As one of the new kids on the blogging block, we have been slowly getting to know exactly who we are and what we stand for. It’s quite apparent now that Loving the Bike is about promoting, enjoying, and loving all and everything there is about the bike. We share our own views of...
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Dehydration can negatively impact your cycling or athletic performance. Over-hydrating can also do the same to your performance. No more than about 80ml (about 1/3 of a cup) of water or diluted sport drink should be chugged back over a 10-20 minute time period throughout your ride or race.
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I wonder what today’s cycling races would look like if riders were still using those bone shaker steel wheels from the 1800′s? Not a pretty site now is it? Well, lucky for us the bicycle wheel has continuously improved, and improved further in order to provide us with speed, comfort, and better performance. Loving the...
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It was the proudest cycling moment I’ve ever had, and it didn’t even involve my bike. The day was April 22, 2010… the moment you became a cyclist. You are only 4 years old, and already part of a magnificent community. A population of riders who’s lives are better, because they ride a bike...
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April 22 has been a day that I’ve made a point of recognizing for at least the past 18 years or so. Also known as Earth Day, I’ve made it a day that I do my best to honor the earth. With this year being the first Earth Day with Loving the Bike, I...
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It is no surprise that I’m a huge fan of the Vogel family from www.familyonbikes.org….the amazing family in the process of cycling from Alaska to the furthest tip of Argentina. They’ve been at it for about two years and currently located just outside of Lima, Peru. But these guys are just one of the incredible...
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To minimize the risk of early bonking and chronic glycogen depletion as a possible cause of overtraining, it is important to maximize your body glycogen stores by using dietary carbohydrates to your advantage before, during, and after a ride: - eating a high carbohydrate diet in the days and hours before your ride -using...
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For the past month I have tried to sit down and lay out a review of two different products…..Action Wipes and CarboRocket. Both of these companies sent me samples of their products for the purpose of reviewing it on this website, and although this has been super tough for me I am finally going...
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Okay, I have to let you know that I don’t think I come across as a vulgar, gross, or raunchy type of guy in my day to day life. Just wanted to set that straight before diving into a blog post all about spitting. On a day to day basis, I don’t spit. I...
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I started to write today’s post as more of an informative type article and just when I had about wrapped it up, I decided to go back and start over. I had the feeling that what I had down was going to majorly bore my readers with too much information. I still might have...
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Okay, so what do you do when you’ve been out riding for the past month and all of a sudden you’re sent back in to winter in just a turn of a day? Well for me it entailed a bunch of “I can’t believe this”, “WTF”, and “I can’t freaking believe this”. Riding season...
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What would life be like without the bike? Pretty hard to imagine now isn’t it? I’ve loved the bike for a very long time, but it wasn’t until recently that I formed that heartfelt emotion with it, and the knowing of just how important bikes really are. I could go on and on about...
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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
