Podcast Episode #53: Six Key Performance Factors Every Athlete Needs to Know About

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Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode

In this July 29, 2009 free audio episode, I cover the following topics: the six key performance factors every athlete needs to know, stomach bloating while swimming, carbohydrate loading, running intervals, fat loss for breastfeeding mothers, whether mineral water actually works, more on the HCG diet for fat loss, and what to do to make raw almonds taste better.

New! You'll notice above that at the top right of this post, you now have access to a "Podtrac Player" which will allow you to open the podcast and listen in a pop-up player while you move on to surf the internet. You can also simply click here to go to our iTunes page and subscribe to have your computer automatically download episodes as they are released. To help make our show even better, take just 5 minutes to complete the quick survey below:

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Featured Topic: An interview with Dr. Richard Cohen, a physican and avid athlete who brings almost two decades of experience in preventive medicine and performance to our podcast. He has been training and counseling members of the American medical community on nutritional issues for the past 15 years and is now recognized as one of the leading authorities in the biological analysis of athletic performance factors. Dr. Cohen brings to light the key factors that have been identified as the major variables that effect your body ability to perform. Chances are, you spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on gear and countless hours training every week, but probably don't know the answers to the following questions:

-Are your levels of Vitamin D optimal?

-Are your iron stores adequate?

-Are your mineral levels balanced?

-Is your hormonal recovery system strong?

-Do you know your essential amino acid status?

-Do the food you eat provide your body with the fuel it really needs?

-Are you a "fast oxidizer" or "slow oxidizer"?

After listening to the interview with Dr. Cohen, you'll know exactly what to do and exactly how to get tested from the comfort of your own home. I am currently in the process of being tested for all these variables myself, and can actually walk you through the entire process. Just e-mail [email protected].

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Listener Q&A:

Listener David asks: "Ben, I appreciate your training and health insights. I have followed your comments online and on the EverymanTri newsletter and I've just subscribed to your podcast. I have a question about trouble I experience with my swim workouts. Virtually every workout is interrupted or shortened by the need for a bowel movement. I swim first thing in the morning - before breakfast- yet always exit the pool feeling bloated. What can I do? I suspect this is a result of gulping too much air but you recently referenced adjusting your diet. I've got a race in six weeks. How can eliminate this discomfort and interruption?"

Listener Chuck asks: "Hey Ben, Hope everything is going well. Just had a quick question that I thought about today. I have a race this Saturday, its a run-swim-run, 5k, 1k, 5k respectively. In the sense of preparing for the race, I was going to do as I usually do--focus my higher carbohydrate meals to be Thursday dinner and Friday lunch for the Saturday race. But the race itself hopefully won't take me more than around 1:05 (I hope), which is just as long as most