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Fasting & Fastness...

Thursday, 12 December 2013 00:10

By Adam Kelinson (triathlon.competitor.com)

Find out how incorporating a centuries-old nutrition tradition could help you come out of the off-season on a stronger note.

Athletes are always trying to get an edge on the competition. Most of the time the points of entry are through gear and nutritional technology, and with those it’s always about the input. But what if gaining a competitive edge came in the form of not doing something? And what if that “not doing” related to your food intake? For most athletes the idea of not eating conjures up thoughts that range from ridiculous to absurd. But, using a centuries-old tradition for maintaining health could soon become part of your next training plan. ....

Fasting does not always mean the complete absence of food. In fact, some fasts incorporate eating into their modality, so for athletes a better term to use would be cleansing. Even better would be “recovery,” something that John Ivy, author of The Performance Zone, feels athletes do not pay enough attention to or understand how it relates to performance. The stresses and rigors placed upon a body during the racing season, along with the production of free radicals and the consumption of processed foods and fuels, can result in muscle and cell damage, injuries, digestive problems and an overall lack of vitality. Without proper recovery, these issues only subside until they are exacerbated by the racing season. You can’t have an “on-season” without having an off-season, and exercising is only half of the equation. READ MORE