Summer 2007

The Magazine of the Sport Medicine Council of Alberta

Summer 2007

Summer Edition

The Magazine of the Sport Medicine Council of Alberta

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table of contents

2 SMCA Pulse Summer 2007

pulse

Summer 2007 Vol. 20 No. 3 SMCA Board of Directors President Dr. Gordon Bell, Ph.D. Past-President Koralee Samaroden, BPE, PFLC Vice-President Dwayne Laing, BPE, CAT (c) Treasurer Darren Turchansky, CA Secretary Cst. Jennifer Drinnan ASSM Rep Position Currently Vacant SPC Rep Gabrielle Cave, BSc, P.T., MCPA AATA Rep Breda Lau, CAT (c) SSAA Rep Stephane Simard, MSc SNS Rep Jane Dawson-Edwards, R.D. Member at Large Ray Kardas, MA, MPE SMCA Employees Executive Director Jennifer Johnson, BPE Accounts Manager Janice Peters, BCom Director of Programs Michael Pugh, BPE & Services Pulse Magazine Published by:

Sport Medicine Council of Alberta 11759—Groat Road

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5M 3K6

Phone: (780) 415—0812 Fax: (780) 422-3093

Website: www.sportmedab.ca Email: [email protected]

Contents copyright 2007 by SMCA. Articles may not be reprinted without permission. The opinions are those of the respective authors and are not necessarily those of the SMCA. ISSN: 1181-9812 Publication agreement no. 40038086

Latest News from the SMCA…………………….Page 3 Upcoming Courses………………………….…….Page 3

Achilles Tendonitis, Planter Fasciitis, And Shin Splints

By Karl B. Fields, MD Gatorade Sports Science Institute Pages: 4-5

Sports Training: How Much Is Too Much For A Child?

By Lyle Micheli, MD Children’s Hospital Boston Pages: 6-7

Hot Tips For Nutrition, Training, And Immune Function

By David C. Nieman, Dr.P.H. Gatorade Sports Science Institute Page: 8 Sprains and Strains: What They Are What To Do About Them By A. Lynn Millar, Ph.D., PT, FACSM American College of Sports Medicine Pages: 9-10

Curbing Muscle Cramps: More Than Oranges And Bananas

By E. Randy Eichner, M.D. Gatorade Sports Science Institute Page: 11

Are You Winning At Sports Nutrition? Dietitians of Canada Pages: 12-14

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Latest News from the SMCA


Offer valid until May 15, 2007. To order, please visit www.sportmedab.ca or call (780) 415-0812.

Upcoming SMCA Courses

Sport Nutrition Level 1 September 15, 2007 October 13, 2007 Host: SMCA Sport Nutrition Conductor Location: Edmonton Forum 10:00 a.m.—3:00 p.m. Location: TBD Cost: $60.00 10:00 am—4:00 pm Cost: Free October 20, 2007 October 27, 2007 Host: SMCA Host: SMCA Location: Calgary Location: Edmonton 10:00 am—3:00 pm 10:00—3:00 pm Cost: $60.00 Cost: $60.00

Athletic First Aid October 13, 2007 September 29, 2007 Host: Zone 5 AA Ringette Club Host: SMCA Location: Edmonton Location: Calgary 8:30 a.m.—4:30 p.m. 8:30 a.m.—4:30 p.m. Cost: Call Host Cost: $70.00

Taping & Strapping October 14, 2007 September 30, 2007 Host: Zone 5 AA Ringette Club Host: SMCA Location: Edmonton Location: Calgary 8:30 a.m.—4:30 p.m. 8:30 a.m.—4:30 p.m. Cost: Call Host Cost: $100.00

Sport Trainer Combination of the above two courses October 13-14 September 29-30 Host: Zone 5 AA Ringette Club Host: SMCA Location: Edmonton Location: Calgary 8:30 a.m.—4:30 p.m. 8:30 a.m.—4:30 p.m. Cost: Call Host Cost: $160.00

If you would like to register for any of the above courses, please visit www.sportmedab.ca

or call (780) 415-0812.

The Sport Medicine Council of Alberta Would Like to Thank our Partners for

their Ongoing Support:

Membership Renewal Period — The period to renew your SMCA membership is between August 15 and October 15 this year. Any and all SMCA members wishing to renew their membership should do so by either calling or emailing the SMCA office or very simply, by logging into the membership page of our website, filling out the renewal form and electroni-cally submitting it to us. Membership rates remain the same for this membership year. For more information, please contact our office. Course Conductor Training Forum — The SMCA is looking for sport nutritionists and/or registered dietitians interested in becoming conductors of our Sport Nutrition Level 1 Course. Anyone interested should enroll in our upcoming and free Conductor Training Forum on October 13. For more informa-tion on the forum or to register, please contact Courses Direc-tor Michael Pugh at the SMCA office. SMCA AGM — The SMCA’s Annual General Meeting will take place on Saturday November 3rd, location TBA. Any and all SMCA members are encouraged to attend as important mat-ters concerning the future of the SMCA will be discussed. Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP by Friday October 26, 2007 via phone or email to confirm your attendance.

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Achilles Tendonitis, Plantar Fasciitis, and Shin Splints You aren’t alone! Achilles Tendonitis, Plantar Fasciitis, and Shin Splints are three of the most typical overuse injuries in sports. These conditions have a lot of things in common and affect many athletes in running and jumping sports. 1. Achilles tendonitis is an inflammation of the

tendon that connects your calf muscles (gastrocnemius and soleus) to the back of the heel (calcaneus). Pain typically occurs about two centi-meters above the site of insertion into the heel.

2. Planter fasciitis causes pain on the bottom of the foot at the insertion of this membrane into the inner side of the heel. You may feel pain on the first step after getting out of bed with this problem. The plantar fascia connects your toes and forefoot to the heel and supports the arch.

3. Shin splints is a general term for pain in the muscles and areas along the surface of the shin.

Overtraining One common feature of these conditions is that they often result from overtraining. As a general rule athletes who increase their training stress by more than 10% weekly run a 50% risk of injury in four weeks. 1. Achilles tendonitis occurs in any level athlete who

may have increased speed workouts, hill running, jumping or total training volume. Achilles/calf is the major muscle tendon group responsible for the push-off that leads to the airborne or “leaping” phase of running.

2. Plantar fasciitis can affect anyone but is more common in older athletes, overweight athletes or those engaged in prolonged exercise. Distance runners who run high mileage; tennis players spending hours on the court on their toes; and basketball athletes in the midst of two-a-day preseason training are examples of athletes who frequently develop plantar fasciitis.

3. Shin splints on the other hand typically affect beginners and underconditioned athletes who dramatically increase their running at the begin- ning of the season or at the start of more intense training.

Karl B. Fields, MD Gatorade Sports Science Institute www.gssiweb.com


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itioned athlete, shin pain could arise from other causes besides typical shin splints, such as tibial stress fractures or compartment syndromes. Treatment Principles Because these injuries relate to overtraining the first principle of treatment is rest. 1. If you have mild symptoms, begin by reducing

training by 50% and then gradually reinstate training volume by 10% per week as treatment continues.

2. If you cannot run without a limp, you may have a moderate to severe case, which requires complete rest. After a few weeks of rest, begin a gradual return with aerobic training that substitutes for the motions used in your sport.

3. In severe cases, you may be kept out of your sport until clinical improvement is noted by your physician.

The second principle of treatment is the reduction of inflammation, icing helps reduce swelling and inflam-matory change and is the treatment of choice: 1. For Achilles injuries, use an ice massage with

water frozen in a Styrofoam cup. 2. For Planter fasciitis, submerge the heel for 10

minutes in an ice bath. 3. For Shin splints, a good strategy may be to use an

iced whirlpool. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDS) help these treatments. You may not need to continue taking NSAIDS after 5 to 7 days, except to relieve pain. After this time most of the changes in these conditions have more to do with tissue breakdown than inflamma-tion. Rehabilitation Specific rehabilitation exercises help restore the strength muscle groups and allow you to return to full activity. These exercises emphasize strengthening the muscles that support the foot, arch and lower leg. In general, exercise needs to work on both concentric (contracting) and eccentric (lengthening) strength. 1. For the Achilles, conduct heal raises on a step by slowly lowering the heels below the level of the step on the downward phase. This provides both concentric and eccentric stress. You may start by lifting body weight on one foot, then add

progressive weights to a backpack to gradually increase strength. Simple toe raises, heel raises, walking on heels and toes and walking backwards while carrying steadily increased weight are part of a functional rehabilitation program. This program will strengthen the muscles that support the shin and the arch. 2. The above exercises can also benefit shin splints

and plantar fasciitis. 3. In addition, toe curls and arch curls may help

plantar fasciitis. Stretching should be done cautiously while any tissues are inflamed. Stretches should be directed at motion deficits. For example, if you have poor dorsiflexion (little flexibility upward) of the foot, you may be prone to Achilles injuries unless you perform calf stretches to gradually improve this. At the same time a tight anterior tibialis (shin bone) may limit good plantar flexion (needed to stand on your toes) and affect running form. In general performing two to three pain-free stretches lasting 30 seconds for affected muscle groups is a good starting point. Returning to sport from an overuse injury means you have rehabilitated enough to perform without compro-mising good form. Athletes who limp, change running or jumping form or favor one leg, will ultimately get an-other injury and lose additional time. While you may not be 100% pain free, the ongoing training and competi-tion should not prevent daily progress toward recovery. After training resumes, some specific exercises and post activity icing may be needed for a few weeks or months. The Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) serves to share current information and expand knowledge on sports nutri-tion and exercise science to enhance the performance and well being of athletes. For more information, check out the GSSI web site at www.gssiweb.com. This information is for educational purposes only and is not meant to replace medical or treatment advice given by your physician.

Whether you are involved with a school, a team sport, or manage a

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Sports Training: How much is too much for a child? Kids are starting sports earlier and training harder. Incentives to win are growing, sometimes literally; I’ve seen trophies almost bigger than the little athletes who’ve won them! With higher stakes come pressures to perform better by being fitter and more skilled. Usually, this is achieved through repetition, repetition, repetition. In kids’ sports programs, fitness and skill development have to be balanced with the need to avoid overtrain-ing—which happens when the athlete is required to do too much physically, mentally, or both. Parents need to be sensitive to changes in performance and attitude that suggest their kids are being pushed too hard. Such changes may be precursors of physical injury. Signs of overtraining • Slower times in distance sports such as running,

cycling, and swimming • Deterioration in execution of sports plays or

routines such as those performed in figure skating and gymnastics

• Decreased ability to achieve training goals

• Lack of motivation to practice • Getting tired easily • Irritability and unwillingness to cooperate with

teammates • Unfortunately, when a parent or coach is con-

fronted with signs of overtraining, the tendency is to push the child harder. But if overtraining is the culprit, any increase in training will only worsen the situation.

• Too much training may eventually lead to overuse injuries in which actual damage to the bones and soft tissues occurs because the body can’t recover from the repetitive physical demands placed on it by sport activity. This raises an important question: How much is too much? Unfortunately, not a great deal of hard data is available on this subject. In the absence of data obtained from clinical studies, we need to formulate our guidelines based on observations made over the years by coaches and sports scientists.

How long can kids train for? As a general rule, children shouldn’t train for more than 18-20 hours a week. If a child is engaged in elite compe-tition there may be pressures to train for longer—especially in the lead-up to a major event. Anytime a child trains for longer than this recommended length of time she must be monitored by a qualified sports doctor with expertise in young athletes. This is to make sure abnormalities in growth or maturation do not occur. Any joint pain lasting more than two weeks is justifica-tion for a visit to the sports doctor. It’s also important to ensure restrictions against exces-sive sports activity are not exceeded. For instance, young baseball pitchers in America are not allowed to pitch more than seven innings a week. While this restriction is mostly adhered to in the game setting, it is pointless if kids are pressured by their coaches to throw excessively during practices (parents, too, need to re-member that going to the park with their kids to “throw a few” needs to be counted as part of the number of pitches he makes). In general, young baseball players shouldn’t perform more than 300 “skilled throws” a week; any more than this and the risk of injury dramatically increases. How much of an increase in training is safe? Increasing the frequency, duration, or intensity of train-ing too quickly is one of the main causes of injury. To prevent injuries caused by too-rapid increases in training, I am a strong believer in athletes following the “ten-percent rule.” This rule refers to the amount of training that can be increased every week without risking injury to a young athlete.

Lyle Micheli, MD Sports Medicine Director Children’s Hospital Boston, 2005


In other words, a child running 20 minutes four times a week can probably safely run 22 minutes four times the second week—an increase of ten percent per week. Most of the injuries I see in my clinic are the product of violations of the ten percent rule, when young athletes have their training regimen increased too much, too soon. How hard should kids train? When young athletes are growing the emphasis should be on developing athletic technique. Although power or speed are important qualities in sports, stressing them to children at the expense of technique can lead to injuries. Once good technique is mastered, power and speed can be introduced. The danger of this happening is especially acute if your child is an elite athlete or one engaged in a very competitive sports environment. Perhaps the most effective measure any parent can take is to make sure his child’s coach is certified. Another is to look out for the signs of overtraining, as described above, as well as the early signs of injuries themselves. In many cases, I believe, kids drop out of sports because of low-grade pain that is actually the early stage of an overuse injury. The pain is never diagnosed as an early-stage overuse injury because the child simply quits the program. What this may do is prejudice a child against physical activity and exercise for life.

Given the state of fitness in this country, overtraining children has the opposite effect of what we want, which is to instill in our young people a love of exercise that will stay with them through life, and inspire them to stay fit and healthy long after their youth sports days are done. Source: Adapted from The Sports Medicine Bible for Young Athletes by Lyle J. Micheli, M.D., Sports Medicine Director, Children’s Hospital Boston, with Mark Jenkins (Sourcebooks, Inc., 2001). Dr. Micheli is director and co-founder of the world’s first sports medicine clinic for children, located at Children’s Hospital Boston. He is also the chairperson of the Massachusetts Governor’s Committee on Physical Fitness and Sports, and a past president of the American College of Sports Medicine. Please keep in mind that the text provided is for infor-mational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, examination, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health professional before starting any new treatment or making any changes to existing treat-ment. Children’s Hospital Boston©, 2005.

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Hot Tips for Nutrition, Training, and Immune Function Prolonged and intensive exertion causes numerous changes in immunity in multiple body compartments. These exercise-induced immune changes occur at the same time the human body is experiencing physiologic and oxidative stress, inflammation, and suppressed func-tion against foreign pathogens. Risk of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) is 2-6 times higher in endurance athletes compared to controls during the 1-2 week period following competitive race events. URTI risk may be compounded when the endurance athlete goes through repeated cycles of unusually heavy exertion, has been exposed to novel pathogens, and experienced other stressors to the immune system including lack of sleep, severe mental stress, malnutrition, or weight loss. Although endurance athletes are at increased infection risk during heavy training or competitive cycles, they must exercise intensively to contend successfully. Can athletes use nutrient supplements to counter exercise-induced inflammation and immune alterations? Supple-ments studied thus far include zinc, dietary fat, plant sterols, antioxidants (e.g., vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, N-acetylcysteine, and butylated hydroxyani-sole), glutamine, and carbohydrate. Antioxidants and glutamine have received much attention, but the data thus far do not support their role in negating immune changes after heavy exertion. Most of the focus on nutritional countermeasures has been on carbohydrate.

Research during the 1980s and early 1990s established that a reduction in blood glucose levels was linked to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal activation, an increased release of adrenocorticotrophic hormone and cortisol, increased plasma growth hormone, decreased insulin, and a variable effect on blood epinephrine levels. Given the link between stress hormones and immune responses to prolonged and intensive exercise, carbohy-drate compared to placebo ingestion should maintain plasma glucose concentrations, attenuate increases in stress hormones, and thereby diminish changes in immu-nity. Carbohydrate supplementation may also alter immunity following exercise by increasing the availability of energy substrate to immune cells. Glucose is the major energy substrate for immune cells. Several studies with runners and cyclists have shown that carbohydrate beverage ingestion plays a role in at-tenuating changes in immunity when the athlete experi-ences physiologic stress and depletion of carbohydrate stores in response to high-intensity (~75-80% V02max) exercise bouts lasting longer than two hours. In particu-lar, carbohydrate ingestion (about one liter per hour of Gatorade) compared to a placebo has been linked to significantly lower blood cortisol and epinephrine levels, a reduced change in blood immune cell counts, lower pro– and anti–inflammatory cytokines, and diminished gene expression for IL-6 and IL-8 (two important cyto-kines) in the muscle. These data demonstrate that the endurance athlete ingesting carbohydrate during the race event experiences a much lower perturbation in hormo-nal and immune measures compared to the athlete avoiding carbohydrate. Overall, the hormonal and im-mune responses to carbohydrate compared to placebo ingestion indicate that physiologic stress is diminished.

David C. Nieman, Dr.P.H. Appalachian State University Gatorade Sports Science Institute www.gssiweb.com

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Sprains & Strains What They Are What to Do About Them We have all twisted an ankle or pulled a muscle at some time. But many of us are not sure what to do when this happens. This brochure discusses these basic types of injury and information regarding injury first aid and rehabilitation. Sprains A sprain is an injury to a joint ligament. Ligaments are the strong bands of tissue that connect one bone to another at a joint. The severity of the injury can be clas-sified by the amount of tissue tearing, joint stability, pain and swelling. The mildest sprain (first degree) has little tearing, pain or swelling and joint stability is good. The second degree sprain has the broadest range of damage, with moderate instability, and moderate to severe pain and swelling. The most serious sprain is a third degree sprain. The ligament is completely ruptured and the joint is unstable. There maybe severe pain at first, but afterwards there may be no pain. There will be a lot of swelling with this type of sprain, and often other tissues are damaged. Strains A strain is damage to muscle fibers and to the fibers that attach the muscle to the bone. Other names for a strain include “torn muscle,” “muscle pulls” and “ruptured ten-don.” Muscle injuries are classified from first (least sever) to third (most sever) degree strains. A first-degree strain has little tissue tearing, mild tenderness and pain with full range of motion. As with the sprains, the second-degree strain has a wide variability. Muscle or tendon tissues have been torn, resulting in very painful, limited motion. There maybe some observ-able swelling or a depression at the spot of the injury with a second degree strain. The third-degree strain involves complete rupture of a part of the muscle unit. Motion will be severely decreased or absent. Pain will be severe at first, but the muscle may be painless after the initial injury. Acute Treatment There are several decisions that you must make when you injure yourself. Among the first of these is how se-rious the injury is and whether you should go to

a healthcare provider. Look for deformities, swelling, and changes in skin color. If there are deformities, sig-nificant swelling or pain you should immobilize the area and seek medical help. Many fractures will not cause a deformity, thus if there is any doubt or concern you should get medical attention. Stage One Management of both sprains and strains follows the “PRICE” principle. P—Protect from further injury R—Restrict activity I—Apply ice C—Apply compression E—Elevate the injured area This principle limits the amount of swelling at the injury and improves the healing process. Splints, pads and crutches will protect a joint or muscle from further in-jury when appropriately used (usually for more severe sprains or strains). Activity restriction (usually fro 48-72 hours) will allow the healing process to begin. During the activity restriction, gentle movement of the muscle or joint should be started. Ice should be applied for 15 to 20 minutes every hour to hour and a half.

A. Lynn Millar, Ph.D., PT, FACSM American College of Sports Medicine www.acms.org

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include stationary bicycling, swimming, walking or run-ning in the water. If the injury is more than a mild sprain or strain it is best to consult your healthcare provider.


Compression, such as an elastic bandage, should be kept on between icing; you may want to remove the bandage while sleeping, though keeping it compressed even dur-ing the night is best. Elevating the limb will also keep the swelling to a minimum. Acute treatment is the first stage of rehabilitation. Important: If you suspect more than a mild injury, cannot put weight on the limb, or it gives way, you should consult with a healthcare provider. Rehabilitation Following the first 48 to 72 hours, it is important to start the next stage of rehabilitation. The second stage of rehabilitation focuses on gentle movement of the muscle or joint, mild resistive exercise, joint position training and continued icing. When you are able to move without pain you can progress to the next stage of rehabilitation. During this stage you may gradually re-turn to more strenuous activities, such as strengthening. A simple guide to how much you can do is pain. Pain should remain low during rehabilitation; if pain increases it usually means you have attempted to do too much. Throughout your recovery you can still maintain an aerobic training program. Options for training

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concentrations. Working with GSSI researchers, in what may be the first on-field metabolic study in Division 1 football, we stud-ied fluid balance, sweat rates, and sweat sodium and potassium levels during summer workouts and two-a-days in five known heat-crampers versus five matched noncrampers. We showed that crampers lose more sweat sodium and dehydrate more than non-crampers. It seems likely that the three-fold cause of whole-body muscle cramping is salt depletion, dehydration, and muscle fatigue. The third line of evidence is therapeutic success. We find “the solution is saline.” In general, football heat-crampers tend to be lean and fit, intense and explosive, able to stay in action for hours, heavy sweaters, and “salt-cakers.” Paradoxically, some of them eat low-salt diets. We urge them to salt their food and eat salt-rich foods. We put pretzels in team meetings. Onfield for crampers, we rotate Gatorade with GatorLytes (about 3– or 4-to-1), with water only as a “chaser.” If players do “lock up,” we reverse it with the above sports drinks or in the face of vomiting, with intravenous normal saline. Even widespread, severe cramping usually subsides after 2-3 hours and 2-3 L of normal saline. In conclusion, to prevent heat cramping in athletes, forget potassium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphate. The prevention—and the cure—of heat cramping is salt and fluids. The solution is saline.


Curbing Muscle Cramps: More than Oranges & Bananas Everyone has seen heat cramps—the painful muscular spasms that can take an ath-lete out of the game. Common in football “two-a-days,” heat cramps can also strike in long, hot tennis matches, 100-mile cycling races, and late in tropical triathlons. A common denominator here seems to be “salty sweating.” Yet the causes and mechanisms of heat cramps continue to perplex. Not all cramps are alike. Writer’s cramp, fiddler’s cramp, and golfer’s yips are not from salty sweating. Nor is salty sweating key in exertional cramping of the torn hamstring of a hurdler or the legs of sickletrait ath-letes. And nocturnal calf cramps are not from salty sweating. But three lines of evidence implicate salty sweating—along with muscle fatigue—as the root cause of whole-body heat cramping. The first line of evidence is 100 years of history. Every generation, it seems, rediscovers the role of salt deple-tion in heat cramping. In the early 1900s, stokers on ocean liners fought cramping with seawater in their drinking water. British coal miners added salt to beer and water. Their salty water was “about the composi-tion of sweat.” Salty milk cut cramps in men building the Hoover Dam. And the U.S. military gave a saline drink to WWII soldiers in desert heat. The second line of evidence comes from research in ath-letes. We and others observed clinically that crampers in football and tennis seemed to be “early, heavy and salty sweaters.” Researchers at GSSI and elsewhere gauged sweat rate and sweat sodium in individuals—runners, cyclists, tennis players, football players, and other athletes—and found that crampers tend to have high sweat rates and/or high sweat sodium

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E. Randy Eichner, M.D. Gatorade Sport s Science Institute www.gssiweb.com


Are You Winning at Sports Nutrition? 1. Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating does not apply to athletes. True False 2. If you lose weight during a training session you have lost water, not fat. True False 3, Athletes need a diet that is high in carbohydrate, moderate in protein, and low to moderate in fat content. True False 4. Athletes should never eat in fast food restaurants if they want to maintain a proper training diet. True False

5. An athlete who is unusually tired during regular workouts may be iron deficient. True False 6. Water is always the best drink for athletes during and competition. True False 7. Vitamin supplements will give athletes more energy. True False 8. Eating soon after a training session or a competition is not a good idea because the body is recovering from the activity. True False 9. A high protein diet or whey protein and amino acid supplements will help produce bigger and stronger muscles. True False 10. The meal eaten just before the event provides most of the energy needed for that event. True False

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How did you score? 1. Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating does not apply to athletes. FALSE All athletes should use Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating as the starting point for planning a training diet, regardless of the sport. The Guide provides a range of daily recommendations for each of the four food groups Grain Products; Vegetables and Fruit; Milk Products; and Meat and Alternatives. Because most athletes need more food during training, they should choose lots of high carbohydrate grains, fruits and vegetables and may use other foods in moderation to meet additional energy needs. 2. If you lose weight during a training session

you have lost water, not fat. TRUE Athletes can lose a considerable amount of water as sweat during a workout resulting in weight loss. This quick weight loss is not due to loss of fat. Athletes need to replace fluid/sweat losses in order to prevent dehy-dration. Dehydration will cause an athlete’s perform-ance to decline. Follow these simple rules before, during and after competition to prevent dehydration: • Always keep your personal water bottle handy

and drink lots of fluids before, during and after workouts or competitions.

• Keep track of your body fluid level by weighing yourself before and after your workout. (Weigh yourself nude; sweaty clothes will give you a false reading!) For every kilogram of weight lost, drink at least 1 1/2 litres of fluid.

• Avoid dehydration! Keep track of the colour and amount of your urine. If you are producing plenty of light colored urine you are doing well. Dark, concentrated, scanty urine indicates possible dehy-dration.

3. Athletes need a diet that is high in carbohy-drate, moderate in protein, and low to moderate in fat content. TRUE Athletes should focus on getting enough complex carbo-hydrate to refuel the body’s glycogen stores, which are used up during strenuous exercise. Also, a moderate protein and low to moderate fat intake is recommended for the best fuel mix.

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4. Athletes should never eat in fast food restau-rants if they want to maintain a proper training diet. FALSE Athletes can maintain a high carbohydrate, moderate protein and lower fat diet, even when they occasionally eat in fast food restaurants. To avoid too much fast food, pack healthy snacks as part of your nutrition tool kit. Organize a Team Nutrition Kit and include fruits, vegetables and fluids for snacks to supplement fast food meals. 5. An athlete who is unusually tired during regular workouts may be iron deficient. TRUE Iron is an important nutrient for carrying oxygen in the blood stream to working cells. Fatigue is a common symptom of low iron stores, often seen among female athletes. Iron deficiency may result from too little iron in your diet, so ask a Registered Dietitian to assess your diet for iron content and, if necessary, to provide advice on increasing your intake of high iron foods. See your family doctor or Sports Medicine Physician to check for iron deficiency anemia.

6. Water is always the best drink for athletes during training and competitions. FALSE Cool water is a must for athletes exercising less than one hour. But fluids such as fruit juices and sport drinks are important for exercise lasting longer than an hour, because they contain carbohydrate as well as electro-lytes. Fruit juices SHOULD be diluted (one part juice to one part water) if consumed during exercise. Also dur-ing hot, humid conditions and prolonged exercise the body needs more fluids to replace sweat losses and pre-vent heat injury. A general guideline is to aim for a mini-mum of 1/2—1 litre of fluid per hour. 7. Vitamin supplements will give athletes more energy. FALSE Vitamins themselves do not give us energy. They work along with other foods to release energy from carbohy-drate, protein and fat. These food fuels and nutrients are found in the four basic good groups as well as in Other Foods in Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating.

8. Eating soon after a training session or a competition is not a good idea because the body is recovering from the activity. FALSE For serious athletes in training or competition, it is very important to replace fluids and re-fuel muscles with car-bohydrate post-event. As soon as possible (within 15 minutes to 2 hours) drink fluids, and eat carbohydrate-rich snacks and/or a post-event meal. 9. A high protein diet or whey protein and amino acid supplements will help produce bigger and stronger muscles. FALSE While slightly more protein is needed for building mus-cles, a proper strength-training program, along with ade-quate energy/calorie intake, is the key. Use of whey protein and amino acid supplements can be expensive and offer no advantage over a diet providing adequate calories and protein from milk, meat, fish, chicken and legumes. Excess amounts of amino acids are not recom-mended and can be dangerous. Consult a Registered Dietitian, specializing in sports nutrition to determine if you are meeting the protein and energy needs for your sport. 10. The meal eaten just before the event provides most of the energy needed for that event. FALSE The pre-event meal is usually not as important as the daily training diet. It should be high in carbohydrate, low to moderate in protein and lower in fat to maintain energy and mental alertness for the competition. At least 2-3 hours before the event, drink fluids and eat familiar foods that are easy to digest and not too high in fibre, spices or fats. For more information on sport nutrition, talk to a sport dieti-tian. Check out Dietitians of Canada award winning web site www.dietitians.ca or contact the Coaching Association of Canada at www.coach.ca to identify a qualified sport dietitian.

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It’s that time again... Membership renewal takes

place this month!

Please go to http://member.sportmedab.ca/ to renew your membership.

Membership Benefits:

• 20% discount on

medical supplies, kits, and manuals

• Eligible to apply for one of four

scholarships

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• SMCA Resource Library complimentary borrowing policy

• And much more...

Sport Nutrition Course Topics

Fueling the Athlete Macronutrients Serving Sizes Daily Caloric Intake Hydration Sports Drinks Energy Drinks Sweat Rates Healthy Body Weights Competition Nutrition

Get The Competitive Edge You’re Looking For…

√ SMCA’s 5 hour Sport Nutrition Course

√ $60 including GST √ Taught by Sport Nutritionists

Registration includes: • workbook • handouts • • FREE nutrition tour •

• certificate •

VISIT www.sportmedab.ca

OR CALL (780) 415‐0812 FOR MORE

INFORMATION

Summer 2007

Documents

Transcript of Summer 2007