Guidelines For Going On The Road

By Coach Jamie Thomas

Swim team families look forward to February and March as the championship season. Travel comes with the territory. So, whether you're going to a qualifier or to nationals, you need a plan for going "on the road". The length, usually three or more days, of these championship level meets can lead to a loss of that "great feeling" and cause performances to suffer.

The keys to a good road trip are:

1. Eat the proper foods,

2. Get plenty of rest, and

3. Make the days as normal as possible.

The swimmer's diet should consist of low fat high carbohydrate foods. Appropriate breakfast foods are pancakes, bagels, French toast, cereal, and fruits. Pancakes and toast should be served without butter or margarine. Syrup and jams are OK. Drink low fat milk.

At lunch, avoid fried foods at fast food places. Try a salad with a minimum of dressing or a potato with a minimum of butter. Sandwiches with lean meat or skinless poultry are good. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are good and easy, but watch the peanut butter because it is high in fat. Soup and crackers are also fine, but avoid cream-based soups. Stay away from soft drinks and drink low fat milk or juices.

For dinner, choose restaurants that offer high carbohydrate items such as pasta, salads, rice, vegetables and fruits. If you must have pizza, get one with a thicker crust and get low fat toppings like green peppers, onions, Canadian bacon or mushrooms. Avoid fatty meats and extra cheese.

Why is it important to avoid fats during competition? After a meal fats enter the blood stream where they temporarily cause red blood cells to bunch up or coagulate. This in turn prevents oxygen carrying red blood cells from entering the tiniest capillaries � the very capillaries muscles depend on for oxygen.

Be nutrition conscious at all meals. Remember: don't sacrifice great performances by eating conveniently while on the road.

Understand that swim meets can be extra exhausting. While away from the pool, swimmers need to rest and relax. Napping between trials and finals is a good idea. When swimming in an afternoon session, swimmers may sleep a little later than usual. Do not allow swimmers to stay up late or run around socializing while at the hotel. This wastes important rest time as well as disturbing others. During "free time" on the road, swimmers and parents should avoid excessive talking about the meet, particularly anything negative. Instead, think very positive thoughts for short periods of time.

Diet, rest, and attitude are keys to maintaining a "fresh feeling" through a tough, long meet. Remember these guidelines when you are on the road and minimize the effect of road trips on performance.

Energy Drinks May Harm Kids

Published February 15, 2011, Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel

Energy drinks � many of which contain herbal supplements and up to five times the caffeine of a cola � might be quite harmful to children, according to a literature review published in the journal Pediatrics on Monday. Among the findings:

Caffeine in the drinks can exacerbate cardiac conditions especially in children with eating disorders) and interfere with calcium absorption and bone mineralization in young adolescents.
Additional ingredients may boost caffeine levels.
Extra calories in the drinks can contribute to diabetes, high body mass index and dental problems.
The drinks are unregulated in the U.S., and the number of overdoses of caffeine from drinking them are not known. But in Germany, Ireland and New Zealand, officials have reported cases of liver damage, kidney failure, seizures, confusion and arrhythmias associated with energy drink use.

The authors concluded that energy drinks don�t have a therapeutic benefit to kids, and they urged pediatricians to ask patients about their energy drink consumption and let them know about potential dangers.

Energy Drinks May Be Risky For Some With Health Problems, Study Says

February 14, 2011 By Fred Tasker, The Miami Herald

Energy drinks packed with caffeine and sugar may pose serious health risks to users, especially children, adolescents and young adults, according to a study by the University of Miami School of Medicine reported Monday in the online version of Pediatrics, the peer-reviewed journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The study, co-written by Dr. Steven Lipshultz, chief of pediatrics at the UM medical school, says the drinks "have no therapeutic benefit, and many ingredients are understudied and not regulated."

An 8-ounce can of Rockstar energy drink has twice the caffeine of a 14-ounce bottle of Coca-Cola, the study notes.

The energy drink industry disputes the study's findings: "This literature review does nothing more than perpetuate misinformation about energy drinks, their ingredients and the regulatory process," said Dr. Maureen Storey, senior vice president of science policy for the American Beverage Association, in an e-mailed response.

According to Lipshultz, the drinks pose special risks for children with diabetes, ADHD, undiagnosed heart problems and other problems.

Study: Energy drinks could pose serious health risks to children

Kelly Brewington of the Baltimore Sun, February 15, 2011

Packed with harmful levels of caffeine, energy drinks offer no therapeutic benefit and may put some children and young adults at risk of health problems, according to a study published today in the journal Pediatrics.

Energy drink overdose -- causing a small body to ingest too much caffeine and ingredients such as taurine and guarana -- could lead to stroke, seizure and even sudden death, particularly in youth with health problems such as diabetes, cardiac abnormalities or behavior disorders, the study found.

Because the drinks are marketed as nutritional supplements, they aren't subject to the same caffeine limits on soft drinks or the safety testing of medicines, the authors write. And many drinks include ingredients that aren't regulated or haven't been sufficiently studied, they said.

Researchers at the University of Miami came to their conclusions after a review of published articles -- from medical journals, newspapers and trade publications.

Young people make up about half of the huge energy drink market and somewhere between 30 percent to 50 percent of adolescents report consuming energy drinks, according to background information in the study. Since energy drinks are often marketed to young people, doctors should screen their young patients for their use and work to educate parents and children of the potential harms, the authors write.

Folks at the American Beverage Association told the AP that the report is simply spreading misinformation.

Nevertheless, researchers have expressed concerns about the high levels of caffeine in such drinks before. I wrote a few years back about a Johns Hopkins study in which the author said the drinks should come with labels warning of the possible health risks.

The new study comes on the heels of some local governments banning caffeine-infused alcohol drinks, after federal warnings that they pose health risks. While this study doesn't specifically take on this class of drinks, it mentions that coupling energy drinks with alcohol could only intensify the risks.