Protein supplements have come a long way since the early days of foul tasting, milk powder in disguise body bulking supplements. Most of the common protein types have had their time in the sun, for one reason or another, and so it is timely to have a review and recap of protein types – the good, bad and the ugly.

Soy

I am not as dismissive of soy now as I have been in the past.

I think that there are some health benefits to be had from soy, but there are also likely to be deleterious effects from over consumption. My main gripe with soy is that if we are not making a concerted effort to eat primarily whole and unrefined foods we will likely be inadvertently consuming a lot of soy in processed goods.

Isolated soy proteins also contain very high amounts of the phytoestrogens, genistein and daidzen. These are substances that mimic the actions of estrogen in the body. When talking about soy products and soy protein isolates it is these two compounds that are most often the active ingredients referred to.
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For thousands of years people have literally and figuratively searched for the ‘fountain of youth’, some place, method or elixir that will allow them to stay perpetually young.

Modern science has allowed us to all live longer but unfortunately a poor diet, lack of exercise and WAY too much stress mean that many of us don’t enjoy the great quality of life that we deserve.

I am a strong proponent of natural methods and a natural diet to optimise health. Because of this I think that we often can look at health conditions and our health in general in a far too allapathic way. We are often looking for treatments for problems when in reality all we get are treatments for symptoms.

The same can be said about aging. Most of us want to find ways to reduce the visible signs of aging without looking at the reasons why we are ’showing our age’ more than we’d like!

The most important thing in looking young and more importantly feeling young is to eat a good, balanced diet and to exercise; sounds simple and boring doesn’t it? Tough; it’s like training - you need to be disciplined. There are also some supplements and foods that may help stave off the effects of aging if your nutrition isn’t adequately meeting the needs of your body (and let’s face it most of our diets aren’t ‘perfect.’)

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Given the consistently poor weather in NZ’s South Island of late, finding maximal protection while trying to run or snowshoe has been an absolute priority. The opportunity to assess the Mithril storm shell from Outdoor Research could not have come at a better time.

With its 600g+ weight it is better suited to long, hauling days on the slope or back country explorations such as multi day snowshoe or nordic-style trips. For balanced weather protection, warmth and freedom of movement the Mithril is pretty much leader of the pack.

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The great physiologist, Olaf Astrand once wrote, “Women should not swim during menstruation because of the possibility of infection.” Although our schools of thought have evolved past this unqualified assumption, the female menstrual cycle is still a mysterious topic for most athletes and coaches. Over the past number of decades women have made dramatic gains in athletics, both with the increase in overall participation and the elevation of performance standards. As well, there has been an increase in scientific research involving studies focusing on women’s health and sport performance issues. Throughout puberty to menopause, it is the fluctuating levels of endogenous hormones which impact a number of physiological variables. The question is whether or not these hormones directly affect a female athlete’s sport performance. In the land of fact and fiction, this article answers the questions of: Can I compete when I am menstruating? How do hormone levels fluctuate and change over the cycle? Do hormone levels affect muscle strength and fatigability? How do hormone changes affect prolonged endurance activity?

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Most Multisporters regard running hills as not something we carry out naturally. We step into our shoes and out the front gate, that’s the easy bit – then the hills and mountains just grind us down. If you are keen to improve your technique in other disciplines such as swimming or kayaking the first step is not more mileage out the gate but discussion with a technical coach. Coaching or technique work can give you ideas on how to turn your arms over so you don’t look like a drowning synchronised swimmer. With running hills the perception is that more mileage and harder sessions are the only way to improvement – technical running or strength work just doesn’t come into it.

The biomechanics of correct running technique are incredibly complex and from a Sports Physiotherapy / Coach perspective, one of the most interesting parts of working with Multisporters. Most Multisporters initially come from previous sporting backgrounds ie swimming, rugby, hockey – the majority, multidirectional sports that require sideways and rotational body movements.

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Whether you are snowshoeing, adventure racing or cross country skiing it’s always crucial to optimise your layering when training or heading out for a major back-country expedition. Nothing triggers physiological stress more than a lack of protection from wind chill, snow and sleet.

The trouble until now has been finding an outer layer that packs a decent protective punch, allows you to move freely, breathes and doesn’t weigh a ton. After 2 weeks solid in CELESTIAL pants from Outdoor Research I believe you can stop searching. These lightweight outer trousers have passed our in-field testing with flying colours.

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The infamous “brick” is a key foundation to building multi-sport endurance and strength. Bricks usually(but not always) refer to ride-run training sessions back to back. For offroad multisporters it may also refer to paddle ride or run paddle sessions.

There are a variety of brick sessions put forward by coaches, each usually tailored to the specific athlete and their stage of preparation. Bricks can begin as early as the build phase and maintain a presence right through to peak/race periods.
From Xterra to Coast to Coast, run-ride-run-ride-run-ride patterns require training and familiarisation of mind and body to be executed optimally.

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