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Dietary Supplements – Facts For Coaches and Physical Educators

The desire and necessity for dietary supplements and substances enhancing performance is as historic as sports. The use of supplements dates back to around 500 B.C. when athletes and warriors would add the livers of deer and hearts of lions to their diet hoping that it would enhance their performance. It was believed that the supplements would make them braver, faster, and stronger. Research work conducted in the early twentieth century shows evidence for the link between dietary supplements and improved performance. This was possible because research gave man a better understanding for how muscles worked and how fuel was used during exercise. The roles of protein, carbohydrates, and fats were also better understood and all this led to more research on dietary enhancement supplements.

The importance of taking supplements following intense exercise is based on the necessity for quicker replenishment of muscle glycogen post workout. By taking a protein, carbohydrate, or protein-carbohydrate supplement after exercise, there is a quicker return to performance capacity and this is important for one under continuous exercise.

Numerous studies on restoring muscle glycogen stores have been conducted. They all address the questions of timing, when to take the supplement; amount of supplementation, specifically gram intake of supplement per day; and the type of supplement to take. In comparing various studies done on the difference between a carbohydrate supplement and a carbohydrate-protein supplement, there is plenty of data suggesting the effect of a carbohydrate-protein supplement to be more effective in restoring muscle glycogen.

The recommended intake of protein in people over the age of 18 years is 0.8g per kilogram body weight. This value is the Dietary Reference Intake and is similar to RDA values. In 2000, The American College of Sports Medicine, American Dietetic Association, and Dietitians of Canada performed research and concluded that the value of protein intake is much greater for those individuals that are very active. Their data suggests that endurance athletes should be consuming 1.2-1.4g of protein per kilogram body weight a day and those doing resistance training could even need 1.6-1.7g per kilogram body weight a day. To avoid supplement abuse [http://www.physical-education-lessons.com/category/substance-abuse], these athletes need more protein in their diet because of their intense training and elevated levels of protein synthesis.

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Why Today’s Physical Education Doesn’t Make the Grade

Setting the Scene: The first time I ever saw him present was in September, 1983. I had just completed my fifth year of teaching and was one of 200 or so teachers attending the Fall Physical Education Leadership Conference in Reidsville, North Carolina.

The last time I saw him present was 20 years later – the start of the 2003-2004 school year. This master teacher-presenter hadn’t changed much in 20 years; he still possessed his hyperactive high energy levels, his inspiring way of communicating to teachers, and his love for physical education.

“What a wonderful start for our annual district-wide staff development day,” I was thinking to myself. It seemed that almost nothing has changed in the past 20 years with him.

His contagious enthusiasm quickly spread to the 100 or so physical education teachers attending our school district’s annual Staff Development Day. Everyone seemed “pumped” with excitement. Even the older, more reserved teachers didn’t seem to mind doing the “heart-healthy” dances that were presented!

“How many of you have had a good time so far?” the 66-year-old PE teacher-presenter asked as he motioned with his hands for us to sit down. Instantly, numerous folks raised their hands! Spontaneously, one teacher began to clap, then another, and soon the entire gym was filled with applause. Another small group of teachers in the center of the gym started talking and stood up together facing the presenter. In unison, each teacher in the group made a large circle shape with their arms high above their heads. The rest of the teachers in the gym followed the group’s lead, soon everyone was standing – each with their arms in a large circle shape – a “standing O-vation.”

“A Standing O” – It was something the presenter had talked about earlier in the morning as a simple and quick way to recognize outstanding effort. This “thank you” seemed to take him by surprise. You could tell this gesture had a special effect on him, or so it seemed. After a minute or so, everyone sat back down as the presenter regained his composure and started to speak.

“Thank you all very much,” he said walking slowly across the gym floor. “But you know, it’s really like…” his voice instantly tapered off as he grimaced, slightly dragging his right foot behind. Instantly, everyone in the gym sensed something was not quite right. What’s wrong with his leg? He grimaced again. It was as if he had a huge weight shackled to his right leg. Then he stopped and stood silently.

The Chains of Tradition: “You know,” he said with a sly smile, “In physical education, we have been dragging heavy ‘chains of tradition’ for too long. These ‘chains of tradition’ keep us from moving forward, from changing our methods of teaching. They’re heavy and difficult to get rid of. They make us throw up our hands and say ‘things will never change, this is the way things have always been.’”

“And the people who are saying ‘things will never change’ are right! Things will never change as long as you and I continue to drag this ‘chain of tradition’ around with us.”

He continued, “Now, before we break for lunch at 12:00, I would like each of you to get into groups of threes and discuss among yourselves what ‘chains of tradition’ you have been dragging around.”

What happened that day was a revelation to me!

You see, I now had a way to explain why Physical Education still seems to cling to the traditional ways of doing business. As I looked around to find two other teachers, I knew exactly what my ‘chain’ was and still is — it’s “grading.”

Why Today’s PE Doesn’t Make the Grade! In my 35+ year career as a physical education teacher, state-level administrator, and local Central Office Supervisor, I have one major regret – “I have done little to change the way we grade students in physical education.” For me, physical education will finally “make the grade” when we begin to do the following four items:

1. Transition from traditional grading practices (ex: dressing out) to a standards-based model.

2. Re-design individual state standards so that there are no more than 15 “core outcomes” per grade level.

3. In the re-design effort, create a K-12 scope and sequence that is sequential, easy-to-understand, and simple to articulate.

4. Involve higher education – the colleges and universities that are preparing the next generation of future teachers.

The Virtual PE Administrator: Over the past 2-3 years, I have been fortunate enough to work with a number of progressive school districts in addressing the above items. From this collaboration, we have been able to develop and create a new web-based physical education assessment and tracking program called the Virtual PE Administrator. These school districts are now starting to implement a program that will track and monitor individual student progress aligned to 12 grade-by-grade “core outcomes” from the time they enter kindergarten to graduating high school.

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The Meaning and Purpose of Education

Birds and animals require little teaching or training to lead a successful bird or animal life. They know how to make a home or shelter for themselves and how to keep themselves alive instinctively. The instinct of self preservation is implanted in them by nature. They are given certain faculties which develop to their maximum level with their physical growth without much conscious effort on their part or on the part of their parents. Not so with man. His intellectual growth depends on many outside factors and can not attain maturity without long and deliberate effort on his part and on the part of his well wishers. A forest can grow by itself naturally but a garden cannot.

A flower is pretty by itself but a diamond requires a lot of cutting and polishing before it will sparkle and scintillate into a thousand colors. Man is like a rough diamond and requires filing and polishing before all his faculties can function fully. Education is just this filing and polishing of the human personality so that it reaches its full development. It enables one to lead a better life physically, mentally and spiritually.

Now a man possesses a mind, a spirit and a body. So education has a three fold purpose. It aims at his physical, mental, and spiritual well being. It keeps the body fit and healthy, the mind sound and vigorous and the spirit fine and sensitive. As the health of the body is the first requisite of all human activities and is indispensable for all progress, so education must first of all enable a person to live hygienically and to earn an honest living. This basic education is most often neglected in our country and is, in fact, the cause of most of our troubles. The man who can not support himself and his family is only half educated. The man who does not know the rules of hygiene and cleanliness is even worse. He is a menace to society itself.

Knowledge of the laws of health and their faithful observance are an integral part of physical education. Appropriate food and clothing and clean ways of living play an important part in building up one’s health. Physical exercise is essential to true education. It gives a healthy tone to the different organs of our body and makes them thoroughly strong and fit for doing their duty. Bodily strength is as much needed as intellectual activity in ensuring success in life. Physical exercise is, therefore, an essential requisite which every man and woman should cultivate. IF we want to be strong, healthy and free from disease, we should take regular exercise. Those who use their brain a great deal should not neglect to take part in some kind of athletic sport, if they want to be free from diseases that are contracted by sedentary habits. There are different kind of physical exercise such as walking, riding, gymnastics and games.

The education should also sharpen our mental faculties and develop them fully. It should remove superstitions, prejudice, and bigotry. The mind should be able to seek truth in everything and to see things as they are, impartially and objectively.

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