Tag Archives: Eating

Sports Nutrition Basics – Part 1 of 2

Posted by happyhealthytasty in Fitness, Nutrition and tagged with , , , ,

Fuel up for your long run!

I was recently invited to join a talk/Q&A session alongside a friend (who is a personal trainer, mountain guide, book author and small business owner) to discuss starting a neighborhood fitness group. It was a lively and fun discussion and there were lots of great nutrition questions for me. A lot of it focused on basic pre-, during and post-workout fueling, as well as hydration, so I thought I’d write a couple posts with some general guidelines. As always, experiment and listen to YOUR body. What works for some people certainly won’t always apply to others. Here goes:

Pre-Workout:

Have a meal 3-4 hours prior with approximately 2 grams of carbohydrate (CHO) per kilogram of body weight (1 kg = 2.2 lbs). For a 150 pound person, this would translate to about 136 grams of carbs. Translated into food, this could be an English muffin, a banana, 8 ounces of orange juice and half cup Greek yogurt. The ideal pre-workout meal should be low in fat and fiber, moderate in protein and high in carbs. (My favorite pre-race breakfast is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on white bread along with low-fat milk or a banana). For super heavy workouts or endurance events, another meal or snack of 0.5 grams CHO/kg body weight about 1 hour before can provide an added boost.

Tip: Trial and error is always important in ensuring best performance, lack of gastrointestinal distress, etc. You definitely want to experiment with which foods make your body feel and perform best prior to a major race or competition. Race day is NOT the time to try something new!

During (Extended) Exercise:

Here, your focus should be on replacing fluid levels and electrolytes and maintaining (or boosting, as needed) your blood glucose levels. For any fairly intense activity 60-90 minutes or longer you will want to consume 30-60 g carbohydrates per hour (approximately 100-300 calories). I find that my runs of 60-100 minutes I get better results if I eat 1 Gu at about the 45 minute mark, and for my half marathons, I try to eat breakfast 2-3 hours before, have a Gu immediately before the race, and another Gu again at about the 1 hour mark for maximum sustained energy. I also find that some days I simply cannot tolerate more than 1 Gu – so I switch things up and bring chews or even those silly Sports Beans. They seem to digest slightly differently than the gels and it’s nice to mix things up a bit. Your mileage will definitely differ! (Note: For exercise less than an hour, you really do not need to worry about taking in additional fuel/calories.)

Sports drinks, gels, bars all work well for providing easy-to-digest carbs for mid-exercise fueling. Your best choice of product or food all really comes down to environmental conditions, your body size and fitness level, and what form you prefer. Fueling during a race or competition can allow you to perform longer before fatigue. It can also help with maintaining a consistent skill level and adequate recovery. Net net, it can help ensure you have a great day on the field or on the race course, and that your body doesn’t take a huge beating in the process. Added protein can also further improve endurance and performance when combined with carbs and water (but do experiment with this during training – some people do not tolerate protein well during intense or endurance exercise, and you really don’t want to have to deal with stomach cramps or frequent trips to the porta-potty!).

For sports drinks, look for something that is has both carbs and electrolytes (unless you’re getting carbs from another source, such as bars or gels, then you can go with something with just electrolytes like Nuun). Good examples of drinks with carbs and electrolytes are Cytomax, Gatorade Performance Series, Accelerade, etc.

*Also, if you have metabolic or blood sugar issues (I will write a longer and rather personal post on this in the not-so-distant future), please talk to you doctor or a registered dietician about the best meal and snack plan for you to support your training and competition nutrition needs. You may need to eat more or less often and/or vary your fuel timing significantly as compared to individuals.

**Also, your fueling will certainly depend on the type of exercise you are planning to do. The tips I’ve outlined here are best suited for aerobic/endurance training. For training or competition with lots of starting and stopping and/or varied pace activity, you may need less carbs and a bit more slow-digesting protein prior to your training or competition. Test things out and see what feels best.

NEXT TIME: Hydration and post-exercise/recovery nutrition tips!

Change Never Comes Easy, Dammit Anyway.

Posted by happyhealthytasty in Nutrition and tagged with , ,

Oh how I love thee....

This quarter, in my studies, we are looking at a variety of theories around why people change their (dietary) behavior, and what makes these changes successful, or not so much. It’s been both fascinating and boring (I can rattle off nearly a dozen behavioral, cognitive or psychosocial theories now – look out Alex Trebeck and Jeopardy!), but mostly fascinating. Anyone who has ever taken a psychology or sociology class has probably looked at a number of these theories, but without a specific context or subject, it’s all sort of fluffy (to me). What got me thinking this week is about MY OWN behaviors, and why I do what I do. And I was kind of surprised to see how obvious it is why I haven’t always been successful at changing things I’ve wanted to change – even though I’m a very driven and often, self-critical person.

So, I thought I’d share a little about my own experiences with food habits and where I think I need to go next. Please be gentle – even us future nutritionists have bad habits too. We are all human and we need to support one another in our quest for good health, lots of energy and an excellent quality of life.

My nemesis? Sugar. In all forms, but especially with lots of fat. I love cakes, cookies, ice cream, you name it. I love fruit, which is great, and I’ve increased my veggie intake tremendously over the past 5-10 years (ask my husband – I wouldn’t even eat carrots or green beans when he met me!). But I still get these crazy sugar cravings on an almost daily basis. And, when I’m stressed, tired, grouchy or mad (I’m not a depressed eater, though I know people who are. We all have our triggers) – I want sugary treats. I also want it after dinner – it just seems like my body isn’t done eating until I’ve had that chocolate or whatever. This isn’t healthy for me, as my blood glucose levels have crept up slowly over the past few years, as has my weight. I work out like a fiend, but really, you can’t out-exercise a bad diet.

So, why can’t I change? Well, what I’ve learned through my studies and my own self-reflection is this:

1. You have to be very self-aware of your issues and your triggers. I’m definitely there. good start.

2. Knowledge of the issue and the severity of the consequences is key.  Really, it’s not just that my pants don’t fit well — my sugar habit could someday saddle me with type 2 diabetes. That is not cool. And, that worries me. But, does it worry me enough? See #3

3. You have to want to change (duh, but you gotta REALLY want it) and you need to have the optimism and confidence that you can change. The latter is where I really fall down. I’ve had all kinds of “phases” where I’ve tried to cut back sugar or cut it out completely – and I always end up back eating it again, in large quantities. I think I’ve just decided “I’m not good at this” or “I can’t do it.”  I need to change this mindset. But how?

4. Get smart. Sometimes you just need some additional skills for how to deal with a situation or a planned change. For some people, it’s buying and cutting up fresh fruits and vegetables so they are always handy, or learning to cook with more produce and whole grains. For me, I think I need to figure out how to distract myself, find a new pattern after dinner, and find other ways to get my craving satisfied. Summer is coming and I do find that berries totally quench my sweet tooth. They may not always help, but finding alternatives that satisfy is key for my own personal success. I also plan to share my goal with a couple people. I’m not usually vocal about goals – I prefer to work at them in silence, my own inner demons driving them along – but I think I’m ready to try something different. I don’t need pushing or competition (though some people are really motivated this way – what about you? It’s good to know what drives you!), but I do need gentle, supportive advice and insight – and fresh ideas. Yes, even us future dieticians…

4. Set goals, make a plan, establish milestones and rewards. By having a plan, you have committed to action, you’ve defined specific steps and goals. AND you’ve made key decisions in advance. This means, you don’t really have to think about it anymore. This latter concept sort of bowled me over this week – instead of worrying about whether I might feel pressure or temptation  to order dessert when I’m out with my hubby and friends, I know that I’ve already decided I’m only having dessert on Saturdays. So, I don’t have to think about it. Is it Saturday? No? Ok, I don’t eat that. I’ve also decided that I’m just going to work on 1 day at a time. TODAY, I’m not going to eat dessert or candy, etc. Then, tomorrow, I will start over. And, if I “screw it up,” I’m just going to start over again the next day. And, in my new plan, I’ve added a few rewards to myself for goals reached. These are things that I can certainly live without, but are healthy, fun and I will look forward to the experience of reaching a goal or milestone.

Finally, your goals should be attainable and sensible. As you can see, I’m not planning to banish sugar forever. I know that’s not realistic (or desirable) for me. But, I want to take better charge of my eating. This level of planning and moderation will help keep me on track.

In the end, it’s a combination of awareness + motivation + skills + confidence + a plan. And, asking for help if you need it. Your scenario may look different, but if you’re trying to make a change (of any kind, not just diet or exercise!) and haven’t been successful in the past, give this some thought. You CAN do it. And so will I.