Sara Rocks Nutrition

I failed at my goal yesterday.  I give it as much as I could, but couldn’t reach the finish line. It was raining and cold. I had been walking in mud for the last 11 miles straight. My shoes were just mud puddles strapped to my feet weighing down my legs, my clothes were sopped and mud-caked. I made many of the obstacles I didn’t think I would. I had to burpee out at some of the ones I thought I would fly through. But I was on the verge of bonking without food and ill prepared for the cold. I think I could have gone a little further, but my teammate was completely bonked, could hardly stand, and was on the verge of hypothermia. I could have gone on a little further, and maybe could have made the finish line with that coveted medal. But, without my team mate, it would have cost my soul. Overall, I do feel a little pride for everything I did. It was hard, harder than I thought. I may be sad today and time may blur how bad the conditions were, how uncomfortable, tired, and hungry I was.

There is a great scene in Idiocracy where they admit to watering the plants with sports drinks, because it’s got electrolytes, it’s got what plants crave.” And Luke Wilson asks “what is an electrolyte anyway?” (Not a direct quote, just go watch the movie.) Electrolytes aren’t just what plants crave or an REM song, they are really important to keeping you alive. They help regulate hydration, pH balance (as we found out in a previous post ), and keep your muscles and nerves in check. If your levels get too low, you will die. We did an experiment in grade school where we connected a pickle to two pieces of copper and the pickle lit up. We couldn't figure out why at the time, but the key was the sodium in the pickling solution. Sodium can conduct electricity when mixed with water, an electrolyte. Some other examples include potassium, calcium, bicarbonate, magnesium, chloride, and phosphate. When you get a Charley Horse in your calf muscle, it's good to eat a banana becau

Yum, spinach! It’s one of my favorites and a staple in my house. I like to use it as a base for smoothies, salads, and wraps. Occasionally, I do cook it, but only enough so that is turns an even brighter shade of green. My kitten is a fan too, insisting that I give her a leaf whenever I open the bag. Spinach is thought to have originated in Persia and is in the same family as both beets and quinoa (which make for a fantastic veggie bowl, but that's a post for a different day). From Persia, the vegetable traveled to India and then to China, where it was known simply as “Persian Vegetable.” Spinach moved westward, gaining popularity in Europe as it was a vegetable that grew quickly in the early spring.  This Provided a welcome break in the monotony of winter stores.  Most people associate spinach with Popeye. That famous Sailor Man inhaled his canned leafy greens making his muscles explode as he saved Olive Oyl time and time again. As a result, spinach sales during WWII i