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Blood Screening

Athletes put their bodies under stress every day and to insure we are getting the required nutrients and the body is adapting we need to check key measures in our blood. To be proactive rather than reactive we need to schedule these regularly.

What And Why

Full blood count – Review of your overall health

Vit B12 – Aids in energy production and muscle repair. Needed for the production of red blood cells. Also plays a role in the production of melatonin which enhances good quality sleep.

Vit D – Helps with absorption of calcium and bone mineralization. Supports muscle development and repair. Helps immune function.

https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/can-vitamin-d-affect-your-performance/

Full Iron Studies -Needed for the transportation of oxygen to working muscles.

Attached – an interesting article to help you understand the importance of iron in endurance athletes

https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/iron-and-the-endurance-athlete/

Hormonal Studies– Required for female athletes that are having irregular or absent menstrual cycle. Your doctor will advise you on what tests need to be done. This is a topic in its own right and is part of the important discussion around correct fueling and how to prevent LEA and RED-S. We will dive deeper into this in a later article but for a start check out the following:

https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/the-risks-of-relative-energy-deficiency-in-sports/

How Often

Every 6 months or if you have an abnormal result screen every 2-3 months until the result is in the normal range for 1 year.

You are looking for results that are out of range and looking for results that are trending out of range. By looking for trends you can proactively make a change before it becomes an issue.

Your GP will look at results from a general population perspective, so it is always important to know what is best for athletes and get advice from sports specific doctors if you are concerned.

June 11, 2022ByIn, ,

Protein

Why is protein important?

Protein is required for the maintenance, repair and growth of lean muscle mass and also allows for optimal immune system function. Low dietary protein lengthens recovery time, causes muscle weakness and suppresses the immune system.

Having protein prior to hard training can improve your body’s ability to make muscle as well as boost how well your muscles adapt to training.

Studies have shown that having protein and carbohydrates together after training allows the body to restock glycogen stores 4X faster and reduces inflammation and boosts immunity.

Protein Rich Foods

How much protein does an athlete need?

It is recommended that you have 2g of good quality fully amino acid protein per kg of body weight ie if you weigh 70kg you require 140g of protein per day.

When should I consume my protein.

You should aim to spread your protein evenly across your meals and post recovery fueling. Each meal should contain 30-40 grams depending on your body weight of good quality protein, with a minimum of 2.5g leucine for optimal muscle protein synthesis. Your breakfast meal is critical as this is setting your body up after its overnight fast.

You should have a balance meal of 30 – 40g of protein and 60g of carbohydrate 2 hrs prior to training. If your meal is more than 2hrs before training 30-45 mins prior have a balanced snack.

After a training session is over women require 30g protein and 20g of carbs, and men 20g protein and 10g of carbs.

You need protein and need it fast within 1/2hr of finishing training to repair muscle damage. Especially women as your progesterone levels exacerbate muscle breakdown after exercise.

The best source of protein post training is whey protein as it is quickly absorbed and supplies all 9 essential amino acids. It contains high amounts of Leucine and Cysteine which both aid in optimal muscle protein synthesis.

There are 3 types of whey protein:

  • Concentrate. 70-80% protein and contains lactose.
  • Isolate. 90% protein and is filtered to remove the majority of lactose.
  • Hydrolysate. 90-95% protein and has all lactose removed and has the quickest absorption rate.

One hour later have another balanced meal of 30 – 40g protein and 60g carbohydrate.

NOTE:  Always check your protein powder is Informed Sport / WADA approved.  In fact all supplements should. 

May 31, 2022ByIn,
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