One of our readers (Jorge) ordered an E-mail of Brazil to be suggested to talk about the advantages of eating bananas during the BTT, such as he and his group do.

Knowing biochemistry and when I am also a great follower of the bananas, decide to write a little on the subject! As a matter of fact, who already knows me knows that inside my CamelBak there is always a bunch of bananas, pears, apples.

In fact the bananas constitute an excellent way of putting energies spent during the BTT back. For my experience, a banana manages to put an end in a few minutes to that sensation of weakness and hunger that is felt after some hours to be pedaled. This must to the fact of the banana be a rich woman in simple "sugars", like the frutose, that are quickly absorbed for the blood current putting the levels of energy back in a few minutes. Isto deve-se ao facto da banana ser rica em “açúcares” simples, como a frutose, que são rapidamente absorvidos para a corrente sanguínea repondo os níveis de energia em poucos minutos.

However the banana is not only a fountain of quick energy, but also a fountain of energy to long term. When like a banana with the weakness sensation, only I feel hunger again when some time was spent (1 to 2 hours after) … This happens because the banana also is rich in complex sugars, I eat the starch (also present in the bread, potatoes and rice, reason for which these foods are very energetic). The starch being a complex "sugar", does not manage to be absorbed straightly for the blood, for what they will of prosecuted first for our organism (digestive enzymes) of way to transform the starch sweeten to us singles that constitute it. After this transformation the organism can absorb finally the simple sugars been derived from the starch. Given that this transformation is taking place during some time, this explains the reason of the banana to be a continuous and prolonged fountain of energy. O amido sendo um “açúcar” complexo, não consegue ser absorvido directamente para o sangue, pelo que têm de ser processado primeiro pelo nosso organismo (enzimas digestivas) de modo a transformarem o amido nos açucares simples que o constituem. Após esta transformação o organismo pode finalmente absorver os açúcares simples derivados do amido. Dado que esta transformação vai ocorrendo durante algum tempo, isto explica a razão da banana ser uma fonte contínua e prolongada de energia.

Besides the energetic advantages, the banana contains elevated levels of the mineral potassium, that I second the popular culture and some studies, helps to prevent the muscular cramps due to maintenance of the balance electrolítico in the muscle (as never before I had cramps, I do not know if it is true or not … and perhaps I had never them because I eat bananas). For end, like all the fruits, the bananas contain vitamins and anti-oxidant what help to protect the organism of the stress oxidativo produced during the sport … So can steal the energetic bars from me but the bananas do not take me

Good turns of the pedals, and try or report your experiences with the bananas
Embraces, AndreXTR

Expensive good mornings readers of the BTTveredas!

Today I come to talk to you about a subject connected with the health, more precisely with our eyes!

During the days of sun or of great brightness, the Ultraviolet radiation (UV) and visible it is very intense, and even without looking at the sun straightly, the rays UV are reflected for our eyes due to the sand of the ground, which exists in the rails. This radiation UV-Visível is a very energetic radiation that when the eye penetrated the sight, hurt one due to the formation of so-called harmful compounds of “free roots”. Inside these compounds I detach the oxygen singuleto, what is a very reactive compound that is going to harm the interior of our eye along the age and the excessive solar exhibitions. Dentro desses compostos destaco o oxigénio singuleto, que é um composto muito reactivo que vai lesar o interior do nosso olho ao longo da idade e das excessivas exposições solares.

As soon as the cloths and proteins of the eye are regenerated very slowly, the effects of the exhibition to the radiation UV are being accumulated along the life and can give rise to pathologies as the waterfalls that can progress inclusive for the blindness, due to the loss of transparency of the crystal clear one because of the effects of the free roots! This phenomenon is frequent in persons of age who worked during years in the sun field the sun. So, I advise to use good glasses of sun with filters UV. On the contrary of which leaning people, a few good sun glasses do not need properly of being dark, up to because our eyes do not manage to see the radiation UV. The glasses even cannot get dark very much, but the important thing is that they will filter the UVs, in way to protect your eyes during the walks of BTT. For the persons who use graduated glasses (as I) think that nowadays almost all the lenses have protection UV, and however healthy make transparent. Portanto, aconselho a utilizarem bons óculos de sol com filtros UV. Ao contrário do que muita gente pensa, uns bons óculos de sol não precisam propriamente de ser escuros, até porque os nossos olhos não conseguem ver a radiação UV. Os óculos até podem não escurecer muito, mas o importante é que filtrem os UVs, de modo a protegerem os vossos olhos durante os passeios de BTT. Para as pessoas que utilizam óculos graduados (como eu) penso que hoje em dia quase todas as lentes têm protecção UV, e no entanto são transparentes.

Besides this aspect “anti-aging“ of the vision, the glasses can be quite important because they avoid that between dusts or garbages for the eyes, and more still, protect the sight of eventual branches or brambles that could appear in the rails. Another care to have been is in the choice of the glasses, it is of avoiding lenses from glass and / or metal frames, because in case of fall it can injure and harm the face and / or the eyes.

Already now, like final curiosity, does anybody know because the fact is that the clothes, the paints of the wall, or even the plastic, control themselves paling (to be whiter) when exposed in the sun during much time? That's right, that is due to the free roots and our "friendly" oxygen singuleto what are formed and react with the colorings of the clothes and of the paint and “destroy them”! With this small example of day by day I think what they were realizing what the effects of the sun are in excess in our eyes. Com este pequeno exemplo do dia-a-dia acho que ficaram a perceber quais são os efeitos do sol em excesso nos nossos olhos….

I hope that this advice you has been useful.

Embraces,
AndreXTR

Yes, let's talk about back! Generally we worry more about the legs since there are the main "motors" in the BTT. But and the back? Will it be that his paper is less important? Clear that not. It is that that we are going to see of pursuance. Mas e as costas? Será que o seu papel é menos importante? Claro que não. É isso que vamos ver de seguida.

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