I have invented a tasty, healthy, nutritious recipe that I would like to share with all you triathlete friends. It involves the white sweet potato. In the United States, we usually eat two varieties of sweet potatoes: orange flesh or white flesh. The white flesh potato isn't nearly as sweet as the orange flesh potato with which most people are familiar. When cooked, it has a crumbly texture, similar to a regular baking potato.

The white sweet potatoes are on the right.

While both varieties are delicious, I use the white sweet potato for this recipe. This is because the white has less moisture.

I will offer you three alternatives with my recipe for a twice baked sweet potato. Each one uses the same basic method, but they vary what you mix into the potato. The three are, Apple Cheddar, Onion Cheddar, and Bacon Cheddar.

Apple Cheddar Sweet Potato
-1 large white sweet potato
-1/2 cup cottage cheese
-1 medium apple
-1/4 cup shredded white extra sharp cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees and bake the potato for one hour, or until soft. While baking, dice the apple and mix it with the cottage cheese in a large bowl. Remove the potato from the oven, and cut it in half length wise, leaving the bottom and outer skin in tact, for twice baking. Scoop out the hot potato and combine it with the cottage cheese/apple mixture. Gently combine, then fit all the potato, cheese, and apple back into the potato. Top with cheddar. Place back into oven for 20 minutes. Eat.

Onion Cheddar Sweet Potato
-1 large white sweet potato
-1/2 cup cottage cheese
-1/2 sweet onion
-2 tsp. olive oil
-1/4 cup shredded white extra sharp cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees and bake potato for one hour, or until soft. While baking, thinly slice the onion. Warm the olive oil in a small pan over medium heat, and then saute the onion until translucent. Combine sauteed onion with cottage cheese in a large bowl. Remove the potato from the oven, slice in half length wise, but leave the bottom and sides in tact. Scoop out the hot potato, and gently combine with cottage cheese/onion mixture. Put onion/cottage cheese/potato mixture back into the potato skin, and top with the cheddar cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, then eat.

Bacon Cheddar Sweet Potato
-1 large white sweet potato
-3 slices organic, nitrate-free bacon
-1/8 cup diced scallions
-1/4 cup shredded fat free cheddar cheese
-1/4 cup shredded extra sharp white cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees and bake potato for one hour, or until soft. While potato cooks, slice bacon into small, bite sized pieces. Saute over medium heat for 5 minutes, then add the scallions. Cook for a few more minutes, until bacon is crumbly and scallions are lightly fried. Remove potato from the oven, slice in half length wise, being careful to leave bottom and sides in tact. Scoop potato into a large bowl, and combine with bacon, scallions, and shredded fat free cheddar. Scoop the whole mixture back into the potato, then top with the extra sharp cheddar. Bake for 20 more minutes, eat, enjoy.

I remember during my Sophomore year of college, while I was playing NCAA basketball, I took a nasty case of Achilles tendinitis. I lost half the season, and I had to wear one of those walking cast, boot-type things for about two months. The entire time, I was frustrated that I couldn't run or jump like I could when I was healthy. I imagine that you, too, have spent some time injured in one way or another, with a painful condition that prohibits you from training in the manner you like most.

Recently, I have discovered an incredible new training tool that is amazingly useful and effective for injured athletes looking to train for sports such as football, triathlon, etc. while injured or rehabbing. What's more, not only is this tool useful or rehab, it's a great tool for a healthy athlete to use in his or her regular training program.

It's the Hydroworx water treadmill, seen here: Water Treadmill

Hydroworx is useful in two important ways: it's an aquatic rehab tool, and it's an aquatic conditioning tool. It can be used by any person or athlete who is coming back from an injury, and it can be used by a healthy athlete as a nearly weightless environment for exercise and conditioning.

On the rehab front, I found a great video of triathlete Dave Cummings. Dave suffered several broken bones and lost over 65% of his blood when he was hit by a car while cycling. Searching for a way to train aerobically while recovering from the terrible injury, Dave turned to Hydroworx to train, recover, and have some fun! Check out the video here:

Triathlete on a Hydroworx water treadmill

For healthy athletes, the Hydroworx pools are used by recreationalists, amateur athletes, and elite athletes to supplement their land-based training. I know heavier athletes, such as NFL football players, have trouble maintaining their integrity and health of their joints while pounding out heavy sprints or distance runs. I found another cool video of NFL player Matt Spaeth, who is using the Hydroworx treadmill for some active recovery after a strenuous workout:

NFL Player on a water treadmill

For triathletes, runners, cyclists, and swimmers like you and me, the hydroworx treadmill looks like a killer tool for aquatic rehab, aquatic conditioning, and water exercising. But, the hydroworx treadmill can be used be a range of active people, from golfers, to NASA astronauts, and from baseball players to Biggest Loser contestants (for more info on how NASA and Biggest Loser are using hydroworx, click here).



I wish I knew about Hydroworx back when I was in my walking cast! Trust that in the future, when I inevitably face another injury, I will be enjoying myself on a Hydroworx, instead of sitting on the couch with a cast!

Check out the full line of Hydroworx Water treadmills here: water treadmill.