What does equality in sport look like?

Last week, I attended the “Transforming Sport: Women’s Sport Conference” hosted by Women in Sport.  It was a great event: well hosted, well attended, lots of opportunities for sharing ideas and concerns.  However, one moment sticks out for me.  During the BBC 5 Live Game Changers broadcast, the debate shifted to the discussion of sponsorship disparity between male and female athletes (only 0.4% of UK sports sponsorship invested in women’s sport).  A young girl from the audience bravely raised her hand to say that female athletes should be paid the same as male athletes because they are doing the same job.  The room erupted into cheers and applause.  But I found myself in the awkward position of being unable to join the applause.  I am a professional female athlete who is passionate about the involvement of women of all ages in sport.  But I don’t agree.

               I feel like the wrong metaphor is being used when it comes to discussing athlete salaries.  There is no doubt in my mind that two accountants working the same number of hours producing the same quality of work should be paid the same salary regardless of age, race, or gender.  But I don’t think of athletes as performing jobs.  When it comes to commercial considerations, we are entrepreneurs trying to sell a product, which is ourselves.  The reality for all entrepreneurs is that product price is dictated by market interest.  Millions of entrepreneurs around the world, from craftsmen, to musicians, to hoteliers can attest to the fact that market interest and price don’t always correlate with fairness, effort, or quality of work.

               Women often play a central role in dictating where money is spent, and a company would be crazy not to try and appeal to the female market.  I hate that Under Armour America recently hired Gisele to front their women’s sport line, and not an elite female athlete.  Something needs to change.  We can vilify the media and we can vilify corporate business, but I think what needs to change is me.  I need to show that I value sport (if indeed I do) with my actions.  We need girls flocking to PE classes, analysing the offensive strategy of last night’s netball game, and saving up to buy carbon fibre race tires.  These are the sorts of “market” changes that I am interested in and want to help bring about.

An interview on women's sport

I was recently asked the following questions about women’s sport. I hope this conversation continues until all girls are actively engaged in sport.

 

What do you think is the biggest barrier in driving visibility of women’s sport?

To be honest, I think women are the biggest barrier.  Men love sport, and spend lots of money to see their counterparts play.  Aside from the athletes I train with, I don’t have any female friends who regularly watch and follow women’s sport leagues.  So much effort is made trying to convince male audiences to watch female sport.  Women need to value and enjoy sport if we want female athletes to have more visibility.  Women need to value female athletes more than models and reality stars.

 

Why do you think it is taking so long for things to change?

It takes a long time for things like thought patterns and societal norms to change.  There has to be a very strong motivating factor supported by a large and vocal group in order for this to happen quickly.  Corporate businesses, governments, schools, religious groups, mums and dads need to be clear on why the promotion of sport for women is beneficial and relevant for them.

 

What do you think male athletes can do to help drive visibility of female sports?

One of the best things they can do is become vocal fans!

 

What role do you think sponsorship brands should play?

One of the biggest roles brands play is the provision of a platform.  The fact that a brand chooses to actively support women in sport already speaks volumes.  Actions speak louder than words, and the ambassadors companies align themselves with and where they spend their money sends a very strong message to the public.  Speaking as a female athlete, I’m not sure it is appropriate to demand people like and watch my sport, so the best thing a sponsor can do is give my sport visibility.  Give the public the opportunity to see what I do and then let them make their own choice.

 

What radical things must change in order for women’s sports to be taken as seriously as men’s?

We need to eliminate the expectation that women’s sport needs to take on the same shape as men’s sport.  By in large, female athletes are not as strong or a fast as their male counterparts.  This is a neutral statement, and all it means is that females will play the game differently.  Women may have to play more creatively or strategically.  It is still exciting, it is still entertaining, and it is still an impressive display of sporting talent.  If women’s sports keep trying to mimic men’s sports, they will simply end up being a second rate version.  We need to find a way to do sport on our own terms and be proud of it.

http://stefreid.blogspot.co.uk/

 

 

Debate on Leg Amputee Classification in the Paralympics

Debate on Leg Amputee Classification in the Paralympics

I have been asked several times about my views on leg amputee classification in the Paralympics.  I have given it some thought, and finally put my views to paper.  Please share your comments!  This is definitely a discussion worth engaging in!

The link to the pdf file is below.

https://acrobat.com/?d=C-Ey5ri4EFSBygOX0hKc5g

The REAL Fountain of Youth

The REAL Fountain of Youth

It is amazing the speed at which people will part with their money for the promise of a youthful glow.  Magic wrinkle creams and miraculous weight loss equipment are what keep the shopping network in business.  It is the creams that particularly amuse me.  Are we forgetting that everything we see on our body – skin, hair, and nails – is ALREADY DEAD?  How effective is that cream really going to be?  Cream manufacturers are starting to get smarter.  The newest advertising phrases include things like “DNA repair and renewal”.  This is on the right track.  We know that the key to aging well lies in the protection and maintenance of our DNA.  But back to the same point – is it really worth repairing the DNA of skin that is already dead?  And why just repair skin DNA?  How can I get my heart, lungs, and liver in on the action as well?

The answer is rather simple and boring: EAT MORE PLANTS.  There is an abundance of research demonstrating that key compounds in plants interact directly with our DNA.  They can turn on genes and they can turn off genes.  Genes matter because they produce proteins, and it is these proteins that are responsible for everything else that happens in our bodies, from our skin to our brains.  I would like to be more specific, but I can’t.  It is not because I am wrong – it is because nutrition is a very new science.  We still can’t even identify all of the compounds that make up an apple, let alone understand how they interact with our body after digestion.  But what we do know with a large degree of certainty is that people who eat plants are less prone to cancer, a disease characterized by damaged DNA that has the wrong genes turned on.

So, how do I protect the DNA in my living cells, and thus retain my youth and health?  You do it from the inside out by eating more plants.  Here is one of my favourite ways to increase my raw veggie intake:



You cannot bottle the nutritional punch of raw veggies and homemade salad dressing in a pill or a cream. A quick note:  DO NOT skip the salad dressing because you think you are doing yourself a favour by eliminating calories.  The oil is necessary for the body to absorb all of the wonderful fat soluble vitamins, like A, D, and K found in the veggies.  I have seen gourmet health salads sell for upwards of £10-20.  Using my method below, you can make and store a week’s worth of salad using organic produce, for under £8.

Directions:

Salads are all about the right combination of textures and flavours!   In my experience, I have found that almost any raw vegetable can be eaten -and enjoyed- when finely chopped.

Here is the rubric for making an outstanding salad:

1) Colourful mix of veggies
2) Intensely flavoured cheese (the stronger the flavour, the less you need to use; my personal fav is goat feta)
3) Sprinkling of any type of nut or seed
4) Balanced dressing

Once a week, I load up on fresh veggies.  I wash and dry them, and then slice them up in my food processor.   Pretty much any combo will work, but the key is to get a variety of textures and colours. For example, combine Swiss chard, red cabbage, shredded carrots, and sliced radishes.  I also like to add in some onions for flavour.  I mix it all in a massive Tupperware container, and then store it in my fridge.  By choosing thicker, rougher leaves, like kale, Swiss chard, and collard greens, and staying away from traditional lettuce leaves (like spinach, romaine, etc), your salad will last the entire week.   All you will have to do is plate it and add the nuts, cheese, and dressing! 

PS. Have your photo ID handy!

Brain Fermentation

Brain Fermentation

Brent Lakatos T53 Wheelchair Racer; Stef Reid T/F44 Sprinter and Long Jumper

As a self confessed workaholic, there is nothing more irritating than seeing people around you succeeding who don’t put in as much time and effort, and who don’t have to sacrifice as much as you.  The person who shows up on time, always prepared, and never calls in sick should be the one who takes the prize, right?............Actually, not always.  Case in point: my wonderful husband, Brent, and myself.  Brent has a soft spot for chocolate chip oatmeal cookies and crisps, trains 30% less than myself, and has no problem blowing off a training session due to rain or cold weather.  I, on the other hand, won’t touch a refined carbohydrate, train like an energizer bunny, and will continue until I hear tornado sirens.  The result for this season has been that muscle fibers pop out of Brent’s arms like they are trying to escape, and he records near personal bests almost every time he races.  I am just hanging on to my six pack and had to sit on the sidelines for the winter with a stress fracture in my back.

The truth is there are processes at work in our subconscious brain that no amount of work or effort can speed up.  They are utterly dependent on Time - in fact, our efforts often get in the way.  The most basic definition of fermentation is the transformation of one thing into another over Time, whether that be sugar into alcohol, or a talented athlete into a champion.

There is record of only one person in history who has been able to escape the walls of Time, Jesus Christ.  His first documented miracle involved the instantaneous transformation of water into wine.  What he did went beyond providing the starting materials of a good wedding reception.  He made a powerful statement: “I am beyond the confines of space and Time.”  Imagine the arrogance of the person who thinks that he, too, can manipulate Time in this godlike fashion.

Malcom Gladwell is a social scientist who has studied the science behind success.  The common denominator behind all successful athletes, musicians, doctors, comedians, criminals, CEOs, etc is a “fermentation” period of 10 years, equivalent to 10, 000 hours of training.  This is the period of time required by the brain to assimilate and integrate the neural pathways required to achieve true mastery.

The creation of a fine wine is a delicate process.  It requires superior grapes (talented athlete), quality yeast to catalyze the process (talented coach), and, of course, Time.  Sure, you can speed up the fermentation process by pressurizing the solution, or increasing the heat, but this is always to the detriment of the taste and quality of the final product.

I am in the process of learning the most important lesson I can as an athlete, which is to get over myself, and get over my ability to think and analyze in an effort to conjure up short cuts.  I can’t speed up the rate at which my brain ferments – in fact, sometimes the most effective thing I can do to improve my performance as an athlete is to sit back, relax and trust the perfection of nature and the mysterious processes of my brain.  All I can do is facilitate the transformation by focusing on the program and cues given to me by my coaches.  To do otherwise is not the sign of a hard worker – it is just plain arrogant to think you can escape the bounds of Time.  Coincidentally, Brent has been racing for 16 years; I have been racing for 7.

How Jesus Got His Six Pack

How Jesus Got His Six Pack

Last summer, I attended a Greek food festival hosted at a large Greek Orthodox church.  In between the dancing and baklava gorging, I took a guided tour of their place of worship.  It was absolutely stunning.  Orthodox Christians tend to be quite elaborate in their decoration of the house of the Lord.  The architecture was dramatic, the statues were gold plated, and intricate murals covered the walls and ceilings.  In fact, a world renowned artist with expertise in the traditional Orthodox paintings had been commissioned from Greece to do the work.  Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and fielded all sorts of deep theological questions from fellow tour mates.  I knew my question was ridiculous, but I needed to satisfy my curiosity.  I was struck by the fact that in all the topless depictions of Jesus, he had a full six pack – in fact, he was kind of a stud.  This is a very conservative and traditional branch of Christianity, and I was surprised to see Jesus portrayed in such a sexually attractive way.  Clearly, there was a lot of reverence and tradition behind these paintings, so it must have been intentional.  Gingerly, I raised my hand, “Why was Jesus drawn with a six pack?”  Our guide thought for a bit amongst the group’s snickers, and eventually answered, “Well, I suppose that is just how he looked.  I guess he was in great shape.”  Jesus was a carpenter by trade, and many of his disciples were fishermen and day laborers, so it is natural to assume they were quite strong.  But if you ask any weightlifter or body builder, being strong and having chiseled abdominals do not always go hand in hand.  Diet plays a huge role.  So, I started thinking about the major components of Christ’s diet.  The geographical location in which his life unfolded and the profession of several of his disciples suggest that fish constituted a major part of his food intake.  Which led to my next question: will eating more fish help ME to get a six pack?

 I. Crash course on fats

There are 4 major types of fat: saturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, monounsaturated fats, and trans fatty acids.  Fat is not the enemy.  In fact, fats are quite awesome.  We cannot function without them as fats are a vital part of every cell in our body.  When eaten properly, they can help to reduce body fat and improve hormonal balance.  But not all fats are created equal.  Trans fatty acids are the worst and should be consumed under no circumstances.  Saturated fatty acids should be limited in the diet (aim for less than 15% of fat intake).  However, the situation is complex as short chain saturated fatty acids are excellent additions to healthy diets (just to clarify, this refers to fats from coconut and avocados, not French fries and chicken nuggets).  Monounsaturated fats represent a relatively good choice.  The most popular of this kind is olive oil. 

II. What makes fish special?

Fish are set apart from other plant and animal foods because of their unique fatty acid content.  Fats are vital to our health as they provide the raw material for a variety of hormones and signaling proteins, in addition to being a necessary component of every cell in our body.  But not all fats are created equal.  Humans are unable to synthesize long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) of the omega-3 and omega-6 series, thus we must obtain them from our diet.  Fish are one of the richest sources of omega-3, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) due to the large role phytoplankton play in the marine food chain.  Emerging research confirms that it is not just about absolute value of omega-3 and omega-6 you  ingest; the ratio in which they are consumed is what matters most.  The metabolism of omega-3 and omega-6  LC-PUFA are intimately linked.  While they both give rise to different end products, the enzymes involved in their metabolism are shared.  In essence, omega-3 and omega-6 are in constant competition.  This is important because the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 in the modern diet of fast, convenient food has greatly increased compared to the time of Jesus, who ate lots of fish.  This is of concern to those desiring a six pack as research shows that high omega-3 intake, and a low ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is associated with a reduction in body fat.

III. I wish my fat would just melt away……could it actually be that simple?

It is important to differentiate between the two different types of fat in the body: brown adipose tissue (BAT) and white adipose tissue (WAT).  The role of BAT is to maintain body temperature through non-shivering thermogenesis.  Basically, they are energy consuming cells that utilize our fat stores to create heat.  On the other hand, WAT (the stuff that gathers on our stomachs and thighs), only uses the energy from its fat stores when there is a metabolic need (ie. when we are working out).  I am going to use an analogy to illustrate just how incredible this is: if BAT and WAT were both mustangs, and their fat stores were gasoline, BAT depletes its fuel by simply revving its engine.  It doesn’t actually do any work, just creates some heat.  On the other hand, the only way for WAT to use its fuel is to put it to work by driving around town.  In essence, BAT melts itself away.

WAT is not a dormant storage tissue.  Rather, it is an active hormonal participant and it is centrally involved in the regulation of energy balance.  It decides whether to store fat, or to use it as fuel.  There are major differences between the WAT in obese people, and WAT in lean people.

1)      The physical structure of the fat cells look different under microscope.  For example, the fat cells in lean people are loaded with mitochondria whereas the fat cells of obese people have very few

2)      Fat cells communicate with the body through secretions.  The secretory profile of WAT from lean people is different from the secretory profile of obese people.

3)      At a molecular level, different cell signaling pathways are activated in the WAT of lean people versus obese people.

In summary, the WAT of lean people acts more like BAT, the fat storages that tend to melt themselves away.

We all have that annoying pal who is forever lean.  The good news is that our fate is not automatically predetermined by our genes .  Current research shows that by eating certain foods, we can start transforming our WAT to look and behave more like BAT.  This can be accomplished by increasing our intake of omega 3 fats, specifically DHA and EPA.  Keeping in mind that the majority of the research to date has been done on mice, the most effective way to improve your six pack with fish oils is to look for a supplement with a high concentration of DHA, along with EPA, and to consume an amount equivalent to 0.7mg DHA/day.

This is the summary version.  For the full version, along with footnotes, please send me a message via twitter @RunJumpStefReid

Kale Crisps

If you don't like vegetables, it is because you are making them wrong...

Kale Crisps

I don’t use the term “crisps” here lightly.  These actually rival the crunch and taste of the traditional potato crisps, but dominate in terms of nutrition.  I knew these were a winner when my husband started monitoring me in the kitchen to ensure I didn’t sneak too many before plating – he wanted his full portion!

Prep time: 5 min (plus at least an hour drying time)

Cook time: 12 min

Ingredient/Tools:

2 baking sheets

1 bunch of Kale

1 ½ tbsp olive oil

Garlic salt to taste (approx ¼ tsp)

 Directions:

1.    Process kale: break into smaller chunks, remove thick portions of veins, and wash well

2.    Dry thoroughly – you can spread kale out over paper towel, air dry for an hour or more, or pat dry.  This step is important as wet kale won’t produce the desired crisping effect in the oven.

3.    Place kale in a large Tupperware container or bag.  Add the olive oil and garlic salt (don’t overdo the garlic salt; you can always add more at the end).  Shake, shake, shake!

4.    Lay the kale flat on the baking sheets.  Try not to overlap

5.    Place kale in an oven preheated to 190°C/ 380°F/gas mark 5

6.    Turn kale over after 6 minutes, and put back in for another 6 minutes.  They are done when they are crispy

7.    Enjoy!