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In This Issue:

Got the Dieting Blues?--Find out how you get stop the dieting cycle and still stay fit and healthy.

Alcohol: A Stress Reliever?--Think drinking alcohol will help reduce stress? Guess again.

Hey There, Sleepy Head!--Need some help getting a good night's sleep?

Fuel Up Before You Hit the Gym-- Learn how carbohydrates give you the energy you need to maximize your workouts.

Boost Your Performance: Diet Supplements--Thinking about using diet supplements to enhance performance? Before you start, you should learn about the risks.

The Lowdown on Gettin' High: Are more people smoking pot at the U of O? And, is pot smoking as harmless as most people think?


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Carbs: Essential for Exercise

By Colin Anderson

If you're like most students, your exercise program takes a higher priority in spring than it did in the dark, wet winter. How do we best fuel our workouts for the maximum exercise gains?

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The answer is carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are the most essential source of fuel for the avid exerciser.
     Exercises such as running, weight training, and biking require large amounts of energy and carbohydrates. According to the American Dietetics Association recommendation, carbohydrates should make up 60-70% of the daily caloric intake when exercising regularly. But what should we eat exactly? Will any of the carbohydrate-rich foods satisfy this recommendation?
     There are two kinds of carbohydrates, simple and complex. Simple carbs are divided into two categories, monosaccharides, a single sugar molecule, and disaccharides, a double sugar module. Complex carbs are found in starch in plant foods and glycogen in muscle. They are formed when sugar molecules link together to form long chains. When vegetables ripen more starch can be obtained from them. In contrast, when fruits ripen, they are higher in sugar. These starches that are eaten get digested into glucose then burned for energy or stored for future use. Carbohydrates that can be found in fruits, vegetables and whole grains provide a wide range of essential vitamins and minerals. For this reason, these foods provide more nutrients than the carbs found in soft drinks and candy.
     Carbohydrates have an effect on blood sugar level that cannot be determined by whether they are simple or complex. The effect is determined by what is called glycemic response, defined as the food's ability to contribute glucose to the bloodstream. By "ability" we mean how fast or slow the food contributes sugar to the bloodstream. When doing short bouts of exercises, foods such as potatoes, honey and corn flakes are good to eat because they have a high glycemic response. When doing long lasting exercises, say 30 minutes or more, bananas, rice and pasta are good foods to eat before hand because they have a low glycemic response which means the blood sugar levels will remain steady for a longer period of time.
     Other than blood sugar, carbohydrates are stored in the skeletal muscles and in the liver, as glycogen. As blood sugar is utilized as fuel, glycogen is broken down to replenish blood glucose. Thus, glycogen fed into the bloodstream by the liver helps us to maintain normal blood sugar levels. Since the brain's only fuel source is glucose, this can otherwise be known as "brain food."
     You know when you get that feeling that you cannot think after you've been studying all day and haven't had anything to eat; well, that's because there isn't glucose available for mental alertness. You may have heard of the phrase, "hitting the wall" or "bonking." This is when there is depleted glucose in the bloodstream. Not only do skeletal muscles need glucose, but so does your brain - a poorly fueled brain limits muscular function and mental drive.
     The more exercise you get, the more room there is in muscle to store glycogen. This glycogen stored in muscle is stored for fuel during exercise. Carbs are essential for every active person, for both aerobic and strength activity. Both activities require high energy levels that will keep muscles from being fatigued. The best way to do this is through a carbohydrate-rich diet - and rest. Don't forget a day of rest at least once a week so that muscles can heal and fill back up with glycogen to allow them from being fatigued.
     Check out Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition book at the Health Ed Office to learn more about food for excercise.

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Spring 2000 Peer Health Educators: Well-Now Advisor-Stacey Howe    Well-Now on the Web-Brandon Baxter
Well Now is published each term, except summer for UO students by the Health Education Program of the University Health Center. Past issues of Well-Now can be found at http://healthed.uoregon.edu/wellnow.htm.