Bike and Run Hydration Strategies
On the Bike Hydration Strategies Drinking on the bike requires a certain level of skill, especially for the beginner. A good place to start is on the stationary trainer. Practice removing your water bottle from the cage and drinking while looking forward. You will need to learn to do this smoothly without taking your eyes off the road. A water bladder such as a Camelbak is a great tool for staying hydrated. Although these are not quite in style yet with the cycling crowd they have distinct advantages over traditional […]
Safe and Effective Carbohydrate Loading
Many athletes, recreational or serious, have their pre-event traditions. All-you-can-eat pasta dinners, including unlimited refills of Gatorade, often fill the evening before the big day. Should this be considered just a fun tradition that many recreational athletes make it out to be or is there truly something to saturating muscles stores with glycogen that serious athletes are seeking? Carbohydrate loading is defined as a dietary technique designed to promote significant increase in the glycogen content to delay the onset of fatigue. During high intensity and endurance, carbohydrate is the primary […]
Peanut Butter is GREAT Endurance Food
We all know that peanut butter sticks to the roof of your mouth. But do you know that peanut butter might also help you “stick it out” during a hard workout or an intense race? In fact, peanut butter–yes, that sticky companion to jelly on all those sandwiches your mom made–just might be the best endurance food on the planet. Peanut butter provides a feeling of fullness much longer after you’ve eaten than if you’d munched on carbohydrates in the form of, say, pretzels, a candy bar, or even a […]
Nutrition Periodization for Endurance and Power Athletes
We are all creatures of routine and our diets are no exception. Time strapped athletes tend to gravitate towards the same foods and supplements that allow them to fuel their bodies quickly and effectively. A proper training plan requires changes in training intensities and durations throughout the season and the training week. Nutrition periodization is a hot topic right now. The essence of this plan is to match your diet to the specific requirements of the training phase you are in on a macro level. It is equally important to […]
The Athlete’s Kitchen
Eating for Endurance: What, When and Why Some athletes consider food their reward at the end of the day; they save up their appetite for a huge feast at dinnertime. Wiser athletes treat food as fuel; they knowledgeably fuel before, during and after exercise. They get more out of their workouts and prevent needless fatigue. If that is your goal, keep reading! 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 […]
Nutrient Balance for Athletic Performance
Energy represents the capacity to do work, and the human source of energy is FOOD. A calorie is the standard measure of energy. The amount of energy expended depends on the duration and type of activity. Carbohydrates and fats are primary energy nutrients. Protein can become a source of energy but to a limited extent. Protein is however, essential for growth and repair of muscle and body tissues. Fat not only is important in relation to fat-soluble vitamins, but it is also essential as an energy source for low to […]
Avoid GI Distress during training
Applying nutrition and hydration principles is of great benefit to optimize an athlete’s training and performance. The athletes that understand the digestion and absorption of nutrients and fluids are more likely to develop optimal methods of maintaining blood volume (a critical issue for performance), without inducing nausea and vomiting (GI Distress). For any fluid to be of benefit during exercise, it must first empty from the stomach and then be absorbed into the bloodstream from the intestines. A number of factors influence the gastric emptying rate, including hydration status, concentration […]
