Swimming tends to be the most difficult leg of a triathlon for athletes. Why is this? I believe it is because people are scared, frustrated, lacking knowledge, or time constrained. For one or more of these reasons athletes don’t master the swim. Even when they get confident in the pool they still struggle in races. So I’m setting out to help you conquer the reason the swim is tough for you.

Swimming is all about being comfortable in the water. If you are scared then you are fighting the water. Did you have a traumatic experience as a kid near water? It could have been in the bathtub or friend’s pool or at the beach. If that experience wasn’t dealt with then you may have a lot of anxiety around water. If this is you then you can’t expect to start swimming laps and training for a triathlon. First you must become comfortable in the water!

How do you get comfortable (if you are already a swimmer these are still great drills for you to work on).
Float on your back
Float on your stomach
Kick on your side with fins on
Sink to the bottom
Bobs

Are you frustrated in the water? Do you feel like you are fighting and getting too tired every time you swim? I’d say that would lead to hating the swim for sure. Once you are comfortable in the water you need to become efficient. Think about how you would feel if you had to ride into a 20mph headwind every time you got on the bike. That is exactly what most people are doing who lack efficiency in the water! There is absolutely NO reason to be frustrated. Anyone can become more efficient in the water, well except may be Katie Ledecky and Michael Phelps. The best way to become more efficient is to get a coach to work with you. Shameless plug - I hold swim clinics every fall and winter with a couple of phenomenal coaches - Carol Henry and Brianna Phillips. They are incredibly reasonably priced to rid you of the frustration around swimming. (www.hislopcoaching.com and hislopcoaching on Facebook). There are many great coaches and swim instructors who can really help with getting you efficient, so bump this to the top of your to do list. Sometimes improvement does mean one on one instruction.

So often I see people in the pool training for a triathlon. They are swimming laps and psyched as they hit 500 without stopping and then 1000 and 1500. They get in 3 times a week and swim that distance - non stop. Then they wonder why their swim leg isn’t improving. Why is the swim in the race still hard? If you go out an run 3 miles at 8:30 pace every day you can be pretty confident that you will run an 8:30 pace in your next 5K. Figuring out swim workouts can be tough. Knowing what drills are right for you and how to figure out intervals isn't easy. Another place a coach can help or joining Masters swim. Most people don't realize that masters in swimming is anyone over 25! We have some great masters swim groups at the Southern Saratoga Y on Wednesday mornings at 5:30 am  and Tuesday/Thursday from 12-1pm. Both will start up the 2nd week in September.

Time is always an issue with swimming. It takes time to get to the pool, change, swim, change and get on with your day. So try to make your pool trips more effective. Do your strength work after the swim or swim and jump in a spin class. For those who don't love getting wet in the winter a Vasa trainer is an option. The Vasa allows you to swim on dry land with power. It can be an incredibly intense workout and really allows you to perfect your catch and pull. You can sign up for Vasa trainings here.

CBD is the current rage. Everyone's talking about it but what do we really need to know?

Let's start with what is CBD?
Cannabinoids are chemical compounds that are found in plants within the cannabis family, including hemp and marijuana. Cannabidiol (CBD) is the cannabinoid that has many touted medical benefits in a natural and non-habit form.  CBD won't get you high; THC is the component of cannabis responsible for that.

To further confuse the market you may see hemp oil - often in soaps, lotions and other products. It is not the same as CBD oil. Hemp oil comes primarily from seeds of the plant, and the seeds contain no or only very small (trace) amounts of CBD.

When a market explodes there are great products as well as knows-offs with no redeeming value. The CBD market is expected to multiply sevenfold by 2021, to $2.15 billion from roughly $292 million in 2016, according to the Brightfield Group, a market research firm that specializes in cannabis. With that kind of growth you can expect a lot of companies jumping into the market.

You now find CBD products—oils, tinctures, vaporization liquids, pills—at gas stations, vape/smoke shops, candy stores, and in states where legal, marijuana dispensaries. The options on-line   abound. Tri-Sports is carrying at least 3 different CDB product lines.

Why is it so popular?
The Food and Drug Administration approved a prescription drug made from marijuana, with CBD as its active ingredient. Epidiolex cut seizures by about 40 percent in people with two rare but devastating forms of epilepsy. Now research suggests that CBD has properties that could translate into better health. For example a study back in 2009, found CBD to be an anti-inflammatory. Today many people are using to help with arthritis and some forms of pain. And it has many effects on brain chemistry, which could ease anxiety, insomnia, and depression, among others. An article in Medical News Today points to some of the research published.

An area that is getting a lot of attention is opioid addiction. Some animal studies and early research in humans suggest that CBD may help treat that problem and other forms of substance abuse. And other reports have shown that states with medical marijuana laws have seen drops in the rates of opioid deaths and use, possibly as people turn to cannabis products (which include CBD) as alternatives.

It is interesting to read the research as there are studies done on patients with Multiple Sclerosis, psoriasis, lupus and other auto immune diseases. A study published on the August 2018 issue of Frontiers in Immunolgy found “our studies suggest that CBD may constitute an excellent candidate for the treatment of MS and other autoimmune diseases.”
Of course there are studies that show CBD does very little to help with various conditions, so the jury is technically still out. However the National Institutes of Health has awards millions toward cannabis and specifically CBD research. Anecdotal reports are plentiful.

Should I try it?
Because CBD is not regulated from the FDA there is not clear dosing information. In studies the dosing is typically quite a bit higher than what companies marketing the products would and do suggest. As with any supplement you want to know if it has an potential interactions with current medications.

Who should stay away? Medical experts say women who are breastfeeding or pregnant. The known side effects are tiredness, diarrhea and change in appetite and weight (typically not the direction everyone wants).

The biggest issue is that since the supplement market is not regulated you have no idea what is in the product. You should look for products with CBD (not just cannabinoids) and have the amount of CBD per serving. Better yet are products that have third party testing. In states where marijuana is legal the CBD products are regulated. In states like NY it is not, so the CBD oil you got at the gas station may just be coconut and essential oils. Since this is a fast growing industry it is better to understand where and how the hemp is grown. You also want to know what else is in your oil or lotion. Look for a full spectrum CBD oil. If the company is saying that their product will cure everything then steer away. Again there hasn’t been enough research to prove conclusively that CDB will provide pain relief in all patients. However the research is promising enough that you may want to add it into your health protocol.

How much do you need?
More is not better! Any reputable company will tell you to start with small doses. Appropriate dosing depends on the product, body weight, gender, metabolism and body chemistry. Many of the CBD oils come with a stopper. You can start with a drop or two under the tongue. Hold it there for at least 30 seconds before swallowing. Effects can be as quick as 30-90 minutes. You will also find CBD in capsules, gummies and lotions.

The tinctures that you put under your tongue is the fastest way to get CBD into your system. The capsules and gummies tend to be lower concentrations and get absorbed into through your digestive tract. When CBD is administered sublingually (under your tongue)  absorption is achieved within 10‐15 minutes, which is generally much faster than when ingested orally. From a value standpoint, sublingual is more cost effective since the percent of each dose absorbed is generally higher than that achieved by oral ingestion (capsules). If you are interested in a slower release then maybe capsules or gummies are the right option.

Another delivery mechanism for CBD is the largest organ - your skin. Many of the pain relief lotions include menthol in oil or cream bases. These creams deliver CBD to a localized area and are typically used for pain and inflammation. Many athletes have turned to CBD lotions to help with muscle soreness and inflammation due to training.

The World Anti Doping Agency removed CBD from its list of banned substances in January, so now more athletes turn to it for pain relief instead of ibuprofen and related drugs. However you want to know how you metabolize substances especially if you are potentially being drug tested. Unless you are using a product that has been 3rd party verified and tested you may be getting more than trace amounts of THC.

Final Thoughts
While it would be nice to get to the route of anxiety and stress and rid our lives of it. That likely won’t happen easily. Stress often leads to less quality sleep which can lead to greater levels of inflammation in the body. Why not try CBD to stop the cycle as you try to alleviate stress and work on anxiety? Athletes aren’t going to stop pushing the bodies and while we need to know pain and now how and when to recover. After a heavy training session a little CBD cream might help with pain so that sleep comes easier. CBD is a better option that NSAIDs that are incredibly hard on the stomach.
Find products that are third party tested. If the company is saying their product will cure every ailment you have then walk away, quickly.

Start with a low dose and see how you feel. For systemic inflammation, auto immune conditions, anxiety, depression or sleep issues then I would go for the full spectrum CBD in a dropper bottle. A couple of drops under the tongue for 30 seconds and then swallow. If you are looking for relief from muscle pain or arthritic pain then I would look at the rubs or salves. If it is a skin condition like psoriasis or rosacea then a lotion would be a good option. Typically those conditions are related to your gut health, so dietary changes are needed as well, but you can get topical relief from lotions.
We need to get through daily life so let's do it with the best products out there and really help ourselves. I've teamed up with Power Surge Wellness  (grown in Oregon, processed in Florida and 3rd party tested) to provide you with some of the products that I think are really good and a couple of my favorites are the Freeze Rub and the Full Spectrum Tincture.

Check out Hislop Coaching to try some today.
Questions?

What is your goal? Many people use diet and exercise to get to those goals. But are they actually doing what their body needs? You might be cutting calories and watching your macros to lose weight. But how many calories do you need a day? Are you actually under eating or eating the wrong ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates?

You might be trying to gain muscle and get a better body composition, but if all you are doing is burning your sugar stores then you might not get to your goal!

If your goal is better health then would it be amazing to have a starting point. I agree to a point that how your clothes fit is a better gauge than the number on the scale, but even better is knowing how your body uses the fuel you put in each day. Are you burning the 70,000+ calories of fat you have stored or are you churning through the mere 2,500 calories of carbohydrates? I believe most people want to be burning fat when they are sitting watching a good movie, or doing errands, or most activities during the day. If you are an athlete and looking to do events longer than an hour, then you really want to know what your fuel mix looks like at rest and then as you work progressively harder. A resting metabolic test will give you that data at rest and a VO2 gives you the information as you start to exercise and move to your anaerobic threshold (and beyond).

I talk about the value, but sometimes pictures can really help. I had hoped to do a resting metabolic test before a class this morning, but ran out of time. I did an Orangetheory class in a fasted state - not a great idea for women, but wanted a clean slate for the RMR test post workout. Since I broke my toe earlier in the week I used the elliptical and was able to row, but with a little less power on the leg drive. It was a workout divided between row, elliptical and floor. When there is a lot of down time my HR plummets, so between that and the broken toe it is not surprising that I eked out only 1 coveted splat point. From an aerobic standpoint this should have been a great fat burning session. (stay tuned for a calorie burn analysis with the 4 different devices I have!)

I had to pick Jack up from track before I could get the first RMR test done, so I was 1 hour post workout for the first test. My base REE - resting energy expenditure - what I need to stay alive - was 1397 calories. Yup pretty much a bummer with what I consume daily. But I digress.  My RER or respiratory exchange ratio was .87. RER is the ratio between the amount of CO2 produced in metabolism and O2 used. An RER of .7 means you are using predominantly fat as your fuel source. A value of 1.0 means you are using all carbohydrates (remember we only have 2,500 calories of carbs stored on our bodies at any one time). An RER of .85 will put you in the 50/50 mix realm. When you get to .9 you are predominantly burning sugars and affectionately named a sugar burner by me! At .87 I am higher than I would like to be. I would prefer to be burning through more fat stores when I am sitting in a chair with a nose clip pinching my nostrils closed.

How do you get there? Well nutrition is a HUGE component. Yes, exercise is important and should be a part of everyone’s lives, but it is nutrition that plays bigger role in our overall health. I tell people that to get their body burning more fats they need to change their fuel mix. I tell them that it is important to get protein and good fats in post workout. I tell them that they should strive to get protein in their mouth first at a meal before any good carbohydrates. And guess what - the proof is in the charts.

I did a second RMR test after having 2 eggs with some cheddar cheese and a dollop of guacamole. I had three bites of just the eggs first (and no I am not normally so good at doing what I tell my athletes to do!). The second RMR test was about a half hour after first and just a few minutes after eating. My REE was now 1301 calories. That means that yes there is an after burn effect - however it is small (80 calories) and only last a couple of hours for women. If I had gotten more time at a higher heart rate I would have seen a bit more, but when I did the test a few months ago the extra calorie boost was short lived. The studies on the awesome after burn have been done on men. Sorry ladies don’t count on churning through hundreds of extra calories post workout. The bigger news is that my fuel mix changed. I ate breakfast and then went to do the 2nd test. It was not enough time to get to my stomach and be digested, but during the first phase of digestion your saliva moistening food helps to create a food bolus, so it can be swallowed easily. Saliva contains enzymes that break down some starches and proteins. So you are already digesting before food reaches the stomach. Your brain will receive messages about the food you are eating and allows your body to react. Did you know that if you swish a glucose solution in your mouth your brain will think that the body is going to receive the sugar and will allow the body to react as if those sugars are already circulating in the blood stream.

For the benefit of my athletes I do test things on myself. I did the glucose swishing for a marathon and had great energy until I didn’t because I was dehydrated from not drinking enough! So, while you can trick the body you do need to be smart about it!

Back to the 2nd RMR test. My fuel mix did indeed change. Down to .85. That still is not optimal. I would prefer to be under .8 so I am burning more fats at rest. I know what I need to eat, but I'm still a carb loader/sugar lover. So I am going to work on a more metabolically efficient nutrition plan and in a month test again to see how much I can change my numbers.

If you are interested to see where you are then schedule a Resting Metabolic Rate test. For $50 you can learn a lot. Email [email protected] for more information or to get any questions answered.