| NUTR 2500 SPORTS NUTRITION ASSIGNMENT 1: Athlete Case Study “Cathy” (/30) |
Mark: 15% of course grade
Purpose:
- To calculate and evaluate the BMI of an athlete and their weight goals.
- To analyze the nutritional content of an individual athlete’s diet and to assess the impact of individual foods on the athlete’s performance.
- To apply acquired nutrient and exercise physiology knowledge to a specific athlete’s diet.
Instructions:
Use the information from the course along with your own research to answer these questions about the athlete (See below athlete profile). The amount of extra research will depend on your knowledge of sport. I suggest you review other chapters in your text and/or search online using the Langara Library to better understand the sport and the nutritional needs. As needed, cite any references using APA style (please review document on the course website if you are not familiar).
You will enter your answers in the Quiz “Case Study Assignment Submission” – please complete this worksheet before opening the quiz.
Show your work for ALL calculations – you will receive 0 on the calculation if it is not given.
Athlete Profile:
Name: Cathy
32 year old female
Sport: Trail Running
Health History: No serious medical conditions
Diet History: Cathyhas an egg allergy but eats all other foods.
Height: 168 cm Current weight: 66.5kg Usual Race Weight: 59.9 kg
Weight History: Cathygained weight in the off season due to reduced outdoor training and more frequent treats.
Training schedule:
| Mondays | -Strength training – heavy weights, low reps x 60 minutes. -Medium intensity |
| Tuesdays | -Trail Running –2-3 hours on hilly North Vancouver trails -medium to High intensity |
| Wednesdays | -Strength training – medium weight, medium to high reps x 75 minutes. AND -Conditioning workout 15 minutes -High intensity |
| Thursdays | -Speed and conditioning trail run on – 60 minutes – High Intensity |
| Fridays | Long walk/Rest Day |
| Saturdays | -Conditioning workout – light to medium weights, high reps, 60 minutes – High intensity |
| Sundays | -Strength training – medium weights, medium reps, 30 minutes – low to medium intensity |
Food Diary:
| Tuesday | Food | Fluids |
| 5:30 am | Instant oatmeal – 1 package ¼ cup blueberries, 1 tsp maple syrup | 500 mL coffee with milk and 1 Tbsp sugar 250 mL water |
| 9:30 am | 350 mL water | |
| 1pm | Spinach Salad: 4 cups spinach, ½ cup raspberries, 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds, 2 Tbsp dressing, ½ chicken breast | 200mL black coffee 250 mL water |
| 3pm Training | 2- 3 hour trail run | 300 mL water |
| 6pm | 1 granola bar | 500 mL Biosteel electrolyte drink |
| 7pm | Tomato and cheese sandwich: 1 sliced tomato, 2 slices white bread, 1 oz cheddar cheese, ¼ avocado, 1 tsp mustard
| 500 mL water 1 x kombucha |
Goal:
Cathy wants to increase endurance for her warm up race in June and her final race, the North Face half marathon in San Francisco, 5 months from now. She would also like to gradually lose fat to achieve her usual race weight.
Link to trail race: https://www.thenorthface.com/en_ca/get-outdoors/endurance-challenge/california/course-guides.html
Questions:
- Calculate Cathy’s BMI for her goal weight (Show your work).Discuss the weight trend: Comment on your thoughts about her weight goals. Do you think they are appropriate, healthy, realistic given her sport and the timeline? Why or Why not?(5)
BMI = (weight in kilograms)/ (heights in meters squares)
=66.5kg /1.67*2msq
=66.5 kg / 3.34 msq
BMI = 19.91 = Normal weight
I don’t think it is appropriate because BMI is not that much practical for athletes because their weight is not just body weight or body fat their actual weight might be due to muscle mass .
- Carbohydrate Recommendations: Calculate Cathy’s goal carbohydrate intake (as a range) using her current weight and the information found in your textbook. Take in to account the type of sport she’s doing, and her training schedule.
- Carbohydrate Recommendations Continued: Explain your rationale – why did you choose that range? What parts of her history, training schedule and goals led you to that choice?
- Protein Recommendations: Calculate Cathy’s protein recommendations using her current weight. (2)
- Cathyhas been hitting the wall (feeling fatigued and lightheaded) during her hilly and high intensity Tuesday runs at about the 45-60 minute mark. You noticed she doesn’t fuel with anything but water during her runs, and have identified she needs to add carbohydrates.
How much carbohydrate should she fuel with during this run, and how often? (2)
- Give a specific example (including a link if there is a brand involved) of a carbohydrate she could easily eat or drink while running. How much would she need to take each hour? (2)
- Look at Cathy’s food diary in your athlete profile. What are her major protein sources? (1)
- Make three specific suggestions on how she could change her dietto address the lack of protein. Things you may want to consider: (6)
- Amounts/portions
- Foods or fluids – adding or substituting
- Timing or frequency of protein intake
- How can you adjust Cathy’s post run snack to better repair muscle and restore glycogen? What foods would you add or change and why? (2)
- We know that all three energy systems contribute to most sports. Describe how and when each energy system plays a role in a trail race such as the one Cathyis training for in the fall. (4)
- Please include all references you have used for this assignment including course notes, textbook, websites etc in APA format. (2)