Wednesday, June 10, 2009

dr. lindsay: sugar up for speed and drink water

the avid google reader-er that i am, i saw these two articles earlier this week in the nytimes. since the times are a reputable source, these articles must be 100% legit right?

m&m's are terrific pre-workout fuel and now i think i'm diabetic. (interesting articles, but not quite sure how helpful they are)

the first is self-explainable especially coming from me, and the second relates to those lovely visitors i get in the middle of the night. i've been having calf/feet cramps a couple times per month this year and trying to take a few notes each time it happens. i eat 1-2 bananas per day (although i am getting a little tired of them) and i'm sure i could drink a little more water but i don't think i'm doing that bad. so, this leaves me with my professional medical diagnosis of diabetes. scratch that, i need my m&m's; let's go with poor circulation instead.


i slept through my alarm this morning (wednesday) and barely made it to work on time. nothing like waking up at 5:48 am when you have to be out the door by 6:00 am. luckily i showered the night before and i work on a construction site, so i was pretty sure i could get away with skipping my morning shower. i missed my chance at getting in a morning run (would've been on the treadmill anyway, blah) and had an evening full of plans, so i just took the day off. i'm behaving myself and not feeling upset about a "0" in the training log, but hoping i fair ok for the rest of the week.
at 11:50 PM
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16 comments:

  1. I get calf cramps in the middle of the night about every other week. They suck... but I just chalk them up to electrolyte imbalances. I'm trying to be better about addressing those needs (with bananas, like you are!). I hope you find a solution.

    Love that candy study! That's awesome!
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  2. I love "candy can be as efficient as fruit" - and candy (we call them lollies) doesn't make you hungry (I love fruit but it makes me hungry...).

    Regarding your cramps: when i first had my gastric band done and was living on meal replacement shakes, I was getting MASSIVE cramps. My doctor said it was because I wasn't eating enough salt. Started eating more eggs and veggie stews with salt in it and boom! No cramps...

    Maybe we need to find you some salt encrusted M&Ms... :)
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  3. M&M's are great! Hope the leg cramps go away. Maybe it is an electrolyte imbalance. You should track the food you eat and workouts and see if you can find a pattern of when the cramps occur.
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  4. I like the theory behind that first article. :) I've fueled for a run with candy before and you know it what? It can work!

    Don't sweat the zero! Have a great rest-of-the-week.
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  5. Both my mother and an ex-boyfriend of mine got similar calf cramps and I haven't heard either of them mention them in a while. Neither of them is diabetic, so you shouldn't worry about that :) I think they just both tried to stay hydrated, cut caffeine intake slightly, and get a lot of potassium and electrolytes. As for the rest day, I think you probably needed it and I'm glad you're not stressing about it!
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  6. The "M&Ms as pre-workout fuel" was too funny! Too bad about the cramps -- if you're looking for other high-potassium food, try avocados. Might save you from going insane thanks to a banana overdose (truly, there are only so many you can eat ...)
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  7. Try coconut water for potassium. It has 3x the potassium found in 1 banana, no fat & no cholestrol. Oh, and Amazon usually has them on sale.
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  8. Here are some other high potassium foods: cantaloupe, honeydew, kiwi, oranges, potatoes, spinach, tomatoes and OJ.

    It's OK, no worries about the "0" day. Now that's your rest day and you can run the rest of the week!
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  9. LOL M&M's are awesome for a pre workout snack! I once had a donut before a 20 miler and it was one of the best runs I have ever had!
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  10. From what I know, some people are predisposed to getting cramps, and no matter how much potassium/sodium they take in, they are still getting the cramps. However, I would still try to drink a glass of Nuun or Gatorade after each run, just to see if you experience any improvement.
    Good luck.
    Ana-Maria
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  11. Please don't ever break up with M&Ms. I justify eating them because you do. :o)
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  12. M&Ms are usually cheaper than energy gels too so you'd actually save money :-)

    Hope you can figure out that calf cramp thing. Maybe those socks that keep your feet from pointing at night might help?
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  13. Um, I'm sold! M&Ms it is! :)

    And I get some pretty bad calf cramps at night as well . . . but haven't really been able to find a solution. Sigh. Let me know if you find anything that works!
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  14. perfect, and you got more this morning too, right? save them for your run! LOL Leg cramps suck, hope you get that figured out...
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  15. Be careful. Coconut water is awesome post run.

    M&M's rock!

    Your run was awesome!
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  16. Ok, I don't think my last comment "took." I do like the sound of the M&M article, a lot!

    What about avocados? guacamole? that would help with potassium, no?
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