Dear Mary Poppins, a spoon full of sugar does not make the medicine go down. It makes your blood lipids go up.

By Katherine MacPherson BS, ACSM HFS & UVAC Personal Trainer

My sister’s great way of getting her 3 year old to enjoy watermelon

Growing up I can remember my great grandmother sprinkling sugar over fresh picked and sliced strawberries for us young kids to enjoy.  Sugar overload?  I’m sure I thought those strawberries were perfectly delicious!  Of the US population, we consume on average 25% or more of own DAILY diet in simple sugars (Thompson, Manroe 2009).  And yes, the rumors are true, simple sugars are not that ideal. Let’s sweetly recap:

Glucose: Generally combined with other sugars, it’s a preferred source of energy for the brain and for all cells.

Fructose: Sweet sugar found of veggies and fruit.

Lactose: Milk sugar

Maltose: A disaccharide that contains two molecules of glucose.

Sucrose: A disaccharide that contains one glucose molecule and one fructose molecule.   It’s sweeter than lactose or maltose.

Added Sugars: Brown sugar, dextrose, honey, corn sweeteners, raw sugar, maple sugar, high-fructose corn syrup (this list of added sugars can go on!).  

Sucralose (Splenda):  A man-made product that is not broken down by the body.  Known to be highly sweeter than table sugar, Sucralose is non-caloric.

WHY SHOULD WE SKIP THEM?

·         Large amounts of simple sugars leads to unhealthy levels of blood lipids.  Meaning an increased risk of triglycerides (lipids in our blood) and LDL’s (the bad cholesterol.) 

·         High sugar intakes contributes to obesity.  Obesity contributes to diabetes.  

·         Tooth decay!

 cravingsugar.net

DON’TS: 

·         It is clear today that soda would probably be the first additive sugar item to deduct from your diet. Two reasons for two kinds of sodas:

1.       Non-diet sodas contain over 2-8 tablespoons of sugar. Ouch, call the dentist ASAP?

2.       Diet sodas typically contain aspartame or sucralose, remember the words “man-made” from the recap section of this blog?  When the body tries to break down those ingredients, it will start to process them as if they were true glucose, increasing the rate of insulin production.  Once the body figures out it is not real glucose, your body will lower its blood pressure so that you’ll be hungry enough to soon ingest the real form of glucose so that the insulin can be successful stored. 

·         Avoid doubling up on sweets.  Fruit and veggies are naturally tasty and ready for you to eat.  Adding sugar, or honey for an example to them will only retrain your taste buds to think they aren’t sweet enough.

·         “I’ll take my coffee with two creams and 3 sugar packets please.” YIKES, biggest don’t!  What a terrible way to sneak in sugar.  Your taste buds WILL adapt to a deduction!

Example equation: If you put in 3 tablespoons of sugar in your one cup of coffee a day, that is 1,008 calories at the end of the week.  That is 1/3 of a pound of fat just from your one cup of coffee a day!

DO’S

·         Drink it, eat it, AS IS! Your fruits and veggies have the sugar already in it, why add to it?

·         Baking with sugar can be tricky, but my personal recommendation is that you use natural resources, like maple syrup, or sugar in the raw.   They are unbleached and readily digestible compared to many other resources.

·         One of my clients got me a bumper sticker saying “READ THE INGREDIENTS!” and it could not be more true.  Cereals, drinks, baked goods, pretty much ALL foods that come with a nutrition label, you should read before you buy it or consume it! Remember 14 grams of sugar = 1 TBS.

Resources from Nutrition; An Applied Approach.  Second Edition. J. Thompson, M. Manroe.
Second photo credit to cravingsugar.net

Have any cooking tips or tricks? Or maybe some sugar reduction success stories? Fill us readers in!

Love What You Do

Everyone knows that Andre Agassi hates tennis, and Keith Foulke hates baseball. And I hate both baseball and tennis. Now, the irony is I'm extremely talented tennis player. In a way, I kind of feel like Andre. Really really ridiculously good (looking) at tennis, but with no interest what-so-ever in the sport. Maybe I could get into it if people threw buckets of money at me. Maybe. But I'm no Scrooge McDuck. I can't even swim in water, let alone buckets of money. And seeing as I already have all of the things I need in life, adding hitting sessions with famous good looking country club people and collared shirts would be something akin to torture.

So I almost never play tennis. And I definitely don’t play baseball. I'll skip the Keith Foulke analogy I had planned because I'm guessing we're far enough removed from the last Red Sox world series win to have forgotten about him entirely. He wasn't integral to the point of this post anyway. Which is:

Why DO people insist on doing things that they're good at rather than things that they love to do?

8 Reasons YOU Should Become a Lifeguard

8 Reasons YOU Should Become a Lifeguard

by UVAC Head Lifeguard, Anthony Alvarenga

1.     Make a Difference  

Every day you go to work, you will actively make an impact.  Even just standing there,  you’re very existence promotes safety.  Your job makes the world a better, safer place.

2.     Help Others

From the Band-Aid you put on a child’s knee, to the door you open for an elderly patron, to the horrified swimmer you pull out of the water;  The kindness, care, and compassion you demonstrate is appreciated!

3.     The Chance to Save a Life

 Do I need to say more?

4.     The Challenge  

You don’t just fill out an application to become a lifeguard.  You have to take the course, you have to take the tests, and you have to pass them.  You have to be a good swimmer, and you have to want it!

5.     Experience a TEAM Like No Other

The toughest competition is the one to save somebody’s life.  Lifeguards work together in specific scenarios in an emergency.  They train in these scenarios together, they learn them together.  NOBODY is ever standing around.  Camaraderie, friendship, respect, loyalty is all part of the lifeguarding TEAM.

6.     Stay in Shape

Yeah lifeguards are in shape!  The job is physical and demanding.  Lifeguards are physically and mentally fit. Ready to act!

7.     Maturity

This is a serious job with serious consequences.  If you’re somebody that has these qualities, this is the job to showcase them!

8.     Something New  

 Get out of that restaurant for the summer, aren’t you sick of it by now?

How To Avoid Overuse Injuries

As I type this I have been informed that I have a torn posterior labrum in my shoulder.  The labrum is the cartilage that protects the glenoid fossa (the socket) from the humeral head (the ball).  I sustained this injury through years of throwing baseballs as a catcher all the way through college, and now as a college coach throwing batting practice.  I would put my total number of throws over my lifetime over 1,000,000 if I had to guess.  This is considered an overuse injury—one that isn’t caused by an acute incident or a traumatic accident.

Overuse injuries are one of the fastest growing injuries in sport, and can range from mild shin splints to rotator cuff tendonitis to IT Band Syndrome to plantar fasciitis.  All of these usually occur in people that do repetitive motions over and over again like running, cycling, swimming, tennis, or baseball.  Overuse injuries can sideline an athlete for a whole season, or even a year, if they are not treated soon enough. 

Overuse injuries usually can be controlled with rest, ice, and your favorite NSAIDs, but if they go untreated they can derail your training and leave you in pain on the couch.  So, what should you do?  It depends on what sport you participate in:

·        Swimming: The most common injury is deterioration of the rotator cuff tendons (tendinosis) and can usually be avoided by not swimming when tired, properly warming up, and resistance training.  Strengthening the muscles of the rotator cuff and the muscles supporting the scapula can help.

·        Running:  Running is great for overall health, but can be very hard on the legs—especially if you are starting from scratch.  The most common injuries are shin splints (strained anterior tibialis muscle, to the point where it starts to pull bone fragments off the tibia in severe cases), plantar fasciitis (inflammation and aggravation of the thick tissue on the bottom of the foot), and IT Band Syndrome (thickening and shortening of the connective tissue supporting the outside of the upper leg).

o   Shin Splints: RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation).  A good tip is to take Dixie cups, fill them with water and freeze them.  Once frozen, peel the paper off and apply the ice in a figure 8 motion over the affected area.  Another thing would be to mid foot or toe strike when running instead of heel striking.

o   Plantar Fasciitis:  RICE.  Foam rolling the muscles of the lower leg will help alleviate tension further down the kinetic chain.  You can also take a tennis ball, lacrosse ball, or golf ball and roll it, front to back, on the bottom of your foot.

o   IT Band Syndrome:  The IT band is a little trickier as it is usually very tender once it is aggravated.  Foam rolling of the TFL (Tensor Fascia Latae) and the IT band from the hip to the knee will help release tension.  NSAIDs can help with knee pain associated with the ITB Syndrome.  These stretches will also help stretch the TFL and the IT Band:

 

·        Cycling: The most common overuse injury in cycling is IT Band Syndrome and Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome related knee pain. For the IT Band see above, for Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome resistance training will usually help alleviate pain associated with incorrect tracking of the patella.  Focusing on the glutes and hamstrings and less on the quadriceps will help the knee cap track correctly.

·        Overhead sports:  Sports like baseball, softball, volleyball, and tennis all have similar overhead throwing motions and also have similar modalities to keep you healthy.  Most importantly is making sure your shoulder and scapula work in harmony with each other.  If they don’t, you may be impinging your rotator cuff tendon between the humeral head and the inferior side of the acromion. Strengthening the muscle of the rotator cuff, the muscle supporting the scapula, and keeping proper posture will help keep you healthy!

If you have any questions about overuse injuries please leave them in the comments below!  If you would like to talk with me directly about how to keep you healthy, contact me at jgrainger@uvac-swim.org.

Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze?

As a 30 year old part time professional athlete with no children, no student loans, and a 9-5 job down at the button factory, I'm always looking for new and exciting ways to fill the uncountable hours of free time I have every day.

If you're in the same boat (or, wish you could be), I've finally found the perfect way to kill all that free time your friends and family are always telling you you're wasting.

Why don't I get a real job Dad? I'll tell you why. Because I'm too busy

JUICING

10 Reasons You Should Learn How To Swim

As the Swim Lesson Director at the Upper Valley Aquatic Center, I want to share with you some reasons why learning to swim is SO important! With summer right around the corner, the necessity grows much stronger as we will be in and around water for many of our days.

10 Reasons You Should Learn How To Swim:

1     Safety

According to the Center for Disease Control, “Every day, about ten people die from unintentional drowning. Of these, two are children aged 14 or younger. Drowning is the sixth leading cause of unintentional injury death for people of all ages, and the second leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 14 years.” Register now for swim lessons at uvac-swim.org.

2    Fun

Swimming is an enjoyable activity that can be done at any age!

3    Exercise

Keep fit by swimming laps or trying aqua aerobics.

4    Opportunity

You need to know how to swim if you want to go boating, kayaking, canoeing,

snorkeling, go to the beach, tubing, water skiing, surfing, or sailing.

5    Experience

Swimming is one more thing to make you a well-rounded individual.

6    Health

Swimming is a great way to keep your heart and body healthy.

7    Life-Long Skill
No matter what age, swimming is a skill you will always use.   

Safety, exercise, or opportunity.

8    Employment

Lifeguarding or teaching swim lessons to others. UVAC now trains lifeguards   

and swim instructors.

9    Leisure
Relaxing way to detach from your crazy world for a little while.

10  Competition
Push yourself and compete against others to improve your

endurance and ability. Check out UVAC’s Master’s Program or AdultSwim Lessons!

Catherine Pearson

Swim Lesson Director

Upper Valley Aquatic Center

SwimAmerica Instructor Certified

American Red Cross Water Safety Instructor Certified

802-296-2850 ext 106

cpearson@uvac-swim.org

UVAC MASTERS SWIMMERS AMONG NATION'S BEST

Barbara Hummel, UVAC Master's Coach and
Outstanding Performer at 3rd Annual Spring Meet

Ten members of our UVRays masters swim team have achieved national top-ten status in their events in 2011.  United States Masters Swimming, the governing body for the sport, compiles results from hundreds of meets during the year to compile its top-10 lists by age groups.  More than 50,000 athletes compete in meets during the year in search of the coveted honor.   The top UVRays (and their number of top-10 rankings):  Fritz Bedford (17); Arnold Meardon (12); head coach Barbara Hummel (9); Mary Gentry, Ruth Stavis, and Cynthia Barton (2 each); Richard DiLalla, Sarah Mooney, Don Graber, and Bob Harris (1 each).

RECORDS FALL AT UVAC MASTERS MEET

With head coach Barbara Hummel leading the way, the UVRays contributed one New England record and 32 meet marks at the 3rd Annual Spring in Vermont Masters Swim Meet held at UVAC on May 19th.  Hummel came within a hundredth of a second of tying the national record in the 50 breaststroke for women age 60-64, setting a regional record in the process with a time of 36.31.   UVRays setting meet records (and wins) included:  Kim Lloyd, Travis Dennison, Bethany Bosch, Scott Matchett, Brian Shiner, Steve Hiller, Julie Acker, Hillary Rockey, meet director Mary Gentry, Fritz Bedford, UVAC lifeguard Kelly Crosset, Arnold Meardon, Dave Jones, Mike Mundy, and Sean Uiterwyk.