What’s important to understand is that not all carbohydrates have the same  efficiency. Many carbohydrates are refined or simple – which cause blood sugar highs and lows which can result in a period of high energy followed by a period of extremely low energy, often leaving the person craving more of the simple quick release carbs.

Examples of these “refined” carbs are regular pasta, white bread, snack foods and baked goods. The weight loss plans that advocate eating less or none of these foods are on the right track, except they tend to throw out the GOOD carbs as well. We’ll call these “slow carbs”, and here’s why:

After you eat them, the carbohydrates in foods are broken down and released as sugar units (glucose) into your bloodstream. “Slow carbs” are foods that release glucose at a slower rate.

Typically, these foods are “whole foods”; that is, they contain the fibre and minerals that are often removed in making their refined, “quick-release” counterparts. (Such is the difference between whole wheat bread and white bread.)

Choosing “slow carbs” over refined carbs helps keep your blood sugar balanced (positively affecting your hunger level, mood and mental concentration, among other things). Fibre also promotes regularity and helps maintain healthy blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Examples of “slow carbs” are whole grain breads and crackers, potatoes with their skin, beans & legumes, brown rice, oats, and whole grain pasta.

Here are five tips for creating a “slow carb” habit:

1. Whole Foods – Eat as close to natural as possible. Vegetables, fruits, beans and lentils are whole foods that contain all of their original nutrients (fibre, vitamins, minerals, and carbohydrates for energy).

2. Grains & Breads – When it comes to grain products such as breads, crackers, cereals, and pasta, choose “darker”, whole grain varieties. This can be done in restaurants as well as the grocery store.

3. Snacking – Fruit is an excellent snack. Consuming the whole fruit provides the slow-release carbs and will sustain your energy for longer, as opposed to fruit juice, which provides the body with a quick release of fruit sugar into the bloodstream. Another great snack to try is sliced red peppers with hummus (made from chickpeas).

4. Take the time (you’re worth it!) – Seeing as some of the slow-carb options take longer to cook (e.g., brown rice versus white rice), make them ahead of time, and make extra to freeze for future meals. Brown rice is very versatile; try it in soups, casseroles, stuffed vegetables, or for breakfast (warmed) with cinnamon, raisins, chopped nuts or ground flaxseed.

5. Read labels – “Whole wheat” (or other “whole” grain) should appear before any other flour in the ingredient list. White flour can be disguised as “wheat flour”, “enriched flour”, “unbleached flour”, or “grain flour”, to name a few.

Working at substituting “slow carb” foods into your lifestyle will ensure that you have ample energy, proper nutrition, and that you maintain a healthy weight. Of course it’s also essential that you find some ways to be active and that you limit high fat and high calorie snack foods as best you can.

Nuts

Some nuts are a great energy source and are often very suited to a quick snack. Almonds, peanuts and soy nuts are perfect for this example.

Yogurt

Yogurt is full of vitamin-B, and this vitamin helps your body convert other nutrients into energy. You should not eat excessive amounts of yogurt due to the fat content. You could eat a nut yogurt to mix the yogurt and nut energy foods into one snack.

Eggs

Eggs are a great source of energy, and this food will supply a high amount of protein throughout the working day. Some experts advise not to eat more than three eggs a week, so try to mix your weeks food plan up with other high energy foods.

Orange & Other Fruit Juice

Vitamin C can help to reduce levels of fatigue, which will keep you going all day long. As with many other vitamins, too much vitamin C can be bad for your body, so drink these juices in moderation.

Citrus fruits are also very good in providing vitamin C, a great example of this is the main ingredient in the fairly new lemon detox diet.

Beans & Lentils

Beans and lentils are a great source of potassium and carbohydrates. Kidney beans, lentils, baked beans and many others provide a great source of energy for your body.

Seeds

Sunflower and pumpkin seeds are also a great source of energy for your body. These are great as a stand-alone snack, and also combined with other ingredients in nut bars.

Craft make highly technical clothing and apparel for cycling, running, triathlon and Nordic sports since the mid 1970’s.

During these years Craft have cooperated with elite sportsmen & women from all over the world. They have studied movement patterns, mapped their bodies heat zones and measured their training intensity, resulting in a collection of superb base layers, and advanced technical cycling,running and triathlon clothing.

The CRAFT bike collection has been developed in close collaboration with Team Saxo Bank, No 1 ProTour team in the world for the last 3 years, which was formerly known as Team CSC and riders such as Carlos Sastre, winner of the 2008 Tour De France, and Tim DeBoom, two time world Ironman champion.

Tight compression fit with 4 waystretch that gives total freedom of movement.

CRAFT ‘elite’ Tri Suit, Sizing information:

CRAFT elite Tri Suit Review

After testing the Craft Elite Tri Suit I was amazed by the quality of the material of the Craft tri suit and the fit!

It seems to fit a lot better than the 2xu brand suits and the material seemed a little thicker. The zip at the back means there is no rubbing at the front which some people get from the 2xu tri suits.

Very comfortable and cant think of and bad points. Excellent price (£72 at most places) and from Bike Traks! Check out their offer on the elite Craft Tri Suit. You can save up to 25%! (As advertised 12 Aug 2010).

• Give yourself extra time on the morning of the race. You want to make sure you have plenty of time race morning., rushing around to leave the house in time will cause your stress levels to increase and you will waste energy on worrying! Ensure that you have plenty of time to set up your transition area without feeling rushed or anxious.  This will provide extra time in case you have to make any last minute adjustments to your bike, or other race gear.

• Avoid over-training. You want to make sure that you are giving yourself enough time to recover between workouts.  As a beginner, your training is going to be different from a veteran. If swimming is your weak spot, you want to make sure you hit the pool more than once a week. Proper recovery from your workouts is just as important as the workout itself!
• Go through all of your race gear days before the race. You are going to be a little nervous for race day, so try to eliminate as much stress as possible. A few days before the race, start getting all of your race gear together, and make sure that you have everything that you need. Then, the night before the race, you can put everything you need into your gear bag and have it ready for the morning.
• Don’t try new things on race day. This is very important for any triathlon or race event! This includes drinks, food, gels, socks, shoes, etc.  If you plan on using something race day, make sure that you practice with it in your training.  One of the biggest mistakes of a beginner triathlete is trying a new gel or bar on race day, which can upset your stomach and make for a bad day!
• Relax and have a good time. Your in this to have fun hopefully, so make sure you enjoy your race! Each race will only happen once. You have done the training, and have put in the time, so now is the fun part of competing!  Your family and friends may be there to support you, and there will be plenty of volunteers to answer any of your questions.  Try to stay as relaxed as possible before the race by giving yourself extra time race morning to get everything set up in transition.

£2000 Prize Pot + Age & Group Prizes

Supported by Bike Traks

At Stockton Triathlon there will be a race to suit everyone. A pool based Mini Tri which is suitable for absolute beginners.Open water Sprint and Standard Distance races, as well as a team relay option over the standard distance.

Wetsuits will be compulsory for the swim in the Sprint and Standard Races.

Pool based mini-tri starts 9am

Open water Sprint & Standard races start 1pm.

The new course is now finalised and what a course it is. The transition area and event base will on Stockton’s Riverside right in the heart of the town. The bike course will be on an exciting fast and flat fully closed road circuit around the Riverside and University area with plenty of twists and turns to keep you on your toes.

The run will be over a new 5k circuit based on the New Infinity Bridge and slightly older Millennium Bridge taking in the riverside walkways on the university side of the river.

The Mini-Tri swim will be in the excellent Splash swimming pool. The run and bike are relatively short distances. This race is particularly aimed at first timers or anyone that would like to try their hand at triathlon. It’s an opportunity to become actively involved in what should be a great days’ sport.

Stockton Borough Council are really supportive of this event and the intention is to combine it with some form of music event to add further to the whole occasion.