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Lead Stories: Saturday, September 6, 2008

ASK FLASH: Questions regarding nutrition, diets, supplements and more…

Posted March 31st, 2007 at 1:41 PM by Joshua Flash Gordon

Section: Nutrition, Healthy Eating, Supplements, Columns, Ask Flash

Need advice? Injured? Confused? Overwhelmed? Bored? ASK FLASH!
ASK FLASH is a free advice column to help you with all of your running, fitness and nutrition inquiries. To ASK FLASH — simply fill out the form at the conclusion of the column.

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The most frequent topic that I get asked about is nutrition. We are all in search of ‘the perfect food‘ or ‘the ideal diet’ to complement our training.

Furthermore, many runners, and athletes in general, are looking for the ‘quick fix’ or supplements that will lead to certain improvement. It is a topic worthy of considerable discussion, but also one that can be difficult to fully grasp and/or resolve.

However, there a few fundamental concepts (that many of us are already familiar with) that everyone should keep in mind:
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Study: Pseudoephedrine can improve performance of runners and other athletes

Posted February 8th, 2007 at 11:02 AM by Megan Hueter

Section: Nutrition, Supplements

Pseudoephedrine (commonly sold over the counter as Sudafed in 30mg or 120mg) is an over-the-counter drug derived from the plant ephedra which is used to relieve nasal and sinus congestion.

New research from a 2006 study published in Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise found that pseudoephedrine decreases run times by 2.1% in a group of 1500-m runners.

Pseudoephedrine is derived from the plant genus ephedra, also known as ma huang, which has over 40 different species and can be broken down to nearly 30,000 different tones, most found in the plant’s stem. Ephedrine, a well-known herbal weight-loss supplement, is also derived from ephedra.

Ephedrine accounts for 90% of alkaloid content (meaning it generates the biggest physiological response in the body), whereas pseudoephedrine accounts for only 27% alkaloid content. In order to understand the impact of pseudoephedrine, it is necessary to understand the ethical debate over its original source, ephedra.
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Opt for an outdoor run to chase away the winter blues

Posted January 8th, 2007 at 6:30 AM by Valerie Cerami

Section: Running & Training, Motivation, Training Tips, Health & Fitness, Exercise

Are you feeling lethargic? Craving carbs? Noticing sleep disturbances? Experiencing depression? Anxious? Gaining weight? Having difficulty concentrating?

If so, you’re not alone – and you’re not crazy! If you’re seemingly sad, you may be feeling (the effects of) S.A.D. The acronym stands for: seasonal affective disorder - a.k.a. the winter blues. A real condition we are all susceptible to.

Even a party animal like Mike Jagger sometimes needs to sing the blues … Take a gander at some lyrics from “Winter”, by The Rolling Stones

It’s sure been a cold, cold winter
And a lotta love is all burned out
It’s sure been a hard, hard winter
My feet been draggin’ ‘cross the ground

In fact, it’s not all that unusual to be affected by this affliction. You’re in good - and plentiful – company. SAD affects half a million people every winter between September and April, peaking in December, January, and February.
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Supermarkets now using Guiding Stars to lead you to healthy foods

Posted December 15th, 2006 at 2:30 PM by Jenna Sumara

Section: Nutrition, Healthy Eating, Health & Fitness, Weight Loss

Every day it seems we are bombarded with some new nutritional guideline to follow. One week anything with a carb is feared; the next week its low sodium only. So how can you decide what type of food is nutritious enough to buy on your trip to super market?
Well . . if you live in New England, just follow the stars!

Hannaford Brothers, a N.E. food chain, has created a system they call Guiding Stars that claims to help you make those decisions. Needless to say, this has many people in the food industry up in arms. This new system rates the nutritional values for food and drinks sold at its stores from zero to three stars. The ratings might surprise you.
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