What's the best protein powder for triathletes?

A number of people have mentioned protein powders to me lately – as if it was the best thing in the world.   I’m going to dive a little deeper into protein powders (and try not to offend supplement companies in the process!!)

FIRSTLY – I have a food first philosophy. It is extremely easy to get enough protein from food without the need to supplement.

As a supplement, that’s exactly what they should be used as: an addition to a balanced diet when you can’t get enough protein through real food for whatever reason.

Reasons we might advise using a protein powder:

• For convenience – if you have a busy lifestyle and seem to be always on the run!
• To meet protein needs directly after a heavy strength-specific session – where we are trying to maximally stimulate muscle protein synthesis (building new muscle). 
• To make sure your recovery meals still...

How to lose weight the easy way with TNA athlete Renee Ingram

Despite not being a focus of the Triathlon Nutrition Academy program, weight loss, or body fat loss is a surprising side bonus for many of our athletes. 

Academy member, Renee, is a great example of how eating more strategically, instead of constantly trying to eat less and cutting carbohydrates, can lead to body fat loss, without really trying.  

In our recent podcast episode, Renee shared her nutrition journey prior to seeking support from an endurance sports dietitian specialist. She’s been on a big ride (pun intended) and has seen many nutritionists, dietitians, naturopaths etc.

Some of the key light bulb moments she’s realised about eating for triathlon…

• You don’t have to count calories to lose weight
• Eating more carbohydrates hasn’t led to weight gain 
• By eating more strategically around training, it’s easy to achieve your body composition...

How to keep your relationship alive through ironman training build

I like to take a holistic approach to triathlon. I’ve got the nutrition side covered but feel it’s of value to bring in experts to help you in other areas.

Triathlon is a crazy sport. Training for three sports means you’re up early, home late, you may have a full-time job you need to work around too.

Then the weekend can be taken up by 6 hours rides, long runs. Or race weekends away for races, training camps etc.   All this means there aren’t many hours left in the day or days in the week to be at home spending time with your partner.

I see couples and families break down because of triathlon. One partner does the sport and the other doesn’t and it can put a strain on relationships. Or, even if they are there as your no. 1 crew, everything usually gets put on hold until after the event. This is where relationships can also break down.

When you don’t have the...

Signs you might not be eating enough to support triathlon training

How do you know if you’re eating enough to support training for three sports? 

The body is smart. It will give you some warning signs if you’re not fuelling properly. Some warning signs will be a light touch like a feather, others will be harder like a brick being thrown at you or, louder still, like being hit by a truck!!

Did you know that your body fuels training first, before spending energy to support our daily bodily functions – like breathing, digesting, growing, and living!!??

Here are a few signs you’re not eating enough:

• You’re not training well and/or your motivation to train is low
• You’re not recovering very well or quickly enough
• You keep getting annoying niggly injuries 
• You continuously get sick or can’t seem to shake things
• You have weird or exacerbated gastrointestinal issues
• Your menstrual function is light, irregular or completely absent...

What is a Hydrogel? Does it improve endurance performance?

Hydrogel technology is making a wave in the sports nutrition scene with products like Maurten hitting the market.

But what is a hydrogel? And is it beneficial to endurance performance?

I asked Andy King, exercise physiologist at the Australian Catholic University, to join me on a recent podcast episode. Andy co-authored the review paper on all of the research to date on hydrogels and their effect on endurance exercise performance. So there was no one better suited to answer these questions for us! 

What is a hydrogel?

• Basically an amped-up carbohydrate drink
  
  

How does a hydrogel work?

• Delivers sugar through the stomach and intestine into your bloodstream to your muscles
• In gel form, it moves the carbohydrate mixture through to your intestine quicker - approx. 40% faster
  
  

Are there any negative effects of using a hydrogel compared to regular sports drinks and gels?

• May negatively impact some athletes...

Real food ideas for on the bike

Are you sick of sucking back gels and sports drinks all the time?

Are you looking for more real food options to use during exercise?

Over the years, I’ve definitely seen a movement away from commercial sports nutrition products to more real foods on the bike. But what types of foods are going to help your performance?

When is the best time to use real foods in training?

• During the off-season is a good time to try new options – tweaking your strategies as your fitness, training and racing evolves

What types of real foods are good for on the bike?

• Carbohydrate foods should be your focus
• Try adding some savoury options to avoid flavour fatigue
• Something easy to prepare pre-race or the night before
• Something the right consistency and texture (so it’s easy to get out of the container, but doesn’t crumble or fall apart)
• A good balance of energy/ nutrients - carbohydrates with some healthy fats and a little bit...

 Tips for food prep and organisation for the time poor athlete

Eating for optimal health and performance doesn’t happen by accident. Think of the food choices you make when you’re time poor or in a rush…

• You’re more likely to get takeaway or eat out
• You’re more likely to grab and go whatever is available, quick and easy to fill a hole
• You’re more likely to eat a bowl of cereal for dinner
• You’re more likely to smash a protein shake after a session and go to bed without ticking all of your recovery boxes  
  
  

I'm a black belt organisation ninja! Let me teach you some of the strategies I use to help my athletes eat better, even when they’re time poor. A little bit of time spent in preparation and organisation goes a LONG way when you’re trying to juggle training, work and family commitments!

Weekly Planning

• This is the biggest game-changer
• Don’t fly by the seat of your pants – get ORGANISED!
• ...

Eating for Immunity: Ideas to help you stay well this winter

Now that the colder months are upon us, it’s time to be proactive with our nutrition for the best immune system defence. 

For active people, immune function plays a role not only in fighting off infections but also in promoting tissue repair to recover from exercise and injury. To function properly, the immune system requires lots of nutrients – both macro and micronutrients. 

For a triathlete under a heavy training load, requirements are even higher - putting you at risk of a suppressed immune system if you’re not meeting your needs.

To help you stay well over the colder months, I’ve put together a few key points to keep you firing on all cylinders this winter!

1. Rest and Recovery is Key

• Moderate training loads can support the immune system
• Heavy training loads, particularly with high-intensity sessions, can compromise the immune system
• Immune system down for 72...

Is caffeine beneficial for Endurance Performance?

Caffeine is a well-established performance booster. Is it beneficial for endurance performance? Heck yes!

But more does not equal better when it comes to caffeine supplementation. It’s about finding the lowest dose to give the greatest effect, without the negative effects. It’s also about finding out what’s best for you and your specific training and racing needs.

How is caffeine absorbed?

• Rapidly – can be seen in the blood in 5 – 15 minutes
• Peaks between 40 – 80 minutes
• Maintained for 3 – 4 hours
• Half life 3 - 5 hours
• Is transported to all body tissues and organs
  
  

How does caffeine work?

• Stimulant - physiological and psychological effects
• Mechanism not fully understood
• Crosses the blood brain barrier - main action is stimulation of the central nervous system
• Lowers perception of effort
• Reduces pain 
• Improves performance 
• Think of caffeine as a chemical that keeps the on...

Why every triathlete should be doing strength training with Exercise Physiologist Huw Darnell

I’m a big advocate for triathletes implementing strength into their training program. But not many do it!

Maybe it’s because you’re worried about getting too sore, putting on too much muscle mass and affecting your power to weight ratio, you have zero time, or maybe it’s because you have no idea what you should be doing!

As an Advanced Sports Dietitian, this is not my area of expertise, so recently I asked Exercise Physiologist, Huw Darnell, who specialises in strength and rehabilitation for triathletes, to join me on my podcast.

Huw is all about building bulletproof bodies that are injury resilient with greater capacity. Exactly what you need - to be strong and injury-free heading into race season!

Here’s a little of what he shared (and for the full story check out EP 42 of the Triathlon Nutrition Academy Podcast): Episode 42 - Why every triathlete...