5th Quarter Fresh

The Requirements for Performance and Injury Prevention

In a workout, the goal is to deplete and damage muscles (in a controlled manner).  This causes the body to react by repairing the muscle and adding new muscle fibers so that it will be more resistant to damage the next time.  When this cycle is repeated over and over, the body grows in strength and endurance.  This improvement occurs faster if the muscles can recover and repair faster because the body is ready to do work again.

But there are two key components to this improvement.  First there is the workout that we described above.  Second there must be the nutritional “building supplies” necessary for the muscles to repair and build.  It is like a house that goes through a tornado- in order to be ready to withstand the next storm, it has to be rebuilt and strengthened.  This can only be done if the proper building supplies are available to complete the restoration.  Glycogen is depleted rapidly during intense exercise and carbohydrates must be available to restore muscle glycogen which is the energy source for the muscle cells.  Amino acids from protein are necessary for the muscle cells to repair damage and to synthesize new muscle protein.  Electrolytes including calcium, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus are needed for the metabolic and enzymatic processes involved in repairing the muscle and readying it for activity.  Finally water is necessary to perfuse the muscles adequately with blood to bring nutrients in and carry wastes away.

It essential that all of these components be available as soon as possible after the workout so these repair and growth processes can begin.  The sooner the muscles recover, the sooner they can work again and the greater the opportunity for improvement.  Conversely, if the body goes too long without the resources needed to repair and replenish, it will become catabolic (consuming muscle) rather than anabolic (adding muscle).  After two hours, if the body does not have enough nutrients, it abandons any attempt to add muscle and instead, robs the amino acids that it needs to repair the damaged muscle from other muscles.  In other words, when faced with a shortage of the needed supplies, the body robs building supplies from the house next door, completes only emergency repairs and leaves both houses weaker.  The result is a wasted workout and increased chance of injury.

 This process also occurs in the bone as well.  As the body is worked, it puts stress on the bones in certain areas.  The natural response of the bone to that stress is called remodeling.  Bone is removed in certain areas and laid down in others to compensate for the stress by thickening the bone and increasing its mineral density.  Carbohydrates for energy and protein for cellular and matrix formation are critical here too but calcium and phosphorus are especially important since they form the mineral hardness and strength of the bone.  The calcium balance in the body is the product of dietary calcium intake minus the excretion of calcium.  We already found out that calcium intake is generally deficient.  But calcium can be lost through the kidneys when excessive sodium is consumed and even excessive protein.  Calcium can also be lost through sweating and one study showed that a Division 1 men’s basketball team lost 6.1% in total bone mineral content (BMC) and 10.5% decrease in BMC of the legs over the course of a year due to sweating.¹ 

The nutrients needed to replace and repair are more than you may expect.  Here are some examples of the nutritional requirements of athletes within the first two hours after a workout:

• 120 pound female athlete:  82 grams of carbohydrate and 20-27 grams of protein
• 190 pound male athlete:  130 grams of carbohydrate and 32-43 grams of protein

Not only do 5QF’s nutrients affect performance and improvement athletically, they also play an important role in protecting the body from injury.  Concussions and other injuries are becoming a real problem in sports today.  These injuries can have long lasting impacts on the health of the athlete not to mention lost training time and athletic gain.  Without proper recovery, the risk of injury is bound to rise as muscles don’t heal fully and bone mineral content is depleted.  Over the course of a season this risk continues to grow.  Using 5QF before and after a workout helps the body to be prepared for an intense workout and then to quickly and completely repair the damage and add new muscle.  Without 5QF, muscle can become catabolic and muscle mass can actually be lost.  As muscles get weaker and/or fail to repair damage completely, the risk of injury multiplies.  5QF makes sure that the body has what it needs to respond to the challenges of training and respond with measureable progress.

1. Klesges RC, et al.  Changes in bone mineral content in male athletes.  Mechanisms of action and intervention effects.  Journal of the American Medical Association.  1996; 276:226-230

Healthy Alternatives for Kids

As parents, we know that our kids will stay healthy if they eat right and stay active.  With the growing epidemic of childhood obesity in this country, we are responsible for making sure that they exercise enough.  So we put them on teams where they run and play and get the activity that they need.  But as our lives all get busier, it gets harder and harder to consistently provide the quality nutrition that growing kids need.

When we are on the go, it is so much faster and easier to run through the drive-up window.  But we all know that these meals contain too much fat and highly processed carbohydrates.  They may fill our kids’ stomachs but they certainly aren’t meeting their nutritional requirements.  What they need are fresh whole foods rich in natural protein, vitamins and minerals.  What they need is a healthy natural alternative to junk food that they will like.

5th Quarter Fresh is the perfect answer.  It is the perfect snack for after school or after practice.  It is cold and refreshing after practice and it contains the protein, carbs and calcium their body needs to repair and recover between games or on the way home.  With its natural electrolytes, kids rehydrate better than sports drinks.  The natural proteins fill your kids up and stop their hunger until you get home to a nutritious dinner.  5th Quarter Fresh tastes so good, they won’t even know it’s good for them.

 

 

Calcium for Women

For women, the need for calcium is well known.  Osteoporosis is growing problem for older women causing pain, loss of mobility and bone fractures.  Medicine and supplements help but they only slow the process and sometimes with unwanted side-effects.   So how do you prevent this?

Science has shown that up to the age of 25, women can add minerals to their bones.  The more calcium that a young girl consumes, the denser her bone is.  Exercise further stimulates bone to lay down calcium.  But past age 25, women’s bodies stop adding bone density.  All you can do is try to preserve the calcium in your bones with exercise and adequate calcium intake.  Bone densities will decline over time but you can prevent osteoporosis by starting with dense bones and slowing the rate of loss.

Unfortunately, up to 85% of high school girls are not getting adequate calcium.  Their diets are low in calcium and they don’t drink milk- it doesn’t taste good and it’s not trendy.  This puts athletically active girls at increased risk of injury and means that all girls are missing the opportunity to protect themselves from osteoporosis later on.  5th Quarter Fresh provides 60% of the RDA of calcium for teenage girls in a great tasting, natural package with no chemical preservatives.

Women have a lower requirement for calcium before menopause but their calcium intake is as bad or worse than girls.  They certainly don’t drink milk- it’s for kids.  The result is a generation of women at high risk for osteoporosis and other medical problems.  Drinking 5th Quarter Fresh provides much of your calcium in a single serving.  It’s fresh, portable and delicious.  Its calcium is absorbed very well and it naturally provides protein for strong muscles.  It is the perfect solution to holding off the consequences of this crippling disease.