16 economist sunsuntribune fitness saturday april i 2006 therapist has rubdown lowdown on blue jays byjohncudmore staff writer ryan richardson cant wait to get his hands on those toronto blue jays as the major league baseball clubs massage therapist you just know he will get that chance likely sooner than later the york region resident meets the american league club tuesday for opening day against the min nesota twins at the rogers centre when he embarks on his first full season since joining the teams medical staff late in the 2005 campaign along with two athletic thera pists three chiropractors and a team of doctors it will be mr richardsons job to deal with those sore muscles and tissue that occur during a 162game schedule and hopefully beyond its something ive been striving for a long time said mr richard son 29 in an interview at upper canada sports medicine in new market im definitely a baseball fan but i love sports in general his sixweek stint with the club late last season set the tone for this season restricted to observing spring training from afar mr richardson is eager for tuesdays opener par ticularly with all the anticipation for a competitive season based on the teams offseason moves the best part is knowing im helpinjg athletes and an organiza tion achieve their goals they seem to be making moves to put a better product on the field for fans im definitely excited this is the first time in a long time theres been a positive buzz around the blue jays i cant wait mr richardson who is working toward a doctorate in osteopathy applied to the blue jays when the teams former massage therapist a client informed him a position was opening with the club its a great opportunity said mr richardson who has worked the past nine seasons with the stouffville spirit and newmarket hurricanes junior hockey clubs its fantastic because its some thing ive wanted to do it still seems surreal sometimes but ill be inter ested to see what doors this might open i was just in awe what a great organization there are no egos or attitude between players and staff i was surprised but some junior hockey teams ive been around have more egos because much of mr richard sons work involves maintenance the hours prior to game time are usually his busiest during games he occasionally tends to a player requiring atten tion but otherwise spends his time between the press box and dugout some players he notes are sticklers for detail others will seek his services in rare instances i think now athletes are a lot more aware in general about their bodies he said the level of competition is raised so high these days they have to keep aware were all there trying to do the best we can to strive for that one goal for my part im looking for ward to contributing and keeping guys healthy hey runners keep a wellbalanced diet in mind winnie the pooh said it best i improve my appetite when i exer cise and those of us who run know what pooh bear is talking about running allows us to eat more as a chef and runner i have come to appreciate both activities choosing the right foods before and after a run can affect recovery and performance the three nutrients to always keep in mind at meal times are carbohydrates nearly all car bohydrates are broken down into glucose the simplest of all sugars this supplies pure energy as run ners our bodies need about five grams per pound of body weight to meet our daily energy needs fats there are three major types saturated found in meats and dairy monounsaturated olive oil and polyunsaturated tuna and salmon inadequate fat intake low ers production of fatburning enzymes decreasing fatburning efficiency during running and therefore lessening endurance proteins they are the basic structural material of all organ and tissue cells a deficiency in protein will result in poor recovery and fer quent injuries aim for about 25 per cent of daily calories from protein here are a couple of recipes i like to make and believe are beneficial prior to and after a run chicken casserole with almond crunch topping substitute chicken for canned turkey shrimp tuna or even diced tofufor a vegetarian option 1 tbsp vegetable oil 250 ml sliced onion 10 ml each grated lemon zest and dried basil leaves 1 clove garlic minced 2 ml each salt and pepper 1 l cooked whole wheat penne 50 ml finely chopped jarred sundried tomatoes 10 ml dijon mustard 750 ml packed baby spinach leaves 156 g cans cooked chicken drained and flaked or two cups chopped cooked chicken 250 ml fresh whole wheat bread crumbs 125 ml sliced natural almonds fitness files sprinkle evenly over pasta bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the top is slightly golden and pasta is hot makes six servings trail mix cookies these cookies are a healthier alternative to the classic choco late chip 250 ml softened butter charmaine brotlghton 125 ml packed brown sugar 15 ml melted butter 125 ml mayonnaise preheat oven to 350 f 180 c heat oil in a large pan over medium heat add onions and cook stirring for about five to seven minutes or until lightly browned stir in lemon zest dried basil leaves salt pepper and garlic cook stir ring for one minute toss onion mixture with pasta mayonnaise mustard sundried tomatoes spinach and chicken until evenly combinedplace mix ture in a well greased nine x 13inch casserole dish mix bread crumbs with almonds and melted butter 50 ml granulated sugar 1 ml of sale 2 eggs 10 ml of vanilla 725 ml whole wheat flour 2 ml each cinnamon and ground cardamom 5 ml baking soda 125 ml each finely chopped pitted honey dates chopped walnut halves and dried cranberries 50 ml each mini white chocolate chips and green pumpkin seeds beat butter brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth beat in eggs and vanilla until combined add flour baking soda cinnamon cardamom and salt beat until just combined add dates walnuts cranberries chocolate chips and pumpkin seeds and beat until even ly combined divide dough in half and roll into two 10inch 25 cm logs using a piece of wax or parchment paper as a guide place logs in freezer for about 20 minutes this makes for easier slicing slice each log into 16 slices spread cookies out on a lightly greased baking sheet about two inches five cm apart bake cookies in batches in a preheated 350 f 180 c oven for 12 to 14 minutes or until edges are crisp and bottoms are golden cool on wire rack and store in an air tight container for up to one week or freeze for up to six months makes about 32 cookies keswick resident charmaine broughton is the chef and owner of gourmet on the lake a seasonal catering business in muskoka she can be seen regularly on rogers daytime tv cooking her favourite recipes ms broughton has completed 10 half marathons two marathons and is training for her third marathon in may im not responsible for your children here for pd1 weve sunk so far into the nanny state syn drome that weve even got conservatives dumping billions of dollars into child care with the tory plan thats 1200 for each kid per year while the loopy liberals and out-to- yorkregion com it clicks home lunch ndp are screaming for a national subsi dized daycare plan more billions the grits and ndippers are even threaten ing to topple harpers minority government if they dont get their way sound like spoiled brats throwing a temper tantrum to me what has the lefties in a lather ivoull find the rest in johns blog on yorkregioncom read john slykhuis in the right in our blocs section 1