Meal Planning Sucks 2008-08-09
Eating For Performance Sucks
Selecting the right nutrients and liquids just before any activity is essential for walking, heavy duty workout, or competing. Physical exertion, whether easy or strenuous, increases the need for nutrients and electrolytes. Studies have shown that eating the right nutrition and fluid intake prior to engaging in competition will increase endurance. Research also shows that competitors who eat prior to exercise feel better and find the activity less rigorous than those who go without eating. Alternatively, eating and drinking too close to workouts increases the chances of suffering nausea. Pre-Workout Diet A nutrient is only useful once it has been broken down and absorbed by the body. Your body needs time after food ingestion to convert food into fuel available during the exercise. Digestion time is determined by on the amount and kind eaten. Large amounts of nutrients are ingested over a longer period than smaller quantities of food. Trial and error is the only way to find the timing that fits your needs. Generally, athletes in athletics involving sports where the body is supported are able to ingest more nutrients than activities where the gut is bounced about during strenuous exercise. Pre-Competition Eating %u2013 Choose foods that contain mostly complex carbs, moderate amounts of protein, and low amounts of fat. Foods high in fat, protein and fiber tend to take longer to break down than other foods. Low Glicemic Index foods are useful for the pre-event dinner because they break down slower and providing a sustained delivery of sugar while exercising maintaining blood sugar levels for a longer period. Pre-Competition foods should contain 90 to 250 grams of carbs. Carbs are foods that can be transformed to energy the quickest. Carbohydrate types vary from complex carbohydrates (starches, fruits, and vegetables), which contain fiber to simple sugars (sweets, desserts, and juice). Pre-Competition Hydration %u2013 It is recommended to take in 16 to 24 ounces of water/sports drink one hours prior to your competition. Hydrating your body will keep your body cells functioning at their peak. Low hydration can lower performance, severe dehydration can result in medical problems. Competitors or those engaged in activity are already under hydrated by the time they feel thirsty. Fluid replacement should begin before becoming thirsty. Begin consuming water a few minutes prior to exercise and continuing to drink during the event will help maintain blood glucose levels. Take in approximately four to eight ounces immediately before exercising. Pre-Competition Meals - Should be primarily high in carbohydrates. Carbohydrate loading is needed if you will be performing nonstop workouts for 90 minutes or more. Carbohydrate loading is performance enhancing in marathons, hiking, biking, or other constant workouts. Post-Competition Meals %u2013 This meal is important. The post-workout meal provides the energy to recover from working out and replenish the energy lost from exercising. After working out your metabolism is racing and can use more nutrients at once and not store it as fat. The post-workout should be your largest meal. If within 2 to 3 hours of a competition eat a snack or decrease the size of your planned meal. Eating for performance requires planning to win. Planning the pre-workout, post-workout, food and fluid intake is vital to achieve optimal performance.
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