Skinny On

When I was a young runner, lactic acid was blamed for the delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) that interfered with my ability to climb onto the school bus with ease the day following a hard practice. Since then, we have learned that post-exercise pain is caused by micro tears created when we tax our muscles, and the former scapegoat, lactic acid, doesn't hang out in muscles after a workout. Lactic acid actually fuels our cells when we push ourselves during high intensity workouts. It is hydrogen ions, a by-product of burning lactic acid as fuel, which creates the heavy legged sensation, burning sensation that accompanies running hard and fast.

You will come across the term "lactate threshold" when reading intense training manuals. This threshold is when the lactic acid begins to accumulate in the blood. And when you push yourself to work past that threshold, you train your body to better deal with the biological by product of using lactic acid as fuel. Increasing your lactate threshold helps you run faster for longer and is considered a good performance predictor for endurance events. Training to increase this threshold involves tempo runs and interval training with long steady paced runs. So now that you know how to increase your lactate threshold, will you?

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In case you missed it, it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. October is dedicated to highlighting this disease, which will affect one out of eight women. They say you are what you eat, but the connection between diet and breast cancer prevention is confusing to say the least.

An article over at Nutrition Data helped me sort out the topic, although there really is no clear-cut answer. The two most researched dietary links to breast cancer are low fat diets and soy products. Although cultures with high fat diets have a higher incidence of breast cancer, there have been no clear-cut conclusions from clinical trials on this subject. There are two sides of the debate on soy products. Since soy contains phytoestrogens, which act as weak estrogens in the body, it is thought to either stimulate estrogen-related cancers, like breast cancer, or to help prevent them. Once again there is no conclusive evidence either way, and most experts feel that soy products are fine in moderation.

These ambiguous conclusions don't mean that you are completely powerless in trying to prevent breast cancer. To see what you can do, just read more

We all know we should be consuming enough vitamins and minerals. We need them in order to stay healthy, but did you ever think about what the difference between the two is? Vitamins come from the plants and meat we eat. They are essential nutrients that fall into one of two categories: water soluble or fat soluble. Vitamin C and all eight B vitamins are water-soluble, which means water is required for their absorption. These nine vitamins are found mostly in fruits, veggies, and grains. You need water-soluble vitamins every day, and the extra is flushed out when you go to the bathroom. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble, and are mostly found in fatty foods such as meat, dairy, vegetable oils, and oily fish. They require fat for absorption and are stored in fat tissue for later use. If you eat excessive amounts of fat-soluble vitamins, they can be harmful to your body so pay close attention to your diet.

To hear all about minerals and find out if taking supplements is necessary read more

When I started reading food labels, way back when, I must admit that I thought high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) was made out of fruit, because of the "fructose," as well as corn. Now that I have been schooled over the years, I know that this sweetener is made from cornstarch that goes through a serious amount of processing.

The Corn Refiners Association has started the sweet surprise ad campaign to try to reclaim consumers' hearts and dollars. Corn and all its permutations have been getting a bad rap of late, from sources like the documentary King Corn and Michael Pollan's treatise on eating In Defense of Food. The parallel growth of HFCS consumption and the obesity epidemic is the stuff from which seemingly correct, but nevertheless faulty armchair science is formed. Recent studies have found that HFCS as an ingredient isn't solely to blame for the obesity epidemic, since the human body processes HFCS and sugar in the same way and that they have the same caloric load.

To see how high fructose corn syrup differs from sugar, just read more

Staying hydrated when exercising in hot, humid weather is really important. However, if you are exercising, at a moderate level, for longer than an hour you should probably reach for a sports drink.

Unlike water, sports drinks contain electrolytes and carbohydrates to help your body absorb and retain fluid lost during exercise. Because of this, sports drinks do a better job of preventing dehydration and maintaining proper electrolyte balance, especially in warm, humid conditions when you sweat out more fluid and sodium. Replenishing sodium enhances fluid absorption and retention and prevents hyponatremia, the condition when blood sodium blood levels fall below normal, which in extreme cases can be fatal.

Look for a sports drink that contains at least 500 to 700 milligrams (mg) of sodium per liter. Also select one you don't feel like you need to dilute due to taste, since you'll dilute the electrolyte and carbohydrate concentration as well. To avoid guzzling too much at one time since no one likes to run with a belly full of liquid, drink it in small amounts at regular intervals, every 15 to 20 minutes.

Fit's Tip: To figure out how much you need to drink, weigh yourself naked before and after a typical hour of working out. Then drink the same amount you lost. For example, if you lose two pounds during one hour of running, you need to replace about 32 ounces (two pounds) of fluid during each hour of exercise. This is the equation you should use if you are racing too. If you're consuming more than that, you're probably over-hydrating.

Over a delightful dinner of corned beef and cabbage this Saturday night, a dinner guest (with a PhD in science) asked me what was all the hype around antioxidants. So we all know that they are good for us, but why?

Antioxidants help clean up our bodies on a molecular level. According to the National Cancer Institute:

Antioxidants are substances that may protect cells from the damage caused by unstable molecules known as free radicals. Free radical damage may lead to cancer. Antioxidants interact with and stabilize free radicals and may prevent some of the damage free radicals otherwise might cause. Examples of antioxidants include beta-carotene, lycopene, vitamins C, E, and A, and other substances.

Essentially, free radicals can disrupt cell production and lead to mutation. Antioxidants are molecules that slow or prevent the oxidation of other chemicals by free radicals; antioxidants deactivate the free radicals. Although oxidation is essential for life, the process can create some serious damage or be considered carcinogenic.

The jury is still out on a definitive answer as to whether antioxidants can prevent cancer. Although early studies were all optimistic, more recent studies have not been conclusive. Recent studies suggest that dietary supplements of antioxidants do not seem to increase life span and ingesting these vitamins and minerals from food is the best bet.

When it comes to hydration do flavored waters do the job?

Just about every water company has some new fangled version of water on the market, but are they as healthy as plain water?

Glaceau makes some vitamin waters that contain a lot less sugar than fruit juices making them an alternative. Plus each flavor contains a different set of vitamins and nutrients. They also make fruit waters which add a little bit of flavor to plain water, but they also add sugar and 50 calories.

Some fruit flavored waters, like Fruit2O, use artificial sweeteners like Splenda to sweeten up the drink without adding calories.

Fit's Tips: I wouldn't exactly put these flavored waters in the category of good old natural healthy hydrating water. It's a great alternative to soda, but don't replace it for water. When traveling, choose plain old water instead.

Two of my favorite treats are a hot mug of peppermint tea and a cold dish of peppermint ice cream. I must also say that candy canes receive an honorable mention.

Peppermint has long been grandma's answer to belly aches and you know what? She was right on target. Peppermint calms the belly and stimulates digestion. It is often taken by folks with Irritable Bowel Syndrome to lessen the syndrome's irritating symptoms like bloating, gas, and diarrhea.

More than just a tonic for your tummy, peppermint is also an expectorant and a decongestant. It may offer some relief for mild asthma attacks, lessening bronchial constriction and making it easier to breathe. Peppermint promotes sweating, which could possibly help regulate body temperature during a fever, which is good news during cold and flu season.

Medicinally, peppermint is available in many forms: tea, tinctures, capsules, creams, ointments, or essential oil. It is generally considered safe when used properly.

FYI - Peppermint is YumSugar's secret ingredient this week. If you have a recipe that includes peppermint, you should definitely stop by and share it with her.

When someone tells you that cracking your knuckles will lead to arthritis, they're wrong.

What exactly makes that "popping" sound? When you crack your knuckles, or back, or whatever, you are pushing the joint into or out of its normal position. Joints are the meeting points of 2 separate bones. A thick liquid called synovial fluid is found between the bones. When you stretch, twist, push, or pull those bones apart, the pressure is reduced on that fluid, and bubbles form and quickly burst - making that familiar "pop."

Research from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine shows that people who crack their back, neck, knuckles or knees generally have healthier joints than those who don't. Well, actually, people who tend to pop their joints are more likely to be more physically active than non-crackers.

So go ahead and crack away. It may be annoying to others, but at least it's not hurting you.

"Feel full foods", developed by companies like Slim-Fast and Kraft, are scientifically proven to make you feel like you've eaten a large meal when you have, in fact, only eaten a 200 calorie snack.

How do they do that? They manipulate the fat molecules to stay intact until they reach the lower part of the small intestine. At that point, the manipulated molecules spark a whole bunch of hormones to send an "I'm full" message to the brain. These "resistant starches" act like fiber, but have the taste and texture of starch. They slow down digestion, so you feel full longer. Eating these kinds of food could decrease fat accumulation in the long-term. Wow.

Resistant starches can also be used to boost a product’s fiber level “label value” so the product can claim to be a “good” or "excellent” source of fiber, when it doesn't actually contain "natural" fiber, so be on the look out.

Eating good old fashioned real foods that actually contain fiber naturally are your best bet. Foods like beans, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables will make you feel full naturally without the scientifically modified flare.

Fit's Tip: Eat fruit at every meal. Apples, bananas, oranges, pears and berries are good sources of fiber. Why not slice some into your dinner salad?