SAFETY
Steve McCombs
Beware of motorcyclists and motorcyclists beware
BUILDING WELLNESS
Fueling your body for optimum performance
Andrea Lindsey, MS Human Performance Resource Center
What’s the best pre-workout supplement to help me improve my performance? The Human Performance Resource Center has received many questions about what the best pre-workout supplements are for improving physical or athletic performance. The best pre-workout products are simply whole foods. A balanced diet that includes protein (lean meat, poultry, fish, low fat dairy products and beans), whole grains, and plenty of fruits and vegetables will provide your body the proper ratio of protein, carbohydrates, and fats needed for energy, endurance, and muscle building. Remember, whole foods typically cost less than dietary supplement products too. If food is not your first choice (think again), then be a smart shopper as many pre-workout products contain one or more stimulants (or ingredients that have stimulant effects) such as bitter orange (citrus aurantium or synephrine), yohimbe, or caffeine in various forms (e.g., caffeine anhydrous, guarana, tea, yerba maté, cocoa, cacao, kola nut, and more.). The possible side effects of taking stimulants include irritability, difficulty sleeping, addiction, irregular heart rhythms (such as palpitations), convulsions, and heart attack. Some popular pre-workout products claim to provide nitric oxide (a gas), but those products usually contain arginine, an amino acid with a variety of effects in the body. Also, many pre-workout products contain “proprietary blends,” which make it is impossible to determine the exact amount of each ingredient you would be taking. This is especially important in the case of stimulants, such as synephrine and caffeine. Unfortunately, little information is available on how combinations of such ingredients might act in the body, so before taking various multiple ingredient supplements, either alone or in combination, check out the ingredients. Without laboratory testing, there is no way to know the actual contents of a product, so check to see if it has been evaluated by an independent, third-party organization. For more information and links to organization websites, visit the OPSS FAQ about third-party certification. Also, see the Operation Supplement Safety FAQ on bodybuilding and performance-enhancing products. The Food and Drug Administration points out that some sports/workout products contain hidden ingredients that can be harmful so read the FDA’s “Tainted Products Marketed as Dietary Supplements.” Bodybuilding, weight-loss, and sexual-enhancement products are the most common types of supplements they have found to contain undeclared drugs. More information about issues related to each of these types of supplements is available from the FDA. Remember, the BEST choice to fuel your performance is real food. Easily digestible foods, in addition to adequate fluids, will help you achieve your performance goals.
Happy Summer District Teammates!! I want to focus this month’s article on Motorcycle Safety. The Southwest provides some of the best riding conditions anywhere in the United States and with gasoline prices so high many more folks are choosing to ride. I must confess that I have a deep dislike for these machines. Not because they aren’t fun - I rode from time to time when I was younger - but because they are inherently dangerous. A motorcycle, unlike an automobile, has essentially zero safety backup features. All you have to keep you safe on your bike are your wits, skill and protective gear. No seatbelts, no airbags, no sturdy material between you and the other vehicle. As a safety officer, I have conducted way too many accident investigations involving these beasts. Riding motorcycles is kind of like living in earthquake country. Here in California we know we’re going to have large, damaging earthquakes. If you ride a motorcycle, you are going to crash and no matter how good your gear is, sometimes it’s just not enough. Evel Knievel (if you don’t know who he is, ask an old geezer like me) is quoted as saying, “When I hit that pavement at 70 or 80 mph those suits just ripped.” So that’s my “Motorcyclists Beware” message. Ride safely. Wear full protective equipment at all times. All these things will help you avoid a crash or at least help protect you when you do end up sliding along the asphalt. The more you mitigate your risk when you ride, the more likely you are to remain alive and in one piece. Take a course that is sponsored by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, even if you’re already an experienced rider. It’s mandatory if you are on active duty and want to ride. Here’s their link. Now here’s the “Beware of Motorcyclists” part. For the rest of us who drive vehicles with four or more wheels, we have a duty to be very mindful that motorcycle riders are out there with us. It’s difficult sometimes, especially on the packed freeways, to see a rider. More often than not, you won’t see the motorcycle
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