Protein - Why it's Important for Endurance Athletes
Endurance athletes tend to focus on carbohydrate intake and pay little, if any, attention to protein. As a result, protein deficiency appears often among endurance athletes, with its inevitable negative effects on performance and health. Serious endurance athletes do need considerable amounts of protein, far above the normal adult RDA, because maintenance, repair, and growth of lean muscle mass all depend on it, as well as optimum immune system function. Low dietary protein lengthens recovery time, causes muscle weakness, and suppresses the immune system. Chronic protein deficiency will cancel the beneficial effects of your workouts; instead, you will become susceptible to fatigue, lethargy, anemia, and possibly even more severe disorders. Athletes with over training syndrome usually have protein deficiency.
As discussed in the article Proper Caloric Intake During Endurance Exercise, it's important that the workout fuel contain a small amount of protein when exercise gets into the second hour and beyond. Research [Lemon, PWR “Protein and Exercise Update” 1987, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 1987;19 (Suppl): S 179–S 190.] has shown that exercise burns up to 15% of the total amount of calories from protein by extracting particular amino acids from muscle tissues. If the endurance athlete does not provide this protein as part of the fuel mixture, more lean muscle tissue will be sacrificed through gluconeogenesis to provide fuel and preserve biochemical balance. Simply put, when you exercise beyond 2–3 hours, you need to provide protein from a dietary source or your body will “borrow” amino acids from your muscle tissue. The longer you exercise, the more muscle tissue is sacrificed. This creates performance problems both during exercise (due to increased levels of fatigue–causing ammonia) and during your post–exercise recovery (due to excess lean muscle tissue damage).
Bottom line: During exercise that extends beyond about two hours, the wise endurance athlete will make sure that complex carbohydrate and protein intake are both adequate to delay and offset this cannibalization process.
Why Athletes Need Carbohydrates
In today’s world of nutrition and sport, the word "carbohydrate" is like mentioning a four letter word. It seems that every other headline is talking about another food fad or the next latest and greatest low-carbohydrate diet. The majority of these diets and food fads are suggesting nutrition such as high-protein, high-fat and low-carbohydrate. For endurance athletes, the idea of burning fat rather than carbohydrates is gaining popularity.
No Fuel or Low Fuel Strategies
Many of the athletes adopting the low-carbohydrate/high-protein, high-fat diets are also adopting a "no-fuel/low-fuel" strategy during exercise and training. Many times, these athletes thought process is, "Why should I put calories in during exercise? The less I eat during exercise, the more calories and fat I will burn." Often times individuals are drawn towards such food fads and diets because they are looking for a fast weight loss. Sure, reducing carbohydrates can create fast weight loss, however the loss this is very temporary and the weight typically goes back on quickly. This is where an athlete should ask themselves if they are looking for "change" or if they want results; meaningful and sustainable results for a lifetime. There is a big difference between these two options. A food fad or diet that brings about a quick weight loss and then an even quicker weight gain did not bring about results. Rather, it simply brought about change. The body changed temporarily and then went right back. Instead, athletes should adopt a nutrition lifestyle that will produce meaningful and sustainable results for a lifetime.
The Mental Benefits of Carbohydrates
The need for carbohydrates is not limited to the body. Glucose from carbohydrates is the fuel the brain uses to produce the energy that moves and motivates you. According to Dr. Carol Greenwood, "Not only does a diet lacking in carbohydrates cut off the brain's main energy supply, a scarcity of glucose can impede the synthesis of acetylcholine, one of the brain's key neurotransmitters.” When she tested the memory of older adults after they ate a breakfast of mashed potatoes or barley, she found that "Eating carbohydrate foods can improve memory within an hour after ingestion in healthy elderly people with relatively poor memories." (The Human Brain).Electrolytes and Athletes – The critical facts
If you have been competing at any level, in just about any sport, chances are you are
aware of the importance of electrolytes. That awareness, and how you apply it, can
make all the difference to your performance.
This report summarizes information available on electrolytes and hopefully lets you
make an informed choice on the electrolytes you consume.
What Are Electrolytes?
Electrolytes are usually solutions of acids, salts or bases. These may be solid, orliquid when dissolved, or even a gas. For example, carbon dioxide when dissolved in
water releases carbonate and hydro carbonate electrolytes.
In essence, an electrolyte solution is a liquid which has the potential to conduct
electricity thanks to the salts, bases and acids dissolved in it. This is why in some
cases molten salts, while not dissolved, may be considered electrolytes. They
conduct electricity.
Electrolyte solutions vary in intensity however, and it’s this variance between dilute
and strong solutions that determine how effectively the solution conducts electricity.
The more water, the less electrical current transfer capacity, and the weaker the
electrolyte solution.
So while water is critical to maintain hydration, it does not provide the power our
bodies need. If you are training or competing, you need something more.
Of course, we need a wide range of different electrolytes in our bodies, as each is
used for a specific purpose. For instance, sodium, potassium and calcium, are
required for muscle contraction. While magnesium, is needed for muscular
relaxation. If there are insufficient levels of these flowing through the ionic channels
in the cells, muscle contraction and relaxation will be poor and imbalanced which will
lead to muscular cramping, fatigue and poor performance.
CONCLUSION:
With all of this being said.....the question still remains, how will athletes be able to consume all of the above in a practical manner?
Very easy indeed. The solution has got a name......."Prolong"
Prolong
Overview
Prolong with dual-sourced carbohydrates is developed by experts in sports nutrition. This isotonic drink combines dual-sourced carbohydrates and whey protein isolate. It’s great for taking during intense or extensive exercise. This unique drink mix has an osmolality of 270 - 330 mOsmol/kg and contains carbohydrate in addition to whey protein.
Key Benefits
Provides 957 kJ per serving when mixed with 500 ml water, great for endurance sports
■ This unique carbohydrate-protein mix drink has an
osmolality of 270 – 330 mOsmol/kg
■ 6.8g whey protein
■ Contains carbohydrate in the form of maltodextrin
■ Enriched with vitamin C and B vitamins (including B1, B3,B6, B12 and pantothenic acid), this drink has a light,
subtle flavour, which is great to take whilst exercising
■ No artificial colours, flavours or sweeteners
Usage
Add 4 level scoops (60 g) to 250 ml of water, shake vigorously, then add a further 250 ml to make a 500 ml serving. Drink one bottle (500 ml) per hour during physical activity.
Enjoy this product within a balanced and varied diet as part of a healthy, active lifestyle.
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