Healthy travel food

from firstoffthebike.com

Have you ever traveled to a triathlon, pulled up to a grocery store in your rental car, fresh from the airport and starved for healthy travel food to take back to your hotel room, rented home, condo or apartment?

Text by Ben Greenfield

Have you ever been on a long road trip to a triathlon and needed healthy travel food for real meals to eat on the go? Have you ever wondered if there is a healthy travel food alternative to canned food, jerky and trail mix when you¹re camping on the go? Then this article was designed for you, because these are the top 13 healthy travel food items I grab at a grocery store to make quick
meals while I'm traveling.

These are all perfect energy sources to fuel racing on the road, so print this list and bring it with you on your next triathlon travel trip, and you¹ll feel more energy, perform better, and stay lean! You won¹t need
access to a fancy specialty grocery store, and as a bonus, you can also use any of these tips for your own quick and healthy home meal preparation.

Healthy Travel Food #1: Wraps ­ Wraps are perfect for preparing a quick snack from your hotel room, apartment, or condo, and are usually found near the bread section of the grocery store. The sky is the limit when it comes to choosing what you want to use as a wrap. I prefer gluten-free, sprouted wraps when I can get them. Spinach wraps or whole grain wraps are other popular variety that I use. If you are gluten intolerant, watching your waistline, or limiting carbohydrate, then get very large pieces of romaine
lettuce or cabbage that you can use as a wrap.

Healthy Travel Food #2: Spinach / Mixed Greens ­ During a week of travel, I use spinach and mixed greens for two primary recipes: salads and wraps. The darker greens are richer in iron, although some varieties like bok choy or kale can be a bit chewy and not good in a wrap. This is one ingredient of which I always buy more than I think I might need, because if it¹s around, I'll eat it quite often as a wrap-filler or salad-base, and thus be less likely to overeat on more calorie-dense foods.

Healthy Travel Food #3: Tomatoes ­ Chopped tomatoes can be thrown over a salad, and sliced tomatoes are perfect in a wrap. Because I often find myself on foot or bicycle when visiting the grocery store, I typically choose the small Romaine tomatoes, which travel better and bruise less than the juicy, plump variety.

Healthy Travel Food #4: Avocado - Full of appetite satiating fats and wrapped in a natural protective layer, avocados, like tomatoes, can be chopped and used as salad-topping, or sliced and placed into a wrap. Do not choose overly-soft avocadoes, which also do not travel well, and more quickly rot.

Healthy Travel Food #5: Cucumbers ­ 'Cukes' round out the 'Big Three' for salads and wraps. When included with tomatoes and avocadoes, along with a base of spinach and mixed greens, they add a perfect crunch and texture to the meal.

Healthy Travel Food #6: Cheese ­ If you are lactose intolerant, you may want to skip cheese, or double up on nuts, which can often be used in the same way as cheese. During a week of travel, I use cheese in wraps, melt cheese over an avocado for a quick snack, and top tomatoes with a slice of cheese
and splash of olive oil or salad dressing. My favorite varieties are feta, swiss and mozzerella.

Healthy Travel Food #7: Yogurt ­ Follow the same rules as cheese: if you are lactose intolerant, substitute soy milk, rice milk, almond milk or coconut milk. Fat-freee, plain yogurt is useful as a low-calorie topping for a wrap, good with fruit and nuts for breakfast, and versatile enough to be used with almond butter and dark chocolate for dessert.

Healthy Travel Food #8: Almond Butter ­ Compared to peanut butter, almond butter is higher in healthy monounsaturated fatty acids and lower in potentially inflammatory omega 6¹s. For this ingredient, I typically buy less than I think I need, because it is easy to eat too many calories from almond butter. Use with breakfasts and desserts, as mentioned earlier.

Healthy Travel Food #9: Cashews / Walnuts / Almonds ­ I typically mix these with fruit and yogurt for breakfast, toss into a wrap for extra calories and crunch, or grab a handful to satiate the appetite in the afternoon. Go for the unsalted, raw, unroasted option.

Healthy Travel Food #10: Salad Dressing ­ Perfect for salads and wraps, a salad dressing is a smart choice only if you can find a variety with A) an olive oil base; and B) no high fructose corn syrup and added sugars. Look along the top of the salad dressing shelf for the smaller designer varieties, which will more often fit these criteria. In a pinch, just grab a small container of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette instead.

Healthy Travel Food #11: Sweet Potatoes / Yams ­ If my travel involves physical activity, such as cycling, large amounts of walking, or a triathlon, then these tubers form the crux of my carbohydrate intake, since they 'burn clean' and also have high amounts of vitamins, minerals, and beta-carotene. In a pinch, they can be microwaved for 5 minutes, but it is better to boil them for 20 minutes or bake for 40 minutes. Usually, I will salt and eat them plain or serve them with almond butter and honey.

Healthy Travel Food #12: Fruit ­ If I am traveling to a new or unique region, I usually experiment with varieties of fruit that are hard to get at home, in Washington state. For example, in Florida, I might stock up on juicy oranges and grapefruit; in Hawaii, stock up on fresh papaya or pineapple; and in Thailand, grab a handful of dragonfruit. Fruit is perfect for a mid-morning snack, salad topping, or breakfast addition.

Healthy Travel Food #13: Dark Chocolate ­ Chock full of antioxidants and lower in sugars and dairy than milk chocolate, a 70%+ dark chocolate bar is a good nightcap snack after a long day of travel, and is also useful for sweetening oatmeal, breaking chunks into yogurt, or dipping in almond butter. I keep mine in the freezer.

To wrap it up (no pun intended), I very often eat a primary diet of wraps and salads while traveling, supplemented with fruits, nuts, potatoes, yogurt or milk based snacks. You¹d be surprised at how healthy you can eat and how good meals can taste by simply using the 13 healthy travel foods listed
above. If you want just a little extra flavor, grab salt, pepper, turmeric and cinnamon. These four spices can really dress up any of the meals discussed in this article. Finally, if you hadn¹t noticed, any of these
healthy travel foods can be perfect for you to eat in the comfort of your own home too. Bon Appetit!

If you want more recipes, bonus access to Ben Greenfield's "Holistic Fueling For Triathletes" book, or 24-7 nutrition coach access to ask your questions, then you can find all that inside the Rock Star Triathlete Academy, at http://www.rockstartriathleteacademy.com.

The Keys to Flawless Running Technique

By Gary Barber
Triathlete magazine
 
A triathlete's stride is critical to his or her running performance. Some athletes have a stride that eases across the ground with grace and composure while others appear to strain with every step.
However, if each component of the running action is carefully analyzed and developed, even the most ungainly runners can find improvement.

Stride Components

The stride consists of two parts: the stance phase, where the leg is in contact with the ground, and the flight phase, where the leg moves through the air and prepares for contact with the ground and the next stride.

The stance phase: When a runner's foot hits the pavement, it is only in contact with the ground for about one-tenth of a second. In that short time, all of the mechanical forces that produce forward propulsion must be transferred through the leg. The powerful extension of the leg downward and backward creates the horizontal movement forward.

As Isaac Newton wrote in his laws of motion: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. So, the action of extending the leg backward creates a forward and upward movement (the flight phase).

The flight phase: As an athlete moves through the air, his leg swings backward and then moves rapidly forward. When the leading leg strikes, there can be a braking motion as speed is inhibited by the contact of the foot with the ground.

Athletes without efficient technique may be capable of generating substantial speed during the flight phase, but a jarring stance phase can hinder their forward progress. Overstriding is one of the key contributors to excessive braking during the stance phase.

Limb length, strength and running technique can affect stride length. Each athlete has an optimal stride length, so there is no one-size-fits-all rule; nonetheless, watch for excessive slapping of the feet on the pavement, and note that at most running speeds your right foot should strike the ground 21 times in 15 seconds.

Time yourself on your next run. If you are below 21 strikes for 15 seconds, you may be overstriding.

Doing it Right

Posture: Try to avoid exaggerated lean, either forward or back. Too much forward lean reduces the efficiency of the legs and can place strain on the hamstrings. Excessive backward lean can create muscular tension in the lower back and gluteal group, which can hasten fatigue and inhibit running efficiency.
Instead, focus on running tall. An athlete with a slouched posture places restrictions on the limbs' ability to move freely. Still, despite the need for good running posture, stay loose—not rigid. A rigid posture leads to muscular tension that, in turn, inhibits performance.

Relaxation: After spending an hour or six on the aerobars, many triathletes hop off the bike with tight, bunched shoulders. And, as fatigue mounts, athletes frequently shrug their shoulders up into their necks, limiting their arms' ability to swing freely.

Build physical relaxation techniques into your training program and race-day regimen. Work at keeping your fingers, hands and jaw relaxed; no clenched fists, as this creates stiffness and tension. Emphasize the backswing with your arms and stay smooth and symmetrical.

Cadence: Cadence, or leg turnover, is one of the keys to running quickly. Harry Wilson, coach of four-time mile world record holder Steve Ovett, once said, "If you want to run fast, you have to keep your legs moving fast."

Triathletes are well known for their dedication to high-mileage training, and while this may improve their overall strength and conditioning, it can be at the expense of leg speed.

To retain your quickness during the season, include weekly short-repeat speed sessions on either the track or the road. During the early season, before you begin your specific race-preparation phase, include several sets of 15 seconds of quick legs during every run: You needn't go hard—just increase your leg turnover.

Trunk stability: Good core, or trunk, strength provides stability to the torso and limits inefficient body movements such as twisting.

As many of the muscles that generate movement originate in the core area, good conditioning can help an athlete produce speed and cope with race-day fatigue. This conditioning can be acquired through a number of activities, including Pilates and exercises such as crunches.

Rhythm: As noted above, athletes who run with an exaggerated stride length tend to be inefficient and tire quickly. However, understriding is also inefficient. An economic stride length tries to extract the maximum amount of return for the minimum amount of effort. To this end, work on keeping your hamstrings loose, as tightness can increase fatigue and enhance the perception of fatigue.

If you try the above tips and still don't see any improvement in your running, consider having a training partner videotape you. From the tape, you should be able to pinpoint areas of tension that can reduce running efficiency.

And while running performance may not be quite as closely correlated with good technique as an activity such as swimming, getting it right on the roads will allow you to run flat-out with economy at your next race.

Strength Training for Runners

by Tom Holland
Windy City Sports

If you're a runner who doesn't strength train, then I can almost guarantee that the question isn't if, but when you'll be sidelined due to injury.
 
The old belief that runners don't need to (and shouldn't) lift weights is outdated and usually put forth by runners who will defer marathon entries due to injury and/or become what I call "accidental triathletes" -- runners forced to swim and bike to rehabilitate running-related injuries.

I contend that running doesn't cause injuries, but rather illuminates our weak links and allows us to see what we need to improve upon. There's no greater way of determining how to improve our bodies than by listening to and accessing how we respond to running.

By pinpointing our weaknesses and working on strengthening them early on in life, we can build a strong musculoskeletal system that will carry us through our later years with little or no pain.
The problem with strength training and runners is that most have absolutely no idea what, when or how often to do it. The basic keys are as follows: runners need to lift weights consistently, correctly and at the right intensity:

• Consistently means two or three times a week for several months to truly begin to build a proper base of strength.
• Correctly refers to performing the exercises in a safe and effective manner with proper technique and muscle control.
• Right intensity relates to the amount of weight used for each exercise as well as the difficulty of each training session.

All three of these concepts might seem simple but are rarely implemented by runners.  
What many runners don't seem to realize is that they're lifting for injury prevention and running performance and these sessions aren't like the workouts you would do to simply look good. These are not vanity workouts, where toning and building muscle is the end goal.

Rather, these workouts are focused first and foremost on strengthening weak muscle groups and creating balance throughout the entire body. These workouts need not be long with multiple sets for each exercise. Many of these exercises are multi-joint exercises, ones that work several muscle groups at a time, thereby reducing the time needed for each workout.

Strength-training exercises 

The following are three great running-specific exercises. As they are advanced, they should be performed after you've built a significant base of strength through more basic exercises such as the leg press, regular squats and leg extensions.

These exercises incorporate unilateral movements and unstable surfaces to more closely approximate the biomechanics of running. They'll improve your running economy, leg strength, balance and coordination, and work stabilizer muscles while helping to eliminate muscular imbalances. Perform one to two sets of 15 repetitions of each, one to three times a week.

1. One-legged ball squats
Stand on one leg with a stability ball pressed against a wall with your back. Slowly squat to just above 90 degrees of knee bend, pause, then return to start position. Be sure to keep your knee behind your toes throughout the exercise (shown above).

2. Balance board split squats
Stand with one foot on a circular balance disc (a Bosu will also work). Bend your leg to just above 90 degrees of knee bend, pause, then return to start position. Be sure to keep your knee behind your toes throughout the exercise. You can also hold dumbbells or place your back leg up on a bench for added difficulty.

3. One-legged dumbbell deadlifts
This is one of the harder exercises to maintain proper form. Stand on one leg while holding dumbbells with knee slightly bent and shoulders pulled back. Bend slowly at the waist, making sure to keep your shoulders back and your back from rounding.

Pause when you feel a tightness in the back of your legs (with dumbbells roughly halfway down your shins) pause, then return to start position. You may do this exercise without weights until you're accustomed to the movement, then add dumbbells.

Reprinted, courtesy of Windy City Sports Magazine.

Ground Forces

To lessen your aches and pains, choose your running surface wisely.

By Jenny Everett
From the October 2009 issue of Runner's World

The impact of running has its benefits: It builds bone and muscle strength. But it also has drawbacks: Each footfall sends strong forces up the leg with the potential of aggravating trouble spots. Luckily, runners can sidestep injuries by changing up their workout surfaces, says exercise physiologist and marathoner Tom Holland of Darien, Connecticut. "In the same way that you vary your mileage and intensity—short one day, long the next; hard one day, easy the next—you should also vary the terrain that you run on to minimize risk of injury," he says. If you're prone to shinsplints, for example, pounding the asphalt six days a week could cause a flare up. Mix in a trail or treadmill run here and there, and you could avoid a setback. Follow this guide to running grounds to log your miles safely.


Asphalt Roads

RUN FREELY: If you're not particularly injury prone and not rehabbing an injury—although Achilles tendinitis becomes less aggravated on asphalt's stiff surface, which keeps the Achilles in a shorter, less-tensed position.
TREAD LIGHTLY: If you've recently had shin or knee pain, or a fracture, muscle pull, or iliotibial-band syndrome (ITBS). Asphalt can rattle bones, joints, muscles.


Dirt Trail

RUN FREELY: If you've struggled with runner's knee, ITBS, shinsplints, or any injury aggravated by impact. Just be wary of technical trails that cause your feet to land at an angle.
TREAD LIGHTLY: If you've had an ankle sprain. The ligaments of that joint never recover 100 percent. That increases your risk of a repeat sprain, which is more likely to occur on soft, uneven surfaces.


Sand

RUN FREELY: Rarely. Sand is unstable and puts a ton of torque on the knee, ankle, and hip. That said, this surface requires the strength of muscles that are often neglected so it can be beneficial for strength building. Just keep the runs short.
TREAD LIGHTLY: If you have a history of ankle sprains or Achilles tendinitis. A 2008 study found that running on sand increases the risk of Achilles pain tenfold.


Synthetic Track

RUN FREELY: If you're prone to ankle sprains or just recovered from a fracture. The surface is predictable with no roots or curbs to trip over. It's also more cushiony than asphalt, but not so soft as to cause instability.
TREAD LIGHTLY: If you've had ITBS or calf strains. Your outside calf is shortened as you circle your way around. Tight corners can also stress your inside leg's ITB.


Grass

RUN FREELY: If you have knee pain or are returning to running after a fracture. On grass, the bulk of the energy from your footfall goes into the ground instead of reverberating back up your leg.
TREAD LIGHTLY: If you're prone to plantar fasciitis. You're more likely to overpronate on this soft, uneven surface, which puts extra torque on the ligament that runs along the bottom of your foot.


Treadmill

RUN FREELY: If you're recovering from injury or are increasing mileage and want a break from asphalt. The belt's cushioned surface reduces stress to your back, hips, knees, and feet. And it's a clear path free of obstacles.
TREAD LIGHTLY: If you're training for a road race. Running exclusively on a treadmill won't prepare you to navigate uneven terrain or cope with the impact of asphalt, and that could lead to injury.

Athletes who do plyometric drills on sand improve their sprinting ability compared to those who train on grass.

4 Steps to Your Perfect Pace

By Jeff Galloway
Runner's World (from Active.com)

When you run within your limits, every workout can be a pleasure. But start even a few seconds per mile too fast, and misery awaits: excess fatigue, loss of motivation, or even injury. That's why it's so important to know what pace is right for you. Happily, by doing a simple "magic mile" time trial, you can find the best speed for your runs, then set realistic goals and keep running—enjoyably—forever.

Run One Mile Hard
Go to a track and jog an easy lap or two for a warmup. Walk for three to four minutes. Then time yourself running four laps, which is about one mile. Don't run all out; just push a little faster than you usually do. Record your time. By running on a track—which is flat and provides the most accurate measurement of distance—you'll get a solid indication of your top speed. You can use it as a benchmark to determine what pace is appropriate for your current fitness level on daily runs. Do the time trial every two weeks or so; try to beat your previous time, and track your progress.

Slow Down Every Day
On your daily runs, aim to run two to three minutes slower per mile than your magic mile time. So if you do your magic mile in 10 minutes, aim to keep your pace around 12 to 13 minutes per mile on daily runs. At the perfect pace, you should feel comfortable and relaxed—like you can finish a sentence without having to catch your breath. If you're huffing and puffing, ease off. Don't worry about going too slow.

Set Race Goals
Signed up for a race? Use the magic mile to set realistic goals for different distances. Add 33 seconds to your mile time to determine a pace for a 5K. Multiply your mile time by 1.15 for a 10K, 1.2 for a half-marathon, and 1.3 to predict your marathon potential.

Get Used To It
At a race, you'll get the best results if you try to maintain a steady pace from start to finish. Here's how to practice: Once a week, try to run your goal race pace for a half to three-quarters of a mile. Each quarter mile, check your pace and adjust if you need to. Each week, run a little farther at your goal pace until you're running one-third to one-half of the race distance.


Time Trial
If you can run one mile in 10 minutes, here's your pace for other distances.

Distance: 5K
Pace per mile: 10:33

Distance: 10K
Pace per mile: 11:30

Distance: Half-Marathon
Pace per mile: 12:00

Distance: Marathon
Pace per mile: 13:00


Ask Jeff a question at jeffgalloway.com or jeffgallowayblog.com.