Clifcast

Babies. They take a ton of thought and planning, right? We asked these four CLIF® athletes – who all had pandemic pregnancies – to share their experiences with us; mountain biker Catherine Pendrel, ultra-runner Stephanie Howe, triathlete Sarah Piampiano and snowboarder Kimmy Fasani.   This podcast is not intended to provide medical or nutrition advice, or make health or nutrition claims about Clif Bar & Company products.  

At Clif, the health of our planet is incredibly important to us–and so is the health of our Clifsters. With Bike for Power, a special one-of-a-kind project at the Clif gym, we found a way to take care of our planet and our people at the same time! When employees pedal our spin bikes, they generate power back to the electrical grid. Joe Phillips and Lauren Kanouse, the two Clifsters who spearheaded this pedal power project, told us they hope to generate enough electricity to support a three bedroom, two bath house for 10 days! Take a listen...

The Boston Marathon is one of those items you find on bucket lists: It’s a dream come true for many, and regardless of how it all turns out, it’s an amazing experience. As you will hear on this ClifCast, it’s like running through a parade. The enthusiasm of the crowd is both exciting and deeply touching. Here, we speak with a handful of runners on how they train, what they eat and their best advice is for the big day.

When food analyst turned activist Robyn O’Brien was feeding breakfast to her four kids, one of them had a severe allergic reaction which caused her alarm. She went on a mission to better understand our food system and, in so doing, discovered she wanted to fix it. Called “food’s Erin Brockovich,” we spoke with O’Brien about the current and evolving state of food manufacturing in the US and her role in bringing awareness and change to it. We also hear from Matthew Dillon whose own experience with the food system has been an inspiration to Robyn and her movement.  

We discuss the latest USDA Dietary Guidelines to understand their implications for us as athletes and active people.

Clif Bar Pace Team Leaders, Darris and Star Blackford, provide advice on how best to tackle the challenges of the Boston Marathon course – and make that run down Boylston truly triumphant!

Team Clif Bar athlete Ian MacNairn visits us from his home in Canada and talks about the different ultra-running races he’s done, how he manages his nutrition as a diabetic and what he hopes to pass on to the next generation.

Many people run to clear their mind and improve their mood. We know that physical activity has a positive effect on mood, studies show this. But how does food affect our mood? In this episode we explore how running and eating changes the way we feel and highlight some great mood boosting foods.

University of Toronto PhD candidate Nanci Guest talks about her research on the effects of gene-nutrient interactions (nutrigenomics) on athletic performance. According to Nanci, much of how our body reacts to certain nutrients is due to our genetic composition. By understanding our individual genetic composition we can figure out what best to eat, when, how much and why. In this episode, she shares what she has learned in her research and tells some true stories of how she has seen athletes improve their performance based on their nutrigenomics.

Our immune system is complex. But when you take good care of it through proper nutrition and rest, you won’t even notice it’s there. In this episode we discuss how running can affect your immune system and the best foods to eat to stay healthy.

Sports Dietician & CLIF Bar Pace Team leader, Lori Tubbs, provides practical tips and advice on how best to eat & drink during marathon weekend. A good nutrition plan will help you perform your best on race day.

Bob Seebohar is the former director of sports nutrition for the University of Florida, a sports dietician for the 2008 Olympic committee and, an accomplished athlete himself. In this episode we discuss, amongst other things, the best kind of nutrition 90 days out from a race and why it’s important to think that far ahead.

In this episode we discuss what to do on a long run when you don’t want to eat anymore and share some good alternatives to traditional sports nutrition.

In this episode, host Ricardo Balazs sits down with Clif Bar Registered Dieticians Tara and JAC to make sense of the latest sports nutrition trends and fads. Find out what the latest research has to say about high fat, beets, caffeine and more!

Find out how Ultra Running champ Geoff Roes has dealt with adversary, what challenges he’s faced with his health, the lessons he has learned and the ways in which he is helping other runners find their way.

What is energy exactly? What kind of energy does each food group offer? And how important is energy to a successful run? Find out the answers to these questions and more on this updated episode.

The overnight relay race is one of the most memorable events a runner can participate in. Besides having fun, one of the most important things to plan for is your nutrition. Find out how to prepare for a Ragnar relay, what to eat during and the importance of recovering after each of your legs.

Weight management is not about dieting. It’s about figuring out what your ideal running weight is and how to attain through good nutrition and exercise. In this episode, we discuss how to best you feed your body and how that changes when your running mileage changes.  You’ll also learn the best ways to manage your weight and what running workout is best for burning fat.

It may seem that your workout ends when you stop moving but your downtime may be one of the most important parts of building fitness. In that vital recovery period, your body rebuilds and repairs to prepare itself for its next workout. And if you don't recover properly, you may not be able to train and, ultimately, race properly. What are some good things to eat right after a run, when should you take something in and what role does hydration play? These and other recovery topics are what you'll hear about in this episode of ClifCast, a re-release from a few years ago containing the most up to date information and science on recovery. As usual, we hear from new and seasoned athletes and we also hear great information from our nutritionist Tara who sheds light on what the "window of opportunity" means.