Nutrition:

      Your nutrition program will be just as noteworthy as your training. If you don’t eat and sleep at least somewhat well during your training, you may just render your training impotent.

     Heavy physical training is no time to go on a crash fad diet. Carbohydrates are of the utmost importance during the long training rides, and limiting them can hurt you substantially. If you are using this as a chance to lost some weight and honor those New Year’s Resolutions, then be careful and follow the guidelines below. Never drop more than 500 calories in a 10 day period. If you need to change your caloric intake by more than 500 cpd, then do so over a period of time. Drastic changes can cause extreme fluctuations in energy levels. No matter what you hear the only true way to lose weight and achieve maximum health is to limit your cpd and up your exercise.

     Eating a well balanced diet is the key to maximum health. Vegetables and fruits are extremely important, as they should make up most of your daily intake. With vegetables, to get the best out of them, look for an array with different colors. The color of a vegetable is a sign of what it contains as far are vitamins and minerals. Eating a balanced group will be more beneficial.

Your red meat intake should be reduced to a minimal of 2 to 3 servings per week. It is also important to take a close look to what an actual serving size is when looking at a product’s nutritional facts. Chicken is sometimes over-consumed also, which is not necessary. Remember, your body can only process so much of a nutrient in one 24 hour period. If you are taking in more protein than your daily maximum, then you are just pooping protein. Fish should become an integral part of your diet. Be sure to limit tuna, and remember cold-water fish have more benefits for you.

The manner in which you eat is just as important as what you choose to eat. Remember to eat throughout the day, and kill the giant meals. 5 or 6 small meals a day is more ideal for someone in training. It is also important to take in a very positive nutritional food 20 to 30 minutes after a long workout.

 The following are rough guideline to follow as far as nutrition is concerned:

135 lb female cyclist:

7-day averages.

165 lb Male Cyclist:

7-day averages

195 lb male cyclist ( Bachman and Peeples):

7-day averages

The above nutritional guidelines are just guidelines. In the first couple of weeks, your totals should probably be slightly lower. On the other hand, when we get into our really heavy training, they should be slightly higher. If you are trying to lose weight, don’t fluctuate too much from the guidelines above. Believe me, if you follow the workout plan, YOU WILL LOSE WEIGHT!  Your caloric totals should be lower on your off days by at 20%. I will now post a list of foods in 3 categories of importance. You should concentrate on the high carrier foods for your diet.

For those who have never monitored your nutritional intake, you may want to start. Most have a hard time believing what they actually put into their bodies from day to day. Take time, write everything down, and get a nutritional food count book. You will be surprised, and it will help you set your routine.

 Supplements:

            I won’t speak much to supplements other than a couple. Supplements can be very helpful and very dangerous. Do you own research and find out all the facts before starting on a program.

Vitamins:

            I would take a complete vitamin. These can’t be harmful and will help replace key nutrients your body needs. Centrum seems to be the best here.

Creatine:

            Creatine basically works as a water-container. It makes you store water on your muscles and speed recovery. It does work very well and is very safe. Creatine can cause bad reactions in some people.

Protein:

            Protein shakes can help you attain your daily intake goals if you are short. I would suggest soy protein powder.

Stimulants:

            Stimulants should be taken with extreme caution and extreme moderation. Even coffee can be dangerous to an athlete. Caffeine, like Ma huang and other stimulants cause the body to de-hydrate by not allowing the body to store the water it is taking in. If you take these stimulants, remember to drink more water to counter this affect.

  Hydration:  

WATER, WATER, WATER!!!!

BEER, BEER, BEER!!!!

            I can’t possibly put enough emphasis on how important hydration is. It is not only integral to your progress, put could save your life.

            The female body is nearly 70%  water, men are slightly lower. When you hear the 8 glasses of water a day advice, remember it is for 135 lb person who doesn’t work out. Guys 165lbs and above should drink a gallon jug a day.

            I would drink immediately in the morning and then before bed. This will help you to stay hydrated. When you start training, your body will need more water even when you are not actually training. Water is also fundamental in losing weight. De-hydration has the same meta-physical feeling as hunger, in other words, drinking water will lessen your appetite.

New Gatoraid Drink:

Research shows that endurance athletes have different fluid and electrolyte needs when it comes to staying hydrated and maintaining peak performance. To meet the needs of these athletes, the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) has developed Gatorade Endurance Formula, a specialized sports drink with a five-electrolyte blend, including twice the sodium (200 mg/8 oz) and three times the potassium (90 mg/8 oz) of Gatorade Thirst Quencher, to more fully replace the fluids and electrolytes lost in sweat during longer, more intense workouts and competitions. Gatorade Endurance Formula is now available nationwide in ready-to-drink, 34oz bottles at your local grocery stores, convenience stores, and even where you buy bulk. Like the Gatorade Endurance Formula instant mix, the ready-to-drink bottles are specially formulated with a five-electrolyte blend of sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Both Gatorade Thirst Quencher and Gatorade Endurance Formula are scientifically formulated to meet the hydration needs of athletes when they are sweating. For most athletes, Gatorade Thirst Quencher is the appropriate beverage to help replace the fluid and electrolytes lost through sweat and provide energy to fuel working muscles. However, when the activity is prolonged or very intense, fluid and electrolyte losses increase and maintaining hydration becomes both more difficult and more important. It is for these occasions that Gatorade Endurance Formula was created.   Sweat rates and fluid needs vary based on the person and the activity, so the goal should be to drink enough to minimize loss of body weight (in fluid) without overdrinking. Drink enough to keep dehydration less than 2% of pre-exercise body weight for best performance. (e.g. less than a 3-lb weight loss in a 150lb athlete).	CONTENTS Hydration and the Endurance Athlete How to use Gatorade Endurance    Formula Athletes We Fuel

Stretching:

            Stretching is another under appreciated part of training. I would suggest stretching in the morning, evening, and immediately following a workout. I would maybe take a look at a stretching book at Barnes and Noble. This plays a key role in your ability to recover and build on your workouts. Dynamic stretches should be held for 15 to 20 seconds. I will go through  a stretching routine on the training rides. I can answer any questions at that point.