Get the Most Out of Exercise: It's All About What You Eat
As you prepare for the Charlottesville Women's Four Miler, a marathon, or even just a couple of miles on a treadmill, remember this: what you eat and drink can affect your performance. Eating the right foods and drinking plenty of water will help you stay strong, clock in your best time, or just feel good while you exercise.
Here are more energy-boosting tips from Susan Del Gobbo, a nutritionist at the University of Virginia Health System.
Fuel Up on Carbs
For runners, the key to success is to make sure your muscles get the carbohydrates they need. Carbohydrates are stored as glycogen in the muscle and other parts of the body. However, a person's storage capacity is limited. To prevent fatigue and "hitting the wall," eat at least 6-10 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight per day. (How much do you weigh in kilograms? Just divide your weight in pounds by 2.2. A woman who weighs 140 pounds, for instance, weighs 64 kilograms.)
The day before a big event like the Four Miler, rest your muscles yet maximize your storage of glycogen -- your race fuel -- by limiting your activity and keeping your carbohydrate intake closer to 10 grams per kilogram of body weight.
Choose Carbs Wisely
Enjoy complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, beans and vegetables. Eat only small portions of simple carbohydrates such as jam, honey, juice, cookies, cake, ice cream, sorbets, and sports drinks, gels and bars. Fruit contains both simple and complex carbohydrates as well as many vitamins and minerals, so strive to include several servings of both dried and fresh fruit with your meals and snacks. Balance these foods with small portions of lean meat, fish, poultry, milk, yogurt, cheese and plenty of fluids.
7 Steps to Stay in Top Form
1. Experiment with breakfast choices so you're comfortable, both physically and psychologically, before a big run.
2. Enjoy fruit smoothies before and after exercise to increase fluid intake and restore glycogen to your muscles.
3. Aim for 4-8 ounces of water for every 15 to 20 minutes of running. Make water your primary fluid. (Sports drinks with a 6% sugar solution are needed only after 75 minutes of endurance exercise.)
4. Peak with potassium: You'll find generous amounts of potassium in a banana (451 mg), an orange (233 mg), a potato (844 mg), a cup of 1% milk (381 mg), two tablespoons of peanut butter (214 mg), one cup of strawberries (247 mg) and an ounce of chocolate (233 mg). Compare this to 30 mg in most 8-ounce sports drinks!
5. Skip or limit your intake of alcohol to one drink per day because alcohol increases dehydration.
6. Avoid caffeine, which can rid your body of needed fluid. Drink coffee, tea and soft drinks in small amounts or choose decaffeinated products.
7. Eat at least 5 times per day. Keep your choices nutritious and your portion sizes modest and you'll feel more energetic all day -- and no matter how far you run.