beta-alanine

Last week, our coaches Andie and Michael walked us through how runners should be thinking about using protein supplements and which of some commonly taken vitamins are beneficial for runners. If you have not already listened to that episode, you can find part 1 of our underrated vs overrated nutrition edition, released July 21st, on whatever platform you like to listen to your podcasts. There were a lot of great insights in that show and I highly recommend you give it a listen.

This week, Andie and Michael are back to finish off this conversation on underrated vs. overrated with topics including:

• Can your morning cup of coffee improve running performance?
• Do you need to take gels for your longer races?
• Are fasted runs beneficial to your performance?
• And so much more!

Let’s get into it!

Timestamps:

• Beetroot juice: 2:56
• Beta-alanine: 8:10
• Caffeine: 12:41
• Gels & hydration mixes: 19:02
• Fasted runs: 25:34
• Carb loading: 33:23
• Keto: 37:53
• Final thoughts: 46:50 

Connect, Comment, Community

• Follow RunnersConnect on Instagram
• Join the Elite Treatment where you get first dibs on everything RTTT each month!
• Runners Connect Winner's Circle Facebook Community 
• RunnersConnect Facebook page
• GET EXPERT COACHING AT RUNNERSCONNECT!

This week’s show brought to you by:

UCAN

If you’re looking for a better energy gel that contains no sugar and instead uses a revolutionary slow burning carbohydrate called LIVESTEADY, then you should check out UCAN.

Independent, peer-reviewed studies have shown LIVESTEADY is absorbed quickly through the stomach to reduce GI distress, yet is released into the blood stream slowly to provide sustained fueling without the spikes and crashes typically associated with traditional gels. 

By avoiding the sugar spikes, UCAN can help be less reliant on frequent feedings of sugar-based fuels during the run.

All this data means using UCAN can help you avoid hitting the dreaded wall during the half, full and ultra marathon distance.

Head to https://runnersconnect.net/UCAN to get 6 Edge energy gels for FREE. All you pay is shipping. You can also save 20% on your entire order at ucan.co with code RUNNERSCONNECT

DriSeats

If you’re tired of sweaty, smelly and stained seats after your runs then you have to check out the car seat covers made specifically for runners from driseats.

DriSeats waterproof seat covers are designed specifically for runners. Unlike towels, they are 100% waterproof and easily fit over your entire seat so you don’t have any missed spots.

Plus, they are super easy to slide over your seat so it’s ready in seconds and they are machine washable so they are easy to clean and be ready for your next run.

You can head to driseats.com and use code RC20 to get 20% off first order

Last week, our coaches Andie and Michael walked us through how runners should be thinking about using protein supplements and which of some commonly taken vitamins are beneficial for runners. If you have not already listened to that episode, you can find part 1 of our underrated vs overrated nutrition edition, released July 21st, on whatever platform you like to listen to your podcasts. There were a lot of great insights in that show and I highly recommend you give it a listen.

This week, Andie and Michael are back to finish off this conversation on underrated vs. overrated with topics including:

• Can your morning cup of coffee improve running performance?
• Do you need to take gels for your longer races?
• Are fasted runs beneficial to your performance?
• And so much more!

Let’s get into it!

Timestamps:

• Beetroot juice: 2:56
• Beta-alanine: 8:10
• Caffeine: 12:41
• Gels & hydration mixes: 19:02
• Fasted runs: 25:34
• Carb loading: 33:23
• Keto: 37:53
• Final thoughts: 46:50 

Connect, Comment, Community

• Follow RunnersConnect on Instagram
• Join the Elite Treatment where you get first dibs on everything RTTT each month!
• Runners Connect Winner's Circle Facebook Community 
• RunnersConnect Facebook page
• GET EXPERT COACHING AT RUNNERSCONNECT!

This week’s show brought to you by:

UCAN

If you’re looking for a better energy gel that contains no sugar and instead uses a revolutionary slow burning carbohydrate called LIVESTEADY, then you should check out UCAN.

Independent, peer-reviewed studies have shown LIVESTEADY is absorbed quickly through the stomach to reduce GI distress, yet is released into the blood stream slowly to provide sustained fueling without the spikes and crashes typically associated with traditional gels. 

By avoiding the sugar spikes, UCAN can help be less reliant on frequent feedings of sugar-based fuels during the run.

All this data means using UCAN can help you avoid hitting the dreaded wall during the half, full and ultra marathon distance.

Head to https://runnersconnect.net/UCAN to get 6 Edge energy gels for FREE. All you pay is shipping. You can also save 20% on your entire order at ucan.co with code RUNNERSCONNECT

DriSeats

If you’re tired of sweaty, smelly and stained seats after your runs then you have to check out the car seat covers made specifically for runners from driseats.

DriSeats waterproof seat covers are designed specifically for runners. Unlike towels, they are 100% waterproof and easily fit over your entire seat so you don’t have any missed spots.

Plus, they are super easy to slide over your seat so it’s ready in seconds and they are machine washable so they are easy to clean and be ready for your next run.

You can head to driseats.com and use code RC20 to get 20% off first order

The "pre-workout" supplement market is a popular product category that hasn't always existed. It offers things that work and others that really don't. Many are dietary stimulants but others take unique approaches. Tune in for a list of these ingredients, a question for listeners, some upcoming academic articles on the matter, and a rant on what Dr. L has learned over the years.

Beta-alanine is a supplement that can help improve exercise performance in intense exercise that is anywhere from 1-10 minutes. The research shows a 3-4% improvement on average for intense exercise in this range if taken for a sufficient amount of time. But there is reason to believe that the research commonly utilises sub-optimal protocols, so you can potentially get even more benefit than this.

(0:00) - Intro

(0:36) - What Is Beta-Alanine & How Does It Work?

(2:16) - Who Would Benefit?

(5:18) - Optimal Dose

(7:43) - How to Take It & Avoiding Paraesthesia 

(10:54) - Side Effects

(13:23) - Slow Release Beta-Alanine

(15:40) - Outro

WEBSITE: https://www.idealnutrition.com.au/

PODCAST: https://www.idealnutrition.com.au/podcast/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/idealnutrition__/?hl=en

Our dietitians 👇

Aidan Muir @aidan_the_dietitian

Leah Higl @plantstrong_dietitian

Tyler Brooks @lift_dietetics

Hanah Mills @hanahmills

Samantha Staines @nourished.by.sammy

Monica Cvoro @fuellingperformance

Josh Wernham @josh_does_health

The sports supplement market is big business, but the reality is that most of these supplements have little evidence for a benefit. It is not all negative news though because there is a small group of supplements that are backed by science and which can play a performance-enhancing role in some athletes. In this series on sports supplements, I will profile this group of supplements and for this podcast, the spotlight is on beta-alanine. 

Links referred to in the podcast 

• IOC consensus statement on dietary supplements and the high-performance athlete https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/52/7/439 
• Sports Dietitians Australia  www.sportsdietitians.com.au

Episode transcript
To access the full episode transcript, go to the following link and select the individual podcast episode and then click on the ‘Transcript’ tab https://thinkingnutrition.buzzsprout.com

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