EAT FOR ENDURANCE

What you scoff can make a difference to speed and recovery, says dietician Renee McGregor

Don’t fear the carbs

Contrary to what you may have read, carbs are essential for fuelling endurance training. Carbohydrate is the body’s preferred fuel; the harder you work, the quicker you drain your stores. So don’t ditch the carbs but be smart with them, tailoring them to your daily workouts.

Get protein from milk

With so many sports nutrition products on the market, you would be right in thinking that you need a special product for each stage of your training. However, don’t be fooled into thinking expensive is better. One good example is the use of milk as a recovery drink. In most cases, this is a better and cheaper choice than a protein shake.

Pop your Cherry (Active)

During high intensity or volume training blocks, one product that does seem to have some staying power as well as evidence to support its use is Cherry Active. Studies have demonstrated that it can prevent soreness and improve recovery.

Get some beets

Beetroot has been proven to improve oxygen uptake and delivery to muscles. Studies found that it needed to be taken as a shot containing 5mmol nitrous oxide 1-3 hours prior to training, 5 days leading up to a competition in order for it to be in the right dose to have an effect on performance. It seems to have most beneficial effects in events that last up to 40mins.