Kara Winger: We’re back. I’m Kara Winger. This is Stephanie Miezen to talk more nutrition. We’re going to talk about something in this TrueSport Expert Series 2022, here in Colorado Springs, that I’m not very familiar with, which is the carbohydrate mouth rinse. So, what is that? Stephanie
Stephanie Miezen: Yes. So, this is a strategy around fueling that was kind of discovered or started to be evolved in like the very late nineties. And so the idea was that they did some research and they found that, OK, you know, under about or up to an hour of pretty intense endurance activity, if we give people a carbohydrate drink, it seems like they have some performance enhancements here. Even if it’s just a small amount, they’re doing a little bit better in their performance. But the researchers were thinking, well, you know, an hour of time isn’t quite enough to really be fully utilizing that carbohydrate, really breaking it down for energy. So, maybe there’s something else going on here. And what they found with a couple more studies is that this idea now of the carbohydrate mouth rinse strategy is that if you take in a little bit of a sweet drink, like a sports drink, and you swish it around in your mouth for 5 to 10 seconds and then you spit it out, you can still get some performance benefits because it’s potentially stimulating your central nervous system, so your brain a little bit.
Kara Winger: Wow.
Stephanie Miezen: But you’re not actually drinking anything or intaking any energy. So, it’s really fascinating how that system is working.
Kara Winger: Yeah, fascinating. But do you recommend the carbohydrate mouth rinse, like is that a long term strategy that we want to be employing, especially with youth athletes?
Stephanie Miezen: Exactly. And that’s where I think we could have research. But then how do we really apply it? That’s so key. And I think when it comes to creating or encouraging healthful behaviors with young athletes, something like intaking a food or drink into our mouth and then spitting it out. Right? That can potentially make some unhelpful connections for young athletes. And so, I think for me that the takeaway when it comes to that nutrition, hydration strategy and young athletes is it probably isn’t necessary. And I would argue perhaps not helpful for younger athletes to explore, because you can still get some of that benefit within this, you know, we’re talking about exercising pretty intensely for an hour. So, a soccer game, basketball game, something like that. Right? You can still get some benefit just by drinking a little bit of sports drink maybe, right?
Kara Winger: Swallowing it.
Stephanie Miezen: Yeah, swallowing. It’s totally fine, right? And if you’re inside like basketball, I don’t think you’re going to be able to spit it out maybe anyway.
Kara Winger: Hundred percent. Yeah. So, we do not recommend it because it doesn’t necessarily build a great relationship with the fuel that you’re putting in your body.
Stephanie Miezen: I think so. I think that’s a good way to kind of sum it up.
Kara Winger: So, what are some great hydration habits? How do we hydrate really well?
Stephanie Miezen: Yeah, I think trying to rely mostly on water as our main source of fluids is going to be number one. It’s one of the best ways to keep us hydrated and whether it has bubbles in it or whether you put some fruit in it to make it taste good.
Kara Winger: Yes, yes. I love that.
Stephanie Miezen: Or something like unsweetened iced tea that can all add to your fluid intake over the day and things like smoothies, milk, even our fruits and veggies have some water in there. Watermelon is over 90% water. So, I think really focusing on water itself. But we also have tons of space for these other things that aren’t straight water that we’re going to be tasting a little bit better for us.
Kara Winger: Yeah. Making water delicious.
Stephanie Miezen: Yeah. And I think too, for families, it’s always fun to have like a pitcher of water that has oranges or lemons or something like that. And I really like to take frozen berries and then put your water in that because as they thaw, they release all their juices. And so, you really get extra flavor from the frozen fruit.
Kara Winger: Very cool. Yes. And that’s a prepackaged thing at the grocery store. That’s very easy to pick up and super convenient. Throw it in your pitcher.
Stephanie Miezen: Yeah.
Kara Winger: Very cool.
Stephanie Miezen: Have you tried any nutrition habits or strategies that maybe weren’t most healthful?
Kara Winger: I didn’t have a great relationship with food right before I hurt my knee for the first time. So, I was you know, I fell into the vanity part of being a woman athlete, and I thought it was going to serve me well. I thought lighter is faster. You have to go faster to throw the javelin further. But then I tore my ACL. So, after that, really just paying attention to my body and how I was feeling did me best. So, I don’t know that I got too specific with the habits, but a habit that I did learn from not maybe having a great relationship with food that I do think was helpful is I used to love juice and we’re talking about carbohydrate mixes. Like this was just straight up like grape juice, apple juice, like so much sugar. And a way that I cut that down was to mix it with water or mix it with soda water or a LaCroix or whatever. And so, I still really enjoy that, and that’s still part of my hydration habits to make these liquids that I’m consuming fun. So, I didn’t necessarily adopt that habit for the best reasons, but it has really kind of affected how I get more fluids in my life because they’re good.
Stephanie Miezen: Yeah, they taste good.
Kara Winger: They’re yummy.
Stephanie Miezen: Yeah. And I think to your point about learning that lesson perhaps of fueling yourself, it’s that mentality, right, of restriction versus nourishing. Yes. And food is there to help us. And I think sometimes in culture and social media, it’s like food is the enemy. We have to avoid it and restrict it and, you know, all of those things. But if we can switch the mentality so like, no, like the food is there to help me and I can choose these certain foods and certain amounts and times to benefit my body and my health, and performance on top of that, it’s just like a it’s a better way and it’s almost freeing, right, to think of food in that context.
Kara Winger: Yeah. And to really care for that food that’s caring for you. Like I made hot chocolate last night and just with water, which I made it with eggnog at Christmas time and it was phenomenal.
Stephanie Miezen: Yeah.
Kara Winger: But taking the time to heat up the liquid, put the chocolate in it, make sure I’m like mixing it with my, like, whipping little stick. And I bought these, like, special marshmallows, like this kind of ritualistic, like, very intentional creation of this beverage that I’m going to, like, sit and pet my dog and watch a TV show. It is a really fun place to be in my life because that’s what every meal is, this nourishment of my body.
Stephanie Miezen: Yeah, absolutely.
Kara Winger: So, I learned so much about hydration strategies. Really good ones. Water is king, but make water fun. And thank you for teaching me about the carbohydrate mouth rinse technique and how there’s a place for it. But probably great hydration habits are best practice. – So, really appreciate your time. Thank you, Stephanie for being here. And we will be back with even more TrueSport Expert Series 2022.
Registered dietitian, Stephanie Miezin, explains the carbohydrate mouth rinse trend and why she doesn’t recommend its use by young athletes.
Hi. I’m Trevon, Trey, Jennifer. Team USA wheelchair basketball player, paralympian, and true sport athlete. Today, I want to talk to you about goal setting. And there are three things that I would like you to know. First, successful athletes set goals and a planned roadmap. Second, goals should be written down, assessed over time, and changed if necessary. And third, goals need to be challenging in order to be worthwhile. As a freshmen at Edinboro University, I was a part of a team that made the national championship game. And at that time I recognized I was the low man on the totem pole, but I felt in my heart that I knew my dreams were so much bigger than winning a national title. I wanted to make Team USA. I knew what achieving my lofty goal was not going to be easy and that I would need to work hard every day.
So, as a reminder, I created a pyramid of goals that I kept right above my bed. This pyramid reminded me of the accomplishments that I was working towards and visually represented my need to create a solid foundation underneath me before reaching the top. In the bottom roll of my pyramid of goals I listed goals such as obtaining my bachelor’s degree, becoming a scholar athlete award recipient, and becoming an All-American. The middle row listed winning a national title and playing for a professional team. And at the top row, the most challenging of them all, I listed becoming a gold medalist for Team USA.
By understanding that there are smaller stepping stones to achieving my ultimate goal of being on Team USA, I was able to stay motivated and to stay focused on completing the smaller stepping stones fully before moving onto the next one. Now I’ll be the first to admit that not every goal that I listed on my pyramid was accomplished, but seeing my goals every day when I went to bed, I was able to push through the days that I felt like doing nothing in hopes of achieving the bigger picture. Remember, create a clear goal roadmap, assess your goals often, and continue to challenge yourself. I hope that you never stopped dreaming big or reaching for the stars. And I look forward to seeing where your roadmap takes you.
Hi, I’m Kara Winger, Olympic javelin thrower, and true sport athlete. Today I want to talk to you about body image and I have three things I’d like you to know. First, healthy thoughts often lead to healthier bodies. Second, there are varying body types and no one’s body is exactly like another. And third, true beauty goes deeper than the skin. As a multi-time Olympian, I’ve experienced a lot of variation and progression in my training. My coaches and I adapt to my training frequently, all with the goal of supporting my long-term success and health in the sport of javelin. I’m talking to you about body image today because sometimes even with the best of intentions and a common goal in mind, the changes you make to your training habits can prove to be detrimental if made for the wrong reasons. In the lead up to the 2012 Olympic trials, I was told in order to improve my performance on the field, I should try to become a leaner, skinnier version of myself.
So I changed my diet. I went along with what I was being told to do, even though I’d had great success at a slightly heavier weight and higher body fat percentage, and became much leaner than ever before. It seemed like a successful change at first, but I didn’t have nearly the results I’d had before. And I believe becoming leaner than my body naturally wanted to be was what caused my ACL to tear. In the end, it cost me heavily going into the 2012 London games. The takeaway for me, and hopefully for you, is that it’s important to know what works for you and your body and to not compare yourself to others. You should do your research and experiment with your diet to find what makes you feel the best, rather than focusing on what you look like. Today, if I feel like having a chocolate chip cookie, I have one, just not every day.
I’ve learned what a properly balanced meal for my body looks like and I recognize food as the fuel that keeps me throwing. I hydrate and allow myself time to recover. And I listen to and communicate with my body so that I can be the best version of myself. In the end, you are in control of how you see, treat, and respond to your body. We only get one and it’s amazing to discover how many things our bodies can do. Be a true sport athlete. Love who you are in this moment and get excited for all the places your body will take you.
Hi, I’m Izy Isaksen, Team USA, Modern Pentathlon, Olympian, US Army Sergeant, and True Sport Ambassador. Today, I want to talk to you about being a good sport. There are three things I’d like you to know. First, real winners act the same toward their opponent, whether they win or lose. Second, follow the rules and be a gracious winner and respectful loser. And third, sportsmanship reveals your true character.
I started competing in Modern Pentathlon eight years after my older sister and three-time Olympian, Margaux Isaksen, began competing. I soon realized that people often compared the two of us. I would overhear spectators and teammates asking, “Who’s the better athlete,” and “Who’s going to beat the other.” Instead of letting outside pressures create a negative experience for us, I chose to practice winning and losing with grace and respect. I know that it would have been easy to let our hyper competitive mindset affect our relationship, but instead we decided to support and cheer for each other, regardless of our own performance. My experience of competing against and being compared to my older sister, taught me to focus on how to perform at my best, rather than putting wasted energy into wishing for others to fail.
I believe that sportsmanship reveals true character. So, no matter what situation I encounter during competition, I know it’s important to always treat people with respect and be a good sport. Remember, be a fierce competitor, find grace in all your victories and losses. And I hope to see you out there.
Edwin Moses: You’re a coach. Maybe what you want is very simple, for everyone to just run in the right direction, score for their own team, to try and try again and again. Maybe you want your athletes to become all stars. You want them to earn trophies, medals, win titles. You want them to reach the highest height their sport allows. And wanting all of that, of course, that’s good. But as every great coach discovers, developing a great athlete means nurturing, nurturing the even greater person within. Truth is, you have even more influence than you know.
You have the ability to affect even deeper change, to take what’s in your hands and do something even more extraordinary. You can be both the coach who provides the skills needed to win the game and the coach who helps them learn and succeed beyond the sport, to become all stars wherever they land in the future, and to enjoy their lives more now, because the confidence and courage they find working with you will stay with them when they need it the most. There are games to be won, lives to change. Coaches have the power to do both.
I’m Edwin Moses, and the lessons I’ve learned through sport have challenged me, guided me, and shaped my life forever. What kind of coach do you want to be?
At first glance, dietary supplements look the same. They seem safe and healthy, but just because the label says a product is a dietary supplement, that doesn’t mean it’s safe. Unfortunately, you can’t tell whether a product is safe or not just by looking at the label. Most vitamins, minerals, fish oil, and other supplements containing nutrients are probably just fine, but supplements are not evaluated or approved by FDA before they are sold. Although it is rare for vitamins or minerals to be contaminated with drugs, there has been at least one case of a vitamin containing an anabolic steroid.
At the other extreme are products that contain drugs, stimulants, anabolic steroids, or other hormones. Even though these are not technically dietary supplements, many of them are labeled as supplements. For example, body-building products sometimes contain anabolic steroids or Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators, known as SARMs, or other hormones. Some pre-workout or energy products contain illegal stimulants like DMAA, ephedra, or other amphetamine-like stimulants. Weight loss products might contain prescription drugs like sibutramine, or hormones, like human chorionic gonadotropin, also known as hCG. All natural or herbal sexual enhancement products might contain hormones or Viagra-like drugs. Products like these can harm your health and career, but they’re for sale online, in some nutrition stores, and they’re labeled as dietary supplements.
When you pick up a supplement, especially one that promises performance enhancement, you don’t know if it belongs in the “Mostly O.K.” pile or in the “Dangerous” pile. After all, two products might look the same, but one might contain just amino acids and other legitimate ingredients, while the other also contains anabolic steroids. Because of this, FDA has issued a warning about certain categories of supplements: body building products, weight loss products, and sexual enhancement products. Be extremely careful when considering a supplement in one of these categories. We strongly recommend that you avoid products in these categories.
Even when FDA tests supplements and finds dangerous ingredients, companies sometimes refuse to recall them. Sometimes, they simply repackage their product and continue selling it under a new name. Just because a product is on a store shelf doesn’t mean it is safe. You need to do your research and be an informed consumer. The dietary supplement industry is enormous. Supplements that appear to be safe could actually be dangerous products in disguise. If you use dietary supplements without doing your research, you may be taking serious risks with your health and your career. Please visit USADA’s Supplement 411 for more information about dietary supplements.
