best cycling

   After a tough workout, there’s nothing better than a nice cold beer. But will a sneaky pint set your training back and wreak havoc with your weight loss goals? We explore the facts… The question of whether an ice cold beer makes a good post-exercise recovery drink has been hotly debated since marathon runners started wearing short-shorts. Here at Bug Towers we’ve always erred on the side of caution and maintained that booze is a no-go and runners should stick to electrolytes. But then the sun came out and we decided the divisive topic urgently needed revisiting. Is the odd post-run beer really so bad? Or could it in fact enhance your performance? (We're clutching at straws here, but stay with us...) Fuel up Arguably what you eat (and drink) after an intense run is just as important as the mileage. Running burns fuel and depletes your glycogen stores, which need replenishing fairly sharpish, so refuelling after your shuffle round the park is vital. As any...

If you regularly gulp down a protein shake after a run, you’re certainly not alone. But do you really need it? Protein is an essential nutrient in your diet, vital for maintaining and building all body tissue, including muscle. For us runners, it plays a key part in post-run recovery, helping to speed the healing of micro-tears in your muscles, so you return fitter and stronger on your next training session. Shake it up! So you’d think the availability of so many protein shakes, powders, bars and capsules on the market would be a good thing – indeed, a necessity! Er… not quite. The fact is, most people’s daily diets contain an adequate amount of protein naturally. Just take a look at the following foods and their protein content: 1 egg: 6g 1 chicken breast: 20g 30g cheddar cheese: 7.5g 1 serving cooked beef mince: 18g 1/2 pot cottage cheese: 18g 1 tin of tuna: 25g 1 serving Greek yogurt: 18g When you consider the fact that the average recommended daily intake of ...

Eating the right foods can go a long way towards keeping your joints, muscles and bones healthy. Pack these superfoods into your diet, so you can focus on being the best runner possible! As a runner, your diet is key when it comes to ensuring your body is receiving all the nutrients it needs to stay in tip-top condition. Runners need healthy joints, muscles that can recover quickly and strong bones. Ensure your body is getting all the right stuff by eating a balanced, varied diet containing the following key foods. For healthy joints If you’ve ever suffered from knee problems, ankle aches or hip pain, every runner knows just how important it is to take good care of your joints. Give them all the help you can by eating these joint-friendly foods. Berries Most berries contain anthocyanins and ellagic acid, both of which help protect joints against inflammation, so sprinkle them liberally on your breakfast bowl or snack on a handful throughout the day. Nuts A great sna...

Really Work To nap or not to nap? That is the question. Adapted from  Peak Performance Regardless of what all the "life hackers" may tell you, napping does not make up for insufficient nighttime sleep. You can't nap your way to growth, be it physical or psychological. That said,  napping does help restore energy and concentration  during midday lulls, and as we reveal in our book,  Peak Performance , it's a strategy worth considering for long and intense days. RELATED:  50 WAYS TO SLEEP BETTER TONIGHT A growing body of research demonstrates that naps can improve performance, alertness, concentration, and judgment. Given these attributes are all critical for those on a space station orbiting the earth, it should come as no surprise that NASA became interested in learning about the benefits of napping. When NASA scientists conducted studies on astronauts, they discovered that a 25-minute nap improved judgment by 35 percent and vigilance ...

You don't have to spend hundreds to get help. Struggling with a mental illness is already super-hard, but add on the fees associated with therapy and it can be tough to see a light at the end of the tunnel. However, there are ways to get help that are affordable. And with one in five Americans experiencing mental illness every year, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), it's critical people know what's out there. According to NAMI, nearly 60 percent of adults with a mental illness didn’t receive mental health services in the past year, and 50 percent of people needing mental health care didn't get it because of cost, according to the  National Survey on Drug Use and Health . "Early intervention can be key in the successful treatment of many mental health disorders," says Jessica S. Holm, a licensed clinical psychologist. "However, less than half of those seeking services for a mood, anxiety, or substance abuse issue are doi...

Feeling extra tired lately? It starts with something innocent enough: that familiar sluggishness during a long workweek, forgetting friends’ birthdays here and there. If you’re in your twenties or thirties, you might brush it off. But what if we told you these could all be early warning signs of multiple sclerosis (MS)? Symptoms of MS can start as early as age 20, come and go in unpredictable patterns, and often appear under the guise of symptoms you deal with on the daily. “Many symptoms that occur early in MS can also occur in other conditions—some more commonly occurring conditions than MS,” says Kathleen Costello, a nurse practitioner and associate vice president of healthcare access at the  National Multiple Sclerosis Society . “Some of the early signs can also be generalized, such as an increase in overall fatigue level, which makes zeroing in on one diagnosis initially difficult.” MS can happen to anyone; in fact, about 2.3 million people around the world are living wi...

  The Great Milk Debate On one side of the milk controversy are the nutritionists who insist that milk is in many ways a perfect food, while on the other are the colicky lot who insist that milk causes all manner of digestive upset. One group has science on its side, while the latter group pretty much can't do anything but defiantly hold up their soiled underwear as evidence of the evils of milk. Some of the milk naysayers blame these alleged medical problems on generic lactose intolerance while others claim they're because of growth hormone in milk or weird antibodies. And yet another group says that milk causes you to produce so much mucus that you breathe like you've got a banana slug caught in your trachea.   While the milk haters might be laying the blame in the wrong places, it looks like they might be at least partly right about milk. It turns out there's a type of beta casein in the majority of milk products that makes milk a horrible choice for a sig...

I’m Mandy King, Holistic Nutritionist & Founder of HEAL - Healthy Eating And Living  and co-author of I Love Bicycling's Pedal Away The Pounds - A Guide to Cycling & Weight Loss E-book . I’m thrilled to be providing you with delicious weekly recipes to help you eat right, plan and cook your meals, and up your cycling performance through increased energy and better digestion. Easily shed your excess weight with high protein, 100% gluten free, 95% cow's dairy free and completely refined sugar free recipes. What To Expect in The Meal Program: You will receive a new meal plan once a week to your email inbox for an entire year, with simple, clean, healthy recipes, and a full grocery list. Each week you get recipes for 3 new breakfasts, 4 main meals, and 2 snacks. These recipes are more than just a list of ingredients. They include directions on how to make the meal whether you're an experienced chef or just starting out in the kitchen. There are also variations...

You know that greens are good for you. That fact has likely been drilled into your head from an early age. But what greens should you be going for most often? A plethora of options are available, and the nutritional differences between say, butterhead lettuce and romaine lettuce, are far from common knowledge. No worries—we're here to help. We've ranked nine of the most popular greens by their nutritional value, so you'll know what sort of foliage you should be feeding on most frequently. *All nutrition data comes from nutritiondata.self.com. All data is based on the raw, uncooked version of the green 1. Kale Kale. Most people hadn't even heard of the stuff 10 years ago, but now it's hailed as the quintessential superfood. Not only is it frequently used as a base for salads or bowls, but it's also a frequent ingredient in smoothies and cold-pressed juices. Kale belongs to the "Brassica" family of vegetables, which also includes broccoli, ...

The food we eat fuels our activity and allows us to recover. That's why the elite athletes who dominate their sports for years are as dedicated to their diets as they are to their training. We know that proteins help us build and repair muscles, carbohydrates provide a quick source of fuel for intense training, and fats balance our hormones and help us better absorb certain vitamins. But nutrition extends beyond those macronutrients. Subcategories within them, like probiotics, phytonutrients and enzymes, can have specific and profound impacts on our ability to train hard, recover and stay healthy. In some studies, these nutrients have even been shown to improve performance and reduce muscle soreness caused by hard training. Here are some additional ways they can benefit you and the food sources where you can find them. Probiotics Probiotics are live microorganisms found in foods like yogurt, keffir, cheese, kimchi and sauerkraut, to name a few. These foods conf...

5 Great Muscle Recovery Foods Post-workout recovery has different meanings for every individual. This could include activities such as ice baths, stretching, or just elevating your legs. One of the most important recovery aspects that tends to get neglected is proper nutrition after exercise. What you eat and when you eat can help your body recover quicker and replenish lost energy stores. Eating the closest thing available or what you’re craving is not always the best option but these muscle recovery foods will be sure to have you on the road to feeling great and having a stellar next ride.  5 Great Muscle Recovery Foods Not sure what you should be eating post-workout? Here are 5 great muscle recovery foods to have you feeling great on your next ride. #1 – Quinoa: One of the most important energy stores to replace after a ride are carbohydrates. As a general rule of thumb, you should try to begin to replace lost carbohydrates within twenty minutes of your...

Holiday Cycling and Eating Your Cookies Too! The holiday season brings family and friends together over meals and as cyclists we love to indulge in copious amounts of food, and treat ourselves to some (or lots) of festive drinks.  However with all the rum and eggnog, and mashed potatoes and gravy it is all to easy to pack on some unwanted weight in a short amount of time.  It is important to maintain some holiday cycling so you can treat yourself to your family’s traditions, but there are some ways to help make sure you aren’t overzealous and end up with a muffin top heading into the new year! Holiday Cycling Plan It can be easy to let your fitness and exercise regime go by the wayside when company arrives and you have to organize dinners and events.  However there are some tips to help you maintain some of you cycling fitness over the holidays. Try to get in 30-60 minutes of activity each day.  This will keep your body used to the exercise stimulus. ...

Meal Planning Trumps Your Weight Loss Diet Diets are Setting You Up for Failure While cyclists talk about dropping kilos, diet and weight loss might not be the answer. Weekly meal plans trump the trendiest weight loss diet. You’ve tried The Paleo, Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, and now you’re playing around with The Kytogenics.  The diets all work in the beginning, but they are not really creating healthy habits. You are constantly reminded of what you shouldn’t put in your body, instead of reminding you of what you should be adding to your diet. Weight loss plans remove fat, remove carbs and reduce portion size. The simple concept of adding good quality foods to your diet will help fuel you properly, losing weight in the process. Weight Loss Diets aren’t Fueling your Ride Cyclists should be focusing on what they can add to their diet to improve energy levels before, during and after rides. The calories and nutrients that you deprive your body of during the we...