Affects of Fueling from Sugar or Carbs and Affects on your body

A Long Swim & One Stroke at a Time Teams

"Channel of Bones" Hawaii Charity Swim

July 25-31, 2016

First lets talk about health fueling when you swim - 

Two great video shorts on the affects of fueling your body using sugar based diet or carb based diet in easy and simple to understand terms.

The affects of these fuels, the timing, and amounts can act as a arterial inflammation agent. Review and consider the fuels used for open water and marathon level athletic events. Consider using natural foods as an alternative such as juices, fruits, peanut butter rather than dextrose based gels and Gu pacs.

Keep up the great adventures and remember One Stroke at a Time.

Catch our next adventure kayaking for friend and training partner Doug McConnell and the A Long Swim (ALS) team as we attempt to cross the Channel of Bones from Molokai to Oahu over some 18 hours of truly open ocean swimming. 

Heres the link: http://www.alongswim.com/meet-the-team-don-macdonald/

Eat Well, Live Well

Gel Packs - A Natural Alternative

NATURAL SPORTS GEL
From The Natural Nutritionist

After years of swimming long distance events, ocean races, and open water trainings how you gain fuel is a critical link to your success and recovery from training.  one aspect about how you fuel often overlooked is the negative impact, inflammation sugars and other ingredients may cause to your ARTERIAL system. for those with family medical histories this may be a point to consider.

Sports Gels may widely be considered by medical professionals to be akin to "a blow torch to your veins." alternatives can be high protein, natural foods prepared and pouched similar to this recent article in the natural NUTRITIONIST.

training your stomach and balance of muscles is more IMPORTANT than training your muscles for athletic activity, how you fuel is critical.

We’ve been using Freedom Fuel (FF) with great success for years now here at TNN, so it was about time we dedicated a page of the website to its awesomeness.

The natural carbohydrates from rice malt syrup and raspberries make it extremely low fructose and a great alternative for those who experience gastro-intestinal (GI) distress with conventional sports gels. The medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oil provides five grams of fat per serve, contributing to a stable energy supply, satiety and beautifully consistent running or cycling splits. Most importantly, the natural and refined sugar free nature means you stay away from inflammatory ingredients and promote recovery and subsequent performance.

For running, simply carry in a hand held gel flask, which also easily fits into the zip pocket of your running tights or tri suit. For cycling, you can carry flasks in your pockets, or make a multi-hour water bottle and if you wish, dilute to your desired consistency.

Give it a try, and as always, post below as we’d love to hear your success stories.

Freedom Fuel

Ingredients (Serves 1)

• 2 teaspoons Pure Harvest rice malt syrup
• 1 teaspoon medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oil*
• ¼ cup raspberries, fresh or frozen, organic
• The juice from ¼ lemon
• A pinch of sea salt
• A dash of hot water

Method

1. Blend all ingredients until smooth.
2. Pour through a strainer to remove pips. Transfer carefully into a gel flask/water bottle and seal well.

Note: One serve is ~20g of carbohydrates, so please start to experiment with FF as per your current fuelling requirements. Over time, especially if you are overhauling your day-today nutrition, you may find that you need less. Sports nutrition is not constant, but an evolution you should adapt race-to-race and year-to-year.

If you are just getting started, we recommend 30g-40g/hour or 1.5-2 serves/hour. For a two hour run, for example, train fasted for the first hour, then sip your 1.5/2 serves over the course of the second hour. Make notes on energy, digestion, performance and recovery so you/we can continue to develop your fuelling strategy. For assistance, please book your Initial Consultation with us at TNN here.

*A brand such as Melrose Health will suffice. Coconut oil can be used in summer, but in the cooler weather it will solidify and clog up the pop-top of your flask or water bottle.

Have you tried Freedom Fuel? Share your successes below!

Images by Sarah Craven Photography.