Put your hand on your chest or your finger on your carotid artery and find your heartbeat. Got it? Now give that rhythm your undivided attention. Your heart thumps some 100,000 times daily, but how often do you give this vital organ its due? Not often enough, according to the latest research. Despite proven prevention and treatment plans, heart disease remains the number-one killer in the U.S. More than one million Americans suffer heart attacks each year, with about half proving fatal. And while heart-attack rates go up sharply after age 45, men 29 to 44 years old聴some of them seemingly healthy athletes聴still account for about 34,000 cases annually. To help keep your risk low聴now and for decades to come聴we’ve gathered expert advice from cardiologists, trainers, and nutritionists on how to best protect this all-important muscle. You just might want to keep your hand where it is while you read on.

The Pump House

Pump House

Bryan Christie

How It Works

The heart has four chambers that pump, on average, about 2,000 gallons of blood per day. The upper chambers are called the atria, and the lower chambers, the ventricles.

The left atrium (1) receives oxygenated blood from the lungs via the pulmonary vein.

The blood then passes through the mitral valve (2) into the left ventricle (3). The left ventricle is the largest and strongest chamber, with walls about half an inch thick.

When the left ventricle is full, it contracts. Simultaneously, the mitral valve snaps closed like a trapdoor (preventing backflow) and the aortic valve opens, allowing the blood to flow into the aorta (4)聴the body’s largest blood vessel. It routes oxygen-rich blood through the body.

The right atrium (5) receives oxygen-depleted blood via two veins: the superior vena cava, from the upper body, and the inferior vena cava, from the lower body.

The tricuspid valve (6) opens to allow thedepleted blood to flow into the right ventricle (7).

As the right ventricle contracts, the tricuspid valve closes and the pulmonary valve opens, allowing blood to flow into the pulmonary artery and then to the lungs.

Meanwhile, the heart itself is a muscle that needs oxygen-rich blood, and this is delivered through coronary arteries that branch off of the aorta.

The heart’s left side is larger because it pumps blood to the entire body.

How It Fails

Big MI coming! That’s what doctors, at least the ones that play them on TV, like to say when a heart-attack patient comes wheeling into the ER. It stands for myocardial infarction, which means your heart’s blood supply is cut off, usually the result of coronary-artery disease. CAD is a hardening of the arteries due to atherosclerosis, a fancy way of saying there’s gunk in the plumbing聴that is, your arteries are clogged with plaque, a by-product of cholesterol. In its milder form, CAD results in reduced blood flow to the heart and a feeling of tightness in the chest or outright pain (called angina). If an artery becomes completely blocked聴usually when a bit of plaque bursts and a blood clot forms聴lack of oxygen means heart tissue will start dying within half an hour.

Tune Up

Tune Up

Prescribing exercise for your heart is like buying wine for a dinner party. You know it’s a good idea, but what kind? How much? The good news: Even a small amount of aerobic activity yields some benefit. The better news: Optimum heart health requires a combination of intense cardio work and mellow endurance sessions聴which will pay off on race day as well. Here’s what the experts say:

Do Something聴Anything!

Work, family, hammocks… All kinds of distractions can thwart your training plans, but don’t give up completely. Strive to get at least 30 minutes per day of moderate-intensity aerobic activity. All forms of cardio work do the trick: running, cycling, team sports, swimming, and treadmills and other stationary trainers. No time for a quick workout? Yard work and even riding your cruiser to the office count. A Harvard Alumni Health study found that heart-disease risk starts declining when you burn just 1,000 calories per week (about two hoursof running at a ten-minute-per-mile pace).

Step It Up

A rigorous training plan dovetails nicely with a smart heart regimen. Mix intervals into your workouts; they improve your performance at lactate threshold and help train your heart to work more effectively and recover more quickly. Do at least one or two interval sessions weekly, reaching your maximum sustainable heart rate (see “Express Train,” above) during three to four high-intensity efforts of up to ten minutes each (adjust for training goals). Slow to a recovery pace between intervals.

Perform endurance workouts at least three times per week. You should be able to maintain a conversation during these moderately paced efforts. Distance will vary. If you’re training for a competition, build mileage gradually until you’re covering at least 75 percent of your race-day mileage.

Test Your Ticker

Test Your Ticker

Here are two easy ways to get a quick measure of heart health.

(1) Go to the National Institutes of Health’s online risk-assessment calculator () to learn your odds of having a heart attack within the next ten years.

(2) How quickly your heart recovers from exercise is also a good indicator. Give yourself this simple test, based on a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

听

Step 1: Run for ten minutes at a moderate to vigorous pace (fast enough that it’s difficult to carry on a conversation). Immediately after stopping, check your heart rate (count beats per minute with a watch or use a heart-rate monitor).

Step 2: After the initial reading, wait one minute and calculate your heart rate again.

Step 3: Do the math. Your heart rate should have dropped by at least 25 beats per minute. If it didn’t, you should see a cardiologist and make some lifestyle changes. In the NEJM study, participants whose heart rate dropped fewer than 25 beats per minute were more likely to suffer heart attacks.

听

Lower Your Risk

Of all the idiot ways to bite the dust, heart disease ranks right up there with BASE jumping into a strong headwind. In both cases, poor choices are almost always to blame. A 2004 study called Interheart found that 90 percent of first heart attacks in men (and 94 percent in women) can be attributed to risk factors that are largely in your control. Here are the key factors cited by Interheart, the American Heart Association, and the CDC.

1. Cigarette smoking. You know this. But did you know that smoking just once a month increases risk of heart disease? Cigarette smoking raises your blood pressure and clogs your arteries. Among men aged 35聳39, smokers are five times more likely to have a heart attack than nonsmokers. And Bill Clinton notwithstanding, you don’t get a free pass for not inhaling. Even cigars raise therisk of death from heart disease, though not as significantly as cigarettes.
Solution: Quit. Even on poker night.

2. High cholesterol. You need to know three things about cholesterol: LDL (“bad”) cholesterol causes arterial plaque, the fatty deposits that clog or block blood flow; HDL (“good”) cholesterol helps clear arteries; and all adults should have their cholesterol levels checked every three to five years, starting in their twenties. The key numbers: Keep your LDL cholesterol count under 100 mg/dl, your HDL above 40, and the total under 200.
Solution: Maintain healthy cholesterol levels through regular exercise and a smart diet (see “Eat Like a Greek,” below). If necessary, statin drugs have proven effective at lowering cholesterol, as have high doses of niacin (vitamin B3).

3. High blood pressure. Like cholesterol levels, your blood pressure can be dangerously high without any outward warning signs. Nearly one in three adults have high blood pressure, but as many as 30 percent of them don’t know it. Left unchecked in your twenties and thirties, both problems can lead to clogged arteries later. Your blood pressure should be under 120/80; have it checked at least once a year.
Solution: Consume less salt, exercise, and relax.

4. Diabetes. It’s been called an epidemic, and it’s hard to argue with 20 million cases of diabetes nationwide.
Solution: Keep your weight in control. Done that? Decrease sugar intake, and lose 5 to 7 percent of your body fat.

5. Obesity. A spare tire around your waist often means fat around your heart.
Solution: Lose the gut. And remember: It’s possible to be thin and still have internal fat deposits due to poor diet.

6. Stress. It elevates blood pressure, which increases heart-attack risk. A study published in the May 22 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology concluded that subjects with the highest levels of anxiety had twice the heart-attack risk of those with the lowest.
Solution: Relax, take up yoga, and avoid stressful situations. Yes, you now have a medical excuse to skip that weekend with the in-laws.

7. Poor diet. Specifically, not eating enough deeply colored fruits and vegetables, which are packed with essential vitamins and can help lower your cholesterol and blood pressure.
Solution: Spend big at the farmers’ market.

8. Lack of exercise. This one’s painfully obvious, like smoking, so don’t screw it up. Being young and healthy is no excuse for letting a week go by without raising your heart rate.
Solution: Cardiologists recommend at least 30 minutes of aerobic activity a day. See “Tune Up”(previous page) to make sure you’re getting the optimum amount.

9. Heredity. Sorry, this is the hand you’re dealt. Researchers recently identified a gene in people of European descent that increases the risk of heart disease 60 percent.
Solution: Until a genetic test is widely available, use this rule: If your father died of a heart attack before age 55 (or mother before 65), ask your doctor if you should get a stress test, which canreveal hidden coronary-artery disease.

Eat Like a Greek

One more reason to envy homeowners on Santorini: The incidence of coronary-artery disease in Mediterranean countries is among the world’s lowest. Researchers think diet is one of the reasons (lifestyle and social structure are others). A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine concludes that Mediterranean diets lower risk factors such as blood pressure, fasting glucose levels, and C-reactive protein levels. More than 16 countries border the Med, and while there’s no one common diet among them, they do share a few staples:
(1) Virgin olive oil: Consume at least a tablespoon daily and your levels of good cholesterol will increase, meaning your risk for heart disease will decrease.
(2) Fish: Eat at least two servings of baked or grilled fish per week. The best kinds are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to lower cholesterol; these include lake trout, salmon, mackerel, albacore tuna, and sardines.
(3) Fruits and vegetables: Residents of Greece average nine servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
(4) Red wine: Don’t get all Zorba about this; only a glass or two per day is recommended. Resveratrol, a powerful antioxidant, is more abundant in red wine than white.
(5) Nuts: Walnuts are particularly high in omega-3’s, but almonds, pecans, pistachios, and hazelnuts are also good sources.
(6) Whole grains: Mediterranean grains aren’t processed as much as those you find in the U.S., so they retain more nutrients. And skip the butter.

Live Well, Live Long

Live Well

You’ve eliminated the obvious risk factors, improved your diet, and maxed out your cardio training. Now what? The best thing you can do for your heart, we’re happy to report, is take a nap. Among other pleasant surprises.

Love Your Job

Get a better job, to be precise, and work less. According to a study published in the October 2006 issue of Hypertension聴one of our favorite reads聴clerical and unskilled workers are more likely to have high blood pressure than professionals, and the incidence of high blood pressure goes up with the number of hours worked each week. A separate study by researchers in Britain suggests that people who feel they are being treated unfairly聴at work or elsewhere聴also have higher rates of heart disease.

Drink Up

Mounting evidence shows it’s better to drink in moderation than not at all. According to the Harvard School of Public Health and The New England Journal of Medicine, consuming one to two glasses of wine or beer a day reduces your chance of heart disease and stroke. (However, consuming more than three or four glasses a day is risky, they found.) Not a drinker? Try tea instead. Tea’s flavonoids have blood-thinning, artery-relaxing properties. But don’t add milk. A study published in January in the European Heart Journal found that milk negates tea’s beneficial effects, which may be one reason why tea drinkers in Asia have lower heart-disease rates than their counterparts in Britain.

Relax More

Go to your happy place. According to the Interheart global study, which surveyed 30,000 subjects across 52 countries, stress is responsible for a fifth of heart attacks worldwide. Duke University researchers found that among patients with a history of heart problems, stress management reduces cardiac events by 74 percent. Therapy, yoga, tai chi, and meditation are all effective techniques. Meditation especially “reduces excessive physiological responses to stressors,” notes Dr. Robert H. Schneider, co-author of Total Heart Health (Basic Health Publications, 2006).

Take a Nap

You snooze, you win. A study of more than 23,000 adults in Greece by the University of Athens and the Harvard School of Public Health found that subjects who regularly took midday siestas were 37 percent less likely to die of heart disease. That number increased to a whopping 64percent for working men who napped.

Eat Fat

No kidding. The American Heart Association recommends that 7 percent of your daily calories come from fat. Just make sure it’s the right kind. How do you know the good from the bad? Bad fats (saturated and trans fats) tend to be more solid at room temperature聴think butter or animal fat聴while good fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) tend to be moreliquid, as with olive and vegetable oils.

Floss Your Teeth

That’s right. The immediate gratification is nice, but it turns out there’s more to flossing. Studies published in the Journal of Periodontology show that people with periodontal disease are nearly twice as likely to suffer from coronary-artery disease. The theory is that oral bacteriacan enter the bloodstream and attach to fatty deposits in the heart’s blood vessels, leading to clots. The findings “support accumulating evidence that warding off oral bacteria may be good for your heart,” says Preston D. Miller Jr., DDS, president of the American Academy of Periodontology.

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You go to the gym three times a week to build muscle tone. You run grueling intervals to boost lactate threshold. You even skip dessert in order to stay in top shape. Nice work. But before you pat yourself on the back, answer this: Are you ignoring your most important athletic asset? Every move you make, from bombing singletrack to shooting hoops, starts with vision. What’s more, your eyes can be trained to perform better. To be precise, it’s your visual skills, not vision itself, that improve. Only glasses, contacts, or surgery can correct poor eyesight. But follow our advice on eye care and exercise and you will, quite literally, see the difference.

I Am a Camera

Checklist

As you look at this magazine, light is reflected off the page and onto your
CORNEA (1)
, a windowlike covering that acts like the glass of a camera lens. The adult cornea is only about half a millimeter thick yet contains more nerve endings than any other place in the body.

The
LENS (2)
focuses, bends, and refracts the light. Crystalline and fragile, it’s suspended within the eye by tiny guy wires called
ZONULES (3)
. The younger you are, the better your lens is able to change shape to adjust for near or distant vision. As you age, the lens stiffens like an arthritic joint, which causes some of the eye problems people commonly experience after age 50 or so.

The colored part of your eye is the
IRIS (4)
. Eye color is determined by microscopic pigment cells called
MELANIN (5)
. The color, texture, and patterns of each person’s irises are as unique as fingerprints.

The iris is embedded with tiny muscles that dilate to constrict the
PUPIL (6)
, which, like a camera’s aperture, regulates the amount of light that enters. When it’s dark outside, your pupils expand to gather as much light as possible. In bright light the pupil constricts.

After light passes through the pupil, it lands on the
RETINA (7)
, a multilayer sensory tissue that lines the back of the eye. The retina acts like the film in a camera. It contains millions of
PHOTORECEPTORS (8)
that capture light rays and convert them into electrical impulses, which are sent to the brain via the optic nerve. The brain develops those impulses into the images you perceive.

Eye movement is controlled by the
EXTRAOCULAR MUSCLES (9)
, a collection of six muscles that direct your eyesight left to right and up and down—helping you track a ball or scan downriver.

EYELIDS (10)
and eyelashes are your first line of defense against dirt and debris. With each blink, the eyelids spread a film of oil, water, and mucus evenly across the eye’s surface.

Focus, Group!

Training

Founder of the Visual Fitness Institute, in Vernon Hills, Illinois, ophthalmologist Barry L. Seiller has developed vision-improvement programs for the U.S. Ski Team, major league baseball teams, and elite tennis players. Vision training improves performance by increasing the speed with which you gather and process visual information. Chase Headley, 23, a third baseman in the San Diego Padres organization, says that, as a result of the training, “I see the ball sooner, and it decreases my reaction time.” Use the exercises here, adapted from Seiller’s program and optometrist Thomas Wilson’s SportsVision: Training for Better Performance, to improve your own visual skills. Practice four times per week, devoting three minutes to each drill. Reduce frequency as you master the skills.

SKILL: Hand-Eye Coordination (Refer Fig. 1) Precise and speedy hand-eye coordination improves performance in every sport, from climbing to tennis.
DRILL: Thread the Spaghetti Have a friend hold a drinking straw horizontally about 16 inches from your face. While looking straight ahead (not at your hands), try to thread two pieces of uncooked spaghetti simultaneously into opposite ends of the straw. Repeat the drill, varying the distance and position of the straw.

SKILL: See-Think-React (Refer Fig. 2) High-speed sports require split-second reactions to visual cues. Kayakers and mountain bikers see a rock and process the visual information, then execute moves to avoid the obstacle. The faster you are at the former, the easier the latter becomes.
DRILL #1: Eye on the Ball Gather a few footballs (Nerfs work well). Label the tip of each ball with a different number. Have a friend throw you a ball; before you catch it, call out the number on the tip.
DRILL #2: Beanbag Toss Have a partner stand a few feet behind you and toss a beanbag past you on one side or the other, but within reach. As he throws, your partner calls “left” or “right.” Look to that side and catch the bag. Advanced: Stare straight ahead to improve peripheral vision as well.

SKILL: Near/Far Focusing (Refer Fig. 3) Cycling, skiing, and all ball sports require the ability to focus on close-up objects (rocks, moguls, blistering first serves) and then quickly shift to objects that are far away (a bend in the trail, trees downslope, the net).
DRILL: Rapid Eye Movement Stand ten feet away from a bookcase. Hold a book or magazine (opened to a page of small text) at eye level, several inches from your face. Read a few words of the magazine and then look up and read the title off the spine of a book on the shelf. Switch back and forth betweenreading small, close text and distant titles. The goal is quickness and accuracy.

SKILL: Peripheral Vision (Refer Fig. 4) Quarterbacks and point guards are often praised for their “vision”—or benched for their lack of it. Whether for pickup games or crowded club rides, you need to be aware of what’s happening around you as well as in front of you.
DRILL: Look Wide Print out several papers with words and numbers in 72-point type. Tape the papers randomly to the walls in the corner of a room. Have a friend point to various pages with a laser pointer, and call out the words and numbers—while staring straight into the corner. For maximum benefit, vary your distance from the corner (three to six feet).

Tinted Love

Protection

Owner's Manual: Your Eyes

Choosing the correct sunglass lens—amber versus yellow, for instance—is the key to protecting your eyes without diminishing vision. “Since a tinted lens decreases the amount of light getting into the eye, the athlete may perceive this as more comfortable, but the lenses may be limiting what they’re able to see,” says Robert Bailey Jr., an ophthalmology instructor at Thomas Jefferson University, in Philadelphia. Color preference is still subjective, but use this chart as a guide to help pick the right lens for the light conditions and sport. Always choose a shatterproof lens that filters both UVA and UVB rays.

ROSE

Makes details pop when light is flat and enhances scenery against blue backgrounds Best for: urban settings, driving, snow, and watersports

ORANGE

Ups the contrast and shadow definition in medium light conditions Best for: skiing, ball sports

YELLOW

Increases clarity in low-light conditions Best for: cycling, mountain biking, running

GREEN

In overcast conditions, enhances perception of yellows and reds Best for: driving, fishing, golf, whitewater kayaking

TEAL

A highly specialized lens that makes yellow stand out Best for: tennis

BLUE/GRAY

Reduces glare and preserves natural colors Best for: sea kayaking, ocean fishing, surfing

BROWN/AMBER

Increases depth perception and cuts glare on sunny to partly cloudy days; reduces eyestrain caused by haze Best for: all sports

GRAY

Blocks bright sun while allowing you to see colors in their most natural state Best for: running, cycling, hiking, watersports

CLEAR

Provides physical eye protection in low light Best for: 24-hour bike races, night skiing, and adventure racing

Vision Quest

Lasik Pros and Cons

Laser eye surgery is the new performance-enhancing drug among pro athletes. The appeal: It’s legal—and the results are beyond dramatic. Tiger Woods, once considered legally blind without his contacts, underwent laser eye surgery in 1999 and walked out with 20/15 vision. (Translation: He can now read from 20 feet away something that a 20/20 person can’t read from more than 15 feet away.) Oh, and he went on to win six straight titles. Pitcher Greg Maddux had surgery and went nine-and-one in his next 11 games. We’re guessing you’re interested now. First, consider these factors:

HOW BAD IS YOUR EYESIGHT? LASIK has proven most effective for people with minor to moderate nearsightedness and astigmatism. Opt out if you’re under 20 (since your eyes are still developing) or have an eye-related medical condition like diabetes.

POST-SURGERY: LASIK is popular because it’s fast, painless, and offers a quick recovery time (24 hours to return to work, four weeks to return to sports, and four months to climb Kilimanjaro).

CAVEATS: Complications range from dry eyes and light sensitivity to detached retinas and debilitating infections. Overall, the incidence of serious complications is low, less than 1 percent. Some doctors argue the risk from wearing contacts long-term is worse.

COST: Ignore the LASIK coupons for $500 per eye. This is not a haircut. A typical procedure at a reputable laser eye center will run you about $1,900 per eye.

Screen Test

Office Upgrade

Does sitting too close to the television or computer monitor really ruin your eyes? No. But long hours in front of either display can cause eyestrain, which in turn can slow your near-to-far focusing—decreasing your athletic performance. Think about it: At your desk, your visual field is limited to your computer screen, coffee mug, phone, and everything else that’s three feet in front of you. Sit there too long and your eyes begin to forget that there’s more to focus on. Then your vision pays the price when you go for a ride or play soccer after work. To reduce daily eyestrain, follow these tips from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.

(1) Increase the text size on documents and Web sites. Text should be comfortable to read without squinting or straining. (In your Web browser, click on View and choose Text Size.)

(2) Black text on a white background is the best color combination. If you’re working on a Web site or presentation, choose the highest-contrast dark-on-light color option.

(3) Fine-tune the brightness on your computer screen. A white background should appear clean, not gray. If it glows like a fluorescent light, dim it.

(4) Every 30 minutes, look away from your computer screen and focus on a distant object for five to ten seconds (look across the room or out the window). Set a desktop alarm as a reminder, and don’t ignore it.

(5) If you need to look back and forth between a printed page and your computer screen, place paperwork on a stand adjacent to the monitor. Make sure the pages are well lit.

(6) Ambient lighting should be about half of what’s found in most offices. Eliminate excess exterior light by closing drapes or blinds. Reduce interior lighting by using low-intensity or fewer lightbulbs and fluorescent tubes. Position your monitor so that windows are to the left or right of it, instead of in front or back.

(7) Bright white walls contribute to glare. If possible, paint your office a darker color in a matte finish.

(8) All LCD screens today have antiglare properties. If your CRT monitor doesn’t, get an aftermarket antiglare screen cover.

A Poke in the Eye

Common Injuries and Treatments

Vision-damaging injuries are rare but frightening. Here’s how to gauge the severity of an accident—and how to treat it.

ABRASION (Refer Fig. 1)
Problem: You’re trail running and you don’t see a branch until it whacks you in the eye. Most likely, your cornea has been scratched.
Treatment: “This is one of the most common sports eye injuries we see,” says ophthalmologist Elizabeth F. Baze, director of residency training at Baylor College of Medicine’s Cullen Eye Institute. Most of the time, abrasions cause watery eyes, light sensitivity, and a scratchy sensation. If symptoms are minor and your vision isn’t blurred, patch the eye with gauze and allow it to heal for 24 to 48 hours. If your vision is affected or the abrasion is extremely painful, patch it and see a doctor.

LOST CONTACT (Refer Fig. 2)
Problem: A Class V rapid sends you and your kayak through the rinse cycle. When you emerge, you’re short one contact lens.
Treatment: Take stock: How well do you see without your contacts? If the answer is “fairly well,” go ahead and take the other one out. Your depth perception and balance will be better even if your vision is slightly blurred. If you’re blind without contacts, leave the remaining one in place. One good eye is better than none.

BUNGEE-CORD INJURY

Problem: While lashing a canoe to the roof rack, you lose your grip on the bungee cord, which pops you in the eye.
Treatment: Hopefully you saw this coming and closed your eye before the cord smacked you. Even so, your eye could be seriously damaged. Treat minor irritation like an abrasion, but for severe pain head to the ER.

FOREIGN OBJECT (Refer Fig. 3)
Problem: You’re cruising singletrack when a bug, dirt, or a leaf flies into your eye.
Treatment: Don’t rub. Instead, flush the eye with saline or artificial tears to remove the irritating substance. If you can’t wash it out or if the eye becomes red and inflamed, see a doctor. “If you get vegetable matter in the eye, there’s a higher likelihood of infection,” says Baze.

SNOWBLINDNESS

Problem: You’re at 13,000 feet on the way up Rainier when you lose your shades. You soldier on to the summit, but the next day your eyes feel like sandpaper and you can barely see. Powerful UV rays at altitude and intense glare caused by snow have sunburned your corneas.
Treatment: Most cases of snowblindness heal quickly and don’t cause permanent damage (though multiple eye burns can lead to long-term problems such as cataracts). Remove contact lenses (if you wear them) and avoid rubbing your eyes. Place a cold washcloth or compress over your closed eyes to soothe the pain. Cover your eyes with gauze pads and take it easy for the next day or two. If the pain doesn’t begin to subside after 12 hours or if your eyes are swollen shut, see a doctor. Next time you lose your shades, fashion makeshiftprotection by cutting horizontal slits in a bandanna or in overlapping pieces of duct tape.

BLUNT TRAUMA (Refer Fig. 4)
Problem: A line drive bounces up and clocks you square in the eye.
Treatment: The blow may have fractured your orbital bone or damaged the eyeball itself. Sometimes blunt trauma can cause hyphema, or bleeding in the front of the eye. If there’s an emergency-care ophthalmologist nearby, make a visit. If not, hit the ER. All hyphemas need monitoring, but most heal without permanent damage.

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ALL MAMMALS, from field mice to Jack Black, are hardwired to gain weight for winter. But where our forebears fattened up to survive, today’s athletes need no such padding. (Thank you, central heating.) If you plan on skiing all day in cold weather, however, you need more calories than the average gym rat, so eat right or risk packing on pounds like an evolutionary throwback.

Cross-country Skiing

Navigate Winter Nutrition

Your body turns food into heat through a process called thermogenesis, and fuel for the furnace is what you need to maintain essential muscle and internal warmth鈥攁nd perform well鈥攚hile exercising in cold temps. The key is getting those extra calories from healthy sources that will keep you trim and goose your immune system during cold-and-flu season. With no farmers’ market to browse and an overabundance of rich stews and processed sweets, winter can be a nutritional minefield. Here’s how to navigate it.

EAT FOR WARMTH

Not long after you step out into the cold, the blood vessels in the periphery of your body become restricted. In other words, your hands and feet cool as your body instinctively regulates the difference between external and internal temperature, thus creating a demand for more fuel than the workout alone requires. “Athletes tend to blow through their carbohydrate reserves faster in winter than in warmer months,” says Declan Connolly, director of the Human Performance Laboratory at the University of Vermont.

Add long days outside, like skiing first to last chair, and your body, which stores only about 1,500 to 2,000 carb calories at a time, has trouble keeping up with the demands for energy and warmth. “That’s why when you’re out skiing or snowshoeing, the smell of heavy, carb-rich food floating up from the lodge is so good,” says Connolly, who works with winter athletes to develop seasonal training and diet plans. “We actually get hungrier faster when we burn more carbohydrates.” Replenish carbs at every meal by going heavy on whole-grain breads or pancakes, pastas, and fruit, and choose snacks that are 60 to 70 percent carbs.

THE MENU

You can do better than a lift-line bagel and nachos in the lodge. You’ll hammer the slopes all day with the carbs, calories, and nutrition in this winter diet plan.
BREAKFAST: Whole-grain toast with nut butter and jam, and a serving of yogurt; or whole-grain pancakes, eggs, and fruit.
LUNCH: A bowl of vegetable stew with whole-grain crackers or bread; or a turkey sandwich on whole-grain bread with lettuce, avocado, tomato, sprouts, and mustard, plus pretzels on the side.
DINNER: Baked chicken or fish with whole-grain pasta and salad; or a stir-fry with brown rice, vegetables, and lean meat.
DESSERT: Pumpkin pie is loaded with antioxidants.
SNACKS: Trail mix, string cheese, Snickers, peanut-butter crackers, fruit, and high-carb energy bars are all good options every couple of hours between meals.
DRINK: In cold weather, it’s not always enough to merely stay hydrated. To boost warmth, drink beverages that include spices like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, which stimulate digestive enzymes and thus help you generate more heat after eating.

Crop Finder

To get fresh produce, it pays to know what grows where in winter

Crop Finder

There’s nothing wrong with eating frozen fruit and vegetables all season long—it’s often the best choice when local farms are shuttered. “Flash-freezing traps nutrients immediately after the produce is harvested, when they’re at their peak,” says Denver nutritionist Allison Slade. Besides, fresh produce brought to you from halfway around the world can lose up to 70 percent of its vitamin content. But man cannot live on frozen peas alone. Use this regional guide to find fresh food near you.

NORTHWEST
Pears, Apples, Walnuts, Potatoes, Filberts, Beets, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Leeks, Winter Squash

WEST
Avocadoes, Kale, Citrus, Asian Greens, Herbs, Beets, Potatoes, Winter Squash

SOUTHWEST
Apples, Avocadoes, Broccoli, Lettuce, Citrus, Spinach

MIDWEST
Apples, Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts, Carrots, Winter Squash

NORTHEAST

Apples, Mushrooms, Butternut Squash, Potatoes, Turnips

SOUTHEAST

Citrus, Pecans, Asian Greens, Apples, Sweet Potatoes

Health Food

Put your immune system on the offensive for cold-and-flu season

Cold-weather athletes actually suffer from an above-average number of upper-respiratory infections. Research suggests the cause is twofold:
1) a lowered immunity in cold temps, which we all share;
2) a higher volume of air moving in and out of the lungs during exercise, making athletes more susceptible to airborne bacteria and toxins.

But no one wants to stay home when there’s a foot of new snow. Just use the following weapons to boost your immune system and save your sick leave for powder days.

GARLIC: Infomercials and grandmas have been touting the benefits of garlic for years, but science has recently revealed how garlic helps鈥攁nd how you can help it work. A 2003 study conducted at the University of California at Irvine Medical Center showed that garlic juice, thanks to a compound called allicin, has an antibacterial effect. Other studies suggest that garlic inhibits the growth of viruses as well. But allicin is created only when garlic is chopped or sliced (due to an interaction between alliin, a precursor of allicin, and an enzyme). Add fresh chopped garlic to meals, but allow it to sit for a few minutes before cooking. Sniffle defense: The same compounds that make garlic smelly also help break up congestion.

YOGURT: Studies conducted at the University of California at Davis found that yogurt provides a protective barrier against bacteria and makes the immune system stronger. How much stronger? People who ate about a cup of yogurt daily for a year suffered 25 percent fewer colds than non-yogurt eaters. To get the biggest boost, look for labels that read, “contains live and active cultures,” and start your yogurt regimen a month before cold season begins.

CAYENNE: Capsaicin, the principal chemical that makes chiles hot, clears your head, nose, and respiratory tract. It also has antiseptic and antimicrobial qualities. For the most powerful effect, you should grind your own cayenne, seeds and all, and add it to your favorite soups and other meals. For a more potent dose, make an infusion by stirring one teaspoon of cayenne powder into one cup of boiling water and letting it stand for ten minutes. Drink a daily glass of water mixed with a teaspoon of the infusion.

Pumpkin Pie

This holiday staple should be served year-round

Pumpkin Pie

It’s no secret that pumpkins are packed with the powerful antioxidant beta-carotene. But experts now say that eating pumpkin pie鈥攁 slice of which contains as much beta-carotene as a handful of carrots鈥攎ay be one of the best ways to reap the rewards. According to studies published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the fat in the pie helps your body absorb the carotenoids (antioxidants that give pumpkin its color) and convert them to vitamin A.

2 cups cooked, pureed pumpkin
or organic canned pumpkin
1 cup maple syrup
2 tbsp blackstrap molasses
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup milk
1 cup date sugar
1 tsp ground cloves or allspice
2 tsp powdered ginger
2 eggs, beaten
1 pie crust

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, beat all ingredients until smooth. Spread filling into pie crust and bake for ten minutes. Turn oven down to 350 degrees and bake another 40 minutes or until pie is firm in the center.

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