Eating the right carbs to fuel your training regime

Healthy eating and physicall exercise is two of the most important things in life for us all, in the short-term you will look and feel good and in the long term it will protect you against different illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, certain cancers and many more.

As this is the third week everyone following the plan should be having breakfast each morning and having smoothies most days thus feeling the benefits of both the healthy eating and the training.

All the energy we need for life as well as for exercise comes from the food we eat and the fluids we drink. These nutrients are commonly broken into three categories

Carbohydrates, Protein and Healthy Fats

Each category of food is important for health and we should consume foods from each category on a daily basis. This week we are going to cover carbohydrates and their importance as we fuel up for this year’s Hope & Dream run on April 8.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the most efficient source of energy for beginner and elite athletes, complex carbohydrates provide the energy that fuels muscle contractions. Once eaten, carbohydrates break down into smaller sugars that get absorbed and used as energy. Any glucose not needed right away gets stored in the muscles and the liver in the form of glycogen. Once these glycogen stores are filled up, any extra gets stored as fat so be careful on portion sizes as we don’t want any stored fat. Aim to have 4 to 6 portions of carbohydrates every day whilst you are training (one portion is a thick slice of wholegrain bread or a cup size portion of pasta or cereal)

Adequate carbohydrate intake also helps prevent protein from being used as energy. If the body doesn’t have enough carbohydrate, protein is broken down to make glucose for energy.

Because the primary role of protein is the building blocks for muscles, bone, skin, hair, and other tissues, relying on protein for energy (by failing to take in adequate carbohydrate) can limit your ability to build and maintain tissues. (We will discuss Protein in next week’s article)

Stored Carbohydrates

Carbohydrate stored as glycogen is an easily accessible source of energy for exercise. How long this energy supply lasts depends on the length and intensity of exercise and can range anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes or more. To avoid running out of energy during exercise, start with full glycogen stores, replenish them during exercise as in homemade sports drink (800ml water, 200ml squash/cordial & pinch of salt) refill them after exercise as in a smoothie, cereal bar, wholemeal sandwich or carbohydrates of your choice to be ready for the next workout. You will also need protein after a workout but we will be covering Protein in next week’s article

Types of Carbohydrates

Simple/sugar carbohydrates

(quickest source of energy that doesn’t last very long): Fruits, honey, jams, jellies, fruit drinks and gels

Complex carbohydrates (slow releasing energy for longer training runs): Oats, cereals, wholegrain/ multigrain breads, brown pasta/rice/ noodles, sweet potato, cous cous, quinoa, bulgar wheat.

Vegetables: A variety of colourful vegetables as they contain antioxidants that will protect your body from the stress of exercise also white and sweet potato, carrots, beets, turnip, onions, spinach etc

Exercising on a full stomach is not ideal. Food that remains in your stomach during training may cause stomach upset, nausea, and cramping. To make sure you have enough energy, yet reduce stomach discomfort, you should allow a meal to fully digest before you train or race, this generally takes 1 to 4 hours, depending upon what and how much you’ve eaten. Everyone is a bit different, and you should experiment prior to workouts to determine what works best for you.

You can have a liquid meal i.e. smoothie or sports drink closer to your training or race rather than a solid meal because your stomach digests liquids faster. A pre-exercise meal should include foods that are high in carbohydrates and easy to digest, this includes foods such as pasta fruits, breads, energy bars and drinks.

Smoothies can be a great snack, pre workout meal or post workout meal everyday and should be varied with different fruits and vegetables, also try adding some greek yogurt or peanut butter for a little extra protein

Tips for the week Smoothie of the week: Blueberry Cleanser

Never skip any of your daily meals you are only fooling your body and it is not good for your sugar levels

Eat little and often to maintain sugar levels

Be active be healthy and not only will you achieve and succeed but you will be happier and studies show activity can improve our mental health

Over the coming weeks we will be discussing Proteins, healthy fats, vitamins & minerals all of which will help us over the coming 11 weeks, we will also be covering nutrition for before and after training as training intensifies for the big day April 8.

Martina O’ Sullivan – 087-7864283