If You Only Take One Thing, Make It Fish Oil

i'm often asked what supplements i think people should take. actually just yesterday patagonia hot shot ultrarunner rod bien just asked me that exact questions. so i figured i'd respond to the world... here is my response:

"the only supplement i suggest for every client i have is fish oils. most diet's ratio of omega 3 : omega 6 is completely out of whack.

but other than that sweeping generalization, it's impossible to say. i had my blood work looked at by my "witch dr." or, ah homeopathic genius. i'm on vitamin I, E and sometimes Zinc. but we're each different. it's worth having your blood work looked at i think. also get pharmaceutical grade supplements, studies don't favor the kind you can buy in the grocery stores unfortunately."

that's right, fish oils. the ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 in our diets has changed drastically with the evolution of industrialized food. we're feeding our meat more grain and corn and less of their natural green diets. the result is that the meat we eat has a lower content of omega 3. the ratio should be 1:1, and is now more often 1:30! in his book The Omnivore's Dilemma michael pollan hypothesizes that this change in ratios caused by our industrialization of meat production might turn out to be the single biggest factor that effects our health as a population. consuming fish and more to the point fish oil supplements can help us balance that ratio. i'm partial to carlson's and i buy them from hammer nutrition.

the following is taken from a major cardiology news site (www.theheart.org)

New review endorses CV benefits of fish oil

August 3, 2009 | Lisa Nainggolan

New Orleans, LA - A new review concludes that there is extensive evidence from three decades of research that fish oils, or more specifically the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) contained in them, are beneficial for everyone [1].

This includes healthy people as well as those with heart disease—including post-MI patients and those with heart failure, atherosclerosis, or atrial fibrillation—say Dr Carl J Lavie (Ochsner Medical Center, New Orleans, LA) and colleagues in their paper published online August 3, 2009 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

"We reviewed everything that was published on omega-3 that was clinically important, and the major finding is that there are a tremendous amount of data to support the benefits of omega-3, not just as a nutritional supplement—people have known that for years—but evidence that it prevents and treats many aspects of cardiovascular disease," Lavie told heartwire.

The omega-3 data may not be as impressive or as plentiful as [statin data] but it should be 'promoted' to clinicians.

Lavie said he believes physicians are not as familiar with the omega-3 studies as they should be: "Clinicians know the findings of many statin trials even if they do not know all the details—they know that there are a ton of statin data. The omega-3 data may not be as impressive or as plentiful as this, but it should be 'promoted' to clinicians."

Omega-3 PUFA, says Lavie, "is a therapy that clinicians should be considering prescribing to their patients. Not just as something healthy but as something that may actually prevent the next event. In HF, it may prevent death or hospitalization and the same thing post-MI." He and his colleagues reiterate the advice of the AHA: that those with known CHD or HF eat four or five oily-fish meals per week or take the equivalent in omega-3 supplements; healthy people should consume around two fatty-fish meals per week or the same in supplements.

Most data on EPA and DHA

In their review, Lavie and colleagues explain that most of the data on omega-3 have been obtained in trials using docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), the long-chain fatty acids in this family. The most compelling evidence for cardiovascular benefits comes from four controlled trials of almost 40 000 participants randomized to receive EPA with or without DHA in studies of primary prevention, after MI, and most recently with HF, they note.

for more info see mark sisson's blog:
The Definitive Guide to Fish Oils
Rapid Fire Q&A: Fish Oil Guide Follow-Up

Matt's Wicked Smoothie

i've explained this smoothie so many times to friends that i figure i may as well just post a blog on it. it's not hard or complicated, but if you've never done it - this might help.



first and only principle in my smoothie doctrine; never let fruit go bad! that is the best part about letting the smoothie into your life. if you live by the rules, you will never waste fruit again. wash it, cut it into small (like an inch or smaller) bits and then stick it in the freezer before it's too late. if you can't eat it before it starts to go bad, then use it in a smoothie.

the basics:

• 1 banana
• 1 cup of frozen berries (frozen is key to consistency)
  
• 1 scoop whey or hemp protein
  whey is great if you can tolerate it. both whey and hemp are complete proteins (meaning they contain all the branch chain amino acids to build muscle) but whey has proved to be the best as far as bcaa profile and muscle building. whey is milk based however, so if you are lactose intolerant than i'd go with hemp. if you go with whey make sure it's mostly isolate, if concentrate is listed before isolate on the ingredients list it's not top quality. i'd say there are far more low quality whey protein powders out there than there are good quality versions.. so pay attention!
  
• goji berry green tea u (i'm a non dairy guy so i don't use milk or yogurt. instead i find u works just as good to liquidify my smoothie a bit. just add and blend until it's as liquid as you want. i'll sometimes use almond or soy milk as well, but i prefer to use u - it adds great tastes and more vitamins)
• amazing grass chocolate superfood (or wheat grass - but not too much! the smoothie is about the taste)
  

put the banana in first, then add frozen fruit, then the whey protein. this eases the blender into blending things. starting with hard frozen fruit can jam it straight away, and you don't want that. because of the frozen ingredients i often have to stick a spoon in there and loosen it up, but i also like my end result to be pretty thick. just make sure the blender is off. it makes a massive mess and is dangerous to stick a spoon in there while the blender blades are flying.. or so i've heard. as you can see below any fruit will work, really the more the merrier. i've even put a tomato in there before (lycopene!).

i go in phases where i start each and every morning with a smoothie and some french press coffee. i like the contrasting flavors. the fruit in this smoothie pack a great antioxidant punch. i generally tend to taper down my carbs as the day goes on. so starting with a meal that has 50 grams helps me get up and train.


today's smoothie included the following additions, kiwi, orange, pear and apple. i froze the left over from each fruit for tomorrows smoothie.

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24 Hour Fast

fasting for health? i'll be the judge of that.

i incessantly read about training, health and nutrition. i feel like as an athlete and coach it's part of my continuing education. for years now i've read about the benefits of fasting. motivated by my buddy justin angle back in dec of '06 i did a 3 day fruit fast. people have been fasting since before recorded time. mormons fast the first sunday of each and every month. doctors believe this is why mormons as a group have a much lower rate of heart disease.

after listening to this npr article and reading this cnn article on fasting i was sufficiently sold on the supposed benefits, that include; a reduced risk of cancer, a slowing of the aging process, an increase maximum life span, glucose regulation which can protect against diabetes, lowers blood pressure, beneficial effects on the brain, protection against alzheimer's, parkinson's and stroke. although these are great reasons to try a fast, i think i'm more intrigued by the detoxification benefits which seem to be more immediately tangible.. and hell - jesus did it.

now, as an endurance athlete and someone who loves food, the prospect of actually not eating a thing for 24 hours is very intimidating, i've got peanut butter in the cupboard after all. fasting essentially means no energy and therefore no training. being injured it's easy to give up a day of "cross training" to fast and hopefully get some other work done.

thursday 10:48am: had my last bit of food; some u, peanut butter, raisins and banana wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla. then just to go out with a bang i grabbed a frozen snickers bar and smothered that in peanut butter too. it was so good going down... and set me up for a good start to the fast because i felt kind of sick from it all. i realize that gorging before starting a fast isn't what anyone would suggest you do before you start. i like to learn things on my own and often the hardest way possible.

for the last 10 years or so of my life i've been a 5-6 smaller meals spread out through the day kind of guy. so within a couple hours i got the urge to get into the kitchen. this was a test, but i had lots to do and i diverted my attention by heading out to take care of some business. i'm usually filling a backpack with food before i leave the house, fruit, leftovers, bars of some sort, etc. i'm typically not more than a couple hours without eating. now i started to think, "this could be tough".

1:48pm: (3hrs in) i had this empowering feeling. i have these urges, i'm slightly hungry and i have overcome. normally i lose this battle numerous times a day with what i think i "should be eating". so why is this fasting thing coming so easy? do i have this power all the time? hmm. i think i like this.

3:45pm: (5hrs in) i was very spacey. couldn't concentrate or focus on much. it was a lot like the feeling i have after a really long run. i came out of home depot and just stood there looking at the lot. it didn't look familiar. my short term, cognitive memory was apparently gone.

5:00pm: (6hrs in) i was feeling a bit better mentally. my stomach felt kind of strange but it wasn't grumbling as i expected it might. i was surprised to not be overwhelmed with a "hungry" feeling, and i didn't feel empty per se.

7:30pm: (almost 8hrs in) i'm grumpy and tired. marit comes home and doesn't like the sounds of 'fasting'. now my mind is swimming and i don't feel very good.

10:00pm: (11hrs in) time for bed. i fall sleep immediately.

8:00am: (21hrs in) i wake a bit later than normal but don't fight it. my natural rhythm is causing me to want to eat and drink coffee. i have just 2hrs 48 mins left. i take the dog for a walk, do some yoga and stick to my guns.

friday 10:48am!!: (24hrs later) marit brought me some zucinni bread her friend tracy made. thanks tracy! it was sooo good smothered in peanut butter, amazing. deprivation is pretty good at increasing appreciation. i stop about 800-900 calories later. i know, i know.. not the way to come off a fast. i should have stopped sooner but i went grocery shopping yesterday.
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conclusion: well i'll never know if this fast will make me live longer, or less likely to get alzheimer's, parkinson's or to have a stroke. however the overall experience was a good one. it was a nice relief to not focus my day around eating and training. the intangibles were nice, the feeling of empowerment, etc. i'm a couple hours post now and i'm feeling sharp and energized again.. it's time to get on the bike and ride!!

i enjoy mark's sisson's daily apple blog and he wrote a good post on intermittent fasting that is very much worth a read.

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update: after another meal and an easy 5 miles or so on the bike i went out for a 'training' session. wow - i felt incredible. better than i have in a very long time. i did 30 min warm & cool with varying intervals (i get bored easy); hills followed immediately by flat sprints; .5 mile speed laps, and i finished it off with some tabata sprints. i am not sure if it was the fast or the rest or a combo of both but i think there is something to this intermittent fasting.

Some Nonsense

right now i'm hurt and it sux. there are many good things happening in my life which i'm very very excited about. but i can't get over the fact that my hip is a mess. i have two pt's on the case... there has been a bike crash on that hip and a history of imbalance so it's muddy water. i might even have two different length legs. so for the last week i've been wearing an extra sliver insert in one of my montrails. i can't say that things have changed really. yesterday i was treated to some april knee deep powder. with some trepidation i headed to snoqualmie with my long time adventure buddy steve copson. we had some amazing turns. it's pretty awesome how some good high speed powder skiing with a buddy can make you feel. of course i had to "test" the hip out after that and an easy 2.8 mile trail run left me walking the last 100 feet. it feels like i have a torn glute muscle.

i'm headed to salt lake city to pursue an interesting opportunity... more on that later.

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also check out the whereskarl.com website. as i've mentioned i'm starting karl meltzer's appalachian assault with him on mount katahdin in maine. we'll be running 47 miles a day for 6 days covering the 281 miles of AT in maine. karl of course is continuing on in an effort to break the speed record on for the entire 2,174 miles of AT... maine to georgia baby. i like to say "if anyone can do it, it's karl". he'll have a gps with him and with this site you will be able to track and follow along from online... pretty cool.

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"You only ever grow as a person when you spend time outside your comfort zone"- Percy Cerutty

i'm about to get very uncomfortable...

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i had to share this passage from the cookbook wholefood by jude blereau i just picked up from the library: "It seems that we have forgotten what good food really is, where it comes from (not plastic-wrapped from the supermarket) and what it should taste like. Once look at a school cafeteria, hospital, workplace cafeteria, bakery or corner shop will show you exactly what I am talking about: food with little flavor, loaded with refined sugar and damaged fat to give taste. It is manufactured with the cheapest of compromised ingredients. Today, even fresh produce is grown to last - superficial and tasteless." She goes on, "Refined and processed foods give nothing to your body; in fact, they take away as your body tries to digest them. These foods cannot sustain you; they cannot nourish you."

when i thought about this a bit i am reminded of something i read about tomatoes. conventionally they are grown to be tough, not tasty. off the top of my head the other foods that i can remember thinking... "wow, this tastes waaay better organic" are avocados, raisins and best of all orange, red, and yellow peppers... and strawberries! oh the goodness.. i challenge you to try and go a whole day eating just whole foods. and post a comment on how you feel.

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i just bought this song by saul williams from the new nike commercials. it is fantastic. listen to this song on your next run - it is impossible not to run fast! ~ "I ball my fist and you're gonna know where I stand".

Amazing Grass!

i tend to talk a lot about products i believe in. i'm a coach and an athlete afterall. my life revolves around my health. when i find a product i think improves my ability to train hard and recover i start telling everyone about it.

i've been interested in wheat grass ever since last winter. i stayed in slc with patagonia ultrarunner roch horton, ultra running legend and like 10 time finisher of the hardrock 100 (no i didn't get in ~ sux). i tend to study these types. you have to assume they are doing something right. so i ask a lot of questions, etc. ask karl meltzer about our first time we met in hawaii... i must have asked him 300 questions about how he trains in the first 2 hours.

anyway roch had a little plot of wheat grass and a wheat grass juicer on his counter. so i figured there must be something do it. however i wasn't interested in actually growing it if i could avoid it. after looking around a bit i found amazing grass wheat grass powder (at my local overpriced whole foods)! it's a great easy alternative and apparently has 10x the chlorophyll of tray grown wheatgrass.

here are some benefits:

• Increases and sustains energy naturally
• Detoxifies and cleanses your body
• High alkalinity helps balance your body’s pH level
• Strengthens your immune system
• Insoluble fiber gently cleanses your digestive tract and promotes regularity
• Complete food with enzymes and all essential amino acids (enzymes = proper digestion, amino acids = muscle repair)
• Natural source of antioxidants to help repair damaged cells (this one is huge for ultra athletes!)
• Excellent source of beta carotene, folic acid and vitamin C
• Whole leaf powder- not from juice!
• Dehydrated below 107 and nitrogen packed to preserve the raw food properties
• 10x the chlorophyll of tray grown wheatgrass juice
• Field grown outdoors through a cold winter
• Tested free of mold
• Gluten free and Vegan
• Certified Organic

now i can't claim wheat grass juice or the amazing grass powder taste very good. however i feel like that is a small price to pay for the health benefits (this is the same theory i used to use with jack daniels for the buzz beneifts). with the powder you can add small amounts to foods you eat and not notice it.. i've been putting it in my smoothies and shakes. even though i eat a lot of veggies already i feel like this has helped tremendously and i've been putting in some real work lately.

give it a try and let me know what you think.

The Ultra Distance Athlete's Diet

monday night i attended "Racing the Planet: Ultra Endurance Running and Medicine" at rei. the main presenter was dr. brian krabak a sports medicine rehabilitation specialist at UW Medical Center. on dr. krabak's discussion panel were my friends; dimitri kieffer, who crossed the bering straight on foot recently; and local elite adventure racer/ultrarunner roger michal of team mergeo.com and 4th dimension races (i have to add that roger also just finished the plain 100 ultramarathon, a feat in itself)

anyway when the question of "how much do the front runners at these ultras weigh?" came up roger blind sided me with "well we have one here. matt would you stand up?". aah.. awkward. i stood and then sort of gave a brief overview of my nutritional basics. i'll elaborate a bit more here...

the process of training the body for ultra distance racing breaks your body down. it's when we stop to recovery that our bodies build back up stronger than before. therefore proper recovery is essential. while your body is recovering (which you can think of as a constant process) you need to provide it with the proper nutrients/building blocks to efficiently do it's job. since you are what you eat(book i'm reading - thanks jenny!). if you eat junk, your training will most certainly suffer from it. think of training as breakdown, and nutrition as healing. poor nutrition will lead to injury, exhaustion/burnout and an inability to achieve you potential. nutrition is your secret weapon... your free dope (are you listening rasmussen?). eating right absolutely gives you a free and legal performance edge (without the embarrassment of being removed from a race you are about to win and fired from your team).

My personal tips (these are the tips i send my coaching clients in their first week):

• drink lots of water. every time you eat drink two glasses of water to stay hydrated (oh yeah and drink nuun)
• eat six small meals throughout the day (that means eating every 2-3hrs)
• eat whole organic raw foods, not packaged products. if you can't imagine where it came from then it's probably created in a lab somewhere in new jersey and not something you want to consume - watch this
• eat lean protein with each meal. it's important for rebuilding muscle and it makes you feel full... and generally has a low glycemic response - it also minimizes the catabolic effects of training.
• eliminate hydrogenated oils and trans fats
• eliminate refined sugar and processed carbs
• the basis of your diet should be organic fruits and veggies, lean meats and complex carbs

as for getting down to your ideal race weight. i advise my clients to do it now while you are coming out of the off-season and starting the early base training mesocycle. later in the season when the training volume and effort are higher the required calorie deficit to lose weight is not advised. you simply won't get the most out of your "serious" training if you are coming in low on nutrients.

disclaimer: i am not a licensed nutritionist - but i feel like i have a very good grasp on this topic. i am also a well trained overeater - no one is perfect. =)