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A balanced diet is also one of the correct portions of each component. And, by adhering to a balanced diet it means that you are eating the right food items and eating them in the proper amounts. Adhering to a balanced diet will boost your health and help prevent weight gain. It will also allow you to splurge occasionally for all the hard training you do. There are 7 components to a balanced diet, which include the following.
So what exactly is included in the components of a balanced diet?

1. Carbohydrates: These are a good source of energy and should comprise about 60% of a person’s diet or 310 grams daily. Carbohydrates are where most of your energy comes from if you’re engaged in activity throughout the day. The key is to eat lots of carb-rich food items such as vegetables, rice, pasta, potatoes, and wheat, not breads, cakes, or cookies. If you’re an active athlete, 50% is a good amount because you’ll generally need more calories than you can get from carbs alone, which is balance out by fats and proteins.

2. Fiber: Fiber will help you feel full and prevents overeating while helping with proper digestion. Fiber also helps keep your cholesterol levels in check. Fiber rich food items include items such as bran, oatmeal, and vegetables among others. The basic requirement is about 30 grams per day.

3. Minerals: Minerals help with the release of energy from foods once you eat them, as well as interaction with internal body organs to promote growth. As an example, calcium promotes strong bones while iron helps with energy. Although there are lots of minerals, the most important ones for your diet are iodine, potassium, sodium, and those mentioned above.

4. Protein: For most people, protein will come mainly from the meat you eat, which should be lean meats. Protein primarily helps with the development of skin, hair, and muscle tissue. Generally, about 50 grams per day is required for the average adult, more for an athlete.

5. Unsaturated fats: Do not make fat a dirty word. Fats and oils are essential to physiological functions within the body. It is not fat that causes weight gain, but too many calories – usually of the wrong types of food. Healthy fats are generally derived from dairy products, meat, and fish. Their main function is to help regulate body temperature, as well as the absorption of vitamins. Fats help with slow energy release, which is perfect for long-distance runners. About 70 grams per day is recommended.

6. Vitamins: These assist in regulating chemical reactions in the body and while there are many claimed essential vitamins, special attention should be given to vitamins A, C, B, and D. And, because it is difficult to fill nutrient needs from the foods we eat, a multivitamin each day is essential. Also, obtaining vitamins from fruits and vegetables is a good idea.

7. Water: Almost all lists utilize only 6 components for a healthy diet, but, water is necessary and thus, is the 7th component. Few people consider the importance of water in their diet. This is usually due to the consumption of soda, coffee, tea, and juice drinks; however, these do not provide the same goodness as water, which better hydrates the body and facilitates the movement of all the other components above. Suggested intake is at least 8 glasses a day, 4 glasses minimum.

These are the 7 components of a healthy diet. Don’t worry so much about the calories as the proportions of them in your diet. It’s not about measuring every single calorie, but the quality and combination of food you eat. Regardless of the types of food you like, it is easy to find recipes with the right components and, feel free to tweak them for yourself. After all, life and food, is what you make it!

Generally, you can exercise outside in snow and rain – changes in temperature and air quality strengthen the immune system so there is a benefit from them. As a rule of thumb, the body counteracts the cold with an increased pulse rate that is termed thermoregulation. This increased pulse rate most often increases energy consumption significantly, making training even more efficient. However, there are more risks associated with winter training thus, it is important that you follow a few basic rules during the winter since the cold can be harmful. Almost everyone has an individual temperature sensitivity, which should be considered. There are many more components to training outdoors than using a simple thermometer as an indicator of activity.

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Training outdoors during the winter months isn’t all gloom; being outside is refreshing. Whether winter or summer, outdoor training has its challenges. But, with the right preparation, you can have fun all year as you learn to enjoy the change in weather and use it to mix your training routine and get the most from each workout.

Today, it is 24 degrees Fahrenheit outside; these colder temperatures can be the perfect time to incorporate more strength training, try a new activity, build your endurance, and set a foundation for the season ahead. Whether you’re training to stay fit, lose weight or simply training for a spring event, follow these winter training tips to take advantage of training during winter months.

1. Dress Properly
Depending on the type of training you’re doing, each type of training has clothing preferences when winter arrives. Regardless of which category of training you fit into, the key is layers for your clothing. Choose technical fabrics that wick moisture away from your skin to keep you warm and dry. And, you may consider wearing a small backpack for water and stuffing your jacket and or gloves into if you get too warm. There are so many options in training apparel they cannot all be listed, but following are a few necessities:

• A knit hat, especially if temperatures are below about 40 degrees as this will help keep body heat in;
• A training jacket that is breathable, windproof, and waterproof should be considered necessary; try to choose the correct weight of fabric depending on if you are a skier, runner, cyclist, or other outdoor-type enthusiast;
• Get a good pair of gloves that suit your needs and the needs of your activity. In very cold climates you may need an inner liner with an outer shell. Also, you may wish to waterproof them if they are not already made of waterproof material;
• Tights can work well with looser workout pants particularly if it is below freezing. There are so many styles. For the outer layer, ensure that you do not have zippers on the inner legs of the clothing that rub against each other as this is very annoying. A poll of some of those we work with demonstrate a preference for the outer shell made of a wind proofing material with short, 6-8-inch-long zippers at the bottom and facing outside of each leg;
• For temperatures below freezing, cold, dry air may irritate your airways and cause breathing problems. Counteract this by wearing a neck scarf or balaclava. And, if you are outside exercising vigorously for more than 30-minutes in temperatures less than 25 degrees Fahrenheit, you should consider wearing a winter training mask. These will help you generate more moisture as you breathe and help warm the outside air a little before it enters your lungs. A great many believe in running at any low temperature, but temperatures below 25 degrees for extended periods can cause lung damage. The colder the air, the greater the stimulus to the bronchi, lungs, and mucous membranes. At temperatures below 5 degrees Fahrenheit, you should not exercise outside if possible. At this temperature, the body is unable to sufficiently warm air before it reaches the lungs. Illnesses from breathing cold air range from a serious cold to pneumonia. For asthmatics, regardless of temperatures, individually specific rules should be adhered to – if you have asthma, consult your physician before winter-time activities.
• Add protective layers when the wind chill climbs. Adding a pair of windproof shell pants over your tights will do wonders to keep your legs warm. You may begin when temperatures or warmer, but if they drop quickly, you’ll be prepared hence, your backpack. The last time one of our staff was in Minneapolis, the wind chill dropped to -70 degrees.
• Carefully consider the type of shoes you need for your training. Whether it be for running, orienteering, mountain hiking, skiing, or other, get a pair that will protect your feet from the weather, i.e., cold, ice, snow, and rain and in some situations depending on your activity, consider shoes tall enough to provide ankle support. There are so many choices so, choose wisely. Soles that grip well under all conditions, regardless of your training activity, are necessary in the winter!
• Wear sunglasses and strong sunscreen to protect you from strong solar radiation and reflection, especially at high altitude or when on snow or near large bodies of water.
• Finally, if you perform your training in the dark, think visibility. Wear reflective strips on your clothing to alert drivers or others of your presence. This is particularly important in the dark, fog, and heavy rain or snow. You can also consider a headlamp or flashing lights, which are cheap and easy to attach to your apparel.

2. Warm Up Longer
As with many training regimens, the most difficult part of winter training can just be getting out the door, especially on cold, dark mornings. Due to the cold temperatures you need to pay special attention to ensure your body is properly warmed up before you train. Consider taking a quick and hot, relaxing shower before getting dressed for your training. It will help your muscles warm up and prepare for training. Take extra time to warmup such as doing dynamic warmup exercises before running or, try something new and get to the gym and do some strength-building exercises before hitting the trail. Whatever you do, spend a little more time warming up before you go out into the cold. Ensure that joints, ligaments, muscles, and tendons are adequately warmed. Training easy for a longer period at the onset of your workout will help you prevent injury.

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3. Cross-train
When winter arrives, particularly if you’re what we term as a Free Athlete, it is the perfect time to perform a variety of activities to stay strong and healthy. You can take the opportunity to rent snowshoes or cross-country skis and hit the trails for a challenging training workout. You’ll use muscles that you do not normally, and you will burn lots of calories in the process. Winter also is the perfect time to incorporate more strength and flexibility exercises. From speed-strength to CrossFit to Pilates, include resistance training 2 to 3 times per week to build a solid base for the training season ahead. Add variety by including hill runs and leg strength and stamina. Work on exercises that provide a full-range of motion to develop stronger, more flexible muscles. This will help establish healthy joints and weak-area strength.

4. Vitamins, Minerals, and Vegetables Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables!
When it is cold and you’re outside, the body burns more calories and thus, needs more support for the immune system. You can support your immune system with a balanced, vitamin and mineral rich diet. Minimally you should consume a multivitamin daily, as well as vitamin C (1,000 mg is recommended), vitamin E (400 IU) and lots of fruits and vegetables in your diet. There are so many to choose from, but any form of root vegetables, all types of cabbage and winter salads such as lettuce, and chicory should be consumed regularly. Citrus fruits, pomegranates, pears, and apples can provide you with an extra dose of vitamins to help make you resistant to the cold. What types do you like?

5. Keep moving!
As with the core exercises in a strength program, after performing your training outside, you need a proper warm-down. Thus, at the end of your activity, warm-down for a few minutes before moving indoors to stretch, so that your muscles do not become stiff. You will discover that in the winter, muscles cool down quickly, which means by-products from cell and muscle contraction such as oxide and peroxide free radicals cannot be flushed out of the bloodstream in time. This results in painful muscle spasms and even injury if they are later “torn apart”. If you push hard at the end of your training session, make sure you don’t sit or lie down immediately after reaching exhaustion – this will cause circulation to drop very fast and your muscles will stiffen.

6. Think Safety
In extreme weather, place safety as your primary concern, which is one reason dress is so important. Also, take your training indoors when the temperature drops to extreme levels, i.e., 5 degrees Fahrenheit or less. It is best to include a mix of outdoor and indoor training during the coldest, darkest times of the year. You’ll get more benefit from your workouts and reduce the chance of injury. After all, it’s better to lift weights or perform other exercises in the gym than to risk a fall or slip on the ice. Following are two safety rules of thumb when temperatures are not at extreme levels: First, do not stay too long outside! After training, get indoors again as quickly as possible, into the warmth, and take off wet/sweaty clothes. This is because directly after exposure, your immune system is particularly weak and more vulnerable. For the first 30 minutes after training, you are in what is called the ‘Open Window’ that is an immunological gap in which the body is most susceptible to colds and infections. Second, train during the day. When possible, choose mid-morning or noon for your training. This time of day is both the warmest and when the sun is best positioned to stimulate your body’s production of Vitamin D. It is well known that n winter, many people suffer vitamin D deficiency, which is particularly important for bones and joints and in also lifting the spirits!

Prepare beforehand by choosing shoes with a good profile to handle smooth and black ice. Because it gets dark very early in the winter, take a headband light if you exercise in the evening hours.

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Formerly known as the Female Athlete Triad, which we have written about on this website, symptoms of REDS include, but are not limited to, low energy availability/disordered eating, menstrual disorders, and decreased bone mineral density/osteoporosis. The latter is particularly important. REDS is a major health risk among female athletes, especially among those who believe that being extremely thin or maintaining extreme low body fat will enhance their performance. Consuming inadequate calories to adequately match activity level, however, can induce a negative energy balance. This negative energy balance elevates risk for cessation of regular menses, which is associated with decreased bone mineral density. The latter generally is associated with weaker bones and will place the female athlete at greater risk for injuries, especially stress fractures. This is in addition to putting the athlete at risk for developing long-term health consequences such as osteoporosis or cardiovascular disease.

When observing the general traits of a female athlete that is eating and training properly, there is actually a remarkable difference, especially if you’re trained to look for it. If you’re a coach, you should know the differences.

Not only might these similar traits increase the risk of energy deficiency onset in female athletes, but also these traits, which are often perceived as desirable traits in an athlete, may complicate identification of an energy deficiency because these signs can be viewed as an athlete’s dedication to her sport. Regarding mental toughness, an athlete may seem be very committed to her sport, but in actuality be severely harming her body.
Much has been written about disorder eating among female athletes and yet, eating disorder prevention programs targeting female athletes have been very limited. But, from the few programs that are active, data have been equivocal. Using university campus studies as an example, there has been an observed increase in students spontaneously seeking medical consultation for REDS.

So, if you have a daughter who is a female athlete or who is one yourself, pay attention to what you eat and do not become a victim to REDS, formerly known as the Female Athlete Triad. It is more important to train and eat properly; everything else will follow a natural path when doing so.

When I finished my PhD program, I went on to work with jobs helping people in Latin and South America. A good friend however, completed his Master’s degree at the same time and moved to Boulder, Colorado. He had no job so, found one as a waiter in an upscale restaurant. Why would someone do this you may ask? Kenny did it because of his love and passion for cycling. He had wanted to move out to Colorado for years to compete in cycling at all levels and for him, he made his dream come true.

Thus, it is no surprise that Denver and surrounding areas are generally in the top 10 cities ranked for fitness by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). Denver is a city of marathon runners, speed-strength enthusiasts, hikers, back packers, CrossFit gyms, rock climbers, and cyclists just to name a few. And, Denver is among the fittest cities in the nation.

The ACSM issues annual reports, scoring cities in fitness from 1 to 100. Scores typically reflect preventative health behaviors, such as exercise and diet, as well as the levels of chronic disease and community resources that support physical activity. Also, physical activity rates, obesity, farmers market’s per capita, use of public transportation, walking paths (what is referred to as walkability) and park-related expenditures, among others, are also reflected in a city’s scores according to the ACSM reports.

However, as you can see from the table below, there is always room for improvement. Denver dropped from number 3 in 2016 to number 7 in 2017. Thus, no matter what you do, you should find a way to do it better; this is especially true in fitness. Some of the things that brought Denver down were below target goals in veggie consumption, smoking, and percentage of land compared to population that is dedicated to parks.

Overall, the U.S. has seen a shift toward healthier lifestyles during the past decade. The amount of people smoking has dropped about 5 percent, the number of diabetes-related deaths dropped about 7 percent, and twice as many states had policies that required schools to teach physical education. It’s almost as if we are returning to our roots in PE, which many may remember was required every semester in junior high and high school.

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But, there’s much more to the ranking than the number; researchers also found that the policies and physical layout of a city can determine how healthy its residents will be. Denver has been improving in this, especially in the past 5 years. Cities with a built-in environment that supports people who want to be healthy, generally have a healthier population. When you make it easy to go to park, walk around a mall, or do holiday shopping outside, fitness levels naturally increase. And, in Denver, we’re seeing new malls built not under one large, enclosed building, but are being constructed as regional and super-regional shopping centers. These latter are where stores adjoin each other or stand alone, but are in a centrally located area so that shoppers can walk from one store to another outside. This allows them to enjoy the fresh air and get some exercise at the same time. One of my favorite places is the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver, while there is not the level of shopping one may want there are tons of eateries, upscale lounges, and fun bars.

The trend is now for cities to invest a lot of money in parks and recreational facilities, all of which tend to have healthier residents. Denver is no exception to this and early on, constructed one of the best parks in the country. It has become a mecca of walkers, joggers, cyclists and anyone who just wants to get away from the hustle and bustle of the concrete jungle. This place is Denver City Park (pictured at the top of this article). Denver City Park is anchored on the east end by the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and on the north by the Denver Zoo. During the summers into early fall there is Jazz in the Park, and many other activities featured either by the city, surrounding community such as the Denver Black Arts Festival, or people simply doing their own thing from soccer to picnics and family get together(s). It is the gym of Denver in my opinion.

So, if you’re in Denver to visit or live here, there are many activities you can do that will help get you fit without pumping iron in the gym. Some of these activities include:

1. Enjoying the scenery as you walk, run, jog or do step-runs at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater, which looks east across Denver into the plains;
2. Walking the 16th Street Mall (a pedestrian only mall) in downtown Denver near Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies. Hop a free bus along the mall and quickly go from one point of interest to the next;
3. Yoga at the Denver Botanic Gardens;
4. Tai-Chi or jogging in Denver City Park
5. Washington Park Pub Run every Wednesday at 6:00 pm April through October
6. Colfax Marathon every May
7. Denver Cruiser Ride (bi-cycle) May through September
8. Denver B-Cycle: there are over 80 stations in Denver where you can insert your credit card and for $9 get a 24-hour pass or unlimited 30-minute tips with Denver’s pioneering bike-share program. This allows you to bike from one point of interest to another all over Denver proper;
9. Walk downtown to discover Union Station and the LoDo Historic District;
10. Visit Larimer Square, a trendy block of Victorian buildings is home to chic shopping, dance clubs, a comedy club, outdoor cafes, and a dozen of Denver’s best restaurants. For 40 years in downtown Denver, it’s hip to be at the “Square.”

You get the picture, there are just too many activities to list, from the Denver Art Museum, Denver Botanic Gardens, and Confluence Park to a great many others. Denver was founded at Confluence Park as a gold mining camp in 1858. Today, the river park is the heart of Denver’s 85-mile bike trail network that is surrounded by attractions. Ride the Platte River Trolley to the Downtown Aquarium to see stingrays and sharks and The Children’s Museum of Denver, with dozens of interactive “plays-capes” for younger kids; eat and drink in the nearby neighborhoods of Riverfront, LoHi and Highlands.

What are you waiting for? Visit downtown Denver today and have fun while you get a little more fit. As a tip – walk everywhere you can because it’s more fun, easy to get around, and you’ll just enjoy things so much more.