drama at the local health food store

[littlegrasshopp]

this is part story and part question...as I never did get an answer out of this crazy lady!

I'm not recovering well from rides. Ex. Sunday we rode 14 hilly miles that were very hard for me - hot and hilly. I was hydrated and took snacks but it was still a hard ride. Monday I did a 4 mile ride that has nothing flat on it - but still nothing too steep. I kept having to get off the bike and rest. I'm not sore - my legs are tired and sluggish. Tues I knew to stay off the bike - but I have to climb stairs at work and my legs are too tired to get up them with any speed. I took a walk at lunch - just to get outside. I was strolling and talking on phone. It was soooo much effort to get those legs to go!!! I'm not sore at all - just have very heavy legs.

So I realize, I'm doing nothing to help recovery at all! In fact, we went out to eat after the ride Sun, and I had a salad and a beer (IMO the beer helps ) but no protein, no carbs! Not a smart recovery choice!! I realized I need to change my nutritional approach and eat to fuel what I'm doing - salads are great but there needs to be more protein and carbs going in to support the level of exercise I'm doing now and I definatly need something for recovery!!

So I went to my trusted Health food store, to get a recovery drink. I didn't see anything. I explained situation to a new sales lady (she says she is a cyclist) and she says she knows exactly what I'm talking about. She tells me I'm menopausal (I'm 35) and I need a massage. I'm a massage therapist. I tell her this and she tells me the same things again and how she went into menopause at 40. Asks if I'm having mood swings and hot flashes. I think it's normal to get hot a bike when it's 90 outside and you're exercising in the sun! I tell her I don't think either thing is the answer and I'm looking for a recovery drink and she starts telling me I need to rub my legs with rosemary oil. I realize the benefits of aromatherapy but again, does she have a recovery suggestion or not? She tells me I shouldn't be having issues like this from a SPIN CLASS!!!!! That's when I just left. I'm sure she thinks my mood was due to the menopause.

So, I went to LBS and got a clif shot recovery drink (they didn't have luna) and I'm taking more vit. C. Next I tackle my daily diet to make needed changes for this type of exercise.

Does this sound logical. smart? Am I over looking something obvious (like menopause?) haha!!

[Becky]

Chocolate milk. I swear by this stuff for recovery- a good mix of protein and carbs, tasty, and cheap

IMO, it sounds like you could eat a few more carbs, especially after riding. Your body continues to use carbs after exercise to replenish its glycogen stores and to repair damage (e.g. sore muscles). Overall, I think that you've formulated a good plan. Post again and let us all know how it goes!

[mimitabby]

good grief. the health food lady sounds clueless. menopause has nothing to do with your heavy legs.
Beer has alcohol in it, so it tends to dehydrate you. Make sure you're eating and drinking enough after a ride. Salad? yeah, if all you had was salad and beer, i'm not surprised you didn't recover. Recovery drinks will probably help more than rosemary oil, but be sure to eat a balanced diet too. If you're not eating right, you won't build muscle by exercising, you'll tear yourself down.

I am not a health professional, this is just my opinion.

[redrhodie]

If after you listened to her, you didn't agree with her menopause diagnosis (which is more than a little presumptuous!), you could have said, well, I'd still like to try a recovery drink to start with. Do you have anything here with a good mix of carbs and protein?

The recovery drink of choice is chocolate milk, btw.

I think if my legs were that tired after the hilly ride, I would have taken a day off to recover. I'm also not getting the sense that you ate enough after the ride. And, did you drink water? You only mention drinking beer, which makes me wonder about dehydration.

ETA, lots of us posting at the same time!

[indysteel]

That woman sounds a bit nutty--and opinionated.

I also like chocolate milk as a recovery drink. I often bring a thermos of it with me so that I can drink it immediately after my ride. Othewise, I try to eat a good mix of carbs/protein within a half hour of my ride and a balanced dinner later--with lost of water. There are various products on the market--like Clif--but I'm generally tired after a ride of drinking a sports drink, and I also like the idea of getting some extra calcium. For what it's worth, beer isn't a bad recovery drink. It has lots of carbs, although as Mimi mentioned, it also acts as a diuretic.

To further aid in recovery, I try to do a recovery ride after hard efforts. And by recovery ride, I mean a slow pace, no hills, low heartrate. I will also sometimes elevate my legs after a long and/or hard ride and, if I'm really feeling sore, I'll sit in a cold bath.

[littlegrasshopp]

sorry guys, i realized my post was long and tried to shorten it - I took out some important info. I DID get lots of water that day. I had two full bottles on the ride, lots before we went and 3 glasses at the bar. I only had one beer. BUT it was hot that day and the first hot day of the year usually takes me by surprise. So it's possible that I still didn't get enough water.

I will take the suggestions to the road. Especially the chocolate milk. Thanks for the input!

[ny biker]

I highly recommend Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook:

http://www.nancyclarkrd.com/books/sportsnutrition.asp#3

It has lots of great information about food in general and how best to eat to support an active lifestyle. In fact I see she's got a new edition out so I will probably buy it. (I didn't know until just now that she has published a Cyclist's Food Guide so I can't say anything about that, but now that I know about it I will look for it in the bookstore.)

I usually drink orange juice immediately after a ride and then follow up with a meal that involves carbs and cheese. My favorite is a baked potato with reduced fat cheddar.

Last week Stonyfield Smoothies were on sale at the grocery store so I bought a few and had one immediately after my ride on Sunday. It has 39 grams of carbs and 10 grams of protein, total 230 calories. So if you don't have a problem with dairy products after a ride then you might want to try that. (I still had the OJ after I got home so I could get some vitamin C and potassium.)

[smilingcat]

Hi littlegrasshopp,

You need to eat real meal!!

Orange juice after a ride is pretty good. lots of carb, vitamin, and potassium. Salad is okay but beer after a ride not so smart. You need to be eating things like pasta, potato, banana, dark greens etc. Real healthy food stuff. Salad is okay but you can't be riding bikes just on salad.

If you a non-vegetarian you do need to eat meat (which I presume you are). Make sure you get enough meat protein. chicken, turkey, eggs, dairy etc. and don't forget beans of all kind.

Getting the book on sports nutrition would help you immensly. You can't exercise hard unless you properly fuel your body. If you are malnurished and it doesn't mean being hungry, you not only risk of getting sick but getting serious injury.

So please start thinking about what you eat. Occasional alcohol is all right but not immediately after a strenuous exercise.

smilingcat

[littlegrasshopp]

thank you both for the info. I will check out the book you recommended NY biker. I do usually eat healthy - just not enough for this level of exercise. Not nearly enough!

[maillotpois]

Sounds like the woman in the health food store wasn't willing to actually LISTEN to you. She had her own preconceived ideas, and did not hear what you were saying at all.

Or she's just a dolt.

[lph]

That woman sure had an opinion she was determined to express, didn't she!

There's salad and there's salad. The salad I eat for lunch everyday is mostly garbanzo beans, red beans, cottage cheese, yeah, there's a little vegetables in there, sometimes pasta, chopped nuts - you get the picture. It packs a zillion calories and is full of protein. I like the salad bar at work A LOT

Before a bike ride I usually eat a couple of slices of wholewheat bread with banana, apple or jam on, plus a cup of coffee. And when I'm really toasted after a hard ride I try to just eat, even though I don't want to. Snacking on various stuff I find in the fridge that look good seems to work best, salted ham, cheese, tomatoes, carrots, a handful of almonds, a little of this and that. I'll use sports drink on a ride but I'm not organized enough to have recovery drink around at all times.

[ny biker]

I find that my stomach does not want food during a long ride, especially when it's hot out. So I stick with gatorade and gu, and even then sometimes I have to force the gu down my throat.

But as soon as the ride is over I will be famished. I used to down a coke after riding as a quick way to get some sugar, but of course I knew this was not healthy so I switched to OJ last year. (I didn't used to like orange juice all that much until I tried Florida's Natural which is so awesome because it really tastes like fresh oranges.)

Sometimes if I am far from home I will pack a cheese sandwich in my cooler for after the ride. (I have some mighty weird eating habits. I grew up on cheese and jelly sandwiches.)

[mimitabby]

I grew up on cheese and jelly sandwiches.)

interesting combination

[Running Mommy]

Didn't read all the responses, but if not mentioned, ice your legs after you ride as well. A cold pool, cold bath, or lots of ice works wonders!

[kfergos]

Ice cream! A guy at the bike shop told me that was his favorite recovery food, and I have to say that it works pretty well. I also like to have a nice big meat and cheese bagel sandwich with orange juice right afterwards.