Peering out clearly from the woods was a yearling Using the eerie to help it move about warily Learning about fearfully from the woods at the clearing Gearing up to dash but it’s gasping is hindering Nearly too serene, likely the gap is in surrendering Every other time this splendering of fall is…is well, rendering Yes, maybe no? Understanding the lazier ladies home Out from the woods to grace wheat of gold Ravings the ravens told with the songs of baby crows Likely though, told from the woods and not by the bold Songs of souls sold sully for taking tolls From the woods, fully for taking hold Eeries ta hold, or a fake ten fold Now and again I see from the woods, he could come I for one from the woods would run, would run Too, everything less experience is cheeky when tongued Of course she’ll never know if she should run none Nerves racked but building, enduring a minds division Assuring herself again, ensuring a wise decision Oceans of emotions now corroding the notion Coping with the hopeless joke of the open for chosen Now and again, know, she could surely be the one chosen for trophy Evoking the thought of eloping is hosing An event unspoken, from the woods she’s choking! Of this one dear little yearling, fear has left clearly From the woods, for the clearing Kinder, I guess to have had only one step. I fret it would of been worse having tasted the rest. Dreading death, being the dead. Never the less, drugged in the den.

emotional poems

Fitness tips offer concise knowledge about developments in the field of health and fitness. It is a step-by-step procedure that guides one through the basic concepts and internal aspects of health. It can be defined as expert advice on how to remain fit and healthy. Fitness tips inspire fitness enthusiasts to maintain a healthy life style. Fitness tips involbe exercise regimens, diets, even motivational courses, meditation sessions, and so on. Fitness is best defined as whatever works best for you.

To sit and read books related to fitness and health-related topics take time and patience. Fitness tips provide readymade solutions, since one can easily obtain the very latest and valuable information about various ways to stay fit and in shape. Fitness tips mainly revolve around health, exercise, weight loss and nutrition. They may include information regarding various sports injuries and ways of preventing them, common exercising methods, diet rules, bodybuilding and methods to overcome body fat and reduce stress and strain. Apart from common health information, fitness tips highlight the dos and don’ts that must be kept in mind to preserve a healthy routine. They are popular because of the growing number of health consciousness people. But one must be very cautious because unreliable fitness tips may result in health consequences. So it is better to take the advice of an expert before adopting any tip. Health experts and professional trainers deliver up-to-date tips to best suit anyone’s lifestyle. Fitness tips can be accessed through magazines and other publications. A free collection of tips are also available online.

A lesbian, bisexual, transgendered* or gay man can find themselves in a therapist’s office for the same reasons that bring anyone in for help. But it can be difficult for someone in the GLBTG community to find an affirming, supportive therapist.

The position of the American Psychological Association is that homosexuality is NOT a psychological disorder. Research also has shown that psychotherapeutic treatment to change sexual orientation does not work. Nor is it ethical for a professional to approach a GLBTG client with the intention of trying to change their sexual/affectional orientation. That having been said, how do you screen for an appropriate therapist if you are gay?

*The transgendered (or transsexual) client may have special needs in therapy, an important one being to get help in the process of sex reassignment and to have support in the decisions they will make about their gender.

SOME PREDISPOSING FACTORS:

As a prospective therapy client, you can keep these factors in the back of your mind as you are interviewing or screening your therapist. It has been shown that therapists who are the most likely to hold unfavorable attitudes toward the GLBTG client tend to:

1. Have less contact with gay men and Lesbians in their own personal lives; 2. See their colleagues and peers as also having these negative attitudes; 3. Be male; 4. Be more likely to come from rural backgrounds in their adolescence;

5. Be more religious; 6. Be older and less educated; 7. Be more likely to adhere to traditional sex roles; 8. Be less liberal about sex in general or have more guilt or negativity about sex; 9. Be authoritarian in that they see the world in a rigid, black and white fashion.

THE SEARCH: When looking for a GLBTG affirming therapist:

1. Ask your friends for recommendations! 2. Look in any local gay newspapers, newsletters, or directories for therapists; 3. When looking in the yellow pages or mainstream advertising, see if they list GENDER ISSUES, OR ALTERNATIVE LIFESTYLES or mention that they are GLBGT supportive; 4. Look on bulletin boards in any Women’s Centers, bookstores, or alternative organizations; 5. Call your local GLBTG organizations (e.g., a nearby college) for recommendations; 6. Go on line.

THE PHONE CALL:

When it is time to set up an appointment with a prospective therapist, you may want to ask these questions or make these comments directly:

1. You might ask directly if the therapist is “gay friendly”. If they are, they will usually know what this means and will respond with a yes;

2. Approaching from another angle, you might ask them about their approach to changing sexual orientation. (Any attempt to present a treatment or therapy here may indicate that the therapist believes you can be “cured”);

3. You could ask about their professional background and see if they’ve worked somewhere that might indicate a liberal bias, like a Woman’s Shelter, Rape Crisis Center, or AIDS Counseling Center;

4. You could ask about their professional affiliations. The American Psychological Association (APA) has a division focusing on GLBTG issues and so do other professional organizations;

5. If the therapist is asking about your life situation, notice the choices he/she makes in her inquiries. Are you asked about your husband or wife, or does she/he use inclusive words like, “partner”, “significant other”, etc;

6. If you are a woman and refer to your partner as “she”, or “he” if you are a man, can you notice any bias in the therapists voice or response or subsequent questions;

7. Ask whether he or she has any GLBTC clients, or has worked with this population in the past;

8. Simply tell her that you are gay or transgendered (or are wondering) and are looking for a supportive therapist.

9. Ask the therapist how s/he views “Alternative Lifestyles”;

10. It is not a good idea to ask the therapist about her own sexual orientation over the phone. Unfortunately, this is a matter of safety….because of the possibility of harrassment, the therapist may not feel comfortable with this.

STARTING THERAPY:

Once you have made your appointment, the screening process is not over. Feel free to discontinue therapy at any time you feel you are being discriminated against in any way. Some things to look for are:

1. Responses that suggest your therapist doesn’t want you to be gay. Too much emphasis on your sexual orientation when you do not present it as an issue.

2. Any unfounded feedback about sexual orientation being a result of some type of pathology: distant father, controlling mother, broken home, etc. This sounds like you need to be cured. (And, by the way, there is no evidence to suggest that sexual orientation is the result of any such pathology).

3. Any reference to programs that focus on changing one’s sexual orientation. Even if it’s…”Have you heard of…..”.

4. The liberal response which suggests that lesbians and gay men, bi’s and TG’s are “just like everybody else”. As if being a Lesbian, for example, has no meaning.

5. The inadequate response from the therapist in taking a full history, or asking about your relationship, etc. In other words, avoiding the issue.

6. You will pick up on more subtle cues from your therapist. Just trust your instincts and how you feel. Look for things such as surprise when you say you’ve been in a gay relationship for some duration, or you have had no trauma in your life, or you like being gay.

7. At any point in your therapy, feel free to discuss your concerns with your therapist. If he or she seems open and willing to take a look at his/her biases, you may opt to stay. However, it is crucial that you believe your therapist to be affirming and supportive. Don’t hesitate to find somebody who is.

One of the most fundamental and profound ways of being creative is developing the ability to see situations from different points of view, often from angles that others can’t or simply wouldn’t have thought of.

“Point of view” implies using just our sense of sight, but it’s an expression we also use to mean experiencing an event in a completely different way through all of our senses, not just our sight.

Exercising and stretching our senses by practicing this can help us be more open to others as well as making it easier to come up with new ideas and solutions for ourselves.

A simple way we can do this is with the following quick exercise -

Pick a random object in your room. It could be a cup, a paperclip, a chair, anything that’s relatively close to hand and that draws you in some way at this precise moment. Choose something quickly without analysing your decision.

Now, imagine spending a day in the life of this object.

Beginning with first thing in the morning, write out, or just imagine in your mind, how it feels to be this object and the journey it goes through in a typical day.

Experience the object’s viewpoint, see and feel things from its perspective in as much detail as you possibly can.

For example if you chose a paperclip, imagine how it feels to be picked up by a human hand, the warmth of flesh against your cool steel. Or how it feels as you slide down crisp white pages of paper, the sound it makes and the friction it generates. Or to be in a large jar amongst dozens of other paperclips, all entangled, spiky and fighting for space.

Suspend your scepticism and really get into the senses of the object as deeply as possibly and consider all the activities and situations the object may experience in a typical day.

The more you can do this for a variety of objects, the more you’ll open up your senses to different possibilities and this in turn will fuel an increase in your creativity.

Here are some other variations to try:

. Extend the exercise to imagining how it would be to be another person, especially someone completely different from yourself.

. Pick larger objects, like a football pitch, aeroplane or mountain. Notice the differences between this and when focusing on smaller everyday objects.

. Use more abstract ideas to ask questions and stimulate your imagination. For example - what’s it like to be the colour red? Or how far would I travel in a day if I was a water molecule?

Resist the temptation to dismiss these types of exercises as silly or pointless. Remember how freely young children use their imaginations to tell stories and explain the world around them. Take inspiration and aim to regain the same kind of innocence, curiosity and wonder when doing these exercises.

You’ll soon notice the change in your outlook and a difference in how you create…

© Copyright 2006 Dan Goodwin.

Creativity Coach Dan Goodwin is the author of “Create Create!”, a FREE twice monthly ezine for people who want simple and powerful articles, tips and exercises to help them unleash their creative talents. Sign up right now and get your FREE “Explode Your Creativity!” Action Workbook, at http://www.CoachCreative.com.

My name is Greg Ryan. For the last twenty years I have counseled thousands of personal trainers, fitness directors and gym owners on how be successful in the health and fitness industry. No matter where I go in the world, no matter the size of the gym the biggest reason for their lack of success is all the same. My question is, “Do you want to be a mediocre Personal Trainer or do you want to be a GREAT one?

Most of you will only be good ones if you are lucky. Only about five percent of you will be GREAT. What I mean by being a great personal trainer falls into three categories: love what you do, self employed and make a six figure income consistently. Here is how:

Part B: B is for Business

When running a personal training business there are four virtues you want to live by; Honestly, Authenticity, Modesty, and Generosity.

Honesty

When someone asks you a question about exercise, fitness, or a health in general, it is ok to say, “I do not know the answer to that.” Don’t stop there, close the deal. Find the correct answer, and explain your findings. That action will give you more brownie points and build more credibility than anything.

Authenticity

The more transparent you can be, the more your clients, players and customers will respect you. I do not paint them a pipe dream picture.

Modesty

Keep your head on straight. As in golf, you are only as good as your last shot or your last client.

Generosity

Give people more than they expect in service. Write articles, go food shopping, what every it takes to keep a client happy and getting results.

Here is the Intro to my e-book - “It’s NOT about the Numbers!”

This book focuses on the client side of the personal training industry; however you must not deny the business side of your career. There are a few things worthy of mentioning that should be taken serious when running a company like the structure of the business, marketing, and professionalism, Yes, being a personal trainer is running a company. You are the company. You are the business, so you need to take yourself serious and treat it as a business.

Being a professional fitness trainer is just that. You are a professional. It is a business so treat it as serious as if you were in any other business. Whether you make one hundred dollars a year, or thousands it does not matter. If you take what you are doing serious your clients will too.

Think like a CEO

A trainer and coach who are sold out should act no different than a CEO of a company. You are a CEO, so then think like one.

Greg Ryan is a Health club and personal trainer consultant, high profile fitness expert and former employee of Kathy Smith. He is best selling author of “It’s NOT aout the Numbers!” Discover how to make $100,000 year after year For FREE MINI COURES email me at greg@resolutions.bz

When I was twenty-two, I was befriended by a woman named Doris who was thirty years older than I was. Although Doris was then a fifty-two year old woman, she did not feel it was inappropriate to befriend me. She did not operate with the social belief that she should choose her friends only from people her own age. We became very close friends and remained so until her death at the age of eight-two.

When Doris turned seventy-five, she was already widowed. The week she turned seventy-five, Doris threw two birthday parties for herself, one on a Wednesday night, and one on Saturday. Over thirty different people attended each party. I was the only person invited to both. In all, about seventy of Doris’ friends came that week to celebrate her birthday. On both nights many people stayed until past one in the morning.

As I looked around the room at both parties that week in amazement, I noticed that the people attending her birthday parties were of all ages. They included toddlers, teens, middle-aged people, and the elderly.

Doris had never restricted herself to making friends only within her own age group. She had always made it a point to befriend people of all ages. In her old age, she did not suffer the same social fate so many elderly people face when their circle of same-age friends starts to dwindle from sickness and death.

I hoped that when I was the same age as Doris that I would be able to have as many friends and acquaintances gathered to help celebrate my birthday.

I didn’t know any other people her age who could throw two birthday parties in one week, and have seventy people show up. I wondered how Doris had made so many friends.

She had never been wealthy, but over the years Doris and her husband had made a practice of opening their hearts and their home to many people. They not only befriended a lot of people and maintained those friendships over the years, but they also befriended the children of their friends, and stayed friends with the younger generation.

I noticed that whenever I brought some of my own friends with me to visit Doris, she never treated my friends as expendable people that she would never see again.

She was gracious and kind and interested in all of them. Her caring about each human being was always apparent. When we finished our visit, Doris would often extend an invitation to the friends I had brought to come and visit her again, and many of them did so.

When she issued invitations Doris never seemed as if she were inviting people because she was lonely or desperate for company. Her invitations were always genuinely joyful. She loved meeting people and wanted to see them again.

As Doris neared the end of her life, she became very ill and very poor. Yet, she never lacked for love and support from the many friends she had kept making throughout her whole life.

I learned something important that week at Doris’ two birthday parties. I realized that we make a big mistake if we tell young and middle-aged people to invest their money for their old age, but neglect to tell them that it is at least as important to invest in relationships with other people.

We make a mistake if we don’t tell people that it is just as important to invest kindness in the people we meet, and invest our interest in them. There are other kinds of investment accounts besides those that are held by banks. A big bank account won’t make up for loneliness in your old age.

I decided that if I wanted to have as many friends as Doris did, I would have to keep making friends and keep maintaining friendships my whole life. I would have to make friends with people of all ages, including those much younger and much older than me.

Older people confront unique challenges in trying to maintain a satisfying social life. Many people find it difficult to make new friends as they get older.

As people age they often face social, health and monetary challenges. Older people may become less physically mobile. They often have less money to spend on recreation and entertainment. Older people are also more likely to suffer from depression. They may be physically frail and afraid to go out at night.

Even if they remain healthy themselves, aging people experience the deaths of long time friends and spouses, resulting in a shrinking circle of social and emotional support.

In the modern western world, older people are often treated as if their usefulness is finished, and as if what they have to say is not really relevant to the young.

A lot of older people are shocked to discover when they retire at the age of sixty or sixty-five, that the friendships they thought had developed at work do not survive the retirement party.

In many modern societies, older people are socially marginalized, and left to socialize solely with each other.

People in North America are much more segregated along age lines than people in some other parts of the world. In North America, teenagers tend to socialize with other teenagers, and older people are expected to make friends with other older people.

No matter where you live, or what your age, you do not need to follow your local society’s dictates about what age your friends should be. You do not need to restrict yourself to making friends only with your own age group.

If you are concerned that you may be lonely in your later years, the time to start doing something about it is now, no matter what your current age might be. As you grow older, make sure you stay living in the present, not in the past.

In your conversations with others, don’t be fixated on who you used to be, or on your current ailments. Be willing to make many social approaches to others, no matter what the outcome. Stay interested in the current world, stay optimistic, and keep a youthful, open mind.

Let’s talk a little more about using Text Links for better SEO placement becuase it’s a
very relevant tool that you have at your disposal and something
that you should consider exploring.

Working with text links to help with your SEO rankings is going
to involve a good solid chunk of time. So, don’t think that this
is an easy solution because it’s not, but it is solid … at
least it is for now. Here’s some search term improvement
techniques for you to take into account:

1. Link Exchanges

Used to be everyone was exchanging links with anyone else who
give them a link. Then Google danced and bamm … doing that
will get you lower placement. So, you have to be smart and ONLY
exchange links with other domains that are relevant to your
site’s topics. Do that and you will see your domain move up the
ranks.

2. Billboards

This is something kind of new and is working for now until
Google bans the companies offering this service. I’d say use it
while it works my friend!

Sites using Billboards
are noticing significant rank increases. One site recorded the
following…

Over the last 3 months, we have added about 20 unique billboards … We
did about 2 per week, and every week we would see position moves
of 1 - 2 positions. This is an extremely effective tool because
it gives you relevant backlink content on different IP’s. Take
the time to write good article/news stories and plug your
company or product. This technique will pay off. Don’t believe
me? pick an obscure term without competition, and put up 2 - 5
billboards using the term as anchor text through-out your BB’s
and you will see position moves within 4 weeks.

The use of Billboards is
currently a very good way to get your website relevant
positioning in a shorter period of time and you can do so for
reasonable fees. You only need to pay for Billboard space on
another’s IP for 30 days, by then the search engine will have
found you. Make sure the IP is spidered by all the major search
engines regularly. After 30 days, you can remove your page and
go on to the next IP. Keep doing this and you will build a
repository of text rich backlinks to your own domain. Very yummy
search engine food!

3. Text Link Advertising

Text link
ads are very affordable for those not wanting to
dedicate all the time it takes to getting relevant backlinks.
Okay, here’s what I think is the best strategy with regards to
buying text links. Most likely that PR8 website isn’t going to
get you any higher placement than the PR4-PR6 will. That’s my
opinion, others will disagree. My own testing is showing Google
really doesn’t pay much attention to their own PR system … who
knew?!

So, buy links that are PR4-6 and don’t pay over $25 for them …
unless of course they happen to be mine … lol. Here again, I’d
recommend you use Linkworth and
use their set of tools to determine the worth of any link you
might be considering … those tools will even help you with
domains that aren’t in the Linkworth repository
… hint, hint!

These types of one-way links will
really help your placement. If you can get one-way links from
other sources for free, go for it and make sure they have better
PR than you do!

4. Content Development

Well now here’s a novel idea, the more content you ad to your
website, then better your rankings will be … and go one step
further, you must do so on a consistant basis … like every two
weeks ad a new page.

Ad pages with 250-500 words of relevant content and relevant
links.

And, this is really important … make sure all your webpages
have different content by at least 40%. Google is so smart it
actually knows if you’ve got the same page up on the domain …
and it knows if you’ve got the same domain mirrored on other
domains. You have to do the work!

5. Menu Structure

Make sure the search engines can easily spider every page on
your website. I prefer to hard code all my links … including
the domain name info. Taking short-cuts only hurts you.

Make sure you use keywords in your menu links and make sure the
search engines can easily follow your links from the top level
to the second their third levels.

6. Website SEO

Use the H1, H2 tages and relevant keywords through out the site.
Keep keyword density around 2-5% … going over will cause you
to drop in the ranks. I speak from experience on that one.

7. Schedule Regular Updates

Like I said, you must consistently add new content to your
website to keep the search engines well feed and happy. You
must get down and dirty and do this part, if you don’t … those
purchased links aren’t going to help you get all the way
there.

8. Hurry Up and Wait

It takes time to make all these things happen and with each step
you have to sit back and see what result it had, if good then
you step again. It’s like a chess game … really think about
your next move and you can get to the top.

And while you’re waiting, put up a page that offers your viewers
text links and graphical links back to your website … create a
“link to us” page. It’s free! And, if your website is
interesting, you’d be surprised how many people will link to you
as a result.

Creatine is a naturally formed amino acid in the human body. It is a nutrient like proteins vitamins. Creatine is produced by the human body from existing amino acids as well as from the food we take. The main food sources of Creatine are fish and red meat products like beef, salmon, tuna and herring. Creatine in the body is produced by the liver, pancreases and the kidneys. It is transported to the muscle through blood. Creatine content in the muscle helps to increase the muscle mass. It aids in a special chemical reaction that releases sudden energy to the body when exerted.

Even though Creatine is created by the human body itself, it is also taken exogenously for additional energy generation. Creatine in the form of additional supplement is generally taken by athletes and persons participating in sports like wrestling, weightlifting and sprinting that require bouts of energy. Creatine also increases the muscle mass and is believed to make the muscle stronger. However, exogenous supplementation of Creatine is likely to decrease the internal production of Creatine.

Creatine as a dietary supplement is approved by 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act. Hence it can be purchased over the counter even without a prescription. Creatine supplements are also believed to promote lean-muscle mass and reduce muscle wasting in post-surgical patients. It is also believed to help heart patients by increasing their exercise capacity, reducing heart spasms and thus increasing heart function. Some studies have also indicated its usefulness in treating neuromuscular disorders though tests are still being conducted. Creatine is said to be the “most legitimate sports supplement” today.

Creatine supplements are available in the form of capsules, chewable tablets as well as powder. There are two ways to take Creatine supplement: loading and maintenance. Loading is more suitable for people who are taking Creatine for the first time as it involves taking comparatively heavy doses of Creatine till the muscle attains saturation point. The usual dosage in this method is 20-30g per day for 4days to one week. After the loading period, a daily dose of 5-15g per day is recommended. The other method is to start small with just 5-15g of Creatine monohydrate per day. Creatine monohydrate can be taken with just water or any carbohydrate based drink such as dextrose (glucose).

Creatine provides detailed information about creatine, creatine benefits, creatine monohydrate, and more. Creatine is affiliated with Body Mass Index Chart.

You have the ability to create your own mind-set. Whether your attitude is positive or negative, is up to you. The ability to change your environment, circle of friends, and attitude, is within your control.

Just like a computer absorbs raw data, so does your mind. Within your mind a culture, within itself, has grown. Many people feel like they have no control of their own mind, because this culture has become negative. The negativity is a result of past experiences, being in a negative environment, or being under the influence of unconstructive ideas.

Similar to a computer virus, you have to identify it quickly, to avoid letting it spread within your mind. You can also pass this virus of negative thinking to people around you. As a result you are spreading negative energy around, like “weeds in a field.”

Much like a farmer, you cultivate too. The energy in your mind is the crop, and it is up to you, whether it is weeds or wheat. If you have a farm and let a field take care of itself; you will be lucky to have any kind of a crop, from it. This is the same with the energy within your mind.

You have to option to pick quality seeds: Information, in the form of books, eBooks, DVD’s, CD’s, lectures, courses, workshops, and seminars. This is learning, for the sake of self-improvement, and it results in a positive mind-set.

However, your work is not finished, because you must still reinforce the lessons, and keep everything in a focused order. This might be compared to fertilizing, watering, and “weeding the mind.” You have to work at it continually or the weeds will grow back. This, my friend, is meditation, and one of the reasons why we meditate, in the first place.

Meditation is controlled focus on an object, thought, or task without judgment. This process makes it possible to look at all situations objectively. You can find solutions, turn negative situations into positive learning experiences, and create your own positive mindset. As a result of this you will make new friends, reach goals, handle problems easily, and develop an indomitable spirit.

Remember the last time you made an accomplishment. That feeling, and that ability, are within all of us. It is a formula for success, but you have to take action. Action is something that the vast majority of people will never take. Learn to separate yourself from “the pack,” through education, meditation, and action.

Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

I remember once attempting to fill a ziplock bag full of honey for a 100 mile ride in 90 degree heat. Needless to say, the result was sticky and unpleasant, and definitely not as handy as a race gel. I’ve known other people to use peanut butter and jelly sandwhich squares, snickers bars, graham crackers, and a host of other strange snacks. But while there are multiple theories and methods of hydrating and fueling during a training or racing session, the concept remains the same. If you are able to deliver the right nutrients to the muscles at the right time, you can enhance several components of both performance and recovery. Of course, these nutrients include carbohydrates, protein, and fat. I’ll mention all three in today’s article.

Some coaches and nutritionists recommend complex carbohydrates during both training and recovery, while others recommend a mixture of both simple and complex carbohydrates. While it is true that a simple sugar, such as candy, high fructose corn syrup, or honey, will be more quickly absorbed into the body, this is not necessarily a good thing. The body’s response to simple sugars involves a quick spike in blood sugar levels, followed by a hypoglycemic response, or a drop in sugar levels. So an endurance athlete who supplements with simple carbohydrates during a training session or race may experience several surges and subsequent decreases in blood sugar levels. For an endurance event of 60 minutes or less, this should not be a problem. However, as the event exceeds this time period, such as an ironman distance race, complex carbohydrates should be consumed to a greater degree, at a rate of approximately 30-60 grams per hour. Hammer Gel, an endurance athlete nutrition manufacturer, sells a great complex carbohydrate gel for such situations, as do several other supplement manufacturers. Of course, simple sugars consumed at any time other than race can potentially lead to increased body fat deposition, decreased metabolism, and generally poor health, so limit your consumption to those short, intense rides - and remember, try it in your training before you try it in a race!

With regard to protein, I’d like to zero in on branched chain amino acids (BCAA’s) as an important protein source. During workouts that are highly intense or lasting more than three hours, the body depends on protein as one of it’s fuel sources. Leucine, isoleucine, and valine are BCAA’s, and can meet up to 10% of these energy requirements. They can be purchased as supplements at many health food stores or gyms, and also appear in several commercial endurance sport gels. Natural sources include many dairy products, whey protein, and red meats. Isoleucine is found in most food sources and is high in meats, fish, and cheeses; leucine is found in such foods as beans, brewer’s yeast, brown rice bran, caseinate, and corn; and food sources of valine include soy flour, cottage cheese, fish, grains, mushrooms and peanuts, meats, and vegetables.

BCAA’s should be used during heavy weightlifting training periods, high intensity endurance periods (closer to race season), and high altitude training. Of course, BCAA’s only represent three of the many amino acids your body needs for recovery and tissue growth, so do not rely on them as a sole protein source.

Fat, of course, is a very important long term energy source. One type of fat, medium chain triglycerides, has been proven to increase endurance and speed in longer races. Medium chain triglycerides are more quickly absorbed by the body for use as energy and less likely to be stored as body fat. Again, you can get medium chain triglycerides from several sport supplement manufacturers, as well as health food stores. One common and increasingly popular natural source is coconut oil. Be warned - consumption of these fats on an empty stomach can lead to some pretty annoying gastrointestinal distress.

Hopefully, this brief discussion of some specifics about key macronutrients will help you address fueling issues during a race. Train smart, and e-mail me at elite@pacificfit.net or go to www.pacificfit.net to get more answers to your nutrition questions.

Head trainer Ben Greenfield runs the online training website Pacific Elite Fitness, and holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Sport Science and Exercise Physiology, as well as certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association as a Personal Trainer and Strength and Conditioning Coach (NSCA-CPT & CSCS). For over 6 years, Ben has coached and trained professional, collegiate, and recreational athletes, and helped hundreds of individuals achieve their personal fitness goals. For more information on online personal training and fitness, contact Ben at elite@pacificfit.net.