When it comes to the nutrition habits of Olympians, Michael Phelps’s 12,000 calorie daily consumption inevitably enters the discussion. Do athletes train really that hard? Can someone actually eat that much food? Phelps certainly trained hard (as all Olympians do) and likely expended and consumed more than 10,000 calories during certain training periods, but fueling like an Olympian does not require a 12,000-calorie meal plan. Rather, it requires adequate energy, consistency, periodization, safe supplementation and following the guidance of the USA High Performance Team.

With those factors in mind, here are five keys to fueling like an Olympian:

1. Consume Adequate Energy (food is fuel)

Daily energy expenditure differs based on sport, training phase,  sex, body weight and body-composition goals, but is typically in the range of 4,000 to 6,000 calories. Olympic athletes require consistently high intakes of macro- and micronutrients, so fad diets are not part of the equation. Any athlete touting the benefits of keto, intermittent fasting or Paleo likely will not compete at the Olympics. These diet plans have their application among the public, but any strict diet will provide inadequate energy and nutrients for an elite athlete.

An athlete’s dietary preferences and intakes vary depending on their training schedule and intensity of exercise, but nearly every Olympic athlete follows a relatively high-carbohydrate diet (on average 8-12 grams per kg of body weight). This supplies adequate fuel for someone training six hours per day.

To keep their energy levels up for the high volume of training they do, athletes must consume nutrient- and calorie-dense foods, which contain significant amounts of vitamins, minerals and calories for their volume. As daily energy needs increase beyond 4,000 calories, healthy fats (e.g., nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil) are added in as they are more calorically dense than carbohydrate or protein. 

2. Consistently Eat Well (food is more than fuel)

Athletes often ask, “What is the best food to eat before (or during) a competition?” The answer: “Whatever you have used during training and practice.”

Consider that Olympic athletes often train their entire lives for one moment. The foods, beverages and supplements consumed during the years and months leading to that moment contribute significantly more to performance than the foods they eat on competition day. An individualized and consistent nutrition program contributes to speed, strength and power, recovery, weight management, inflammation control, sleep and cognitive health.

The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee Training Center (USOPCTC) cafeterias offer nutrient-dense, whole-food options at each meal, including a salad bar, two starch options, two protein options, two non-starchy vegetable options and a soup. Cafeterias also offer grab-and-go yogurts, protein shakes and energy/protein bars. The goal is to provide consistent and familiar fueling options.

3. Periodize Nutrition

Strength and conditioning professionals periodize physical training programs. This involves planning out their athletes’ trainings months in advance with periods of high-intensity and high-volume training combined with planned rest. A typical macrocycle (the longest period of a training program) lasts six to 12 months for most athletes (recreational or professional). An Olympic macrocycle, however, may span four years (or five, due to the delay of the 2020 Games).

An Olympic athlete’s food and fluid intake over the course of four years should follow a similar approach. Nutrition periodization, which includes fluctuations in total calories and carbohydrate intake, varies among training cycles and even day to day. In short, athletes consume more calories and carbohydrates on heavy training days (or weeks) and fewer during light training periods.

4. Practice Safe Supplementation

Elite athletes generally use a dietary supplement at some point during training. Like energy needs, optimal supplementation practices depend on several factors, differ for each athlete and change throughout training cycles.

Olympic athletes follow very strict medication and dietary supplement requirements that are set by USADA and WADA. These requirements vary by sport and competitive season. Regardless, every single supplement ingested by an elite athlete—even conventional supplements such as multivitamins and protein powders—should have third-party verification from reputable companies such as NSF-Sport and Informed Choice/Sport. This process assures that products contain the amounts of ingredients listed on the label and are free of banned substances.

5. Follow the Guidance of USA Nutrition Team

Team USA athletes have varying energy needs, preferences and practices, which sport dietitians must consider when designing nutrition plans. For example, some athletes prefer light pre-workout meals with heavy post-workout spreads, while others can tolerate exercising on a fuller stomach and consume substantial pre-workout meals. Other athletes may prefer to fuel more during practices and workouts. If an athlete consumes adequate energy throughout the day (a 12-16-hour feeding window) they minimize risk of developing relative energy deficiency in sport syndrome (RED-S).

Some sports also allow for easier during-event fueling; for example, road cycling permits food and beverage storage and the use of one hand. By contrast, wrestling makes eating during a practice difficult. Therefore, fueling during non-practice hours may be more pertinent to a wrestler than a cyclist.

While sport dietitians generally do not promote a particular diet plan, many athletes have dietary limitations for personal, spiritual or allergy-related reasons. Dietitians support these restrictions by providing alternatives and/or recommending supplements to prevent energy and nutrient deficiencies.

“Stick with the basics … and do them well,” might be considered the mantra of Team USA Sport Dietitians. The Olympian meal plan isn’t fancy—it necessitates real food (lots of it) on a consistent basis. Travel requires foresight and planning to incorporate familiar foods and safe supplementation. Lastly, the 5-year overall healthy diet plan contributes more significantly to gameday performance than a single pre-game meal.

 

1. Burn calories 

Walking can help you burn calories. Burning calories can help you maintain or lose weight.  

Your actual calorie burn will depend on several factors, including:

• • walking speed
• • distance covered
• • terrain (you’ll burn more calories walking uphill than you’ll burn on a flat surface)
• • your weight

You can determine your actual calorie burn through a calorie calculator.  

2. Strengthen the heart 

Walking at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week can reduce your risk for coronary heart disease by about 20 percent. And your risk may reduce even more when you increase the duration or distance you walk per day.

3. Can help lower your blood sugar 

Taking a short walk after eating may help lower your blood sugar.

A small study found that taking a 15-minute walk three times a day (after breakfast, lunch, and dinner) improved blood sugar levels more than taking a 45-minute walk at another point during the day.

More research is needed to confirm these findings, though.

Consider making a post-meal walk a regular part of your routine. It can also help you fit exercise in throughout the day.

4. Eases joint pain

Walking can help protect the joints, including your knees and hips. That’s because it helps lubricate and strengthen the muscles that support the joints.

Walking may also provide benefits for people living with arthritis, such as reducing pain. And walking 5 to 6 miles a week may also help prevent arthritis.

5. Boosts immune function 

Walking may reduce your risk for developing a cold or the flu.

One study tracked 1,000 adults during flu season. Those who walked at a moderate pace for 30 to 45 minutes a day had 43 percent fewer sick days and fewer upper respiratory tract infections overall.

Their symptoms were also lessened if they did get sick. That was compared to adults in the study who were sedentary.

Try to get in a daily walk to experience these benefits. If you live in a cold climate, you can try to walk on a treadmill or around an indoor mall.

6. Boost your energy 

Going for a walk when you’re tired may be a more effective energy boost than grabbing a cup of coffee.

Walking increases oxygen flow through the body. It can also increase levels of cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. Those are the hormones that help elevate energy levels.

7. Improve your mood 

Walking can help your mental health by reducing anxiety, depression, and a negative mood. It can also boost self-esteem and reduce symptoms of social withdrawal.

To experience these benefits, aim for 30 minutes of brisk walking or other moderate intensity exercise three days a week. You can also break it up into three 10-minute walks.

8. Extend your life

Walking at a faster pace could extend your life. Research found that walking at an average pace compared to a slow pace resulted in a 20 percent reduced risk of overall death.

But walking at a brisk or fast pace (at least 4 miles per hour) reduced the risk by 24 percent. The study looked at the association of walking at a faster pace with factors like overall causes of death, cardiovascular disease, and death from cancer.

9. Tone your legs 

Walking can strengthen the muscles in your legs. To build up more strength, walk in a hilly area or on a treadmill with an incline. Or find routes with stairs.

Also trade off walking with other cross-training activities like cycling or jogging. You can also perform resistance exercises like squats, lunges, and leg curls to further tone and strengthen your leg muscles.

10. Creative thinking 

Walking may help clear your head and help you think creatively.

A study that included four experiments compared people trying to think of new ideas while they were walking or sitting. Researchers found participants did better while walking, particularly while walking outdoors.

The researchers concluded that walking opens up a free flow of ideas and is a simple way to increase creativity and get physical activity at the same time.

Try to initiate a walking meeting with your colleagues the next time you’re stuck on a problem at work.

Tips for staying safe while walking 

To ensure your safety while walking, follow these tips:

• • Walk in areas designated for pedestrians. Look for well-lit areas if possible.
• • If you walk in the evening or early morning hours, wear a reflective vest or light so cars can see you.
• • Wear sturdy shoes with good heel and arch support.
• • Wear loose, comfortable clothing.
• • Drink plenty of water before and after your walk to stay hydrated.
• • Wear sunscreen to prevent sunburn, even on cloudy days.

 

Benefits of Balance Exercises

 

WHY ARE BALANCE EXERCISES IMPORTANT?

Balancing is a fundamental aspect of any movement we perform. When standing on two feet, we're maintaining balance, even if we're not consciously aware of it. Watch a child learn to stand, and you'll realize that the act of balancing itself is the challenge—not the lack of leg or core strength.

When balancing, we're not only working the often-neglected stabilizer muscles; we're also improving our joint stability and internal focus. 

Balance-focused activities will challenge our bodies' vestibular and musculoskeletal systems as well as our proprioception. 

Balance is also one critical skill we tend to lose as we age, so maintaining it is crucial. It's a use-it-or-lose-it proposition.

THE BENEFITS OF BALANCE DRILLS

#1. REVERSING AGE-RELATED LOSS OF BALANCE

As we get older, our ability to balance declines. For instance, a critical predictor for longevity is the length of time that a person can stand on one leg.

Balancing is a complex skill that involves the brain, muscles, and parts of the inner ear. If you don't practice and maintain balance, the coordination between these three systems can deteriorate over time, making it harder for you to stay upright and maintain proper posture. 

Practice, however, keeps everything working as if your body were much younger, helping you to stave off some of the balance issues that might accompany getting older. 

#2. PREVENTING FALLS

Balance drills help you to control your core and limbs more deftly. Not only does this help improve the elegance with which you move, but it also helps you avoid falls. When you have good balance, you can more quickly adapt to changes in body position, adjusting on the fly to unexpected variations in elevation or rocks that you didn't see underfoot.

Avoiding falls not only helps you avoid physical damage like broken hips; it also boosts confidence. When you have good balance, you no longer have to worry about whether you might fall every time you leave the house. Even if you're young, having this unconscious awareness allows you to feel more confident in your environment.

When your balance system is working optimally, you can more quickly react to slips, making it less likely that you'll fall.

#3. BUILDING BETTER POSTURE

Thanks to poor movement form, a focus on a narrow range of movement patterns, and an ever-more-sedentary lifestyle, the average person has terrible posture. Many people develop limitations like hunched shoulders, anterior pelvic tilt, and reduced upper-back mobility. Part of the problem is that, as a population, we don't do the balance exercises necessary to counteract the adverse effects of our lifestyle.

Improving balance is excellent for posture. It teaches you the static and dynamic positions that are natural to your human form. Outstanding balance requires good posture: the two go hand-in-glove.

#4. ALLOWING FASTER RECOVERY FROM INJURY

Many people who train athletically suffer injuries, especially of the leg and ankle. Much of what is known about balance comes from research on people with lower-leg injuries. What that research shows is fascinating: the more balance drills people perform, the faster they recover from their injuries. Balance drills may also prevent injuries in the first place. [1,2]

#5. IMPROVING COORDINATION

Humans should have excellent coordination, just like other animals in their natural habitats. But, modern civilization prevents many of the physical tasks that we would have been forced to do in the past. This sedentary lifestyle means that we rarely have to practice balance. One effect of this development is our generally poor coordination.

Balance exercises, especially dynamic balance drills, like balance walking on railings, help to relegate balance to the category of reflexive response. Ultimately, with good balance, you should be able to intuitively adapt to practically any situation, without having to think about it.

#6. MAXIMIZING YOUR WORKOUT TIME

Most people doing weight training in the gym spend much of their time sitting around, doing nothing, while their muscles recover from the previous set.

If you're a busy person and want to use your time as efficiently as possible, then it's a good idea to find a way to capitalize on all that time between sets. Balance drills are an ideal use for those moments because they are low-intensity and do not interrupt muscle recovery.

#7. IMPROVING YOUR RUNNING TECHNIQUE

People with poor running technique can experience all manner of injuries, from shin splints to knee pain to hip problems. Poor form results from a lifetime of not having to run daily and not understanding the dynamic position of one's body. People with poor balance will often develop a sub-optimal gait to compensate.

Dynamic balance drills can help you to assess your center of gravity better unconsciously. Then, when you do go running, you'll feel more confident making more significant strides, opening up your hips, and turning your feet forward. With additional balance drills, you'll also learn how to swing your arms to counteract the rotation of your hips while striding, thereby reducing the strain on your core.

#8. INCREASING YOUR MUSCULAR POWER

Balance can strengthen your muscles, quickly increasing their power output. The more force they can exert, the faster you'll be able to sprint and the higher you'll be able to jump. Balance can help in practically any sport that requires short, sharp, and powerful movements, like boxing, and can help build all-around functional strength.

Fun Activities To Add To Your Summer Workout Routine

Gardening

One of the great things about gardening is that it can be very therapeutic, almost like a meditation. It’s easy to get carried away and feel truly “in the moment,” which is why it’s so important to move around mindfully. 

Bend from your knees and waist instead of your back, and focus your attention on your core. Be mindful of your shoulders, keeping them down away from your ears. Take a deep breath out and feel your abdominal muscles contract. Replicate that muscle contraction while breathing normally. Brace your abs whenever you’re lifting or making a large effort. Change positions frequently, as staying in a low squat for 10 to 15 minutes can cause undue stress to the body.

Swimming

Swimming is a wonderful way to stay cool while working out. Warm up with shoulder rolls and arm rotations. Choose a variety of strokes to keep your body from doing the same motion repetitively. Injuries happen from consistent overuse of the same movement patterns. 

Hiking

Call friends and organize a weekly or monthly time to get together to go hiking. Exercising in a group will keep you all accountable and make the time fly by!

Warm up with ankle rolls and torso rotations. Stop once in awhile to do ankle and shoulder rolls to stay loose and flexible. Practice deep breathing at a scenic point on the hike. Take in that fresh air and expand your lungs.

Yard yoga

Grab a mat or towel and take your routine outside. As you breathe deeply, you can enjoy the sweet air of summer. If you don’t know a routine, search for one online, purchase a video or attend a local class until you’ve learned a safe way to do the movement.     

Paddle boarding

It’s one of the hottest sports around the country. Stand up paddle boarding works your entire body and improves balance. Be mindful of standing tall in between paddle strokes.  Keep your shoulders down away from your ears.

Kayaking

This is a great upper body workout and method for cooling down on hot days. Before you begin, close your eyes and find a neutral position for your spine. This will be where it feels the least effortful to sit up straight. Move your head forward and back to note where it’s aligned over your spine. Start from this position and maintain it as much as possible to avoid kayaking kinks later on. 

Disc golf

If you want to take it easy on your body and challenge your coordination, give this a try. Don’t underestimate the work it takes to launch the disc. Wrist rolls are an important warmup and exercise to do throughout the round. Torso rotations and shoulder rolls will also help keep you loose. 

Cycling

Bring awareness into your shoulders while biking to avoid discomfort later on. Anchor them down away from your ears. Your spine should have a subtle but not excessive curve. Align your hands, wrists and forearms to prevent injuries. 

Pay attention to the pressure you place through each foot and leg as you pedal. Most people are dominant on one side. Use cycling as a way to balance your body. 

Toss a ball

Football, softball, baseball, Frisbee and badminton—all of these sports enhance your coordination and allow you to connect with another person. For a bonus challenge, let your dog play, too. It puts the pressure on to make the catch! 

Meditation

Sometimes the best activity is to slow down and quiet your mind. Lie in the grass on a blanket and focus on your breathing. Enjoy the summer air and sounds around you. 

Choose one of these activities and implement it into your summer routine. Gather some friends and have fun!

 

Ways To Stay Healthy This 4th of July

 

Kick off your holiday with some exercise

Start your celebrations by participating in a Fourth of July run or walk. Register for a race, like the Red, White & Brew 5k here in Greenville, SC or organize your own to get your holiday started the healthy way! If you don’t want to run, just get out there and walk the course. There’s nothing better than a little morning cardio, except for maybe a hot dog when you’re done.

Be sure to stretch it out afterward, so you don’t experience any back pain during the rest of your holiday festivities.

Stay hydrated

For some reason, those good ole American beers taste even better on the Fourth of July, so go ahead and crack a cold one. But remember you’ll be out in the hot summer sun, so be sure to drink enough water too. Don’t get too dehydrated and wake up in the morning with a massive headache. There’s nothing worse than not feeling rested and refreshed after a long holiday weekend.

Put a healthy twist on your patriotic dish

Hot dogs and hamburgers are staples at a Fourth of July cookout along with their potato chip sidekicks. But consider bringing a healthier side option to the celebration this year like a fruit tart or colorful salad. In fact, the healthiest foods are often the most colorful foods, so bring some red, white, and blue in a dish to your cookout this year.

Remember that moderation is key

Why is it so much easier to reach for that extra cookie or pour yourself one more glass on a holiday? This year make sure you eat, drink, and celebrate in moderation. And yes, this includes sleep. Did you know that naps are good for your body? Schedule enough time for you to rest up between your holiday plans, so you don’t wear your body out.

Enjoy your Fourth of July parade, cookout, and fireworks––just stay healthy while you do it! You can thank us Wednesday morning.