Nutrition and Energy Tips for the Workday

Energy management should be one of the principal concerns of the working man, and yet the average guy fuels his body the way he gases up his vehicle: when it's running on fumes.It's a red ­warning ­light response, and it usually triggers a pit stop for a cafe au lait and a croissant. But there's a better way to wake up that doesn't involve overpriced coffee: Eat smart. And eat often. More specifically, snack often. By snacking on the right foods at strategic times, you'll keep your energy levels stoked all day, says sports nutritionist Nancy Clark, R.D. Here's what to eat when, with the prep time you've got.

7 A.M.: Jump ­Start Your Body
They call it breakfast for a reason: You haven't eaten for at least 8 hours. Your blood ­sugar level is at its lowest ebb, and now it's time to fuel up with protein and some fat, but mostly with complex carbohydrates.

At home: Grab a bowl and mix together a 3:1 ratio of Fiber One cereal plus Honey Nut Cheerios (Or cereal of choice). Add 1⁄2 cup of 2 percent milk. That'll give you fat, protein,and long ­burning fiber, plus a little sweetness to spike your blood sugar and help wake you up. Researchers at Cardiff University in Wales gave 150 men and women either high ­fiber or low ­fiber cereal every morning for 2 weeks. At the end of the study, those people who ate the most fiber also reported feeling the most energetic. "Fiber helps slow down the absorption of food in the stomach, so you have more energy over a sustained period of time," says Elizabeth Kunkel, Ph.D., R.D., a professor of food science at Clemson University.

In the car: Munch on a pack of Frito ­Lay Trail Mix. These single ­serving tubes of nuts,raisins, and chocolate chips cost just a dollar, and you can dump one right into your mouth while you navigate rush ­hour traffic. The raisins provide potassium — a mineral your body needs to convert sugar in the blood into energy. As for the nuts, they're high in magnesium.When magnesium levels are low, your body hikes its production of lactic acid — the same fatigue ­inducing substance that causes your muscles to burn when you're pushing yourself to crank out that third superset.

At your desk: Dig into Knudsen Cottage Doubles while checking your e­mail. These to ­gobowls of cottage cheese come with a side of fruit. Eat them separately or stir the fruit in to the cottage cheese to make it more flavorful. Besides being high in muscle ­building protein,cottage cheese is a good source of calcium and phosphorus, two minerals that help build your muscles' energy reserves. Researchers in Denmark found that men who replaced 20 percent of the carbohydrates in their diet with a high ­protein food like cottage cheese not only had more energy, but also revved up their metabolisms, increasing the number of calories they burned each day by up to 5 percent.

10:30 A.M.: Prevent Midmorning Malaise
It takes your body 2 to 3 hours to break down the sugars in the food you eat, release them into your bloodstream, and convert them into energy. Go longer than that without eating again and your energy levels will start to fade.

At your desk: Drink a bottle of lightly sweetened tea — we like Tazo and Honest Tea. The sugar will help to elevate your blood sugar, while the caffeine improves your mental alertness. Compounds in the tea itself also help boost metabolism. Swiss researchers found that men who drank green tea burned more calories during the day than men who didn't;USDA researchers made a similar discovery regarding men drinking black tea. And if that weren't enough, drinking tea also helps prevent dehydration. "Losing just 2 percent of your body's water weight can decrease energy levels by 20 percent," says Susan M. Kleiner,Ph.D., R.D., author of Power Eating.

In a catered meeting: Skip the dough nuts and pastries and grab a handful of fresh berries instead. Since fruit breaks down slowly in the body, it provides a more gradual dose of sugar for the bloodstream. "Your brain is constantly burning sugar for fuel, so maintaining an adequate supply of sugar in your bloodstream at all times is one of the key strategies for keeping energy levels high," says J. Mark Davis, Ph.D., a professor of exercise science at the University of South Carolina.

Noon: Eat a Power Lunch
By lunchtime, your blood ­sugar level doesn't need an immediate boost. Instead, stock up on sources of long­term energy to get you to quitting time.

At a business lunch: Order the tuna fillet. The omega­3s found in fish are one of the primary building blocks of brain tissue, so they're vital for keeping your mind sharp."Omega­3s also increase the flexibility of red blood cells, boosting blood flow and the supply of energy ­providing oxygen throughout the body," says Douglas Bibus, Ph.D., a lipid researcher at the University of Minnesota and editor of Omega­3 News.

In the cafeteria: Drizzle olive oil and vinaigrette dressing over a salad topped withc hicken, ham, or hard­boiled egg. The oil in the dressing will help slow down digestion of the protein and carbs in the salad, stabilizing blood ­sugar levels and keeping energy levels high, says Richard Podell, M.D., a clinical professor of medicine at Robert Wood Johnson medical school in New Jersey.

At the drive thru: Order a Taco Bell bean burrito with extra hot sauce. Australian researchers found that men who'd eaten spicy foods stayed alert and energetic longer than men who'd eaten other foods. A burrito's power comes from its beans, which are rich in riboflavin and niacin — two vitamins your body needs to convert sugar into energy.

3:30 P.M.: Beat the Afternoon Slump
Work stress has taken its toll. Fight fatigue with these.

In the cafeteria: Grab a carton of Dannon Light n' Fit yogurt when your energy starts to waver. High ­protein foods like yogurt are good sources of amino acids, such as tyrosine. "The body uses tyrosine to create a chemical called nor epinephrine, which helps reduce the effects of stress, boost energy levels, and keep the brain alert," says tyrosine expert JanBerend Deijen, Ph.D.

At your desk: Snack on crackers and peanut butter, which provide quick carb energy plus long ­burning protein and fat.

Mulch Walking/Running Trail

With the dedicated help of Sue Brown and her staff, Washington College has a mulch walking/running trail on campus.

Trail Distance and Location:
1 Lap: .65 miles
2 laps: 1.3 miles

The mulch trail starts at the base of the bridge which takes you to the cemetery. It goes along perimeter of campus by cemetery and turns right past the softball field You will then walk between Shriver Field and the bank of the practice soccer field. The trail turns right at the end of Shriver Field, and goes between the 3 fields and the bypass (291/Morgnec Rd.). It then turns right at the corner of bypass 1 and the edge of the RR Bank, and you will finish back at the platform tennis courts and the bridge.

Trivia Question: Nov. 1-7

Which of the following is the most “desirable” reading for total amount of cholesterol per
mg/dl?
A) 240 mg/dl
B) 230 mg/dl
C) 220 mg/dl
D) 200 mg/dl or less

Wellness Bestsellers

Along with the walking, lifting, running, and sweating that we are engaging in day to day, I have offered some of my favorite books that have influenced my life. As we become healthier, I would also like to challenge your brain with this literature, and in doing so, it will add to our knowledge base and our overall health and wellness.

Training and Fitness:
Core Performance (This is for maximizing athletic performance)
Core Essentials (This is for the regular person wanting to improve all aspects of the body)
Core Endurance (This is for the our swimmers, runners, and bikers)
By Mark Verstegen

Mark Verstegen has been one of my main educational resources for performance training and keeping my body flexible, strong, and injury free.

General Health
YOU: The Owner's Manual, An Insider's Guide to the Body That Will Make You Healthier and Younger
YOU: Staying Young
YOU: On a Diet
By Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz

The "YOU" series of books are exceptional at explaining all aspects of healthy living. The simplicity and creative analogies used in this book will open your eyes to easy and fun ways to create a healthier you. They also have an interesting way of predicting your "Real Age". Through the book, they use daily stressors or positives that add and subtract years to your actual age. Check it out for more details

Nutrition and the American Way of Eating:
The Omnivores Dilemma
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto (Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants)
By Michael Pollan

Michael Pollan is a brilliant writer who draws the reader into the issues of health in todays world. Through his research, he provides the reader with data and information about the Western Diet and the need for adjustments and change to become a healthier society as a whole.

Cardiovascular Training Tips

For all of the runners, walkers, ellipticalers, bikers, and rowers out there, I have listed a couple training tips that will boost your gains, occupy your mind, and burn more calories than some of our current programs.

Keys to cardiovascular interval training:
1.) Focus on % output: 100% would be sprinting or attempting to move as fast as possible

• If you are training, think of varying your % output (intervals) by going faster than normal for a desired amount of time and then rest. Sample: 1 min fast walk, 1 min slow walk, repeat.

2.) Elevated Heart Rate:

• This is a rarely used aspect of training, but it is one of the main reasons individuals don't get the results from hours of perceived cardiovascular training.
• Look to elevate your heart rate through greater intensity. Please be aware of not going too high, but challenge yourself.
  

Maximum Heart Rate Equation: 220-your age= Approx. Maximum Heart Rate

3.) Greater Muscle Recruitment: More Muscles Engaged, More Calories Burned

• Another benefit to training more aggressively is that your muscles (not just your heart) have to work harder to keep up the elevated pace.
• This will burn more calories while working out and many more post workout because of regeneration and muscle activation.

4.) Visual and Mental Cues: Instead of the daunting task of a 30 min run or 30 min walk, interval training uses Baby Steps. If you walk and talk and set incremental goals through your workout without looking at the total time/distance left, the 30min will be there before you know it.

• If you do not have the luxury of a stopwatch, speed tracker, heart rate monitor, and the other bells and whistles, do not fret.
  
• Outdoor Walker: Use telephone polls, streets, and other landmarks to push yourself. "Lets walk fast to the 3rd light post, after that lets walk slow for 3 more, and so on"

Sample Workouts: Treadmill, Elliptical, Stair Stepper, Walking, Running, etc...
Each workout can be modified to fit you. Please get creative but challenge yourself!

#1:
5 min warm up
10 repetitions of 1:15min hard(80%) and 45 sec slow/rest
5 min cool down

#2:
5 min warm up
3 reps of 2 min hard(70% of best effort) and 1 min slow/rest
3 reps 1:15 min hard(80%) and 45 sec slow/rest
5 reps 30 sec. hard(90%) and 30 sec slow/rest
5 min cool down

#3: Hills/Higher Resistance
5 min warm up
8 reps of 2 min uphill, decrease incline slow/rest
Increase incline or resistance with each interval
5 min cool down