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What to eat before you exercise
Contrary to popular belief, pre-exercise food does NOT simply sit in
the stomach and hinder athletic performance. Rather, it enhances
stamina and endurance. The following study confirms this point:
On two occasions, athletes exercised moderately hard until they were
exhausted. In one trial, they ate a 400-calorie breakfast three
hours before exercising. In the second trial, they simply had a
dinner the night before. When they exercised "on empty," they biked
for only 109 minutes, as compared to 136 minutes with the breakfast.
That's almost half an hour longer! Exercising without fuel left them
lagging. (Med Sci Sports Exerc 31(3):464, 1999)
Even if you eat five minutes before exercise, you’ll digest the
snack and burn it during exercise, assuming you will be exercising
at a pace you can maintain for more than 30 minutes. This means, you
can enjoy a granola bar and banana on the way to the gym to fuel
your workout. Research suggests this pre-exercise snack can help you
perform 10% harder in the last 10 minutes of a one-hour workout. Go
for it!
Your goal is to target 0.5 grams carbohydrate per pound of body
weight within the hour before you exercise. This means, if you weigh
150 pounds, you should target about 300 calories. This is far more
than most athletes consume. Obviously, the amount will depend on
your stomach's tolerance to pre-exercise fuel. If you have a finicky
stomach, liquids or semi-solids (Boost, yogurt, applesauce, pudding)
might empty from the stomach quicker than oatmeal, bagel, banana,
animal crackers or graham crackers. The trick is to teach your
intestinal track to tolerate the pre-exercise food so you can enjoy
higher energy but avoid undesired pit stops.
Eating During Exercise
If you are exercising longer than an hour, plan to consume carbs and
fluids during exercise to maintain energy and prevent dehydration,
needless fatigue. Depending on your body size, intensity of exercise
and intestinal tolerance, you'll want to target about 100 to 250
calories of carbohydrates per hour after the first hour of a 2 or 3
hour event. If necessary, set your watch to beep every 15 to 20
minutes as a reminder to consume 8 ounces of a sports drink, a
Tootsie Roll or part of an energy bar + water. If you are doing an
Ironman or ultra-distance event, you’ll need to consume even more
(400 to 500 calories/hour).
During a moderate to hard endurance workout, carbohydrates in muscle
glycogen and blood glucose supply about half of the energy. As you
deplete muscle glycogen, you increasingly rely on glucose (sugar) in
your blood for energy. By consuming sports drinks, gels, bananas,
hard candies, peppermint patties and other carb-based foods during
exercise, you will fuel your muscles, maintain a normal blood sugar
and prevent the dreaded bonk.
Your brain relies on the glucose in your blood for energy; keeping
your brain fed helps you think clearly, concentrate well, remain
focused—and perform better. Do NOT "hold off" until after your
workout to eat. Rather, fuel during workouts. For example, cyclists
should eat while on the bike. Coaches should give teams a snack
break during long (2+ hours) practices.
Your body doesn't care if you ingest solid or liquid
carbohydrates––both are equally effective forms of fuel. You just
have to learn which sports snacks settle best for your body–-gels,
gummy bears, dried figs, sugar wafers, tea with honey, sports drink,
defizzed cola? If you get your energy from concentrated calories, as
opposed to sports drinks, be sure to drink additional fluids. That
is, athletes who eat energy bars (or gels) during exercise can too
easily under-hydrate.
Despite popular belief, sugar (as in sports drinks, jelly beans,
licorice) can be a positive snack during exercise and is unlikely to
cause you to "crash" (experience hypoglycemia). That's because sugar
taken during exercise results in only small increases in both
insulin and blood glucose. Yet, if you consume too much sugar (>250
calories/hour), the high dose might slow the rate at which fluids
leave your stomach, causing sloshing, discomfort. (If you experience
GI distress, slow down and work at an easier pace.)
Post-exercise Food
If you will not be exercising again for a day or two, you need not
worry about rapid refueling. But if you workout hard twice a day,
you should consume post-exercise carbohydrates as soon as
tolerable--ideally 0.5 grams carbohydrate per pound body weight
every hour, for 4 to 5 hours (300 calories per hour, if you weigh
150 pounds). Consuming some protein along with the carbs stimulates
faster glycogen replacement and optimizes muscular repair and
growth.
Some commercial recovery foods tout the benefits of whey protein.
Current research indicates no advantage of whey over casein in terms
of muscle growth. (Tipton, Med Sci Sports 36(12)2073, 2004) Yes, you
can buy commercial recovery foods that contain protein, but you can
just as effectively enjoy cereal with milk, bagel with peanut butter
or pasta with meat sauce. These foods offer carbs with an
accompaniment of protein (a ratio of 40 gm carb, 10 gm pro). If you
prefer liquids for recovery foods, choose Instant Breakfast,
chocolate milk, Boost, yogurt or fruit smoothies; they are tasty
sources of carbs + fluids + a little protein. The trick is to plan
ahead and have the right foods and fluids readily available...
Post-exercise Fluids
Preventing dehydration during exercise is preferable to treating
dehydration post-exercise. But if you failed to drink adequately (as
indicated by scanty, dark urine), you may need 24 to 48 hours to
totally replace this loss. Fruit juices, smoothies and watery fruits
are better than plain water because they offer carbs, protein,
vitamins and other nutrients that optimize recovery and invest in
good health. If beer is your preference, be sure to first quench
your thirst with orange juice, soft drinks or sports drinks and eat
some carbs (pretzels, thick-crust pizza) so you get carbo-loaded,
not just "loaded"! Or think again. Would you be wiser to simply
enjoy the natural high of exercise?
Sports Nutritionist Nancy Clark RD counsels casual and
competitive athletes at her private practice in Healthworks, the
premier fitness center in Chestnut Hill MA (617-383-6100). Her
Sports Nutrition Guidebook ($23) and Food Guide for Marathoners
($20) offer abundant fueling tips. To order: send check to PO Box
650124, W Newton MA 02465 or see
www.nancyclarkrd.com.
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