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IPL'S UNDERSTANDING THE HUMAN BODY~
We do a lot of traveling in the summer and I always gain so much weight! Do you think there is anything we can do to keep from blowing up?"
Here are just a few suggestions to help you stay in your swimsuit all summer long and not look like you should keep it in doors on or after Labor Day weekend~!
Here's a few tips~
Stay away from fried foods. Opt for broiled meats or fish and ask that they go easy on any butters or oils in preparing the meat. Decorative dollops of herbed butter are notorious for showing up on steaks and fish. Baked, grilled, broiled, poached or steamed are much better alternatives to fried foods.
Ask your server to have the chef not add butter or other fats to your foods. Some restaurants will add butter to vegetables and meats.
Order lean meats like white meat chicken or turkey, any fish, wild or organic game meats, Bison, or lean cuts of pork or beef like tenderloin and flank steaks.
Skip the French fries or baked potatoes slathered in butter and sour cream and ask for an extra serving of vegetables or a side salad instead.
Stay away from cream based salad dressings like ranch, blue cheese or thousand island and ask for a light vinagarette, an herbed vinegar or even a lemon wedge instead. Always ask for your salad dressing on the side.
Avoid falling for the appetizer, entree and dessert deal unless you're splitting the meal with someone else. Ordering all three is the equivalent to ordering three meals' worth of calories.
Stay away from large portions. Try having an appetizer and a salad instead of a big entree.
Restaurants are never known for helping you diet, at least not the ones that stay in business. Their goal is to make you feel full and satisfied so that you feel you got your money's worth and decide to go back again. That means they'll add fats at any possible turn. Just remember they are there to please you. You can and should ask how your meal will be prepared and feel free to make special requests. After all, you are paying for it.
==============================
We have all been told that we are what we eat, but how does nutrition affect athletic performance? Can the food we eat alter our endurance, strength, speed or even our mental performance? Do our carbohydrate, protein, fluid, vitamin, and mineral requirements differ according to our sport? When is the best time to eat and drink? Are you interested in learning about the latest information regarding ergogenic aids and supplements? What special nutrition concerns do athletic women have? Read on if you want to boost your athletic achievements through nutrition.
There are probably 3 basic dietary prescriptions for health and fitness. These apply to athlete and nonathlete alike. They are:
1. maintain a healthy body weight by adjusting food intake and exercise
2. eat less fat and specifically less saturated fats, such as those fats found in
animal products and tropical oils
3. increase total carbohydrate, especially complex carbohydrate
In addition, eating less cholesterol, reducing intake of refined sugar, eating more fiber, fruits and vegetables and drinking alcohol in moderation. However, over and above these general recommendations, athletes have certain critical areas of nutrition. Given the extra caloric expenditure during exercise, requirements for most nutrients may be increased.
_____________________
CHO
The easiest and one the most proven ways of improving performance is by manipulating carbohydrate intake, particularly for endurance type athletes or those involved in sports like soccer, water polo, and basketball.
Carbohydrates are simple sugars or long chains of sugars which are linked together [starches]. Paradoxically, carbohydrates are the preferred fuel during exercise of high intensity but they are stored in extremely limited amounts in the body. This storage form of carbohydrate, called glycogen, is found primarily in muscles and liver. The glycogen in the muscle is used directly by the muscle which is being exercised. In other words, once its limited stores of glycogen are gone it cannot "borrow" from other resting muscles.
Depletion of glycogen by the working muscles leads to severely impaired exercise performance, which at its extreme is known as "hitting the wall". This makes obvious the need to
increase glycogen stores prior to exercise, and
supply carbohydrate during prolonged exercise.
How much carbohydrate is enough? We often express recommendations in terms of percentages of total calories. Even recreational athletes probably need to obtain 55-60% of their daily calories from carbohydrates. Most people can do this if they consume 3 grams of carbohydrate per pound of body weight. However, seriously training athletes probably require 4 grams of carbohydrate per pound body weight, or 60% of their calories from carbohydrate. For example, a 150 pound person who is cycling, say, 300 miles per week would require approximately 600 grams of carbohydrate daily. This carbohydrate would provide 2400 calories. Good examples of high carbohydrate foods are breads, cereals, grains, pasta, vegetables and fruits.
Each time you exercise muscle glycogen becomes depleted to some extent. By providing high carbohydrate intake every day, it more likely that you will restore the carbohydrate which has been used, thereby allowing for another hard bout of training the following day.
Although we typically think of endurance athletes as having high carbohydrate needs during exercise, other sports such as soccer have been shown to significantly drain stored glycogen. For example, studies have shown that muscle glycogen was depleted to less than a quarter of its preexercise levels after one soccer game. Most of this loss occurred during the first half of the game [Karisson]. Furthermore, supplying carbohydrate during events such as soccer games may help to spare muscle glycogen and increase performance, particularly during the second half.
_____________________
CHO TIMIMG~
This raises the question of timing of carbohydrate intake. If the carbohydrate is to be taken during exercise it should probably be in beverage form. Beverages may be more quickly absorbed than solids and present less potential for stomach upset. A sports-type drink that has a concentration of 6-8% carbohydrate is likely to be easily absorbed during exercise. Most people can tolerate 1/2 cup to 1 cup of liquid every 20 minutes. This tolerance depends upon the individual and the type of exercise performed. Jostling sports like running are associated with more complaints of gastric distress after drinking than are sports such as cycling.
To avoid hypoglycemia or low blood sugar during exercise, carbohydrate should probably not be consumed within 1 hour of the start of exercise. The best pre game strategy is to eat a light meal which contains 100 or so grams of carbohydrate 3-4 hours prior to exercise.
In addition, one of the best times to provide carbohydrate to the body is immediately after a workout. Immediately after exercise the muscle is most avid to restore the glycogen it has used during exercise. Perhaps the best way to restore glycogen is to keep a drink which contains carbohydrate in your gym bag, and drink it prior to leaving the locker room or before you hit the shower at home. Alternatively, you can eat a high carbohydrate food, such as bread, bagels, pretzels, or fruit. The goal is to consume at least 50 grams shortly after exercise.
______________________________
CHO LOADING~
thletes will sometimes eat a pasta dinners the night before competition and believe that they have "carbo loaded". As you will see in a moment carbo loading is far more difficult to acheive than simply eating one meal high in carbohydrates.
Occasionally it may be prudent to supersaturate the muscle cells with glycogen. This is done by "carbohydrate loading" and is of value if you plan to compete in an event which will last for at least 90 minutes and which will lead to exhaustion or near exhaustion. Carbo loading actually entails a weeks worth of preparation: beginning a week prior to the event exercise is cut by 50% every second day, thus sparing the depletion of glycogen. This will also allow for complete rest the day or two prior to competing. With four days to go the diet is increased to approximately 70% carbohydrate. For most people this would mean eating about 4 grams of carbohydrate per pound body weight.
According to this formula, a 150 pound person would therefore be required to eat 600 grams of carbohydrate per day during the loading period. This is a lot of carbohydrate!
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LETS TAKE A LOOK AT THE ENERGY SUPPLY FOR MUSCLE~
ATP
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the source of energy for all muscle contractions. Energy is released when ATP is broken into ADP+Pi (adenosine diphosphate and phosphate group). Maintaining the availability of ATP for muscle contraction is the limiting factor, since ATP is not stored in large amounts in skeletal muscle. Viable sources of ATP come from both anaerobic (does not require O2) and aerobic (requires O2) means. The primary energy source for a given activity will primarily depend on the intensity of muscle contractions.
_________________
ANAEROBIC METABOLISM
The two main anaerobic sources of ATP are from Phosphocreatine (PCr) and Anaerobic Glycolysis. Intramuscular PCr stores are used for rapid high intensity contractions but are depleted in less than 30 seconds and take several minutes to replenish. For example, PCr provides the majority of the energy for a 100 m sprint. Additionally, the ability to perform repeated bouts of near maximal effort is largely dependent on PCr stores. Augmenting PCr stores by Creatine Supplementation can increase the amount of work that can be performed in repeated bouts of high intensity exercise.
Anaerobic Glycolysis refers to the breakdown of glucose (glycolysis) to pyruvate, which in the absence of O2, is converted to lactic acid. In muscle fibers, glucose is made available through the breakdown of muscle glycogen stores. Anaerobic glycolysis is not limited by the availability of glycogen; instead, the accumulation of lactic acid and other metabolites is the limiting factor. High intensity exercise with a duration of 1-3 minutes (e.g. 800 M race) will rely primarily on anaerobic glycolysis, resulting in a large accumulation of lactic acid.
___________________
AEROBIC METABOLISM
Aerobic glycolysis occurs when O2 is available to breakdown pyruvate, which yields ATP through chemical reactions that occur in the Krebs Cycle and the Electron Transport System. As in anaerobic metabolism, glucose may be obtained from stored glycogen. Glycogen stores are plentiful, and therefore glycogen depletion is only a concern for athletes who are continuously exercising for more than 90 minutes or intermittent exercise over substantially longer periods of time. For example, it is not uncommon for endurance athletes to become glycogen depleted. In marathon races this is referred to as "hitting the wall". In order to reduce the chances of depleting glycogen reserves during a contest, athletes often "carbo load" prior to the event. This involves manipulating the carbohydrate content of one's diet in order to maximize glycogen stores.
The most abundant energy source available to the muscle fiber is fat. The breakdown of fat to yield ATP is referred to as lipolysis. While the supply of fatty acids is essentially unlimited, the rate at which lipolysis occurs is the limiting factor in obtaining ATP. Lipolysis is responsible for resting muscle activity, but its contribution to the overall muscle energy supply will decrease as contraction intensity increases. For example, glycogen depletion occurs when the rate of lipolysis cannot meet the energy demand of the exercise, and the reliance on glycolysis expends the available glycogen stores. Once glycogen depletion occurs, exercise intensity will be reduced dramatically. However, a small decrease in intensity (e.g. slowing the pace) earlier in the exercise bout would spare glycogen sufficiently to avoid depletion. In turn, the importance of facilitating lipolysis during endurance events cannot be overemphasized.
========================
EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY (MUSCLE CONTRACTION ENERGY SUPPLY)
ATP, adenosine triphosphate (there are three phosphates in ATP), is not stored to a great degree in cells. Once muscle contraction starts the regeneration of ATP must occur rapidly. There are three primary sources of ATP which, in order of their utilization, are creatine phosphate (CP), anaerobic glycolysis, and oxidative phosphorylation.
Energy from ATP derives from cleaving of the terminal phosphate of the ATP molecule. The resulting molecule is called ADP, adenosine diphosphate. Creatine phosphate converts ADP back to ATP by donating its phosphate in the presence of an enzyme which is called either creatine kinase (CK) or creatine phosphokinase (CPK). The reaction of CP with ADP to form ATP is very rapid but short lived, since the cell does not store high amounts of CP. However during short, high intensity contractions, CP serves as the major source of energy. This form of energy generation is often called alactic anaerobic because it neither produces lactate nor requires oxygen. It is of paramount importance in sports requiring bursts of speed or power such as sprints of 10 seconds or less in duration.
As soon as muscle contraction starts, the process of anaerobic glycolysis also begins. Anaerobic glycolysis does not contribute as large an amount of energy as CP in the short term, but its contribution is likely to last from 30 to 60 seconds. During glycolysis, locally stored muscle glycogen and possibly some blood born glucose, supply the substrate for energy generation. No oxygen is required so the process is called anaerobic. Lactic acid (lactate is the salt) is formed as the end product of pure anaerobic glycolysis. Sufficient lactic acid formation can lower the pH of the cell to the extent that metabolism is turned off in the cell. The major substrate for anaerobic glycolysis is glycogen, so prior hard exercise without adequate repletion of glycogen is going to limit further high intensity, short term work by muscles.
The final, and virtually limitless supply of energy, comes from the process of oxidative phosphorylation. Maximum energy production rates from oxidative phosphorylation are not as high as from glycolysis. Aerobic events like the marathon are run at a considerably slower pace than a 440 because of this fact. The substrates for oxidative metabolism are primarily glucose and fat (free fatty acids, not cholesterol), although protein can also act as an energy source through intermediate conversions to glucose, glucose precursors or free fatty acids. Because fat can be metabolized aerobically, most well nourished humans have a near limitless supply of energy for low intensity exercise. Limitation of low intensity exercise is rarely due to substrate depletion, although depletion of muscle glycogen may also result in fatigue during aerobic events. The reasons for this are beyond the scope of this description.
Stay Strong~~!!!
IPL
Here are just a few suggestions to help you stay in your swimsuit all summer long and not look like you should keep it in doors on or after Labor Day weekend~!
Here's a few tips~
Stay away from fried foods. Opt for broiled meats or fish and ask that they go easy on any butters or oils in preparing the meat. Decorative dollops of herbed butter are notorious for showing up on steaks and fish. Baked, grilled, broiled, poached or steamed are much better alternatives to fried foods.
Ask your server to have the chef not add butter or other fats to your foods. Some restaurants will add butter to vegetables and meats.
Order lean meats like white meat chicken or turkey, any fish, wild or organic game meats, Bison, or lean cuts of pork or beef like tenderloin and flank steaks.
Skip the French fries or baked potatoes slathered in butter and sour cream and ask for an extra serving of vegetables or a side salad instead.
Stay away from cream based salad dressings like ranch, blue cheese or thousand island and ask for a light vinagarette, an herbed vinegar or even a lemon wedge instead. Always ask for your salad dressing on the side.
Avoid falling for the appetizer, entree and dessert deal unless you're splitting the meal with someone else. Ordering all three is the equivalent to ordering three meals' worth of calories.
Stay away from large portions. Try having an appetizer and a salad instead of a big entree.
Restaurants are never known for helping you diet, at least not the ones that stay in business. Their goal is to make you feel full and satisfied so that you feel you got your money's worth and decide to go back again. That means they'll add fats at any possible turn. Just remember they are there to please you. You can and should ask how your meal will be prepared and feel free to make special requests. After all, you are paying for it.
==============================
We have all been told that we are what we eat, but how does nutrition affect athletic performance? Can the food we eat alter our endurance, strength, speed or even our mental performance? Do our carbohydrate, protein, fluid, vitamin, and mineral requirements differ according to our sport? When is the best time to eat and drink? Are you interested in learning about the latest information regarding ergogenic aids and supplements? What special nutrition concerns do athletic women have? Read on if you want to boost your athletic achievements through nutrition.
There are probably 3 basic dietary prescriptions for health and fitness. These apply to athlete and nonathlete alike. They are:
1. maintain a healthy body weight by adjusting food intake and exercise
2. eat less fat and specifically less saturated fats, such as those fats found in
animal products and tropical oils
3. increase total carbohydrate, especially complex carbohydrate
In addition, eating less cholesterol, reducing intake of refined sugar, eating more fiber, fruits and vegetables and drinking alcohol in moderation. However, over and above these general recommendations, athletes have certain critical areas of nutrition. Given the extra caloric expenditure during exercise, requirements for most nutrients may be increased.
_____________________
CHO
The easiest and one the most proven ways of improving performance is by manipulating carbohydrate intake, particularly for endurance type athletes or those involved in sports like soccer, water polo, and basketball.
Carbohydrates are simple sugars or long chains of sugars which are linked together [starches]. Paradoxically, carbohydrates are the preferred fuel during exercise of high intensity but they are stored in extremely limited amounts in the body. This storage form of carbohydrate, called glycogen, is found primarily in muscles and liver. The glycogen in the muscle is used directly by the muscle which is being exercised. In other words, once its limited stores of glycogen are gone it cannot "borrow" from other resting muscles.
Depletion of glycogen by the working muscles leads to severely impaired exercise performance, which at its extreme is known as "hitting the wall". This makes obvious the need to
increase glycogen stores prior to exercise, and
supply carbohydrate during prolonged exercise.
How much carbohydrate is enough? We often express recommendations in terms of percentages of total calories. Even recreational athletes probably need to obtain 55-60% of their daily calories from carbohydrates. Most people can do this if they consume 3 grams of carbohydrate per pound of body weight. However, seriously training athletes probably require 4 grams of carbohydrate per pound body weight, or 60% of their calories from carbohydrate. For example, a 150 pound person who is cycling, say, 300 miles per week would require approximately 600 grams of carbohydrate daily. This carbohydrate would provide 2400 calories. Good examples of high carbohydrate foods are breads, cereals, grains, pasta, vegetables and fruits.
Each time you exercise muscle glycogen becomes depleted to some extent. By providing high carbohydrate intake every day, it more likely that you will restore the carbohydrate which has been used, thereby allowing for another hard bout of training the following day.
Although we typically think of endurance athletes as having high carbohydrate needs during exercise, other sports such as soccer have been shown to significantly drain stored glycogen. For example, studies have shown that muscle glycogen was depleted to less than a quarter of its preexercise levels after one soccer game. Most of this loss occurred during the first half of the game [Karisson]. Furthermore, supplying carbohydrate during events such as soccer games may help to spare muscle glycogen and increase performance, particularly during the second half.
_____________________
CHO TIMIMG~
This raises the question of timing of carbohydrate intake. If the carbohydrate is to be taken during exercise it should probably be in beverage form. Beverages may be more quickly absorbed than solids and present less potential for stomach upset. A sports-type drink that has a concentration of 6-8% carbohydrate is likely to be easily absorbed during exercise. Most people can tolerate 1/2 cup to 1 cup of liquid every 20 minutes. This tolerance depends upon the individual and the type of exercise performed. Jostling sports like running are associated with more complaints of gastric distress after drinking than are sports such as cycling.
To avoid hypoglycemia or low blood sugar during exercise, carbohydrate should probably not be consumed within 1 hour of the start of exercise. The best pre game strategy is to eat a light meal which contains 100 or so grams of carbohydrate 3-4 hours prior to exercise.
In addition, one of the best times to provide carbohydrate to the body is immediately after a workout. Immediately after exercise the muscle is most avid to restore the glycogen it has used during exercise. Perhaps the best way to restore glycogen is to keep a drink which contains carbohydrate in your gym bag, and drink it prior to leaving the locker room or before you hit the shower at home. Alternatively, you can eat a high carbohydrate food, such as bread, bagels, pretzels, or fruit. The goal is to consume at least 50 grams shortly after exercise.
______________________________
CHO LOADING~
thletes will sometimes eat a pasta dinners the night before competition and believe that they have "carbo loaded". As you will see in a moment carbo loading is far more difficult to acheive than simply eating one meal high in carbohydrates.
Occasionally it may be prudent to supersaturate the muscle cells with glycogen. This is done by "carbohydrate loading" and is of value if you plan to compete in an event which will last for at least 90 minutes and which will lead to exhaustion or near exhaustion. Carbo loading actually entails a weeks worth of preparation: beginning a week prior to the event exercise is cut by 50% every second day, thus sparing the depletion of glycogen. This will also allow for complete rest the day or two prior to competing. With four days to go the diet is increased to approximately 70% carbohydrate. For most people this would mean eating about 4 grams of carbohydrate per pound body weight.
According to this formula, a 150 pound person would therefore be required to eat 600 grams of carbohydrate per day during the loading period. This is a lot of carbohydrate!
[IMG]
[/IMG]===============================
LETS TAKE A LOOK AT THE ENERGY SUPPLY FOR MUSCLE~
ATP
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the source of energy for all muscle contractions. Energy is released when ATP is broken into ADP+Pi (adenosine diphosphate and phosphate group). Maintaining the availability of ATP for muscle contraction is the limiting factor, since ATP is not stored in large amounts in skeletal muscle. Viable sources of ATP come from both anaerobic (does not require O2) and aerobic (requires O2) means. The primary energy source for a given activity will primarily depend on the intensity of muscle contractions.
_________________
ANAEROBIC METABOLISM
The two main anaerobic sources of ATP are from Phosphocreatine (PCr) and Anaerobic Glycolysis. Intramuscular PCr stores are used for rapid high intensity contractions but are depleted in less than 30 seconds and take several minutes to replenish. For example, PCr provides the majority of the energy for a 100 m sprint. Additionally, the ability to perform repeated bouts of near maximal effort is largely dependent on PCr stores. Augmenting PCr stores by Creatine Supplementation can increase the amount of work that can be performed in repeated bouts of high intensity exercise.
Anaerobic Glycolysis refers to the breakdown of glucose (glycolysis) to pyruvate, which in the absence of O2, is converted to lactic acid. In muscle fibers, glucose is made available through the breakdown of muscle glycogen stores. Anaerobic glycolysis is not limited by the availability of glycogen; instead, the accumulation of lactic acid and other metabolites is the limiting factor. High intensity exercise with a duration of 1-3 minutes (e.g. 800 M race) will rely primarily on anaerobic glycolysis, resulting in a large accumulation of lactic acid.
___________________
AEROBIC METABOLISM
Aerobic glycolysis occurs when O2 is available to breakdown pyruvate, which yields ATP through chemical reactions that occur in the Krebs Cycle and the Electron Transport System. As in anaerobic metabolism, glucose may be obtained from stored glycogen. Glycogen stores are plentiful, and therefore glycogen depletion is only a concern for athletes who are continuously exercising for more than 90 minutes or intermittent exercise over substantially longer periods of time. For example, it is not uncommon for endurance athletes to become glycogen depleted. In marathon races this is referred to as "hitting the wall". In order to reduce the chances of depleting glycogen reserves during a contest, athletes often "carbo load" prior to the event. This involves manipulating the carbohydrate content of one's diet in order to maximize glycogen stores.
The most abundant energy source available to the muscle fiber is fat. The breakdown of fat to yield ATP is referred to as lipolysis. While the supply of fatty acids is essentially unlimited, the rate at which lipolysis occurs is the limiting factor in obtaining ATP. Lipolysis is responsible for resting muscle activity, but its contribution to the overall muscle energy supply will decrease as contraction intensity increases. For example, glycogen depletion occurs when the rate of lipolysis cannot meet the energy demand of the exercise, and the reliance on glycolysis expends the available glycogen stores. Once glycogen depletion occurs, exercise intensity will be reduced dramatically. However, a small decrease in intensity (e.g. slowing the pace) earlier in the exercise bout would spare glycogen sufficiently to avoid depletion. In turn, the importance of facilitating lipolysis during endurance events cannot be overemphasized.
========================
EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY (MUSCLE CONTRACTION ENERGY SUPPLY)
ATP, adenosine triphosphate (there are three phosphates in ATP), is not stored to a great degree in cells. Once muscle contraction starts the regeneration of ATP must occur rapidly. There are three primary sources of ATP which, in order of their utilization, are creatine phosphate (CP), anaerobic glycolysis, and oxidative phosphorylation.
Energy from ATP derives from cleaving of the terminal phosphate of the ATP molecule. The resulting molecule is called ADP, adenosine diphosphate. Creatine phosphate converts ADP back to ATP by donating its phosphate in the presence of an enzyme which is called either creatine kinase (CK) or creatine phosphokinase (CPK). The reaction of CP with ADP to form ATP is very rapid but short lived, since the cell does not store high amounts of CP. However during short, high intensity contractions, CP serves as the major source of energy. This form of energy generation is often called alactic anaerobic because it neither produces lactate nor requires oxygen. It is of paramount importance in sports requiring bursts of speed or power such as sprints of 10 seconds or less in duration.
As soon as muscle contraction starts, the process of anaerobic glycolysis also begins. Anaerobic glycolysis does not contribute as large an amount of energy as CP in the short term, but its contribution is likely to last from 30 to 60 seconds. During glycolysis, locally stored muscle glycogen and possibly some blood born glucose, supply the substrate for energy generation. No oxygen is required so the process is called anaerobic. Lactic acid (lactate is the salt) is formed as the end product of pure anaerobic glycolysis. Sufficient lactic acid formation can lower the pH of the cell to the extent that metabolism is turned off in the cell. The major substrate for anaerobic glycolysis is glycogen, so prior hard exercise without adequate repletion of glycogen is going to limit further high intensity, short term work by muscles.
The final, and virtually limitless supply of energy, comes from the process of oxidative phosphorylation. Maximum energy production rates from oxidative phosphorylation are not as high as from glycolysis. Aerobic events like the marathon are run at a considerably slower pace than a 440 because of this fact. The substrates for oxidative metabolism are primarily glucose and fat (free fatty acids, not cholesterol), although protein can also act as an energy source through intermediate conversions to glucose, glucose precursors or free fatty acids. Because fat can be metabolized aerobically, most well nourished humans have a near limitless supply of energy for low intensity exercise. Limitation of low intensity exercise is rarely due to substrate depletion, although depletion of muscle glycogen may also result in fatigue during aerobic events. The reasons for this are beyond the scope of this description.
Stay Strong~~!!!
IPL
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