With a huge event like the birth of our third child happening this week, of course I just had to blog about it. So here I am. My son, River, was born at 7:23AM Wednesday morning….and just started his training for the 2030 Tour de France. You gotta start ‘em young these days. Seriously though,...
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You just knew it was coming, didn’t you? A new blogger on the cycling scene…pretty good chance he’s a Lance Armstrong fan like so many others. Might have even caught that snippet of the “Lance Shrine” in that video blog last week. Well you’re right, no surprise at all…I’m just another one of those...
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With more and more athletic enhancement products coming out all the time, it’s extremely tough for us cyclists to figure out what we should try and what would work best for us. Protein, amino, creatine, energy, caffeine, and countless other categories have more than enough products in them to make your head spin. All...
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For today’s post I’m going visual. Even though I’ve only got a few posts under my belt, I wanted to mix it up and throw out a video instead of some writing. The topic for the video is five things you can do when you aren’t able to get on the bike. I hope...
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There are so many people around the world with the dream of moving to North America to start a new life full of tremendous opportunity. Coming from a poorer nation or one at political unrest allows them the chance to do so much more and to provide the things they desire for their families....
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At the moment, I am living in a place called Saskatchewan….and today is the provincial holiday called Family Day. Now, I say “at the moment” because as I will unfold in my blogging future, our family is on the mission of relocating to a warmer climate and we plan to be there very soon. ...
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Loving the Bike will periodically be doing cycling related product reviews. Continue to check back with us for future reviews, and contact us if there is a specific product that you’d like our opinion on. Most reviews will be on supplements and nutrition products because they interest us and we feel we can provide...
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I am Strong. I am Powerful. I will Overcome. I am a Champion. This isn’t just some crazy mantra from one of those cults you read about in magazines. This is something that if said to ourselves every day, and believed….would not only change our lives….but our cycling as well. That’s right. How many...
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On the South East tip of St. Kitts, West Indies is a stretch of land known as The Peninsula. A paved road was built in 1989 to make this area accessible, and it now allow people to drive along a stretch of road through untapped nature. Miles of beautiful, natural scenery. This 10KM section...
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How many times do you get the chance to follow a new blogger right from the start? Now is your chance. The Loving the Bike train has just left the station and we are so happy to have you along for the ride. Sit back, check us out, and come back often. We’ve got...
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I generally eat pretty healthily and stay relatively fit but I wonder if I’m getting enough vitamins and minerals. Is there a product (available in the UK) that contains the right mixes of daily vitamins and minerals and if not, which individual supplements should I take to compliment a healthy lifestyle. (ps… I don’t want to take so many pills that I rattle!)
Kelli’s Answer:
Thanks for the question! First a disclaimer: It’s always important to talk to your personal health care provider about supplements -some should not be taken due to medication interactions and individual conditions.
Now, my general recommendations:
Although a healthy and balanced diet is most important, I do believe that most people, and athletes especially, need a good multivitamin/multimineral, extra vitamin D, and fish oil (or another source of DHA/EPA omega-3s) in addition to healthy foods. Mostly, I recommend this because our soils have been over-farmed (which decreases the amount of nutrients in our foods), our waters are polluted (which is one reason we can’t eat as much seafood as we’d like), and our ability to get outside and get sunlight year round has decreased with more time spent inside and at a desk. And, there’s a lot of exciting research that supports higher levels of vitamin D supplementation than previous recommendations.
Generally, I recommend these daily supplements:
Additionally, individual athletes may need extra iron, probiotics, calcium, etc. But, these 3 pills are a good place to start for most healthy athletes.
As you look for supplements, the keys are to find ones that 1) have what they claim they have (no exaggerated claims) and 2) don’t have anything that’s harmful. You don’t want lead or other dangerous heavy metals, and I try to stay away from colorings, flavorings, and unnecessary additives. Since this industry is not really regulated, it can be hard to find good brands that have support from a 3rd party expert. I often www.consumerlab.com, a completely impartial 3rd party site that tests supplements and reports on their ingredients. They don’t have every brand, but it can be a good starting point. I hope this helps!
Please send us your questions for our Expert Sports Nutritionist, Kelli Jennings to “Ask the Sports Nutritionist“. Kelli Jennings is a Registered Dietitian with a passion for healthy eating, wellness, & sports nutrition. For more information go to www.apexnutritionllc.com.
Nutrition Tips
