High Performance Carbohydrates...Part 2

In an earlier post I mentioned that I had a 'rating system' for carbohydrates...a method of qualifying the performance value, if you will.

You see, I love me some carbs!  Yep, there...I said it.  I am a carbo-holic.  Whatever you do, don't place a box of fresh-off-the-glazing-rack, Krispy Kreme glazed donuts in front of me, and expect me to leave ANY of them for you.  It just wont happen.  I'm not proud of it, but I have eaten an entire box of those evil little things...seriously.

As with any weakness (ok, sickness), acknowledging it is the first step to overcoming it...or at least keeping it in check.  I am aware that I have a little problem, and it is because of that, that I now (most of the time) employ a quick and easy rating system, that I learned from a sports nutritionist.

It's the Sugar vs. Fiber rule, and it goes something like this...actually, it goes EXACTLY like this...

HIGH FIBER - LOW SUGAR

That's how I rank carbohydrates in terms of their performance value.  Some of you may be wondering what I mean by the term performance value, so let me explain.

When it comes right down to it, food is simply fuel.  I know, I know, there are other aspects of food and the consumption of food that come into play here...but quite simply, food is fuel for our bodies.  Plain and simple.  As athletes, we should do our best to think of food in terms of how it will affect our health and performance.  In fact, everyone - athlete or not, should think about food in those terms a little more.  It might reduce our epidemic of obesity.

So let's all say it out loud...all together now HIGH FIBER - LOW SUGAR...again, HIGH FIBER - LOW SUGAR.  Oh what the heck, one more time...HIGH FIBER - LOW SUGAR.

Let me back up just slightly here.  This is a rule that I apply to starchy carbohydrates...things like breads, pastas, cereals, snack items, etc.  I'm not talking about applying this criteria to fruits and vegetables...pretty much just processed carbohydrates.

Ok, let's break things down a little bit further here.  There's really three distinct types of carbs out there in the world.  

• Fiber Rich Carbs
• Starchy Carbs/Grains
• Sugary Carbs

Now some of you out there are pretty smart, and right now you are thinking "Carbs ARE sugars...so what do you mean by Sugary Carbs?"  Great question!

Sugary Carbs refers to those foods that have sugar added to them...ice cream, cakes, pies, cookies, Krispy Kreme donuts...you get the picture, right?

Ok, so we all know that fiber is good.  We all know that we should be consuming a high fiber diet.  If you haven't heard those two things before, then you simply have not been paying attention. We are bombarded daily through advertising and recommendations by health care professionals...but how many of you even know how much fiber you should be taking in per day?

To successfully employ the HIGH FIBER - LOW SUGAR rule to your life, you probably ought to how much fiber you should be consuming...wouldn't you agree?

The numbers tend to differ somewhat, depending on what research you are reading, and how current it is...but for the most part, it is recommended that we consume somewhere between 25-30 grams of fiber per day.  There is some degree of variance between men and women, and some researchers believe that those numbers change slightly with age too.

I encourage you to do a little research for yourself on recommended fiber intake, so you can make an informed decision as to which recommendation you want to follow.  Suffice it to say however, that many of you are not getting enough fiber in your diet.  But guess what?  By simply employing the HIGH FIBER - LOW SUGAR rule to your life...you will certainly increase your intake of fiber. It's that easy!

There is a small caveat to using this rule however...you have to be able to read a Nutrition Facts Label like the one below.

I have been teaching this method to firefighters and athletes for a number of years now, and what I have found is that everyone wants to concentrate on the Total Carbohydrate value because we have been led to believe that 'carbs are the devil'.  What I want you to do is stop worrying about the Total Carbohydrate value, and concentrate more on the quality of those carbs...by using the HIGH FIBER - LOW SUGAR rule.

Now is probably a good time to define both HIGH FIBER and LOW SUGAR...wouldn't you agree?  Among Nutritionists, Registered Dietitians, etc, it is common belief that HIGH FIBER is considered to be 5 grams or more, per serving.  LOW SUGAR is typically defined as 10 grams or less, per serving.

I like to to think about placing carbohydrates in one of two piles.  In fact, in my mind I envision two piles of carbs...each of which has a small sign sticking out of it.  One of the signs reads HIGH PERFORMANCE, while the other reads LOW PERFORMANCE.  My goal is to eat a greater percentage of my carbs from the HIGH PERFORMANCE pile, all the while accepting that at times, I will also eat from the LOW PERFORMANCE pile.  I have to...it's how I build sustainability into my nutrition plan.

When you begin to read food labels, you will soon realize that not everything fits into one of the two piles.  These are the IN BETWEENERS...and there are alot of them.  When I find an IN BETWEENER, I put it back on the shelf, and look for an equivalent food product, that comes closer to being placed in the HIGH PERFORMANCE pile.  

Ok...no more SHOUTING.  Well, except for that one.  I think I have made my points, and driven those terms and concepts home. Yes?

Alright, let's imagine you are at the store, and you are buying some breakfast cereal.  You grab a box of  Cheerios, because we all know it's healthy right?  The television commercials say it plays a significant role in 'heart health' by reducing cholesterol.  This time however,  before you just throw it in the cart as usual, you actually stop, turn the box, and read the label.  What you find might shock you.  Below, is the label you read.

Applying the High Fiber - Low Sugar rule (not stopping to read the Total Carbohydrates) you see that the Fiber content is 3 grams.  Does that meet the criteria for High Fiber?  Nope.

Now look at the sugar...only 1 gram of sugar.  Does that meet the Low Sugar criteria?  Sure does.  But how about the whole package...Fiber vs. Sugar.  Does it clearly fit into the High Performance pile?  

I think not.  

But wait!  How can that be?  Look at the box, it even says that it's "Clinically proven to reduce cholesterol".  Don't be fooled by 'healthy claims' and healthy 'looking' packaging!  

Read the Label!

Let's spend a little more time on the label.  There are a couple of things that can be a little confusing.  Let's start with fiber.  Some labels will provide one single value for fiber, while others may provide up to three different values.  You may see Dietary Fiber, Soluble Fiber, and even Insoluble Fiber.  The Dietary Fiber value takes into account both soluble and insoluble fiber...both of which are types of dietary fiber.  

The next is the sugar.  This can be a little confusing because, as you mentioned before...carbs are sugars.  The Sugar heading typically refers to added sugars, and added sugars are typically refined, highly processed sugars.  

So...to properly apply the rule, simply look at the values for Dietary Fiber and Sugar.  You can also look at the ingredient list, and see where sugar is listed.  If it's one of the first couple of items listed, you can be sure that the product fits into the High Sugar category.

I think you will find this rule easy to apply, and that through it's application, you will begin to notice changes in both your health and performance.

Read those labels!

Yours in Health and Performance,

John (the carboholic)

Cycling Posture...Trying to Wrap This Up!

Alright, if you've been following this short little series on cycling posture, then you are aware that we have discussed the use of Trigger Point Myofascial Compression techniques to help release tension across the chest musculature.  Releasing the tension in the pectorals is the first step in returning the shoulders (and shoulder blades) to their normal resting position, and eliminating Upper Crossed Syndrome (UCS).

Throughout this series I have also introduced to you the concept of 'length and strength'.  Releasing the chest musculature, and returning those muscles to their normal resting length, is quite obviously, the length component in the equation.  Now let's move on to the strength (or lack thereof) issue.

I've said it before...and will surely say it again.  Muscles are like light bulbs...we can switch them on and off.  Unfortunately, the switching-off part usually takes place without us even knowing it is happening.

Here's how it works...

The shoulder joint is controlled by anterior (chest) and posterior (mid-low traps, rhomboids) muscles that, when all is right with the world, work harmoniously and synergistically to position the joint for optimal performance.  Imbalance occurs when one of these muscle groups decides it doesn't want to play well with others anymore, and becomes dominant.  This is what is happening with UCS.  The chest muscles (and in part, the upper trapezius) become dominant due to the repetitive and prolonged positioning we learned about earlier in this series.  As a result, the antagonist muscles, which in this case are the posterior muscles, tend to give up the fight.  When this happens, they become weak and lengthened, allowing the joint to be pulled in the direction of the dominant muscle group.  Hello Upper Crossed Syndrome!

So what can we do to correct this?  Let's flip the switch and turn them back on!  It's as easy as that in most cases.

It sounds easy huh?  I have a feeling however, that you are wondering just how we are going to accomplish that little task.

Anyone care to hazard a guess?

That's right...strength training.  But not just any strength training...and this is where many trainers fail.  This type of strength training should be corrective-based.  You see, if a client (or you) present with postural dysfunction due to muscle imbalance, simply prescribing traditional, body-building based exercises will only serve to compound the problem.  The goal at this time is to correct the underlying issues, rather than simply stacking strength and size on top of dysfunction...a recipe for certain disaster!

A thorough understanding of human movement is often necessary to identify the culprits, and provide corrective-based exercises specific to the issue at hand.  In the case of UCS, the weak muscles of the posterior chain are the scapular stabilizers.  The posterior scapular stabilizers (middle and lower trapezius) are responsible for stabilizing the scapulae (shoulder blades) and maintaining proper positioning of the humerus (upper arm bone) within the glenohumeral joint (shoulder joint).  

The picture below shows an individual who has serious scapular dysfunction, resulting in what is known as scapular winging.  In this case, the scapular stabilizers are so weak and dysfunctional, that they are allowing the scaps to be pulled and tipped, resulting in the obvious protrusions.  The scapuale normally lie flat, along the rib cage.

Another set of muscles that become weakened, allowing scapular dysfunction, is the Serratus Anterior...a fan-like group of muscles that lie anteriorly along the rib cage.  Serratus Anterior, while not a posterior muscle, often needs to be strengthened to regain normal scapular positioning, and provide proper mobility throughout the shoulder.

Alright, I guess we won't be wrapping this up today due to the volume of information that I want to share with you.  So please check back to see what exercises we will do to re-strengthen those weakened scapular stabilizers, make your shoulders bullet proof, and return you to normal posture...basically making you one Sustainable High Performer!

Yours in Health and Performance!

John