 1/2 teaspoons of salt.  Mix for about 3 minutes on low, then about 3 on high.  Keep the dough wet and loose. 

The mixer is doing its thing as I write.  Time to check the consistency, making sure it’s not too dry, and then knead it a bit on the counter and let it start its first rise. 

These warm humid days are perfect -- in the Vermont winters it’s hard to find a place warm enough to get a good rise going.  Cover the dough with plastic and set it aside, set the timer, and let it rise for about 60 minutes.

After about an hour, fold the dough and put it back in the bowl and let it rise another hour.  Usually the second rise is a little more pronounced than the first.

Working on packing items for Thursday’s trip. First rise doesn’t look to great -- folded the dough and we’ll see what happens on the second.  So-so.

Turn out the dough and cut it into two pieces, forming two logs.  Let them rest a bit and then load them into bread pans.  I like to wet the top of the loafs and coat with oatmeal or cornmeal -- it helps keep the plastic wrap from sticking.  Cover and let set for about an hour.

Took dog on nice 40 minute run in woods will loaves were rising -- warm but breezy.  Trails drying out a bit.

After the third rise, in the pans, is 45-60 minutes underway, start oven at 460 degrees  F.  When oven is ready, heat up a cup of water in the microwave for steaming. (I use an old cast iron fry pan in the bottom of the oven.)  Carefully load the pans, and then dump the cup of water in the fry pan, trying not to scald yourself.  Close door and set timer for 15 minutes.

We’re hoping for some spring from the steam in the oven.  After fifteen minutes, reduce the temperature by about 30 degrees and bake fifteen minutes more.  Should be dark (from the honey) and the internal temperature 190 degrees or more.

Turn out on to cooling racks and leave them alone until they are cool.  Good luck with that!

If you enjoyed this article, then please subscribe to our RSS feed or via email to receive all the updates

  Bookmark this on Delicious

"It’s no secret that many parents and their children are overweight. These 10 simple ‘secrets’ can help you change your family’s lifestyle so that you can all become fit and healthy."  Read more at Curb That Fat 

1) Eat Whole Grain Foods

Processed and refined grains, such as white bread, white rice, cereal, pasta, and other foods made with white flour have a high glycemic index, low amounts of fiber, and less vitamins and minerals as foods made with whole grains. Making the switch to whole grain foods, including whole wheat bread, whole grain pasta, brown rice, and cereals made with whole grains, are an easy and healthy way to make your family’s diet more nutritious.

2) Limit Soda and Fruit Drinks

Soda and fruit drinks have low nutritional value and a lot of calories. At about 150 calories per 12 ounce serving, your kids will gain an extra pound about every 3 weeks if they drink just one can of soda each day.
Cutting back or eliminating soda, fruit drinks, and even fruit juice, can be a good way to get rid of a lot of extra calories and leave room for your kids to eat more nutritious foods.  Read whole article

photo by Essential Eating   

If you enjoyed this article, then please subscribe to our RSS feed or via email to receive all the updates

Athletes need extra carbohydrates

The greater amount of carbohydrate is necessary because carbohydrates are used to form glucose, the preferred fuel burned by muscles during exercise.  Hard exercise depletes blood glucose and the glucose stored in the muscles (glycogen), which must be replaced before you can exercise at the same level again.  Many athletes routinely fail to adequately replenish their glucose stores.  This may explain the lethargy, staleness, and difficulty in recovery such athletes experience after a period of hard training.

Nutritionists divide carbohydrates into two categories -- simple and complex.  Simple carbohydrates are highly refined.  Examples include jam, candy, syrup, chocolate, and table sugar.  Complex carbohydrates are found in unrefined foods such as peas, beans, pasta, potatoes, nuts, and whole grains like rice, oats, and barley.  Since complex carbohydrates provide not only carbohydrates but vitamins, minerals, and fiber as well, they are nutritious and the best choice for your daily diet.

Researches have found that the muscles’ ability to form glycogen is greatest in the first few house after exercise, so it’s important to begin replacing carbohydrates as soon as possible after a hard workout.  Try to eat a total of 100-120 grams (the amount found in three ounces of oatmeal or 12 ounces of a carbohydrate replacement drink) immediately after exercise and again, two hours later.

Studies also indicate that you can temporarily increase muscle glycogen stores with carbohydrate loading, a technique many athletes use for major events.  Carb loading begins about a week before competition.  On days one through three, carbohydrate should be about 50% of caloric intake, increasing to about 70% on days four through six, with competition on day seven.  Training intensity should be gradually reduced during the week.

Is carb loading safe?  The evidence is not conclusive.  It has been linked to one case of cardiac arrhythmia and some research indicates that high accumulation of muscles glycogen may be associated with a gain in water weight, blood in the urine, abnormal heart beat, and increased concentration of fat in the blood.  Other studies, however, indicate that there are few, if any, side effects.

The best approach is to make a high-carbohydrate diet part of your daily regimen and to use the carbohydrate loading technique two or three times a year before major competitions.

 This article was adapted from the nutrition section of  Cycling Health and Physiology

Smart Fuel chart courtesy of Major Joel Robb, USAF

If you enjoyed this article, then please subscribe to our RSS feed or via email to receive all the updates

Kids should be taught to eat a variety of foods from an early age.  Children who are exposed to various foods during childhood are more likely to learn to enjoy those foods in adulthood, even if they don’t like them while they are young.

The mistake parents often make is giving up on a new food after just one trial.  It typically takes at least six to eight exposures of a new food before children will accept it.  Sometimes it can even take ten to fifteen trials before children develop a liking for a new food.  Eating a variety of different foods ensures your children are getting all the nutrients they need to grow.

Tips to Introducing New Foods:   (read the whole blog post from Dr. Dolgoff)

 photo by faeryboots  

If you enjoyed this article, then please subscribe to our RSS feed or via email to receive all the updates