Starving at Night

10
Mar
2012

Question: I am successfully working toward my goal racing weight (I’m a cyclist), but I find that I am starving before bed.  It sometimes makes it hard to sleep and leaves me feeling nauseous.  Any suggestions that will help without derailing my fat loss progress? Kelli’s Answer: This is a common issue for any...
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Cycling Landscape Photo Winner

09
Mar
2012
Cycling Landscape Photo Winner

We’ve got a winner in our Cycling Landscape Photo contest.  A great big congratulations goes out to Naomi Morris….her photo from the Combe Laval in The Vercors, France received the most votes. Naomi receives the Grand Prize which includes all of the following goodies: 20 x 30 print of winning photo (Provided by Capture Colorado...
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Unschooling: Like Riding a Bicycle

09
Mar
2012
Unschooling: Like Riding a Bicycle

Can you really compare educational styles to riding a bike?  Well, I read an article recently entitled “Unschooling: It’s Like Riding a Bicycle” and I found the correlation quite interesting. Before jumping into this post, I wanted to state that this article is not intended to create some sort of heated debate on what...
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Big Daddy’s Shows it’s Big Heart

08
Mar
2012
Big Daddy’s Shows it’s Big Heart

Big Daddy’s Austin is selling Green Shamrocks for $1 and Gold Shamrocks for $5 in an effort to raise money for Chloe Spanjerberg and the Muscular Dystrophy Association. With one of our sponsors involved in something so awesome, we just had to jump in and help promote this as much as we can.  As...
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Loving the BITE: Gluten-Free Protein Power Muffins

08
Mar
2012
Loving the BITE: Gluten-Free Protein Power Muffins

Seems like a great week to shake things up a bit.  Are you game?  Let’s use some different ingredients, bake them, and come up with a wonderful alternative to our normal breakfast.  Something new. We were asked by the good folks at Udi’s Gluten Free to make this week’s Loving the BITE a part of their “Look...
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Loving the Mountain Bike: Shawn McAfee

07
Mar
2012
Loving the Mountain Bike: Shawn McAfee

Are you Loving the Mountain Bike?  You may have noticed a lack of attention towards this type of cycling here at Loving the Bike, and that’s simply because I’ve been on a mtb once in the past year and a half.  When this cycling website first started, I wanted to make sure we talked...
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Vote For Your Favorite Cycling Landscape Photo

06
Mar
2012
Vote For Your Favorite Cycling Landscape Photo

The voting begins right now to select the ultimate cycling landscape photo.  Oh man, I never would have imagined how many incredible photos would have been submitted to our Cycling Landscape Photo Contest.  The amount and quality of the photos we received was absolutely staggering, and narrowing things down to a top five list...
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#bikeschool: Twibbon of Pride

06
Mar
2012
#bikeschool: Twibbon of Pride

Firstly I’d like to say thank you to everyone who was involved in last week’s #bikeschool session. Despite me being slightly dozey for the first 20 minutes due to the ridiculous way this planet spins and affects our time zones, I had a great night and you, the class, not only came up with...
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Make it Happen Monday: Live.Love.Bike

05
Mar
2012
Make it Happen Monday: Live.Love.Bike

Here’s a little dose of “feel good” from my crazy buddy, Duzer to kick off this Make it Happen Monday.  Once again I’m featuring the Duz one more time, but how can I help it.  This dude just keeps pumping out such inspirational bikey goodness, so it’s hard not to want to share it...
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Look Who’s Loving the Bike: March

04
Mar
2012
Look Who’s Loving the Bike: March

It’s March, and here’s our “Look Who’s Loving the Bike” stories for this month.  Please take a look at what these lovers have to say, and we’d love to hear from you as well.  Submit your “Look Who’s Loving the Bike” story to us at any time. Simone Henderson – Brisbane, Australia “Hard to...
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Out of Control Portion Sizes

03
Mar
2012

Hi Kelli, how do I control my portion sizes?  I feel like I am eating way too much but I’m not sure how to keep it in check. You’ve heard it before, and it’s still true: Our portions are out of control!  I’ve seen a client eat 1000 calories of raisin bran without knowing...
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Loving the Commute: Edition #4

02
Mar
2012
Loving the Commute: Edition #4

This edition of Loving the Commute includes a fantastic commuting video, featuring and edited by Aaron Madrid. Truly Loving the Commute by Aaron Madrid In addition to being a lot of fun, commuting by bike has many other benefits as well.  There are stats all over the internet that point to health and cost...
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What’s the best fuel for an early morning ride?

Question: Out of habit, I’ve always eaten cereal (granola) before my morning ride.  For the last several weeks, I’ve been riding at 6am to avoid the heat, and eating at 5:30 am.  I haven’t had any stomach issues, but I am not sure that this is the best pre-ride meal strategy. My legs have felt heavy since starting to ride earlier.  My rides are 1.5-2 hours.  Should I eat less, something different, or nothing at all?  What do you think?

Kelli’s Answer: I think your pre-ride fuel strategy can be improved.  The issue with eating a moderately high fiber breakfast within 30 minutes of beginning a ride is that it will likely take too long to digest, absorb, and metabolize to provide any energy to your muscles at all.  And, what’s more, if the meal is setting in your stomach, you are increasing your risk of stomach cramps (but it sounds like you’ve been okay here) and a reduced bloodflow to your legs since your body is working at digesting.

Although many athletes feel like they need a full breakfast before a morning ride, I think you’ll have better result with less food, and ones that you can eat quickly and metabolize faster.

My first choice would be 2 Tablespoons organic honey + 0.5 – 1 Tbsp organic coconut oil (all straight off the spoon).  Why? These are fast-acting, quick-metabolizing energy foods.  The honey provides moderately fast carbs that act similarly to maltodextrin (moderately fast and longer lasting than glucose), natural enzymes to improve digestion, and antioxidants.  The organic coconut oil provides fast-acting medium chain triglycerides which are used directly by the mitochondria of cells (energy producers) without the need for bile or slow digestion.

Another option would be a sports food with a moderate amount of protein – something like a Clif bar. Or, a smoothie with 1/4 cup yogurt, 1/2 banana, 1 Tbsp honey, and water.  These foods will also digest quickly and provide energy during your ride.

And, don’t forget about 8 oz. of fluid.

During your ride, especially if high intensity and over 60 minutes, or moderate intensity and over 90 minutes, you’ll still need during-ride fuel as well.  With all rides in heat, you’ll want fluids and lytes!

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