![Recovery, Retention, & Gains: How Hormones Effect Athletes]()
Feb 2, 2020 | Community, Training Advice, Uncategorized
Written By: Dr Gabe Frank
February 2nd, 2020
Distance running is one of the most taxing and difficult sports you can put your body though. This type of endurance and high intensity exercise can cause significant taxing on your body systems. It is not uncommon to have changes in vitamin levels, iron levels, and hormone levels over time. These are a result of significant physical and emotional stress during training. Many times, with mild or moderate 
changes in these systems, there are usually not any symptoms. Once the symptoms do appear, the damage is usually fairly significant and difficult to recover from. This makes treating these hormonal imbalances very difficult and time consuming.
When your body systems are not in balance, or your body does not have the ability to recover and heal the way it should. This makes your workouts harder, your muscles more sore, your energy lower and your sleep worse. When your body systems are out of balance, or recovery and healing are delayed, workouts become harder, muscle soreness intensifies, you fatigue more easily, and sleep much worse.
The most common vitamin deficiencies that are seen are B12, iron, magnesium and Vitamin D. The common hormones that are often abnormal, or not in optimal range are thyroid and testosterone. It is a common misconception that a woman’s testosterone level is not important in overall health. Research over the last several years has shown that maintaining healthy and optimal testosterone levels in women help with muscle recovery, bone density strength, mental clarity, mood and energy. For men, we know that testosterone levels are associated with lowered libido and a decreased sex drive. But we’ve also come to understand that unexplained weight gain, loss of muscle mass, chronic fatigue, and mood swings are all also symptoms that can easily be associated with low testosterone. Proper management of these testosterone levels in women and men should be performed by physicians
who understand the stresses of endurance athletes, and are well versed in the best ways to obtain optimal levels. When done appropriately, you see all the benefits of healthy testosterone levels and recovered vitality without the side effects often associated with treatment.
Without regular testing of these hormones and vitamins, you cannot truly know how your body is working, and you will lack the proper information to make the changes to your diet and lifestyle, allowing you to always be training to be your best!
You work hard, let us help.
Here’s to Better Health for a Better Life!
Frank Institute for Health and Wellness
O: 910.679.8534
![Recovery, Retention, & Gains: How Hormones Effect Athletes]()
Sep 25, 2019 | Community
By: Diana Davis, RDN, LDN, CDE
Without Limits Dietitian/Nutritionist
September 25th, 2019
This week I want to take a look at the research on running in a fasting state. I hope that this discussion can help each athlete consider whether the potential benefits warrant a change in fueling before a morning workout or a later day second workout, and when you might want to practice this strategy versus when you truly need to take in food/fuel prior to training.
Research with endurance athletes provides evidence for the success of this strategy. However, recent 
interest is centered on a concept termed “train low, compete high” in which endurance athletes train with low glycogen stores to improve their response to training but compete with high glycogen stores to enhance performance. The purpose of the “train low, compete high” approach is to enhance the body’s ability to utilize fat in energy metabolism during exercise and, thus, spare limited glycogen stores to be used most efficiently during prolonged endurance exercise or intermittent high-intensity exercise that rapidly depletes carbohydrate reserves.
The benefits of “train low” techniques include the following:
- Enhanced muscle and metabolic shifts in response to training, such as enhanced transcription of several genes involved in training adaptation.
- Greater utilization of fat to fuel exercise.
- Less reliance on carbohydrate as a fuel during exercise.
- Decreased risk of gastrointestinal problems resulting from high carbohydrate intake during exercise.
However, despite evidence of metabolic adaptations to training and promotion of greater fat burning during exercise with “train low” approaches, no clear evidence of improved performance has been shown as a result of using “train low” strategies and it is not without risks.
Potential negative effects of repeated use of “train low” strategies include the following:
- Increased perception of effort during training (workouts feel harder).
- Reduced power output during training because of lower self-selected levels of power output (lower effort).
- Possible increased risk of illness.
- Possible increased risk of overtraining.
Another study found that body composition changes associated with aerobic exercise in conjunction with a reduced calorie diet are similar regardless of whether or not an individual is fasted prior to training. Hence, those seeking to lose body fat conceivably can choose to train either before or after eating based on personal preference.
Related
How much Carbohydrates do I need before I exercise?
Nutrition-Related Fatigue in Sports
Packing and Planning for the School/Work Day
Hydration in the Heat
Herbal Supplements and Benefits for Athletic Performance: Fact or Fiction
Without Limits Nutrition
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Runners Daily Vitamins
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Apr 3, 2019 | Community
There is a saying in the sports world that says, “play for the name on the front of your jersey”! When I look at this picture, I think about the name on my Tri Jersey, “Without Limits” what does that mean when you suddenly find yourself with some real “physical limits”?
For those who don’t know, I suffered a snapped femur in the 2016 Boston Marathon after a container rolled under my foot from behind which resulted in my leg jamming hard into the pavement. The break was comminuted (meaning it broke in more than 2 pieces – some fragments broke off). This required immediate surgery to insert a rod and screws down the entire length of the femur shaft. After 8 months, the bone hadn’t healed, so I had to have another surgery to remove that rod and screws and replace them with a new rod and screws. Then a year later, they discovered the front side of the bone still had a major gap, so I had to have a 3rd surgery in Jan 2018 to do bone grafting to take bone marrow from my hip to combine with cadaver bone to insert into a sponge to fill in the gap between the bone halves after sanding off the part of the bone ends that had healed to force trauma and new bone growth (all barbaric to say the least)! Swim, Bike, Run? Heck, I had to learn how to WALK again three times in my mid-50s! Talk about “limitations” to running or triathlon! So, I had to really massage the notion of what it means to be “Without Limits”.
My conclusion after the break, 3 surgeries, and almost 3 years of rehab and rebuilding is that it is “an intentional MINDSET with a determination to not let anything limit your desires or your goals”. Let’s face it, the easier path would have been to throw in the towel since trying to get back to running and triathlon was going to require a lot of PAIN, time, and effort with no real guarantee that it would be possible to participate. That’s the moment when you have to dig deep and referee between your heart (desire) and your head (harsh reality, doubt, fear, frustration). I have to admit that the battle is mostly between the ears in overcoming the negative thoughts that invade your mind (i.e. what if I physically can’t do it, what if I fall, what if I wreck my bike, etc.).
So, the question I had to answer for myself was, “Would I allow my injury, doubts, and fears to LIMIT what I desired to do within my current capabilities?” And for me, I had to make the “decision” to NOT let it LIMIT what I desired to do! I came across a saying years ago that I think is kind of funny that says, “if you can’t be a good example, be a horrible warning!” Lol! Whether any of us realizes it, others observe not only our actions but our “reactions to adversity”. My WOL team would be observing whether I had it in me to bounce back or would I throw in the towel! I didn’t want to be the “horrible warning”! I wanted to be the “example” of what it means to be “WITHOUT LIMITS”!
I made the decision to take it a workout at a time, and do as much as my coaches thought I could handle. I started with alter-G sessions to begin running at 50% body weight for short intervals for a few months, then I moved to Walk2Run, then Level 1, then Level 2. Keep in mind I used to run with Level 3. I’m still not exactly where I want to be, but it’s a journey! It is exhilarating to have podium placed after being away for so long. But it is also challenging me to continue to regain speed and endurance. I’m not satisfied with where I am, so that fuels me to push harder! As I said in the opening regarding the “name on your jersey”, we all have our challenges with injuries and set backs, but God will never allow you to go through more than you can handle!
As Sherman Lee Criner once told me when he saw me on crutches in Golds Gym, “I’m not impressed with what people have accomplished, I’m impressed with what they’ve overcome!” Whenever you’re faced with adversity, make the mental decision to NOT let it LIMIT you! BE WITHOUT LIMITS!
Oct 1, 2014 | Uncategorized
Endurance Team Results
Another great day on an epic weekend of racing. We had several athletes down in Augusta, Georgia competing in the 70.3 distance and Coach Sami and athlete Taryn Fimiani headed to Chattanooga for the full Ironman. These are all races part of the lifelong journey.
Congrats to Coach Sami completing her 11th Ironman at IM Chattanooga! This was her best time yet 36min PR, with the distance being 144.8 (instead of 140.6). Distance was added because of a course deviation. Sami only has one more 140.6 to finish before getting her 12 Ironman qualification for Kona! Florida is next.
Congrats to Taryn Fimiani for finishing in 12:21:53 – HUGE PR. This was a great race for Taryn who recently moved to DC! We are proud of you Taryn!
Other Wilmingtonians Erin Green Dale Lamb and Misty Brown also with successful races at IMCHOO
AUGUSTA 70.3
In her first 70.3 Jenny Perrottet got 2nd in her Age Group and 15th female overall with a 4:50:45 WOW! She qualified for World 70.3 championships in 2015 Austria
DOUG WHEELER PRed with a 5:04:26 – this was over a 40:00 personal best!
JOSE GONZALEZ PRed with a 5:08:02 – big PR for Jose
JOHN COCKRUM PRed with a 5:09:18 – awesome John battling dehydration during the race
PHILLIP DAVIS – 1st 70.3 and Nailed it! 5:31:45 with great execution all the way around
SHAWN WELLERSDICK – PRed 5:39:11 20 minutes better than Raleigh – still working on nutrition and hydration but great step
SUSAN CALDWELL – 5:43:08 great solid race!
ERIK HOFFACKER – PRed 5:57:04 – WAY TO REACH YOUR GOAL AND BREAK 6
OKTOBERFEST 15K in Brunswick Forest
Donnie Norris 1:03:54 PR
Steph DeLuca – 1:09:03 PR
Mike Duncan 1:09:03 pacing Steph!
Mary Margaret McEacheren 1:15:12
Erin Jackson 1:16:13
Shawn Tunis – 1:21:31
Lisa Kerr 1:22:09
Lynda Smith – 1:24:04
Kelly Vanscoy – 1:24:05
Charles Buckland 1:24:52
Camille and Dani McKeon – 1:43:45
Lauren Stephenson 1:53:28
Carry Cheatem – 2:00:00
changes in these systems, there are usually not any symptoms. Once the symptoms do appear, the damage is usually fairly significant and difficult to recover from. This makes treating these hormonal imbalances very difficult and time consuming.
who understand the stresses of endurance athletes, and are well versed in the best ways to obtain optimal levels. When done appropriately, you see all the benefits of healthy testosterone levels and recovered vitality without the side effects often associated with treatment. 
