Do you think of yourself as an athlete? Do you eat to fuel your body and your workouts? You have your training plan, miles all mapped out for the week, cross training schedule, and recovery therapy. Are you taking care of your nutrition correctly? One of the most important parts of endurance training is fueling. It is just as important, if not more important, than the physical training. If you think of yourself as an elite athlete, you will be more likely to eat like one too! Dont consume empty calories, your body needs high nutrition to ensure good performance. Endurance training is so taxing on the immune system, you need to keep your antioxidant levels high to help fight off colds. Fuel smart! Think of food as fuel, you need fuel for your car to operate correctly and your body needs food to perform at its best. Carbs are the fuel for your endurance. We store the carbs so we can use them as energy. What are the best kinds of carbs for athletes? Complex carbs in the cleanest form possible. Stay away from all the processed foods and make your own! Whole Organic grains: quinoa, brown rice, Steel Cut Oats, whole grain pasta, Ezekiel Breads, starchy veggies, potatoes, fruit are all excellent high carb choices. Also include some lean protein and healthy fats. You should be eating BEFORE your long run, DURING any run lasting over 1 hour, and AFTER. BEFORE my long training runs and marathons I always eat the same thing: a sandwich made with Genesis 1:29 Sprouted Grain and Seed Bread with all natural/nothing added peanut butter and banana, 1 cup of coffee with half and half, water. If you dont fuel DURING, you will hit the wall because you dont have enough stored carbs to keep you going. I prefer to use the Hüma Chia Energy Gel during my long training runs and Nuun Hydration to keep my electrolytes up. Make sure you have plenty of water too and chase your gels down with water. Post endurance workout you need to consume a meal that is 3:1 carb to protein. I prefer a Vega Sport Protein powder shake with lots of frozen fruit, fresh spinach and coconut water. This way, you replace the carbs you burned off. Check out the gear I use here: crossmyheartfitness/gear/ Post resistance training (weight training) you need a 3:1 protein to carb meal within 1 hour of completing the workout. This will help you recover faster and feed your muscles to make them larger. What are your favorite ways to fuel your body: Before, During and After? Cross My Heart Fitness
Posted on: Thu, 01 May 2014 20:00:00 +0000
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