Athletes

In 2009, I was part of a UCLA study comprised of cyclists and triathletes that looked at how endurance exercise impacted bone density, testosterone and the production of inflammatory cytokines produced during long, frequent periods of exercise. Some of my cycling teammates were enticed to sign up because the tests included a free body fat percentage scan, but it turned out that the DEXA scan’s most important feature for me was its ability to measure bone density.

The first time that I broke my wrist was in a 1983 on-ice collision when I was an 18-year-old hockey player. I broke my thumb near the same wrist a couple years later in a bike race. When I broke the wrist again in 2007 in another bike race, the orthopedic doctor looked at the x-ray and exclaimed “Look at all that arthritis!

We are making history. The deadline to submit a public comment to the US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee just passed. GOOD NEWS! We just hit our goal in terms of letters to the USDA Advisory Committee! Olympic medalist Dotsie Bausch and I called on you to comment here and urge the Committee to remove dairy as a food group in the upcoming US Dietary Guidelines.

While the Fountain of Youth remains a mythical spring of restoration for anyone who drinks or bathes in its waters, many aging athletes are extending their competitive careers by turning to the restorative powers of a whole-foods, plant-based diet. As a hockey player north of age 50 who is on the ice daily with elite college, former pro and amateur athletes sometimes more than 30 years younger than me, I proudly reveal that being a plant-powered athlete is my secret to being able to compete day after day at a high level.