By Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD — Sweat contains more than just water; it has electrically charged particles (electrolytes, commonly called minerals such as sodium) that help keep water in the right balance inside and outside of cells. You’ve likely seen ads for electrolyte supplements that highlight sodium. Sodium gets lost with sweat, so it […]

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By Nancy Clark, MS RD CSSD — In my early years as a sports nutritionist, fat was a four-letter word. The mantra Eat fat. get fat scared athletes away from consuming any kind of dietary fat. I had to practically beg athletes to include some fat in each meal. After all, fat is an essential […]

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By Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD — Professionals In Nutrition for Exercise & Sport (PINES) is an international organization whose mission is to educate athletes around the globe about how to fuel for optimal performance. Each year, PINES members present cutting-edge information at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine. (ACSM). This […]

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I’ve cut out sugar. Gurus on social media say it’s fattening, a waste of calories, and toxic. I have a sweet tooth. Given the choice of eating more dinner or having dessert, I’ll always choose dessert!!! Is Coke healthier if made with cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup? By Nancy Clark MS RD […]

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By Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD — The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) is a professional organization with more than 14,000 members who are sports medicine doctors, sports dietitians, exercise scientists, sports psychologists, and other health professionals who work with athletic people. ACSM’s annual convention is a hotspot for the latest sport nutrition research. […]

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By Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD — As a sports nutritionist, I spend too many counseling hours resolving weight concerns of athletic people. Females and males alike come to me, trying to figure out how to lose weight. The eat less and move more paradigm doesn’t always work. Weight is more than a matter of […]

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By Pat Casey with Skye Moench — As a bike fitter and student of biomechanics and physiology, I’m fascinated by the human body’s ability to adapt, evolve, and overcome physical and physiological challenges of all kinds. The act of childbirth is one of the most awe-inspiring events that the human body is equipped to perform. […]

The post Reclaiming the Ride Postpartum: Bike Fit and Returning to Sport appeared first on Cycling West - Cycling Utah.

By Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD — Listening to podcasts while exercising can be a convenient opportunity to educate yourself about all-things-nutrition. Nutrition podcasts can not only entertain you during yet-another long run, erg session, or workout at the gym, but also teach you how to fuel better so you can enjoy better results from […]

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I fear getting sick when I travel to competitions. Anything I can eat to prevent illness? What’s the best diet to boost my immune system? I have nasty wounds from a bike crash. Will extra protein help fight-off infection and speed recovery?” By Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD — Staying healthy is a top priority […]

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By Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD – Athletes get hungry—and feeding hungry athletes can get quite expensive. I commonly hear comments such as: My teenage athletes are eating me out of house and home. Protein bars and powders are expensive. Do athletes really need them? When I’m too tired to cook, I spend way too […]

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By Matthew Haines, University of Huddersfield — The Tour de France is widely regarded as the most strenuous endurance endeavour in sport. Performance levels have become so high that efforts approach the limits of human tolerance and it is clear that optimum nutrition is important to ensure physiological function is not hindered. But unlike the […]

The post Let’s Hear It For Carbs – Tour de France Cyclists Couldn’t Do It Without Them appeared first on Cycling West - Cycling Utah.

By Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD — To listen to advertisements for pre-workout products, sports drinks, electrolyte replacers, and recovery beverages, you’d think every person who exercises needs to worry about maintaining optimal fluid and electrolyte balance for every workout. While there is no harm in vigilantly replacing sweat losses, please rest assured: most fitness exercisers […]

The post The Athlete’s Kitchen – Hydration and Electrolytes: When do they matter? appeared first on Cycling West - Cycling Utah.

By Breanne Nalder Harward, MS, RDN — When it comes to optimizing endurance performance, specifically for cyclists, nutrition is as important as time in the saddle. While carbohydrates and hydration often steal the spotlight, fruits and vegetables provide a wide range of micronutrients and phytonutrients that directly support energy production, recovery, and overall health. Choosing […]

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By Nancy Clark MS RD CSS3 — Believe it or not, eating a good sports diet can be simple. Yet too many athletes have created a complex and confusing eating program with good and bad foods, lots of rules, and plenty of guilt. Let’s get back to the basics and enjoy performance-enhancing fueling with these […]

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By James Knight — Two new research studies have shown that active commuting modes of transportation such as cycling and walking have significant health benefits. According to the study “Impact of commuting on mental well-being: Using time-stamped subjective and objective data”, those who commute using active transportation modes such as cycling or walking report better […]

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By Peter Abraham — The last thing I remember on October 18th, 2023, was taking off on a group mountain bike ride in the Coler MTB Preserve in Bentonville, Arkansas. I was going out with the USA Cycling national MTB team. A large group of us showed up, and the route was not especially technical. […]

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By Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD — The gut, also called the intestinal tract, includes the stomach, intestines, and colon. An amazing number of life-sustaining and performance enhancing events happen in the gut—including but not limited to digestion of the food we eat and absorption of nutrients that provide energy. While those of us with […]

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By Breanne Nalder Harward, MS RDN — The cycling season is long as well as demanding of the body. We utilize a multitude of macro- and micro-nutrients to turn the pedals the thousands of revolutions per ride that the fuel we put into the tank is essential for everyday success and long-term health. It’s worth […]

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By Sarah Kaufmann — What are the health risks of training in bad air? My agenda with looking into this research is in evaluating the health risks for a well-trained population including myself and my community. Before I get into the details, I need to state a few caveats up front. I’m not a researcher. […]

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Cycling can make seniors healthier and more independent − here’s how to design bikes and networks that meet their needs​ By Anne Lusk, Lecturer in Urban Agriculture, Boston University — Most senior citizens get around in their daily lives by driving, walking or using public buses and subways. But many people in their 60s and 70s […]

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