So, my teacher sent me some articles she found on cognitive function and aging. For those of you who read this and don't know, I'm doing my thesis on it. (Yes, for sure, I know I get excited about other things, but the mind is extremely fascinating to me, and so are studying the effects of aerobic exercise on the body, including the brain.)
Well, this article is titled, "Long-term treadmill exercise induces neuroprotective molecular changes in rat brain"
Rodents are similar to humans in the physiological workings of the body. Anyways, they compared 3 groups-moderately exercised rats, handled but nonexercising group (handled on the treadmill somehow I guess), and a sedentary group. What they found: That exercise...
-improved many brain parameters especially in the hippocampus.
-upregulated sirtuin-1, a protein in the brain that extends life
-stimulated mitochondrial biogenesis
- activated AMPK
-preventions of signs of neurodegeneration
"These findings are consistent with other reports showing that physical exercise has positive effects on hormesis."
I wasn't quite sure what mitochondrial biogensis was, so I looked it up, and came across this from another study.
"Moderate exercise also mimics CR by inducing mitochondrial biogenesis. Negative regulators of PGC-1alpha such as RIP140 and 160MBP suppress mitochondrial biogenesis. Another mechanism involved in mitochondrial maintenance is mitochondrial fission/fusion and this process also involves an increasing number of regulatory proteins. Dysfunction of either biogenesis or fission/fusion of mitochondria is associated with diseases of the neuromuscular system and aging, and a greater understanding of the regulation of these processes should help us to ultimately control the aging process." CR is caloric restriction. I've read some studies for class saying that in rodents as well as 1 study involving humans for a short period of time, calorie restriction also helps slow the aging process and diseases associated with aging. However, not many people are going to want to restrict their calorie intake so much for the rest of their lives :) So it's good news that exercise, and just a moderate amount, can slow the aging process.
This, I've kind of always known, and been scared of chronic illnesses later in life. Yes, I worry about these things now, even though I'm young lol. My grandmother had a heart attack, and my grandpa had a # of them, with triple by-pass surgery. My other grandma has Alzheimer's. I am going to try to do everything I can to avoid these diseases. This is why I do what I do. I want to see if I can live a very long, diseased free life. This is why during my 40hr internship I decided to train for a full marathon at the age of 22. This is why in grad school, I still work out just as intensely as the summer months. This is why I sometimes workout twice a day in grad school. Sometimes I lose sleep (only sometimes, don't worry) in order to get workouts done (still producing great school work!). I am fully confident that when I have a full time job I'm still going to be able to work out for at least an hour a day. I did it once and can do it the rest of my life, and I'm doing it now because school+assistantship is like a full time job. Oh and if I decide to have children someday-I'll be that crazy jogging with a stroller or attaching the baby thing on the back of my bike. Nothing will slow me down unless I get injured or die from the crazy adventures I tend to take on! :) Plus, if I didn't workout this much...I wouldn't be as fit to do the things I really love doing...like snowboarding for 8hrs a day or going surfing or backpacking through mountains...:) Live the life you love! Who cares what everyone else thinks.
Of course...you don't have to work out as intensely as I like to...this study..and a number of others show that it's just moderate exercise that is needed :) (Although I think more intense exercise few days a week can produce even greater benefits....:)
I am also proud to say that I have no gray hairs at 24, almost 25, and my mom had her first at 18 LOL :) Of course, she's wasn't as athletic like me :) But I sure do look like her! She looks pretty well for her age of 55-she still walks or rides her bike regularly.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18662766 (mitochondrial biogenesis article)
and
http://jap.physiology.org/content/111/5/1380.abstract (the exercise and brain health article)
It's so cool that sirtuin-1 extends life! And that exercise can boost this protein!!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Dreams
This weekend was amazing. When my teachers told us during the first week that they needed grad students to go to the MWACSM (Midwest Chaptor of American College of Sports Medicine), I made sure to tell them right away I wanted to go :) I always enjoy reading research articles from them online, and it's the organization I got certified through for personal training. (Which, my teachers told me that is the most highly recognized organization, so we should get certified by them, if possible, in case anyone wants to know :) My teacher was the executive director this year. I remember I was on the 2008 jeopardy team when they came to BGSU. I got to watch that this weekend, it was fun, our team of undergrads didn't win, though :( They pulled questions like which muscle flexes the knee and internally rotates it? I couldn't remember, but it was Popliteus. LoL, who would remember that muscle? Now I'll never forget it :)
There were 5 of us grad students, we had to have at least 2 students working registration at all times, I felt a little guilty I kept leaving, but my teacher said it was ok, they wanted us to learn and see what was being done in the field. I sat in on The Female Athlete Triad, Patellofemoral Syndrome, Resistance Training for Triathletes, Genetics and Sport, Physiological Adaptations to Long-Term Exposure: Implications for Exercise Performance (which was very interesting, but the way, they studied natives in the Andes and Himalyays and compared the two, interestingly, the andes natives had way more hemoglobin than at sea level, and I forget what else, but the himalayans adapted more physiologically to their climate. Anyways, what was the most interesting to me was that from living at high altitudes for all their lives, their brains can actually atrophy, and have some cognitive impairment. The researcher wasn't sure if that was from the altitude or nutritional deficiencies, they didn't study it further), I also listened to the Physiology of Endurance Performance: What do we Really know? Basically, it was about environmental factors like heat, carbohydrate intake (they talked about depleting carbs somewhat the week before, then a few days before eating more of it to help increase performance, and caffeine actually helps. I'm sorry I can't go into much of this further because I was very tired at this point, and although interesting, I couldn't pay attention fully :( And I'm exhausted right now, it's been a long weekend)
Anyways, I enjoyed chatting with the guys who talked about resistance training in triathletes-no one really knows the exact doseage of resistance training for triathletes. They said either lifting heavy with low reps, OR lifting light with high reps worked the same. Interesting, as I have always been taught in undergrad that for endurance athletes, you want them to lift light but with high reps, for some strength and more importantly muscle endurance. However, some people may respond differently to it, (like me, I think, I gain muscle so fast), and you also want to help these athletes train for power, because duh, you need powerful arms, powerful legs on the bike and run. Yes, you can train for these sports, but important to get in the weight room during off season, at least twice a week, if not 3-4. Now, during the summer, they told me to back off resistance training (I usually do anyways, ha, but I was curious as to what they did, so I had a chat with them afterwards and today :) So...yeah...if I want to get faster, I'm going to have to make lifting a priority as well. It will not increase VO2max, BUT it will help these athletes train at a higher percentage of their VO2max if their muscles are stronger and more powerful-this means you will be able to exercise for a longer period of time without fatigue at a higher intensity. Cool. I think I knew that, somewhere back in the cobwebs. This is what I like about exercise science. There are always new findings in the field, and what we were once taught, could change. It's a very humbling field. You think you know it all, then we come out with new insights and studies, and information, and it completely changes.
So, the one guy gave my his contact info and told me to email him. So I did already :) Northern Kentucky. Now, I know I keep talking about the West, haha, but Kentucky may have what I'm looking for, too. Ah, this is why I take the road less traveled by. Always an adventure, life, not knowing where you're going. Sorry, this is probably poorly written, I'm very tired from the weekend, I didn't even get to workout 2 days in a row! (figured I needed a break anyways, I'm still not fully recovered from trail running up and down hills 3 days in a row last weekend.)
Got to know my classmates better. I don't think I'll be as nervous standing up in front of the class. Now, I have a paper due Monday I need to finish tomorrow, and present it on Wed. It's on fitness and activity levels in older adults and how it impacts their cognition. It'll be fun to talk about. I wanted to do my masters thesis on it. But..again...is this what I PERSONALLY enjoy doing, or am I doing it just because my grandmother has Alzheimer's and I want to find ways to help improve cognition and at least delay the onset of the disease. No...I am personally more interested in endurance performance. I may have to have a talk with my teachers...ugh. I can't let this be like PT school. I have to do things for myself, or I'm never going to be fully happy. I may radiate happiness (most of the time, unless I'm stressed from school, yes, it happens with deadlines and training and lack of sleep, but in the end, I'm glad I'm doing this :) but I have to do what I want to do.
So...I emailed that professor who studies endurance athletes in Kentucky, he seemed interested in chatting with me (especially after I told him what I did this summer...:) and he knows one of our new professors at BGSU. Awesome. So..maybe I can keep in touch with him. Also got the contact info from the guy who studies altitudes. I LOVE THE OUTDOORS. Options...OH! My classmate asked if I wanted to be in our new professors study-he's testing runners-having them do intervals and testing VO2max, I believe, as well as blood lactate, I think, and other things. So...I told him I was interested. I'm not the best runner, though, but it'd be cool to be in that study.
Now I've made some of my dreams come true already. I'm unsure of my future. I have options. I'm waiting to here back from Rev3 for a sponsorship( lol, I still find it weird saying those words...me? sponsored?) It prob won't happen, it's probably really competitive, but I sure am motivated. All I like to do is train and study exercise physiology. I'm not your average 24 yr old, I'd rather stay at home and write a blog on this than go out LOL :) Besides...I have a 2hr run and 1hr resistance workout I need to get done tomorrow morning before I start my project. No time for drinks, did that last night with my classmates and teachers haha :)
Sorry my blogs are more emotional and personal than they are scientific. I'll post my writings towards the end of the semester if I get good grades on them, lol. And adventurous lately, no big races. Sleeping Bear Dunes, MI was fun last weekend though! Beautiful area, lots of outdoorsy stuff to do.
I should end this with a quote, as I'm tired and can't blog anymore!
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I---
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
People, I WILL finish a half ironman, full ironman, more 5k swims, 10k swims, maybe the Channel, maybe ride across USA, ultramarathons, and snowboard in CO. I'm thinking no full on marathons for awhile, I need to cross train if I have some talent and motivation in triathlons. Oh and more backpacking and extreme hiking and snowboarding :) I want to backpack a little of the AT this spring break if I can :) Oh, and I'm thinking, I might possibly try to write out a triathlon training plan for myself this winter break, but I'll need some help. Maybe I can email that guy from Kentucky after I write it. Hopefully I have time with all the snowboarding :)
sorry for typos,
Your adventurous, nerdy endurance sport/physiology loving friend,
Roseann
P.S. Ask me anything you want. I love talking about this stuff. I hope I never come off as arrogant, and because like I said, this field is always changing, one must have an open mind to study in the field of the exercise sciences and sport performance as well as the physiology and biology behind all of this. I don't even know the half of it yet, nor will I ever, I'm sure. :) I'm just really passionate about all this and like to share it with others who like it, too :)
P.S.S. the National ACSM meeting is in San Francisco this year, but I don't think the school has funds to send me to that one...darn..:)
There were 5 of us grad students, we had to have at least 2 students working registration at all times, I felt a little guilty I kept leaving, but my teacher said it was ok, they wanted us to learn and see what was being done in the field. I sat in on The Female Athlete Triad, Patellofemoral Syndrome, Resistance Training for Triathletes, Genetics and Sport, Physiological Adaptations to Long-Term Exposure: Implications for Exercise Performance (which was very interesting, but the way, they studied natives in the Andes and Himalyays and compared the two, interestingly, the andes natives had way more hemoglobin than at sea level, and I forget what else, but the himalayans adapted more physiologically to their climate. Anyways, what was the most interesting to me was that from living at high altitudes for all their lives, their brains can actually atrophy, and have some cognitive impairment. The researcher wasn't sure if that was from the altitude or nutritional deficiencies, they didn't study it further), I also listened to the Physiology of Endurance Performance: What do we Really know? Basically, it was about environmental factors like heat, carbohydrate intake (they talked about depleting carbs somewhat the week before, then a few days before eating more of it to help increase performance, and caffeine actually helps. I'm sorry I can't go into much of this further because I was very tired at this point, and although interesting, I couldn't pay attention fully :( And I'm exhausted right now, it's been a long weekend)
Anyways, I enjoyed chatting with the guys who talked about resistance training in triathletes-no one really knows the exact doseage of resistance training for triathletes. They said either lifting heavy with low reps, OR lifting light with high reps worked the same. Interesting, as I have always been taught in undergrad that for endurance athletes, you want them to lift light but with high reps, for some strength and more importantly muscle endurance. However, some people may respond differently to it, (like me, I think, I gain muscle so fast), and you also want to help these athletes train for power, because duh, you need powerful arms, powerful legs on the bike and run. Yes, you can train for these sports, but important to get in the weight room during off season, at least twice a week, if not 3-4. Now, during the summer, they told me to back off resistance training (I usually do anyways, ha, but I was curious as to what they did, so I had a chat with them afterwards and today :) So...yeah...if I want to get faster, I'm going to have to make lifting a priority as well. It will not increase VO2max, BUT it will help these athletes train at a higher percentage of their VO2max if their muscles are stronger and more powerful-this means you will be able to exercise for a longer period of time without fatigue at a higher intensity. Cool. I think I knew that, somewhere back in the cobwebs. This is what I like about exercise science. There are always new findings in the field, and what we were once taught, could change. It's a very humbling field. You think you know it all, then we come out with new insights and studies, and information, and it completely changes.
So, the one guy gave my his contact info and told me to email him. So I did already :) Northern Kentucky. Now, I know I keep talking about the West, haha, but Kentucky may have what I'm looking for, too. Ah, this is why I take the road less traveled by. Always an adventure, life, not knowing where you're going. Sorry, this is probably poorly written, I'm very tired from the weekend, I didn't even get to workout 2 days in a row! (figured I needed a break anyways, I'm still not fully recovered from trail running up and down hills 3 days in a row last weekend.)
Got to know my classmates better. I don't think I'll be as nervous standing up in front of the class. Now, I have a paper due Monday I need to finish tomorrow, and present it on Wed. It's on fitness and activity levels in older adults and how it impacts their cognition. It'll be fun to talk about. I wanted to do my masters thesis on it. But..again...is this what I PERSONALLY enjoy doing, or am I doing it just because my grandmother has Alzheimer's and I want to find ways to help improve cognition and at least delay the onset of the disease. No...I am personally more interested in endurance performance. I may have to have a talk with my teachers...ugh. I can't let this be like PT school. I have to do things for myself, or I'm never going to be fully happy. I may radiate happiness (most of the time, unless I'm stressed from school, yes, it happens with deadlines and training and lack of sleep, but in the end, I'm glad I'm doing this :) but I have to do what I want to do.
So...I emailed that professor who studies endurance athletes in Kentucky, he seemed interested in chatting with me (especially after I told him what I did this summer...:) and he knows one of our new professors at BGSU. Awesome. So..maybe I can keep in touch with him. Also got the contact info from the guy who studies altitudes. I LOVE THE OUTDOORS. Options...OH! My classmate asked if I wanted to be in our new professors study-he's testing runners-having them do intervals and testing VO2max, I believe, as well as blood lactate, I think, and other things. So...I told him I was interested. I'm not the best runner, though, but it'd be cool to be in that study.
Now I've made some of my dreams come true already. I'm unsure of my future. I have options. I'm waiting to here back from Rev3 for a sponsorship( lol, I still find it weird saying those words...me? sponsored?) It prob won't happen, it's probably really competitive, but I sure am motivated. All I like to do is train and study exercise physiology. I'm not your average 24 yr old, I'd rather stay at home and write a blog on this than go out LOL :) Besides...I have a 2hr run and 1hr resistance workout I need to get done tomorrow morning before I start my project. No time for drinks, did that last night with my classmates and teachers haha :)
Sorry my blogs are more emotional and personal than they are scientific. I'll post my writings towards the end of the semester if I get good grades on them, lol. And adventurous lately, no big races. Sleeping Bear Dunes, MI was fun last weekend though! Beautiful area, lots of outdoorsy stuff to do.
I should end this with a quote, as I'm tired and can't blog anymore!
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I---
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
People, I WILL finish a half ironman, full ironman, more 5k swims, 10k swims, maybe the Channel, maybe ride across USA, ultramarathons, and snowboard in CO. I'm thinking no full on marathons for awhile, I need to cross train if I have some talent and motivation in triathlons. Oh and more backpacking and extreme hiking and snowboarding :) I want to backpack a little of the AT this spring break if I can :) Oh, and I'm thinking, I might possibly try to write out a triathlon training plan for myself this winter break, but I'll need some help. Maybe I can email that guy from Kentucky after I write it. Hopefully I have time with all the snowboarding :)
sorry for typos,
Your adventurous, nerdy endurance sport/physiology loving friend,
Roseann
P.S. Ask me anything you want. I love talking about this stuff. I hope I never come off as arrogant, and because like I said, this field is always changing, one must have an open mind to study in the field of the exercise sciences and sport performance as well as the physiology and biology behind all of this. I don't even know the half of it yet, nor will I ever, I'm sure. :) I'm just really passionate about all this and like to share it with others who like it, too :)
P.S.S. the National ACSM meeting is in San Francisco this year, but I don't think the school has funds to send me to that one...darn..:)
Saturday, October 15, 2011
What the Heck is Lactic Acid and What is Responsible for the "Muscle Burn"?
While studying for my Exercise Physiology Exam, I came across lactic acid. I remember my teacher telling us the "burn" in our muscles isn't actually from lactic acid, but from Hydrogen ions. I couldn't remember why, exactly, and where lactic acid played a role. So, I looked it up in my book. It's pretty common language among athletes to blame the burning in their muscles from sprinting or racing, on lactic acid. But actually....while it is somewhat true, it's not the real reason. Let's dive into the underlying science behind it so you can actually understand why lactic acid accumulates in the blood and what, exactly, is responsible for the fatigue!!
I'm just going to quote my book here-
-"Various metabolic byproducts of metabolism have been implicated as factors causing, or contributing to, fatigue. One example is Pi, which increases during intense short-term exercise as PCr and ATP are being broken down. Additional metabolic by-products that have received the most attention in discussing fatigue are HEAT, LACTATE, and HYDROGEN IONS."
-Lactic acid is a byproduct of anaerobic glycolysis (what is broken down by anaerobic metabolism, anaerobic means without oxygen, aka-working out above lactate threshold, aka- sprinting)
-Here is the important part: "Although most people BELIEVE that lactic acid is responsible for fatigue in all types of exercise, lactic acid accumulates within the MUSCLE FIBER ONLY during relatively brief, highly intense muscular effort. Marathon runners, for example, may have near-resting lactic acid levels at the end of the race, despite their fatigue. Their fatigue is likely caused by INADEQUATE ENERGY SUPPLY, NOT EXCESS LACTIC ACID". This is true for any endurance sport.--it's actually pretty hard to take in enough calories during exercise, despite your efforts, especially in a long race, hence, the fatigue (For me, when I race, it's usually at a higher intensity, and I don't know about you, but sometimes the last thing I want is food, but I know you have to get it down, little bit at a time, as long as you can get some energy in, that's good)
So, what is responsible for this type of fatigue (for short efforts), you say, if it is not what we all commonly think of, lactic acid? (Well, not all, but at least I, and a number of others I'm sure, have misinterpreted!)
Well, it's actually due to the accumulation of Hydrogen ions, wow!!
-"Short sprints in running, cycling, and swimming all lead to large accumulations of lactic acid"-What most of us believe to be true, yes.
-"But the presence of lactic acid should not be blamed for the feeling of fatigue in itself. When not cleared, the lactic acid dissociates, converting to lactate and causing an accumulation of HYDROGEN IONS. This Hydrogen ion accumulation causes MUSCLE ACIDIFICATION, resulting in a condition known as acidosis."
-"Activities of short duration and high intensity, such as sprint running and sprint swimming, depend HEAVILY on ANAEROBIC GLYCOLYSIS (remember, anaerobic=exercising without oxygen, which is why you can only do this for a few min, if that.) and produce LARGE AMOUNTS OF LACTATE and HYDROGEN IONS within the muscles" (remember, lactic acid is converted into lactate, which then is responsible for the accumulation of hydrogen ions).
-"Fortunately, the cells and body fluids possess buffers, such as bicarbonate (HCO3), that minimize the disrupting influence of the Hydrogen Ion. Without these buffers, Hydrogen ion would lower the pH to about 1.5, killing the cells. Because of the body's buffering capacity, the hydrogen ion concentration remains low even during the most severe exercise, allowing muscle pH to decrease from a resting value of 7.1 to no lower than 6.6 to 6.4 at exhaustion."--I learned in class that the better trained you are, the better you are able to buffer lactic acid. Cool.
-However, those 6.6 and 6.4 levels are pretty low, and "most researchers agree that low muscle pH is the major limitor of performance and the primary cause of fatigue during maximal, all-out exercise lasting more than 20s to 30s."
-Now, "reestablishing the preexercise muscle pH after an exhaustive sprint bout requires about 30-35 min of recovery"--crazy!
How does this apply to athletes? Well....
"Even when normal pH is restored, blood and muscle lactate levels can remain quite elevated. However, experience has shown that an athlete CAN continue to exercise at relatively high intensities even with a muscle pH below 7.0 and a blood lactate level above 6 or 7 mmol/L, 4-5x the resting value.
"Some coaches and sports physiologists have attempted to use blood lactate measurements to gauge the intensity and volume of training needed to produce an optimal training stimulus. Such measurements provide an index of training intensity, but they might not reflect the anaerobic processes or the state of acidosis in the muscles. Because lactate and hydrogen ion are generated in the muscles, both diffuse out of the cells. They then are diluted in the body fluids and transported to others areas of the body to be metabolized. Consequently, blood lactate concentrations depend on rates of production, diffusion, oxidation, and clearance. A variety of factors can influence these processes, so measuring blood lactate is of questionable value for fine-tuning training."
There ya have it. I hope this cleared up what exactly lactic acid is and what it does inside your body during exercise. It's converted to hydrogen ions!
Wilmore, J., H., Costill, D., L., & Kenney, L., W. (2008). Physiology of Sport and Exercise.
Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
I'm just going to quote my book here-
-"Various metabolic byproducts of metabolism have been implicated as factors causing, or contributing to, fatigue. One example is Pi, which increases during intense short-term exercise as PCr and ATP are being broken down. Additional metabolic by-products that have received the most attention in discussing fatigue are HEAT, LACTATE, and HYDROGEN IONS."
-Lactic acid is a byproduct of anaerobic glycolysis (what is broken down by anaerobic metabolism, anaerobic means without oxygen, aka-working out above lactate threshold, aka- sprinting)
-Here is the important part: "Although most people BELIEVE that lactic acid is responsible for fatigue in all types of exercise, lactic acid accumulates within the MUSCLE FIBER ONLY during relatively brief, highly intense muscular effort. Marathon runners, for example, may have near-resting lactic acid levels at the end of the race, despite their fatigue. Their fatigue is likely caused by INADEQUATE ENERGY SUPPLY, NOT EXCESS LACTIC ACID". This is true for any endurance sport.--it's actually pretty hard to take in enough calories during exercise, despite your efforts, especially in a long race, hence, the fatigue (For me, when I race, it's usually at a higher intensity, and I don't know about you, but sometimes the last thing I want is food, but I know you have to get it down, little bit at a time, as long as you can get some energy in, that's good)
So, what is responsible for this type of fatigue (for short efforts), you say, if it is not what we all commonly think of, lactic acid? (Well, not all, but at least I, and a number of others I'm sure, have misinterpreted!)
Well, it's actually due to the accumulation of Hydrogen ions, wow!!
-"Short sprints in running, cycling, and swimming all lead to large accumulations of lactic acid"-What most of us believe to be true, yes.
-"But the presence of lactic acid should not be blamed for the feeling of fatigue in itself. When not cleared, the lactic acid dissociates, converting to lactate and causing an accumulation of HYDROGEN IONS. This Hydrogen ion accumulation causes MUSCLE ACIDIFICATION, resulting in a condition known as acidosis."
-"Activities of short duration and high intensity, such as sprint running and sprint swimming, depend HEAVILY on ANAEROBIC GLYCOLYSIS (remember, anaerobic=exercising without oxygen, which is why you can only do this for a few min, if that.) and produce LARGE AMOUNTS OF LACTATE and HYDROGEN IONS within the muscles" (remember, lactic acid is converted into lactate, which then is responsible for the accumulation of hydrogen ions).
-"Fortunately, the cells and body fluids possess buffers, such as bicarbonate (HCO3), that minimize the disrupting influence of the Hydrogen Ion. Without these buffers, Hydrogen ion would lower the pH to about 1.5, killing the cells. Because of the body's buffering capacity, the hydrogen ion concentration remains low even during the most severe exercise, allowing muscle pH to decrease from a resting value of 7.1 to no lower than 6.6 to 6.4 at exhaustion."--I learned in class that the better trained you are, the better you are able to buffer lactic acid. Cool.
-However, those 6.6 and 6.4 levels are pretty low, and "most researchers agree that low muscle pH is the major limitor of performance and the primary cause of fatigue during maximal, all-out exercise lasting more than 20s to 30s."
-Now, "reestablishing the preexercise muscle pH after an exhaustive sprint bout requires about 30-35 min of recovery"--crazy!
How does this apply to athletes? Well....
"Even when normal pH is restored, blood and muscle lactate levels can remain quite elevated. However, experience has shown that an athlete CAN continue to exercise at relatively high intensities even with a muscle pH below 7.0 and a blood lactate level above 6 or 7 mmol/L, 4-5x the resting value.
"Some coaches and sports physiologists have attempted to use blood lactate measurements to gauge the intensity and volume of training needed to produce an optimal training stimulus. Such measurements provide an index of training intensity, but they might not reflect the anaerobic processes or the state of acidosis in the muscles. Because lactate and hydrogen ion are generated in the muscles, both diffuse out of the cells. They then are diluted in the body fluids and transported to others areas of the body to be metabolized. Consequently, blood lactate concentrations depend on rates of production, diffusion, oxidation, and clearance. A variety of factors can influence these processes, so measuring blood lactate is of questionable value for fine-tuning training."
There ya have it. I hope this cleared up what exactly lactic acid is and what it does inside your body during exercise. It's converted to hydrogen ions!
Wilmore, J., H., Costill, D., L., & Kenney, L., W. (2008). Physiology of Sport and Exercise.
Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
The Benefits of Daily Exercise
I'm just going to post the many benefits of physical exercise and prove why disuse is one of the factors of aging rather than disease and time. Aging can help slow down some of the physiological processes that are associated with aging. I'm just going to list what I read in my book, "The Physical Dimensions of Aging." I should really be writing papers right now, lol, but I felt the need to post this and point out some important things and misconceptions about aging and exercise.
-4 of the top 5 causes of death in adults are attributable to deterioration of the cardiovascular and respiratory system. Aging and disuse degrade these systems, whereas systematic exercise generally enhances them. (I'm sure you've heard this before!)
-The primary structural changes of the aging cardiovascular system include an increased thickening of the walls of the blood vessels and left ventricle, an increased stiffness in the aorta and arterial tree, and an increase in size of the left atrial chamber of the heart (exercise and prevent/slow this from happening...but it has to be habitual exercise throughout life.)
-Now, thickening of the vessel walls is a strong predictor of stroke and cardiovascular disease. (Ahhhh! When blood vessels are thicker, blood cannot flow as freely, eventually clotting somewhere in there, leading to decreased oxygen to the brain, which=a stroke! or decreased blood flow to the heart, which=some heart disease)
-By age 75, 54% of men and 66% of women report no physical activity :(
-Now, the recruitment of skeletal muscle during exercise results in an increase in oxygen consumption (VO2)
-The more intense the level of exercise, the greater the oxygen requirement. VO2 increases as a linear function with increasing exercise intensity and will reach a max value at exhaustion.
-Longer endurance training programs of moderate to high intensity elicited increases in VO2max in older adults SIMILAR IN RELATIVE MAGNITUDE TO THOSE SEEN IN YOUNG ADULTS (keep fit your whole life so you can better use oxygen as you age and will not be dependent on others when you get really old!)
-This was really interesting to me-The highest levels of VO2max, at any age, are those exhibited by competitive runners who maintain an intense, daily training schedule and who compete regularly-(this shows it's important to be physically active your whole life! And my guess is why runners, not swimmers or cyclists, have the highest VO2max values is because running is the most basic form of human movement. You can push yourself to your max very easily. With swimming, it requires more skill and technique, one may not be pushing themselves to their max or even able to get up to their max values if they can't even swim right. With cycling, again, foreign object under you; you're only using your legs. Using your arms as well helps to get your heart rate up even more. I'm not going to develop these ideas more fully, don't have time. Anyways, of course there are some people who are swimmers and cyclists who can maintain very high levels of their VO2max throughout life :) Look at Lance! ha
-This was awesome-"Shepherd (1987) suggested that an increase in VO2max of 20% is not trivial. He maintained that a gain of this size "offers the equivalent of 20yrs of rejuvenation-a benefit that can be matched by no other treatment or lifestyle change"-again, goes to show habitual physical activity really is the best medicine....
-Frequency of exercise, rather than intensity, is more important for optimizing blood pressure. Daily exercise is the most beneficial activity. And this reason, is why I believe I must do something every single day. Obviously if I go real hard one day, I take the next day or two easy (in a different sport, perhaps!). But I still do something. I want to get the increased oxygen blood flow to my brain to help me think more clearly, and help my mood, as well as keeping my health #'s low. I may be OCD about this, but hey, I don't care, it's being healthy. Sometimes it is OK to take days off, though.
-Again, the American College of Sports Med states that the important exercise criterion is frequency rather than intensity, with daily exercise being most beneficial.
-Active people have lower blood triglycerides and more high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (helps off set a cholesterol imbalance, the more you have, the more you are protected against heart disease), and they generally report less anxiety and depression (oh God, if I didn't exercise, I can't imagine how moody I'd be. I still get moody even though I exercise regularly!)
-Coronary arteries of endurance-trained individuals can expand more, are less stiff in older age, and are wider than those of unfit subjects (meaning more oxygen-rich blood flow!)
-There is some evidence that exercise may decrease the potential for clot formation; thus, with larger, more compliant coronary arteries and a diminished likelihood of forming clots, the active individual of any age is at a lower risk for a heart attack. Additionally, the heart muscle itself becomes bigger and stronger with regular exercise. Cool.
-It is clear that daily physical activity is important for optimal physical and psychological function even for the extremely old and frail, although the goals of the exercise program as well as the exercises will be altered to accomodate individual disabilities.
-However, it cannot be assumed that the physical work capacity of all individuals, if they followed a similar lifestyle, would be similar to that of masters athletes, because about 40% of an individual's physiological athletic capability is attributed to genetic factors-interesting.
-Some researchers suggest that highly trained endurance athletes and moderately trained fitness participants who maintain high-intensity training may experience less decline in aerobic capacity than sedentary individuals (book and teacher pointed out that if you were once an athlete, this does NOT protect you. you must continue to train.)
-The major determinants of changes in VO2max with age were the initial level of aerobic power and the subject's reduction in activity level.---ahhhh stay active so you will be able to use oxygen very well throughout life; activities of daily living won't be a challenge for you when you're older.
-The encouraging aspect of these studies of highly trained aged competitiors (masters athletes) is that a decade of aging (50-60) may have little effect on a highly exercised cardiovascular system. The VO2max values of current masters athletes reveal strikingly youthful cardiovascular function--see, we can slow down the aging process with regular exercise!
-So....some measures of fitness decline by 50% within 3 weeks, and light or moderate exercisers who quit exercising may lose all exercise benefits within a few months.
-Again, my book states "To provide long-term benefits, exercise must become an integral, daily part of an individual's life."
Take a look at what disuse, bed rest, and deconditioning can do to your body:
-Experiments on bed rest have shown that even a short period of physical inactivity, even in relatively YOUNG SUBJECTS, can have NEGATIVE effects on the cardiovascular function, blood pressure, and hormonal responses to exercise. Twenty days of bed rest in young adults led to a 25%! decline in VO2max, whereas 4 months of detraining in older adults led to a complete loss of endurance training adaptations of the cardiovascular system.
-In the detraining study for 60yr olds, there was an increase in VO2max of 16%! after 16 weeks of supervised training on a cycle ergometer. However, all of this gain in aerobic power was lost when the subjects were discharged from the study.
-A lifetime of physical disuse can have catastrophic effects, eroding strength and mobility, and may eventually lead to frailty, immobility, and total dependency. ahhhhhhh!
-One last fun fact: Exercising the lower limbs assists in venous return (returning blood to the heart thru the veins), improving the blood flow and pressure needed to maintain adequate perfusion of the brain.
One story my book shares: Effects of Disuse: A Personal Testimony
Bortz (1983) articularted the deleterious effects that disuse has on the body from he personal experience with a leg broken during a skiing accident:
"When the cast was removed, I found my leg giving all the appearance of the limb of a person 40 or 50yrs older. It was withered, discolored, stiff, painful. I could not believe this leg belonged to me. This similarity of changes due to enforced inactivity to those commonly attributed with aging was striking. And, in fact, if one were to go to all the standard textbooks of geriatrics and write down all the changes which seem to accompany aging, set the list aside, and then go to the textbooks of work physiology and write down all the changes subsequent to inactivity--and then compare the 2 lists, one would see that they are virtually identical. The coincidence is not random. It is intense. It forces the conclusion that at least part of what passes as change due to age is not caused by at age at all, but by disuse." Scary. Stay active so you can enjoy and live life to it's fullest when you're 50, 60, 70, 80, 90...etc. :)
-also if interested, read this story about an 80yr old who was inactive her whole life, got a ton of diseases related to aging, but once started walking, was off meds in a yr or 2 and started competing and winning events in the Senior Olympics. Darn, I can't post the site here I guess, but look up Eula M. Findley Weaver.
Also I have been taught this and read an article this morning including a study by this guy Steven N. Blair who works at the Cooper Institute in Dallas, TX who studies heart disease...that you can be fit and fat, as long as you're #'s are low (heart rate, blood pressure, cholesterol, etc.) and you generally eat pretty well and exercise on a regular basis. Cool. :)
Also, I am doing my masters thesis on how exercise can help improve cognitive function/prevent short term memory loss. I already know that it helps increase blood flow to the brain, and I've been reading studies that this can help prevent/or maybe I should say prolong the risk of dementia and alzhiemer's in older adults, but only if they are moderate to high intensity regular exercisers. Interesting, because as you age oxygen to the brain slowly decreases, resulting in some memory loss there. Also, the structure of the brain and the cell processes there are also altered. I'll post papers when I get them done...I just felt the need to post this because I feel everyone should know what I know and I want people to age well! lol Sorry if there are typos.
Oh and I didn't paraphrase anything really, so I got the info from the book Physical Dimensions of Aging, by Waneen W. Spirduso, Karen L. Francis, and Priscilla G. MacRae
Take-Home-Message-Exercise is good for every body system.
-4 of the top 5 causes of death in adults are attributable to deterioration of the cardiovascular and respiratory system. Aging and disuse degrade these systems, whereas systematic exercise generally enhances them. (I'm sure you've heard this before!)
-The primary structural changes of the aging cardiovascular system include an increased thickening of the walls of the blood vessels and left ventricle, an increased stiffness in the aorta and arterial tree, and an increase in size of the left atrial chamber of the heart (exercise and prevent/slow this from happening...but it has to be habitual exercise throughout life.)
-Now, thickening of the vessel walls is a strong predictor of stroke and cardiovascular disease. (Ahhhh! When blood vessels are thicker, blood cannot flow as freely, eventually clotting somewhere in there, leading to decreased oxygen to the brain, which=a stroke! or decreased blood flow to the heart, which=some heart disease)
-By age 75, 54% of men and 66% of women report no physical activity :(
-Now, the recruitment of skeletal muscle during exercise results in an increase in oxygen consumption (VO2)
-The more intense the level of exercise, the greater the oxygen requirement. VO2 increases as a linear function with increasing exercise intensity and will reach a max value at exhaustion.
-Longer endurance training programs of moderate to high intensity elicited increases in VO2max in older adults SIMILAR IN RELATIVE MAGNITUDE TO THOSE SEEN IN YOUNG ADULTS (keep fit your whole life so you can better use oxygen as you age and will not be dependent on others when you get really old!)
-This was really interesting to me-The highest levels of VO2max, at any age, are those exhibited by competitive runners who maintain an intense, daily training schedule and who compete regularly-(this shows it's important to be physically active your whole life! And my guess is why runners, not swimmers or cyclists, have the highest VO2max values is because running is the most basic form of human movement. You can push yourself to your max very easily. With swimming, it requires more skill and technique, one may not be pushing themselves to their max or even able to get up to their max values if they can't even swim right. With cycling, again, foreign object under you; you're only using your legs. Using your arms as well helps to get your heart rate up even more. I'm not going to develop these ideas more fully, don't have time. Anyways, of course there are some people who are swimmers and cyclists who can maintain very high levels of their VO2max throughout life :) Look at Lance! ha
-This was awesome-"Shepherd (1987) suggested that an increase in VO2max of 20% is not trivial. He maintained that a gain of this size "offers the equivalent of 20yrs of rejuvenation-a benefit that can be matched by no other treatment or lifestyle change"-again, goes to show habitual physical activity really is the best medicine....
-Frequency of exercise, rather than intensity, is more important for optimizing blood pressure. Daily exercise is the most beneficial activity. And this reason, is why I believe I must do something every single day. Obviously if I go real hard one day, I take the next day or two easy (in a different sport, perhaps!). But I still do something. I want to get the increased oxygen blood flow to my brain to help me think more clearly, and help my mood, as well as keeping my health #'s low. I may be OCD about this, but hey, I don't care, it's being healthy. Sometimes it is OK to take days off, though.
-Again, the American College of Sports Med states that the important exercise criterion is frequency rather than intensity, with daily exercise being most beneficial.
-Active people have lower blood triglycerides and more high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (helps off set a cholesterol imbalance, the more you have, the more you are protected against heart disease), and they generally report less anxiety and depression (oh God, if I didn't exercise, I can't imagine how moody I'd be. I still get moody even though I exercise regularly!)
-Coronary arteries of endurance-trained individuals can expand more, are less stiff in older age, and are wider than those of unfit subjects (meaning more oxygen-rich blood flow!)
-There is some evidence that exercise may decrease the potential for clot formation; thus, with larger, more compliant coronary arteries and a diminished likelihood of forming clots, the active individual of any age is at a lower risk for a heart attack. Additionally, the heart muscle itself becomes bigger and stronger with regular exercise. Cool.
-It is clear that daily physical activity is important for optimal physical and psychological function even for the extremely old and frail, although the goals of the exercise program as well as the exercises will be altered to accomodate individual disabilities.
-However, it cannot be assumed that the physical work capacity of all individuals, if they followed a similar lifestyle, would be similar to that of masters athletes, because about 40% of an individual's physiological athletic capability is attributed to genetic factors-interesting.
-Some researchers suggest that highly trained endurance athletes and moderately trained fitness participants who maintain high-intensity training may experience less decline in aerobic capacity than sedentary individuals (book and teacher pointed out that if you were once an athlete, this does NOT protect you. you must continue to train.)
-The major determinants of changes in VO2max with age were the initial level of aerobic power and the subject's reduction in activity level.---ahhhh stay active so you will be able to use oxygen very well throughout life; activities of daily living won't be a challenge for you when you're older.
-The encouraging aspect of these studies of highly trained aged competitiors (masters athletes) is that a decade of aging (50-60) may have little effect on a highly exercised cardiovascular system. The VO2max values of current masters athletes reveal strikingly youthful cardiovascular function--see, we can slow down the aging process with regular exercise!
-So....some measures of fitness decline by 50% within 3 weeks, and light or moderate exercisers who quit exercising may lose all exercise benefits within a few months.
-Again, my book states "To provide long-term benefits, exercise must become an integral, daily part of an individual's life."
Take a look at what disuse, bed rest, and deconditioning can do to your body:
-Experiments on bed rest have shown that even a short period of physical inactivity, even in relatively YOUNG SUBJECTS, can have NEGATIVE effects on the cardiovascular function, blood pressure, and hormonal responses to exercise. Twenty days of bed rest in young adults led to a 25%! decline in VO2max, whereas 4 months of detraining in older adults led to a complete loss of endurance training adaptations of the cardiovascular system.
-In the detraining study for 60yr olds, there was an increase in VO2max of 16%! after 16 weeks of supervised training on a cycle ergometer. However, all of this gain in aerobic power was lost when the subjects were discharged from the study.
-A lifetime of physical disuse can have catastrophic effects, eroding strength and mobility, and may eventually lead to frailty, immobility, and total dependency. ahhhhhhh!
-One last fun fact: Exercising the lower limbs assists in venous return (returning blood to the heart thru the veins), improving the blood flow and pressure needed to maintain adequate perfusion of the brain.
One story my book shares: Effects of Disuse: A Personal Testimony
Bortz (1983) articularted the deleterious effects that disuse has on the body from he personal experience with a leg broken during a skiing accident:
"When the cast was removed, I found my leg giving all the appearance of the limb of a person 40 or 50yrs older. It was withered, discolored, stiff, painful. I could not believe this leg belonged to me. This similarity of changes due to enforced inactivity to those commonly attributed with aging was striking. And, in fact, if one were to go to all the standard textbooks of geriatrics and write down all the changes which seem to accompany aging, set the list aside, and then go to the textbooks of work physiology and write down all the changes subsequent to inactivity--and then compare the 2 lists, one would see that they are virtually identical. The coincidence is not random. It is intense. It forces the conclusion that at least part of what passes as change due to age is not caused by at age at all, but by disuse." Scary. Stay active so you can enjoy and live life to it's fullest when you're 50, 60, 70, 80, 90...etc. :)
-also if interested, read this story about an 80yr old who was inactive her whole life, got a ton of diseases related to aging, but once started walking, was off meds in a yr or 2 and started competing and winning events in the Senior Olympics. Darn, I can't post the site here I guess, but look up Eula M. Findley Weaver.
Also I have been taught this and read an article this morning including a study by this guy Steven N. Blair who works at the Cooper Institute in Dallas, TX who studies heart disease...that you can be fit and fat, as long as you're #'s are low (heart rate, blood pressure, cholesterol, etc.) and you generally eat pretty well and exercise on a regular basis. Cool. :)
Also, I am doing my masters thesis on how exercise can help improve cognitive function/prevent short term memory loss. I already know that it helps increase blood flow to the brain, and I've been reading studies that this can help prevent/or maybe I should say prolong the risk of dementia and alzhiemer's in older adults, but only if they are moderate to high intensity regular exercisers. Interesting, because as you age oxygen to the brain slowly decreases, resulting in some memory loss there. Also, the structure of the brain and the cell processes there are also altered. I'll post papers when I get them done...I just felt the need to post this because I feel everyone should know what I know and I want people to age well! lol Sorry if there are typos.
Oh and I didn't paraphrase anything really, so I got the info from the book Physical Dimensions of Aging, by Waneen W. Spirduso, Karen L. Francis, and Priscilla G. MacRae
Take-Home-Message-Exercise is good for every body system.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Swim to the Moon :)
Ok, I'm not quite sure how to begin talking about this race. I guess I should go back to childhood. I was a shy, quiet girl in school, most of you know if you've read anything in the earlier blogs, so I won't get into that. But anyways...I felt like I was never good at anything besides swimming, and in high school I was a pretty strong swimmer. Could of been more if I ate better and had more positive thoughts. Anyways..I always had big dreams. (Who admits this? lol)
I ran a marathon at the age of 22. A long, long time ago I had the goal of swimming the English Channel. When I met the runners of Medina County, I found out what ultra-running was and wanted to do that, too. (And, secretly, an Ironman...perhaps ultra-ironman races too) Why? I'm not sure. I'm not sure why I enjoy exercising for long, long periods of time or what motivates me to do these things. Whatever it is, it's in my heart. It's like something is pulling me towards it. I love it. I love being out in nature, enjoying the beauty that was created for us. Maybe that's one reason. With swimming....I don't know...I've always loved it. Before I swam on a team, I was ALWAYS the last kid in the pool, never really wanting to get out. I love how the water feels as I pull through it with my stroke. I love how these activities make me better prepared to handle any situation that is thrown at me in life. I love how I can think more clearly, love and appreciate the people in my life more, and take on challenges, not only physically, but with the mind as well.
I used to be a negative thinker. As I've grown up, my thinking has changed more to the positive. I don't doubt myself too much anymore. I've put in the hard work, and I'm ready to perform. (Whether it's athletically or in school/work) It doesn't matter how fast or slow I am compared to others, what matters is that I give it MY all. I always know I'll finish the event. That's no question (as long as I train, hydrate and eat properly...this will need some work though as I grow and enter more races, and more races of greater distance). There's this one quote by Apolo Ohno..(yes, I like to read about Olympic athletes..:) "I acknowledged the negativity....then I let it go." Very powerful. No use in being negative anymore. It gets you nowhere. And "You can't put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get." Michael Phelps-I believe there is truth in that statement. After letting going of negativity in my thoughts, I realized that I COULD do these things that I wanted to do. I have had some great role-models, such as my parents for always working hard towards their goals and never giving up. They are probably some of the most hardest working people I know. Also, ultrarunners of NE Ohio. Yep. You all have amazed and inspired me. Then, joining Team Toledo Triathlon Club. There's a bunch of people older than I am too competing in triathlons and Ironman Triathlons, both men and ladies! How cool! So, I know there's real people out there doing these things. If they can...so can I :)
Anyways...I'll say a bit about the actual 5k swim lol. I knew I'd be able to finish, no doubt in my mind. Some people say 1 mile of swimming=4mi of running. I'm not quite sure if I agree with that. That means I would have run like 12mi today, I don't think I put that much effort in the water lol. My goal was to swim in under 1:30, hoping to swim around 1:20ish if I swam fast. I'd be happy with 1:30. Friend from Team Toledo told me to use the first 500yd as a warm up. So I didn't go out too fast. I still went out fast, but not too fast. All the other girls in my wave went super fast at the start. I never know how I'll do compared to others in my wave because this summer I entered races that I had never done before. So I wasn't sure if they were just going to be way faster than me or if they were going to die out. A lot of them lost their speed and I was able to pass. I eventually caught up with some men (hehe) and my friend who was with me did as well (this always makes us feel awesome LOL :) I quite enjoyed swimming in Lake Michigan. The water was clean, dark, but clean. It was fun swimming around buoys and looking for the next one. Swimming through a tunnel and under a bridge was cool, too. I finished in 1:22:30. I definitely could have swam faster, I think..but with distance swimming (especially it being the first 5k race you've entered!) you want to make sure you save energy for the whole thing. So I didn't go too fast. It was a steady pace. I didn't even see the finish until the last buoy! Which is when I sprinted :). Clearly...distance swimming...and distance anything is more what my body was made for. (Which is awesome because I like it!)
I'll probably do it again next year. I'd like to get into more open water swimming because it's fun and challenging. My friend from FL said she'd crew for me when I decide to swim the Tampa Bay 24miler, and I'd like to swim the English Channel. Yep :)
On another note, for my exercise physiology class, our teacher asked us to find a topic within the exercise physiology field and find a research article to share in a few weeks and lead a discussion on it. We eventually have a review paper on that topic due at the end of the semester. I am interested in seeing how body fat vs training effects certain endurance athletes (particularly ultra-endurance athletes) of different disciplines like ultra swimming, ultra-running, and ultra-ironman triathlons. I found one study on male ultra-swimmers about body fat, height, leg and upper body measurements vs training volume and intensity. Some studies say that having a higher amount of body fat will help in long-distance swimming because of the cold water (yes, true), but in this study they actually found training intensity and volume were a better indicator of race time. Now, if I recall correctly, the men had an average body fat % of 17, at about age 40. Which is I believe in the healthy range, but not athlete range (don't quote me, I haven't written the paper yet) Interesting. I also found more studies about ultra-runners and other ultra-athletes where body fat isn't always the best indicator of race performance. Yes, you don't want to carry around excess fat, but what I've found so far that as long as you're still in the "healthy range or slightly higher," you can perform just as well as your leaner competitors, given the same training volume and intensity. It seems training volume and intensity are a greater predictor of race time. So..I'll post my work when I'm ready. I want to study all endurance athletes and their measurements vs training variables. It's cool stuff!
"To accomplish your goal, you have to be willing to sacrifice beyond what others are willing to sacrifice; you have to be willing to train at levels others are not willing to train at; you have to be willing to accept accomplishing goals that others never reach." John Schaeffer
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Sylvania Triathlon and Getting My Master's in Kinesiology...
Hello! I am going to talk a little bit about the Sylvania Triathlon, and a little bit about school. I need to vent anyways.
As many of you know, I competed in my first Olympic distance Tri last weekend, 2nd tri ever. Let me go back a bit in my life. So...I think I mentioned in another blog I bawled my eyes out for probably 15minutes after my last swim meet in HS. I loved it that much. And if you read my other blogs, you know I swam on my own throughout college (could of swam for a college, but didn't) and joined the MCRR to train for and run my first marathon. Some people may wonder why do you like doing those activities for so long? Because I LIKE it. I like compettition between other individuals (this may seem untrue regarding my personality, but it is :) . I like to test myself. In the race setting, you have a chance to give it your all, see what you can do with the amount of time you put into training. And, probably most importantly, I like to meditate/think about life/pray while I'm doing long endurance exercise. I love letting my mind wander, and I always have. Maybe it's because I'm always reading, learning, or doing something that involves my mind the rest of the time. Whatever. Anyways....I'll start.
The swim: 1500m swim, just right under a mile. Now, I knew I would be one of the top female finishers in the swim because I swam in high school and have kept it up, so I have a pretty efficient freestyle stroke. With swimming, it does not matter too much how large or little you are, it is more concerned with how efficient you move through that water. So having a swimming background will always have an advantage to any athlete who decides to "try a tri." (Of course, so will the others, but I'm just saying, swimming is rather hard to learn the right technique, unfortunately, but don't give up, it can definitely be done if you put in enough time!! :) Anyways, gun went off, and off I swam! I was pretty calm, as I swam around this pond with Team Toledo for practice. I caught up with the male wave (hehe), but didn't have a hard time passing through people as I thought and didn't get kicked (which was my fear). I did get pushed out a bit from a current rounding a buoy because I went wide to avoid others, I'm sure I lost a little time on that, but was able to get back by everyone after a few minutes. So, I finished with a decent time of 23:37, and ran to transition.
I was out of breath and shaking again (I think the running to T1 after swimming gets my heart rate way up lol). I slowed way down putting on my shoes, and for some reason (with the lack of oxygen getting to my brain, I'm sure) mounted my bike, lol. A volunteer quickly told me I had to run with my bike, then hop on (duh! I knew this.) So I lost probably half a minute there because I was so tired, and trying to mount my bike when I was still dizzy was a challenge lol. So, I run with the bike, tried to get a hammer gel down, only got 1/4 of it in because I was still disoriented and dropped it while running with the bike. Finally mounted the bike and was off!
I did not enjoy the bike leg during this race at all. It was raining a little during the swim, then picked up on the bike (of course...). I was a little scared because of the tar on the road, I didn't want to slip! But, I did ride aero most of the time and tried to cycle as fast as my legs would let me! I got yelled at a few times from being too far over to the left by other cyclists passing me, lol, but sometimes it was rougher on the right, and me being a newbie didn't want to fall! Oh well. I was glad when the bike leg was over. (This is my least favorite, I still enjoy it, but not really when it's raining...)
T2. Went relatively smooth. Didn't have to change my shoes since I wore my running shoes because I'm afraid of those cycling shoes and clipping in. Had my garmin watch on from T1 (wanted to know my pace during the run) and was ready to run! I was running strong at the start, but noticed my adductors (inner thighs) were super tight. I slowed way down to about a 10:00min pace for the first 3 miles. I tried picking it up but I just couldn't! Here's where I knew I should have practiced more bike-run brick workouts. But oh well. Two girls in my age group passed me, but I couldn't keep up with them, they were very strong runners. Then..a girl started to pass me at a slightly faster pace than I was going. She was a bit larger than myself...and I told myself, "NO!! I am NOT going to let someone who's bigger than me pass me!" This may sound mean...but that's what I thought. So, I picked up the pace and was able to maintain 8:00-8:30's the rest of the 3.2 miles. Also, this guy passed me a little while back, said I was doing great, and ran on. He was still in sight, so my goal was to keep up with him. I finally caught up to him and said I needed to stay with him in order to keep ahead of that girl. We started chatting (I enjoy talking to others as I run) to get our minds off the pain. He definitely helped, we shared stories of our past running experiences and how we both hated sprinting and were better suited for longer distances. Anyways, I was starting to run faster than him (I am always able to loosen up after 3 miles anyways in distance running, this is why I suck at 5ks lol) so he said go on, and I said nice to meet you, good luck and great job for your first tri! He is what I call a "running angel." He was saying good job to every single person who passed and help me through my pain. I was lucky enough to see him at the finish and congratulate him.
It was a neat experience. I'll do another. I ended up getting 2nd in my age group and qualifying for age group nationals for next year in VT. But I have to check on this, I'm still a little confused. Top 5 in each age group get to go, after a few days someone else was first in our age group, so I guess I got 3rd, but still have the 2nd place trophy lol. Oh and thank you Mike for being there the whole time :) It was nice to have some support for my first one, and thanks to my sister for trying to see me, she got there when I was already on the bike, but was leaving for Cleveland, so didn't stay the whole time. Thanks guys! Meant a lot to have some support!
So...I am very excited to study exercise science/kinesiology. The study of human movement...studying the physiological effects of exercise on the human body...there are numerous benefits to both the mind and the body. I'm having a hard time deciding what to do my thesis on and what to study. I have 2 yrs to narrow it down (I'm definitely pursuing a PhD in the field.) I met with my teacher to discuss my thesis a few weeks ago. I told her I wanted to go the doctoral route, and we have the decision of doing a masters project or thesis. Since I'm going the PhD route, it's better to do a thesis so we get used to writing one. I told her I wanted to test short term memory and how exercise effects it. There have been studies done saying that for example if you exercise before an exam, you will be able to think more clearly (because of the oxygen to the brain). I noticed this in undergrad. If I didn't workout in the morning before classes, I didn't feel as alert. Anyways, I want to test older adults and younger college aged students. I will ask them to remember something (words, shapes, sentences, I have no idea yet) before, during, after and 15-20min after exercise to test this. I am very interested in the mind. Especially what happens to older adults, and if exercise can somehow prevent/pro-long memory loss. I wish I could do long-term memory, which is why I will probably have to go to a different school after I get my PhD to study it. But testing long-term memory isn't practical for my master's degree lol. So I chose short-term. My teacher thought it was a great idea. I just have to read more studies done on the topic to get an idea of how to do this.
It was funny, she said that college professors joke that they are very absent-minded, but when it comes to books they are very smart. I've been like this my whole life lol. Having "blonde" moments or forgetting where I misplace my keys when I'm only 24, yet excelling in school. I thought that was funny. Anyways...I'm also very interested in human endurance (Obviously...I'm friends with a TON of endurance athletes, and particularly find ultraendurance events and the people I'm friends with very interesting. This is one of the reasons I'm on facebook so much. I like to see what my ultrarunner friends are up to lol. I kinda want to study the effects of what ultraendurance activities has on the human body. I wonder if there are some detrimental effects or what and what the benefits are of ULTRAendurance activities. Personally, I think there are many benefits, as long as you are careful and get in the right nutrition. I need to read more on that topic, as well. As long as it's not an obsession, (well...haha) but I mean as long as it doesn't get in the way of spending time with family, I think it's good.)
Ahhh I love the whole field!! So...I think I'll post all my work I do in school in my blog for you all to read and give me feedback :) Also, please, if ANYONE has any interesting articles for me to read about the field, please let me know. I'll need all the help I can get lol. Thanks for reading!
~Roseann
As many of you know, I competed in my first Olympic distance Tri last weekend, 2nd tri ever. Let me go back a bit in my life. So...I think I mentioned in another blog I bawled my eyes out for probably 15minutes after my last swim meet in HS. I loved it that much. And if you read my other blogs, you know I swam on my own throughout college (could of swam for a college, but didn't) and joined the MCRR to train for and run my first marathon. Some people may wonder why do you like doing those activities for so long? Because I LIKE it. I like compettition between other individuals (this may seem untrue regarding my personality, but it is :) . I like to test myself. In the race setting, you have a chance to give it your all, see what you can do with the amount of time you put into training. And, probably most importantly, I like to meditate/think about life/pray while I'm doing long endurance exercise. I love letting my mind wander, and I always have. Maybe it's because I'm always reading, learning, or doing something that involves my mind the rest of the time. Whatever. Anyways....I'll start.
The swim: 1500m swim, just right under a mile. Now, I knew I would be one of the top female finishers in the swim because I swam in high school and have kept it up, so I have a pretty efficient freestyle stroke. With swimming, it does not matter too much how large or little you are, it is more concerned with how efficient you move through that water. So having a swimming background will always have an advantage to any athlete who decides to "try a tri." (Of course, so will the others, but I'm just saying, swimming is rather hard to learn the right technique, unfortunately, but don't give up, it can definitely be done if you put in enough time!! :) Anyways, gun went off, and off I swam! I was pretty calm, as I swam around this pond with Team Toledo for practice. I caught up with the male wave (hehe), but didn't have a hard time passing through people as I thought and didn't get kicked (which was my fear). I did get pushed out a bit from a current rounding a buoy because I went wide to avoid others, I'm sure I lost a little time on that, but was able to get back by everyone after a few minutes. So, I finished with a decent time of 23:37, and ran to transition.
I was out of breath and shaking again (I think the running to T1 after swimming gets my heart rate way up lol). I slowed way down putting on my shoes, and for some reason (with the lack of oxygen getting to my brain, I'm sure) mounted my bike, lol. A volunteer quickly told me I had to run with my bike, then hop on (duh! I knew this.) So I lost probably half a minute there because I was so tired, and trying to mount my bike when I was still dizzy was a challenge lol. So, I run with the bike, tried to get a hammer gel down, only got 1/4 of it in because I was still disoriented and dropped it while running with the bike. Finally mounted the bike and was off!
I did not enjoy the bike leg during this race at all. It was raining a little during the swim, then picked up on the bike (of course...). I was a little scared because of the tar on the road, I didn't want to slip! But, I did ride aero most of the time and tried to cycle as fast as my legs would let me! I got yelled at a few times from being too far over to the left by other cyclists passing me, lol, but sometimes it was rougher on the right, and me being a newbie didn't want to fall! Oh well. I was glad when the bike leg was over. (This is my least favorite, I still enjoy it, but not really when it's raining...)
T2. Went relatively smooth. Didn't have to change my shoes since I wore my running shoes because I'm afraid of those cycling shoes and clipping in. Had my garmin watch on from T1 (wanted to know my pace during the run) and was ready to run! I was running strong at the start, but noticed my adductors (inner thighs) were super tight. I slowed way down to about a 10:00min pace for the first 3 miles. I tried picking it up but I just couldn't! Here's where I knew I should have practiced more bike-run brick workouts. But oh well. Two girls in my age group passed me, but I couldn't keep up with them, they were very strong runners. Then..a girl started to pass me at a slightly faster pace than I was going. She was a bit larger than myself...and I told myself, "NO!! I am NOT going to let someone who's bigger than me pass me!" This may sound mean...but that's what I thought. So, I picked up the pace and was able to maintain 8:00-8:30's the rest of the 3.2 miles. Also, this guy passed me a little while back, said I was doing great, and ran on. He was still in sight, so my goal was to keep up with him. I finally caught up to him and said I needed to stay with him in order to keep ahead of that girl. We started chatting (I enjoy talking to others as I run) to get our minds off the pain. He definitely helped, we shared stories of our past running experiences and how we both hated sprinting and were better suited for longer distances. Anyways, I was starting to run faster than him (I am always able to loosen up after 3 miles anyways in distance running, this is why I suck at 5ks lol) so he said go on, and I said nice to meet you, good luck and great job for your first tri! He is what I call a "running angel." He was saying good job to every single person who passed and help me through my pain. I was lucky enough to see him at the finish and congratulate him.
It was a neat experience. I'll do another. I ended up getting 2nd in my age group and qualifying for age group nationals for next year in VT. But I have to check on this, I'm still a little confused. Top 5 in each age group get to go, after a few days someone else was first in our age group, so I guess I got 3rd, but still have the 2nd place trophy lol. Oh and thank you Mike for being there the whole time :) It was nice to have some support for my first one, and thanks to my sister for trying to see me, she got there when I was already on the bike, but was leaving for Cleveland, so didn't stay the whole time. Thanks guys! Meant a lot to have some support!
23:37swim, 2:38 T1, 1:18:16bike 19.1mph, 2:05 T2, 55:32run, 8:57pace, 2:42:06total.
Obviously I need to work on transitions and getting faster in everything. Good first one though!School:
So...I am very excited to study exercise science/kinesiology. The study of human movement...studying the physiological effects of exercise on the human body...there are numerous benefits to both the mind and the body. I'm having a hard time deciding what to do my thesis on and what to study. I have 2 yrs to narrow it down (I'm definitely pursuing a PhD in the field.) I met with my teacher to discuss my thesis a few weeks ago. I told her I wanted to go the doctoral route, and we have the decision of doing a masters project or thesis. Since I'm going the PhD route, it's better to do a thesis so we get used to writing one. I told her I wanted to test short term memory and how exercise effects it. There have been studies done saying that for example if you exercise before an exam, you will be able to think more clearly (because of the oxygen to the brain). I noticed this in undergrad. If I didn't workout in the morning before classes, I didn't feel as alert. Anyways, I want to test older adults and younger college aged students. I will ask them to remember something (words, shapes, sentences, I have no idea yet) before, during, after and 15-20min after exercise to test this. I am very interested in the mind. Especially what happens to older adults, and if exercise can somehow prevent/pro-long memory loss. I wish I could do long-term memory, which is why I will probably have to go to a different school after I get my PhD to study it. But testing long-term memory isn't practical for my master's degree lol. So I chose short-term. My teacher thought it was a great idea. I just have to read more studies done on the topic to get an idea of how to do this.
It was funny, she said that college professors joke that they are very absent-minded, but when it comes to books they are very smart. I've been like this my whole life lol. Having "blonde" moments or forgetting where I misplace my keys when I'm only 24, yet excelling in school. I thought that was funny. Anyways...I'm also very interested in human endurance (Obviously...I'm friends with a TON of endurance athletes, and particularly find ultraendurance events and the people I'm friends with very interesting. This is one of the reasons I'm on facebook so much. I like to see what my ultrarunner friends are up to lol. I kinda want to study the effects of what ultraendurance activities has on the human body. I wonder if there are some detrimental effects or what and what the benefits are of ULTRAendurance activities. Personally, I think there are many benefits, as long as you are careful and get in the right nutrition. I need to read more on that topic, as well. As long as it's not an obsession, (well...haha) but I mean as long as it doesn't get in the way of spending time with family, I think it's good.)
Ahhh I love the whole field!! So...I think I'll post all my work I do in school in my blog for you all to read and give me feedback :) Also, please, if ANYONE has any interesting articles for me to read about the field, please let me know. I'll need all the help I can get lol. Thanks for reading!
~Roseann
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Female Athletes
So, I am currently reading a book on sports nutrition, and I have some very important information for you endurance athletes, especially the females. I'll just quote stuff from the book. We know as women we need a certain amount of body fat for our body to function correctly. I have read that for female athletes, body fat is typically at well, it varies, so I'll just post what's in this book. Average for the healthy, non-competitive population is about 21-33%. 33-39 is overweight, anything over 39 is obese. Anyways, book says for bball (18-27%), bodybuilding (8-10%), cycling (15-16%), gymnastics (8-18%), running (8-18%), swimming 12-23%), throwing (22-30%), tennis (22-26%), and weight lifting (17-20%). I've also read that yes, it is important to be in a good body fat range for your sport, but also, some athletes may perform better with more fat on their bodies, it varies depending on your genetic makeup. Even if you have a little more padding, you are still very healthy if you exercise rugularly-your blood pressure is probably low or normal, heart rate considerably low, cholesterol levels low and HDLs very high (if you're a regular exerciser!, HDLs are the good cholesterol, you want high levels of it). I'll share, I'm at 26.4% fat right now, but I have never felt stronger in my life. I don't mind having it a bit higher. However, I'm working on lowering it to 22-24% just to see what happens. (I think I'll run faster LOL, but if I can't lower it, oh well)
Anyways wanted to share some of this info with you as I know a lot of female athletes may have distorted body images or have/have had eating disorders because of the pressure to be thin within their sport and society.
"On the psychological side, anorexics are able to motivate and push themselves to exercise, despite feelings of exhaustion. Sufferers are strong willed, highly driven and have a strong desire to succeed. On the physiological side, it is likely that the body ADAPTS by becoming more ENERGY EFFICIENT, REDUCING ITS METABOLIC RATE (10-30% is possible). This would allow the athlete to train and maintain energy balance on fewer calories than would be expected. Some scientists, however, suggest that excessive exercise during dieting may augment the fall in metabolic rate.
To overcome physical and emotional fatigue, many anorexics and bulimics use caffeine-containing drinks such as strong coffee and 'diet' cola. However, in the long term, performance ultimately FALLS. As glycogen and nutrient stores become chronically depleted, the athlete's health will suffer and optimal performance CANNOT BE SUSTAINED indefinitely. Maximal oxygen consumption decreases (bad), chronic fatigue sets in and the athlete becomes more susceptible to injury and infection."-this last paragraph is EXACTLY why I don't mind having a little more fat on my body than maybe most athletes that do what I do. I enjoy going long, long, long and hard. I believe I do need a little more fat to help get me through long endurance activities. Like I said before, I have never felt stronger, and this is probably the most body fat I've ever had, and the most I've ever weighed in my life. And....I wonder...if this is why it's being proven why women are better at ultraendurance events than men, because of their genetics and ability to store more fat than men. Hmm.
So, ladies, ignore the scale and focus more on body fat percentage if you can get your hands on it. And don't worry if you're not in your "optimal body fat range" for you sport. I think I may be an example, but then again, I just said I'd like to lower my body fat a bit (still not too low though!) so maybe my running times will drop. I think as long as you're not overweight or obese, you're good to do well in your sport. It's all about training the body physically, and even more important, training the mind mentally (mind mentally...does that even makes sense? lol you know what I mean). And, of course, to eat healthy most of the time, but not be afraid to indulge in your favorite comfort food from time to time :) (Umm like once a week for me...hahahhaa)
Oh, and these quotes came from the book, "The Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition," by Anita Bean. If anyone has any questions you can ask me :) or challenge me :)
Anyways wanted to share some of this info with you as I know a lot of female athletes may have distorted body images or have/have had eating disorders because of the pressure to be thin within their sport and society.
"On the psychological side, anorexics are able to motivate and push themselves to exercise, despite feelings of exhaustion. Sufferers are strong willed, highly driven and have a strong desire to succeed. On the physiological side, it is likely that the body ADAPTS by becoming more ENERGY EFFICIENT, REDUCING ITS METABOLIC RATE (10-30% is possible). This would allow the athlete to train and maintain energy balance on fewer calories than would be expected. Some scientists, however, suggest that excessive exercise during dieting may augment the fall in metabolic rate.
To overcome physical and emotional fatigue, many anorexics and bulimics use caffeine-containing drinks such as strong coffee and 'diet' cola. However, in the long term, performance ultimately FALLS. As glycogen and nutrient stores become chronically depleted, the athlete's health will suffer and optimal performance CANNOT BE SUSTAINED indefinitely. Maximal oxygen consumption decreases (bad), chronic fatigue sets in and the athlete becomes more susceptible to injury and infection."-this last paragraph is EXACTLY why I don't mind having a little more fat on my body than maybe most athletes that do what I do. I enjoy going long, long, long and hard. I believe I do need a little more fat to help get me through long endurance activities. Like I said before, I have never felt stronger, and this is probably the most body fat I've ever had, and the most I've ever weighed in my life. And....I wonder...if this is why it's being proven why women are better at ultraendurance events than men, because of their genetics and ability to store more fat than men. Hmm.
So, ladies, ignore the scale and focus more on body fat percentage if you can get your hands on it. And don't worry if you're not in your "optimal body fat range" for you sport. I think I may be an example, but then again, I just said I'd like to lower my body fat a bit (still not too low though!) so maybe my running times will drop. I think as long as you're not overweight or obese, you're good to do well in your sport. It's all about training the body physically, and even more important, training the mind mentally (mind mentally...does that even makes sense? lol you know what I mean). And, of course, to eat healthy most of the time, but not be afraid to indulge in your favorite comfort food from time to time :) (Umm like once a week for me...hahahhaa)
Oh, and these quotes came from the book, "The Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition," by Anita Bean. If anyone has any questions you can ask me :) or challenge me :)
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