In this guest post by Terry Jones, he addresses needs of 40+ year old mountain bikers and all mountain bikers in general in regards to supplements and riding.
As 40-somethings, our bodies are much different when we were 16 years old, 25 years old, and even when we were 35! It is part of the dynamics of being human and the more we understand aging effects on our persons, the better we can help our bodies perform at peak levels.
Author Note: please note that I am not being paid for nor am I endorsing any of the supplements I discuss in this column-I am simply responding to requests from a previous column asking for more in-depth information on older mountain bikers nutritional needs. With that out of the way, allow me to wax eloquent with a short anecdote that, I promise, will soon make a connection to nutrition and supplements.
With the exception of a break here and there, I have been an avid bodybuilder for several years (competed twice) and I am bragging ever so slightly when I tell you that it shows. I am somewhat scientific about it, take it and my health quite seriously and, too, I really take pride in the way lifting heavy weights truly enhances my trail riding, especially in the notorious Florida sugar sand (subject for another column).
A few months ago, I was doing lat pulls in the gym when a much older, grayer and overweight (beer gut overweight) guy came over to tell me that I was doing the exercise wrong; I should be gripping the bar lower therefore lifting the same weight but easier. If you recognize this situation, you are surmising correctly that I was annoyed to say the least. I certainly applaud his devotion to better health but, he was not Arnold Schwarzenegger and should have been concerned less about me and more about himself. Being a public school math teacher of quite some time, I have learned over the years to be kind when I really wanted to say how I really feel so, I lightly explained that I was working my upper back, hence the higher and wider grip and that a lower grip works the inside/lower back. I added that being a relatively short 5’7, I benefited much more from upper back exercises for a variety of reasons and not the least is that upper body strength drastically augments my trail biking.
To digress and be somewhat mean, there is something about bombarding someone with facts that is just beyond gratifying to me. He nodded his head gently and went about his way and I continued my lat pulls.
I promised that this would make sense so let me wrap it up by stating that if Robb had asked ten people to write ten articles on proper weightlifting, he would get ten different responses. It is very personal and, beyond the basics, what works for one person may not work that well for another. You and you alone are the total expert on your body. You know what works best for you through trial and error and not some know-it-all who thinks differently.
Well, nutrition and supplements fall in the same category in that, beyond the basics, are very similar to people’s views on weight lifting techniques. Claims for and against certain supplement and nutritional strategies are often vigorously argued. In one camp, proponents’ state that as long as one eats well balanced meals, no additional nutrition is needed while the opposite camp claims that the body needs enormous amounts of supplements to remain in peak condition. Truthfully, I disagree with both of them and find that, depending on the person, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. While I welcome a good argument, I am NOT telling you that my nutrition and supplements work for you. I will certainly share my knowledge on nutrition and supplements that works very well for me at 45 (and agonizingly close to 46) years old.
As mountain bikers, we know how hard we push ourselves. Add to that any other exercise such as running, weightlifting, etc. and we begin to really demand a lot from ourselves and this is one reason why I am so proud to be a member of the work hard-play hard mountain bike community. The result is very simple-our bodies need more than just “well balanced meals” to handle the day in-day out physical demands placed upon it. How do we handle these needs? Well, eating correctly is one way but supplements add another dimension!
I mentioned in a previous column that as older bikers, our fat intake needs to decrease greatly while our consumption of lean clean meats, whole grains, and fruit and veggies needs to increase. Consume plenty of water and, personally, I also drink pomegranate, cranberry, blueberry and acai juices (more on this in a minute). I lower my intake of raw salt, rarely, if ever, drink a soda and stay as far away from fast foods and processed foods as I can. Okay, you have that part handled but how can you improve on it?
Total® cereal. – Hands down it is a nutritional powerhouse and can qualify as a super food all by itself. If you do not want to pay the higher price for the name brand, Wal-Mart™ has a store brand at less than half the price and it is the exact thing, albeit in a plain box.
Milk! – I use Smart Balance® milk as it is higher in protein and lower in fat than regular milk and it is infused with plant based (flax seed) Omega 3. If you do not know the necessity of Omega 3, allow me to educate you!
Omega 3 – For us older folks, is a super food beyond compare. Our hearts, joints, brain, prostrate and liver need it as it has been processed out of so many foods today and as mountain bikers, it is essential and, dare I say vital. For a better in-depth study of the benefits, click here: healthyomega3.com. We older bikers place demands on our bodies that mere mortal men would find astonishing. We must, I say, must take care of our internal organs through supplemental Omega 3. As always, there is a catch:
Honestly, you get what you pay for so look before you buy! Some manufacturers recommended taking six pills a day. “ I’ll take “ludicrous” for $100 please Alex.” Personally, I use a very good Krill oil for its purity and density and only one pill per day is recommended. Does it work? You yourself need to make this decision. Personally, my annual physicals and blood tests are poster children for perfect health. My heart has not been more healthier or happier in years. The argument can be made that it is not Krill Oil but my good eating habits and hard exercise that does it but I disagree. Again, I know what works for me.
Vitamin Supplement – I have witnessed more vicious arguments on vitamin supplements than I have about religion and politics combined and this has been just at the gym! There is a little exaggeration here but not much. As a side note-taking the wrong vitamin can be costly and, sometimes, risky (yes, people have suffered damage from overusing vitamins). Good information can be read on vitamins can be read here: Are vitamins supplements really worth it? Over the years I have gone periods of time without consuming a multivitamin. Truthfully, as soon as I include them in my regimen, I notice a difference in just a couple of days. Taking one before hitting the trail has always minimized my weariness and increased my alertness. Mountain biking requires a lot from your body and taking a good vitamin replaces what is lost. Personally, I use a tested and approved multivitamin that it goes a little beyond the 100% daily value (dv). Again, one person told me (don’t you just love those who are experts on your body?) that I did not need that much and it just got flushed down the toilet. My response was that squatting 500 lbs during the week and biking 20 + miles on the weekend placed demands on my body that a normal vitamin would not even begin to touch. All I know is that this one vitamin, out of all that I tried, works best for me.
Author note: always read and obey the directions on any supplement that you consume. If in doubt, consult your physician.
100% Juice! – (no, NOT juice drinks!) Yes, even 100% fruit juice is high in sugar but it is also a mega-source of antioxidants! Antioxidants are the kick-butt nutrients that assist in repairing our bodies as well as a suit of armor to protect us against the bad things we sometimes eat (aptly named “free radicals”). Now, many juices come in a “plus” variety where they are infused with the all important B vitamins. B vitamins are a primary source of core strength and stamina.
There are countless other supplements but you have to make the determination whether they are all hype, help, or both. In a recently weightlifting magazine of 133 pages, literally 64 pages of it was advertisements for supplements, some of which were just downright weird. Be educated in your strive for superior health and do not fall victim to the hyperbole.
Eating uber healthy must be expensive, right? Wrongo my fellow bikers!! Albertson’s often (monthly) has “buy one-get one free” specials on vitamins and sports supplements. Publix often has buy one-get one free name brand, high quality 100% juice sales while the top selling Krill Oil (self proclaimed I suppose) is often on sale and the company’s website often has $2 or $3 dollar coupons for a 60 day supply.
I want to stress, once again that these supplements work very well for me. I will say that most of the sportsmen I work/play with follow a very similar supplemental routine with many of the same products. Again, it is what works for us.
With this being said, do not shortchange yourself. As mountain bikers, we put unbelievable demands on our bodies and we must take care of ourselves. Eat healthy and bike hard!
Terry Jones, a military vet, is a 45 (soon to be 46) year old mountain biker, bodybuilder and middle school math teacher who lives in Central Florida.