Running on Chia

Quest to improve endurance leads marathon runner to a source of energy.

While Chandra Davis trained for her first marathon early last year, she began to look into how she could improve hydration and endurance. Omega-3-rich Chia seeds, Davis discovered, had a long history as an energy source rooted in ancient civilizations. A tiny Chia seed can absorb nine to 12 times its weight in liquid and slowly breaks down in the system, prolonging hydration. That summer, Davis, 38, started making a Chia seed beverage at her Apopka home. “I wanted something that tasted good, was low-calorie and under 5 grams of sugar so diabetics could drink it. A little Stevia sweetened it right up,” says Davis. After a week of drinking her concoction, Davis noticed she had greater stamina and endurance. She shared her Chia elixir with her brother, Gideon Lewis, a foot and ankle surgeon in Winter Park and a runner as well, who then told local performance trainer Mark Theisen about the drink. “We each saw applications to the beverage in each of the worlds we live in: active mom, physician, sports performance coach,” says Davis. In only a year, the trio had Drink Chia! (drinkchianow.com) on the market, with Track Shack Orlando, Chamberlin’s and Fresh Market among the 35 locations selling it.

CANDY ON THE BRAIN

Craving candy, but watching your weight? According to a recent study by Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, when you visualize eating a certain food—particularly candy—you actually eat less of it and curb your cravings. The mind game was most effective when it came to bite-sized candy, often eaten one after another. Participants of the study who imagined downing 30 pieces of M&Ms actually ended up eating 30 to 40 percent fewer M&Ms than those who didn’t visualize their candy consumption. There’s no better time to put the study’s findings to the test than Halloween through the holidays, when you’re tempted by treats at every turn. —LD