Downtime Anyone?

Happy Snowy Tuesday!  

You must be reading this because you are not running your kids around...


Are you happily at home after school was dismissed early?  All sports cancelled?  Got your favorite show ready to watch later tonight?  I do ... I'm claiming the spot in front of the fireplace to watch my Downton Abbey I missed on Sunday night (not that the football we watched wasn't dramatic as well!)!

Here's some info to mull over about your kids who are home resting tonight instead of practicing.

Depending on where they are in the season, they can be getting overworked.  Injuries might be happening and immunity might be an issue.  If that is happening, read this little bit of info on oxidative stress.  If that's not happening, read on because you may need to fuel properly to shovel yourself out of your house later without injury!

Nutrition ... how does it help you recover?

• provides fuel
• heals damaged tissues

Simple right?  Your body (or your little thoroughbred's) breaks down microscopically each day and repairs with some rest and good nutrients.  Yay!
But what if your body isn't done repairing (not enough rest or nutrients) before it has to go out and do it again?  Yep, it starts to wear down and overuse injuries start to become painful.  Yikes!

When athletes work intensely without proper rest and nutrients, oxidative stress occurs.  It's basically like the exhaust from a car that is not cleared well when you rev your engine.  These will break down or damage tissues instead of building them back up again.  If this doesn't happen, free radicals are produced and need to be neutralized quickly by one of the body's enzyme systems.  This can work up to a point, and then the balance begins to tip to stress on the cells.  To make a long story short, the harder a body is pushed, the result is more exhaust and that leads to stress on the DNA, proteins, and lipids.  This in turn turns into muscle soreness, losing power, and poor training which eventually leads to chronic muscle damage, impaired immunity and eventually "burn out." 

Oh boy ... so what's an athlete to do?

I've always been a fan of eating a whole food plant based diet.  What I didn't fully understand was how great it was for recovery!  (Probably shoulda eaten better in our years of track and field Jen and Terri!  Those boxes of jello under the bleachers for "energy" were so much fun! We thought we were so cool!)   Lots of studies have been done to prove the benefits of this kind of diet and not to bore you with statistics, but honestly if you could simply add more fruits and vegetables with high phytochemicals (see list below) you could save yourself or your young athlete some time off from injury or illness!  These phytochemicals are only present in real, whole foods, not supplements.

Foods High In Phytochemicals: 

• broccoli
• berries
• pears
• turnips
• celery
• carrots
• spinach
• olives
• tomatoes
• lentils
• cantaloup
• garlic
• apricots
• onions
• seeds
• soybeans
• green tea
• apples
• cabbage
• brussel sprouts
• bok choy
• kale
• red wine

Here is simple link to explain what a phytochemical is:
http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/what-are-phytochemicals

Hope that helps demystify "oxidative stress!"  

Here is my current view ... someone obviously worked hard today and stole my spot for tea in front of the tele tonight!

King of the Couch

Go Eat Some Fruits and Veggies before your Favorite Show!
(And did anyone notice red wine on the list?  Yay resveratrol!)  

Krista