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Newsletter Archives: January 2000
Running is nothing new. The ancient Greeks had foot races at least as early as 776 B.C., the year of the first Olympics. The famous runner Phidippides, in 490 B.C., covered 300 miles in four days to solicit help from neighboring Sparta against the imminent invasion of Athens. In pre-industrial England, footmen were sent running ahead of horse-drawn carriages to warn their lords of danger. To this day, the Tarahumara Indians of northwestern Mexico compete in foot races and cover 150-200 miles a day - kicking a ball along the way. Running as a sport has existed for centuries, from informal tests of ego and will, to high school track meets, to the Olympic games, but only recently have people from all walks of life taken to the roads en masse. The reasons for running are diverse: to lose weight, become fit, feel good, reduce stress, compete, or share the experience with others. It may also have something to do with the advanced state of technology. Most work formerly done by hand is now done by machines. While our distant ancestors led physically active lives, covering long distances to gather roots, nuts and grains or to pursue game and while our grandparents or great-grandparents tilled the fields for food and handcrafted everyday necessities, we now find ourselves in a largely sedentary economy. In increasing numbers, people are seeking to regain the health, fitness and leanness that was once natural to our physically active predecessors. A new spirit seems to have arisen. Perhaps when a society attains a high level of industrial and technological efficiency, those people who have long neglected their physical nature react and begin seeking ways to reestablish harmony between body, mind and spirit. (from Galloway's Book on Running by Jeff Galloway, Shelter Publications, 1984, pp.15-16)  As a runner you are clearly interested in being healthy and fit,
and staying that way as you age. Did you know that age may be less
a matter of how much time has elapsed since you were born, than
a matter of how you're living those years? More significant than
your objective age is your functional age or real age. Real age
is what people are talking about when they say that you look young
for your age - something runners are likely to hear more often than
their non-running counterparts. Even more important than you look,
real age reflects what's going on beneath the surface. Michael Roizin,
M.D., and a team of medical experts have ploughed through the plethora
of medical studies affecting human longevity and have settled on
a list of 126 items that influence life span in either direction.
Roizin has published their results in a best selling book called
Real Age, Are You as Young as You Can Be? The list has a few surprises
and a lot of advice to offer the motivated reader. Of course, you
know that running itself is likely to subtract years from your age
and even more can be subtracted for related behaviors and the results
of running. For example, subtract a year and a half for maintaining
regular exercise for more than three years. Subtract another year
for exercise taking your heart rate past 70% of maximum for at least
60 minutes a week. Subtract a year each for low resting heart rate,
high HDL levels, and strength training for at least 30 minutes a
week. Take away a whopping three years each for not smoking and
for keeping blood pressure low. But before you decide that as a
runner you must have a "real age" of about a ten-year-old, realize
that even you will be toting up some minuses as well. Maybe you
don't get a good night of sleep with some regularity or maybe you
sleep too much - add a year. Commute on a motorcycle? Add a year
and a half. Don't like fish and never eat it? Add another year and
a half. Keep adding if you eat meat more than twice a week. Get
the picture? Longevity is a complex issue with your heredity playing
a large role (yet only 30% according to Roizin). Yet many factors
are well within your control. Running may take you a long way in
the right direction, but poor lifestyle choices can more than reverse
the positive effects. That also means good choices subtract even
more years from your age. Between the lines in Roizin's list is
the apparent resiliency of the human body. It seems as if the body
is pretty quick to forgive and forget former bad habits as long
as good changes are made and sustained. In other words, you could
smoke cigarettes and otherwise lead a pretty degenerate life during
your twenties, see the light and give it all up. Within just a couple
of years it doesn't seem to matter that your previous lifestyle
would have sent you to an early grave: exercise, a good diet, and
healthy habits will subtract years from your age despite lousy habits
when you were younger. Some will say it takes a gimmick to sell
a book, but this is less a gimmick and more a useful tool. The list
of 126 items related to your longevity gives you a vivid conceptual
image. Eating lots of fruits and vegetables, for example, is more
than just something you ought to be doing. It will likely increase
your life span. That's pretty tangible, plus or minus. Visit the
website at www.realage.com for more information and a quick test.
It's a good opportunity to applaud yourself for your good habits
and take a reality check on the bad ones. (from American Running
Association's Running & Fit News, January 2000, page 3, http://www.americanrunning.org.
Also, see Real Age, Are You as Young as You Can Be? by Michael E.
Roizin, M.D., 1999 HarperCollins, New York, NY) Real Age Tip from http://www.realage.com Next time you buy grapefruit, think pink or red. Grapefruit is a great source not only of vitamin C, but many other antioxidants. The pink and red-hued grapefruit also contain lycopene, an antioxidant carotenoid that has been linked to a reduced incidence of prostate and other cancers. According to German researchers, the average grapefruit contains 3.6 milligrams of carotenoids, second in amount only to papaya. All of these antioxidants help boost the body's immune system and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Getting the right amount of antioxidants through diet can make your RealAge as much as six years younger. (from American Running Association's Running & Fit News, January 2000, page 3, www.americanrunning.org. Also, see Real Age, Are You as Young as You Can Be? by Michael E. Roizin, M.D., 1999 HarperCollins, New York, NY) We all know that Vitamin C is a good thing for us, especially during this germy time of year. Here are some foods that can help you get even more of this valuable nutrient: Food/Mg Guava (1 medium)/165 Red bell pepper (1/2 cup)/95 Papaya (1/2 medium)/95 Orange juice (3/4 cup from concentrate)/75 Orange (1 medium)/60 Broccoli (1/2 cup boiled)/60 Green bell pepper (1/2 cup)/45 Kohlrabi (1/2 cup boiled)/45 Strawberries (1/2 cup)/45 Grapefruit (1/2, white)/40 Cantaloupe (1/2 cup)/35 Tomato juice (3/4 cup)/35 (from American Dietetic Association) The 2000 Marathon Calendar is in the February 2000 issue of Runner's World if you're trying to make plans.http:// www.runnersworld.com 1. Tell yourself that you're not going outside but that you'll
feel better when you get on some comfortable, warm winter clothing
just to walk around the house. Zinc is very important to our immune systems, but it seems that many of us (three quarters of Americans) aren't getting enough. In fact, the RDA for women is 12 mg per day, but the average woman only gets 8.1 mg. Apparently, even a slight deficiency can lower our immunity. This may explain why some studies show that zinc shortens the length of colds. Check your multi-vitamin for 12 mg and think about zinc lozenges. This may be especially important for runners and other exercisers since zinc is lost through sweating. (from "Zinc: missing in action?," Fitness, February 2000 (USA Publishing, a Gruner + Jahr Company), p. 70 http://www.fitnessmagazine.com The Athlete's Kitchen "I love chocolate, but I feel so guilty when I sneak a candy bar..." "I get wicked cravings for chocolate..I've even gone to the store at 1:00 am to buy Hershey's Kisses." "I can tell I'm premenstrual by my cravings for chocolate...!" If you are like most active people, chocolate is among your favorite foods. Chocolate is universally loved in all developed countries and has been touted as "a gift of the gods." About 50% of all food cravings are for chocolate, far more than cravings for "something sweet" (16%), salty foods (12%), baked goods (11%), and fruit (4%). Some people go so far as saying they are addicted to chocolate. The question arises: Why is chocolate such a powerful food? And what makes it the most commonly craved food? (About 40% of women and 15% of men report chocolate cravings.) Scientists have extensively studied chocolate, trying to determine the source of its power beyond having a pleasurable taste, smell, and texture. Although we do not know the exact reasons why chocolate is so popular, we do know chocolate alters brain chemistry and creates a pleasant mood. Chocolate contains substances similar to drugs that may account for chocolate's stimulant, anti-depressant, and mood altering effects. But the mystery remains, why does just chocolate, and no other food, contain this exquisite combination of substances that induces a desire to eat it for a sense of well-being? If chocolate is on your favorite food list, the following article may answer some questions you have about chocolate and its role in both your daily diet and sports diet. How bad is chocolate for my health? The good news is, chocolate is not as bad for your health as you may think. That is, chocolate actually contains some health-protective anti-oxidants, as well as a type of fat that is neutral in terms of heart disease. Certainly, chocolate should be eaten in moderation (in addition to a variety of wholesome foods) and for pleasure--not for nutritional value. That is, eating chocolate after lunch is nutritionally acceptable, but eating two chocolate bars for lunch is not! Given the guideline that 10% of daily calories can appropriately come from sugar, and 25% from fat, most active people can budget in 200 to 300 calories of chocolate per day within the context of a healthful diet. That's one big candy bar, guilt-free! A 1.55 oz. Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar, for example, is 230 calories-- 90 calories from sugar, 115 from fat. How much caffeine is in chocolate? Although chocolate has the reputation for being loaded with caffeine, it actually contains very little--about the amount in one cup of decaffeinated coffee. The energy burst provided by chocolate more likely comes from its sugar content than from caffeine. In comparison to a small, 8-ounce cup of brewed coffee with about 100 milligrams of caffeine (depending on how it's brewed), or one ounce of espresso with about 40 milligrams of caffeine, the typical 1.55 ounce milk chocolate candy bar offers only 10 milligrams of caffeine. The same amount of semi-sweet dark chocolate offers about 30 milligrams, and a one-ounce square of baker's chocolate, 25 milligrams. (Note: Dark chocolate contains more cocoa, hence more caffeine.) A glass of chocolate milk has only 5 milligrams, an insignificant amount, even for kids. Why do I feel addicted to chocolate? So-called "chocolate addictions" are common among dieters and athletes who fail to consume adequate calories. When your body is too hungry and screams for quick energy, you can easily succumb to chocolate chip cookies, brownies, or candy bars. Eating chocolate is the symptom of this nutritional concern; getting too hungry is the real problem. Even a self-proclaimed chocoholic cyclist exclaimed "I have not eaten chocolate at all this week--nor have I missed eating it--now that I am having 600 calories of cereal/milk/banana & juice for breakfast (instead of just a banana) and 600 calories of PB&J sandwich, yogurt and apple for lunch (instead of just a yogurt). I've even lost weight, much to my amazement, on 1,800 calories...and I feel better when I eat less sugar." How fattening is chocolate? Chocolate is only fattening if you eat too much of it and blow your calorie budget on a whole bag of M&Ms or batch of brownies. This can easily happen when you get too hungry or stressed. Why do I have monthly premenstrual chocolate cravings? About one-third of women will agree that nothing does the job of resolving premenstrual sweet cravings as well as some delicious, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate. The cyclical nature of women's chocolate cravings supports the involvement of hormonal fluctuations. If you are a chocolate craver, I recommend you eat chocolate for breakfast, get rid of the craving, and then feel content all day. Otherwise, you'll try to stay away from chocolate, only to succumb to eating "the whole thing" that evening. If you're destined to eat chocolate eventually, why "hold off" until evening when you want it now? Will I "crash" if I eat chocolate before I exercise? Despite popular belief, eating a candy bar five minutes before exercise can actually enhance performance, not hinder it. While a banana, yogurt, or energy bar would be nutritionally preferable, any fuel in your tank is better than no fuel--particularly if you are underfed and overhungry. The better way to improve performance is to eat more breakfast and lunch, plus a 200 to 300 calorie snack within the hour before you exercise. This fueling pattern can enhance exercise performance by 20% in the last 10 minutes of a one-hour exercise bout. In comparison, you may improve only 10% by eating just a candy bar vs eating nothing and exercising on empty. Nancy Clark, MS, RD is nutrition counselor at Boston-area's SportsMedicine Brookline and author of Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook, 2nd Edition. To order this best-selling book, send $20 to Sports Nutrition Materials, 830 Boylston, St #205, Brookline MA 02467 or visit http://www.nancyclarkrd.com. Injury of the Month: Stress fracture of the tibia Symptoms: Strong pulling at connection points, repeated impact or twisting stress will sometimes produce a crack or break in the surface or cortex of the tibia bone itself. This happens slowly and does not produce a sudden pain, although there is often throbbing pain. There may be inflammation. The best way to diagnose a stress fracture is by squeezing the heel from side to side, which produces pain. Stress fractures hurt more the farther you run. If pain increases the farther you run and remains after running or there is numbness or tingling on the top of the foot, there is a serious medical problem. Treatment: Stress fractures appear on X-rays about 4-6 weeks after occurrence and last about 6 weeks. Sometimes you can spot them on a bone scan earlier. See your doctor (usually an orthopedist) who may cast the leg to keep you from overstressing the area. Try to determine what caused the fracture and consider highly cushioned shoes (such as air soles) or orthotics. (from Galloway's Book on Running by Jeff Galloway, Shelter Publications, 1984, pp.15-16)
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