The biggest question runners have when starting out is, “What and when should I eat?” This article will answer your question. While it is based on several years of knowledge acquired from running and health magazines, web sites, and physiology books, it is important to understand that this method may not work for everyone. We are all designed a little differently and need to experiment to find out what is best for us.
Weight Loss
If you are going to embark on a running program, don't eat to lose weight - eat for energy. Carbohydrates are shunned by many career dieters in an attempt to lose weight the easy way. Not only is it difficult to maintain a no- or low-carb diet, it is unhealthy, especially for athletes. Aim to get approximately 55% of your daily calories from carbohydrates, 20% from proteins, and 25% from fats.
Most of us eat too many calories, even if we do exercise at a high-intensity. I gained ten pounds when I was training for a marathon, and it wasn’t muscle that caused my waist-size to go up. For those of you who count calories and succeed at staying in a weight-loss range, it is important to understand that you should increase your caloric intake slightly to accommodate for the calories burned. For example, let’s say that you’re aiming for a calorie range of 1,500 to 1,600 calories per day. On a particular day, you eat 1,550 calories and burn 250 calories during your workout. Subtract the calories burned from the calories consumed to get your caloric intake for the day:
This means that you are below your calorie range for the day, so you should eat at least 200 more calories to stay within that range. By doing the math and compensating for exercise, you will save yourself from a ravenous, post-workout binge and encourage your metabolism to keep working at a normal pace.
If you’re looking for a weight loss program that will accommodate for the extra calories you burn, look for programs like Weight Watchers.
Vitamins and Minerals
A multi-vitamin is always a good supplement to take every morning. This will help you to get a healthy dose of iron, Vitamins C and E, calcium, and zinc. These vitamins and minerals are especially important on days that you run.
Most women are at risk for developing exercise-related anemia, especially during menstruation. Anemia results from the bloods inability to carry enough oxygen to cells (especially muscle cells). Iron is necessary for oxygen transportation to the cells of the body, so make sure you’re getting your daily dose, or you might find your self feeling run-down. Vitamins C and E have been shown to not only strengthen the immune system, but to encourage muscle cell repair after a strenuous workout. Vitamin C also aids in the absorption of iron, so drink some orange juice with your steak.
Calcium is important for bones health. Your body looks at your bones as merely a storage unit for calcium. When your brain sees that your blood needs more calcium, it takes it from the bones if it's not getting it from food...extra calcium is stored in the bones...so we want more calcium than what we actually need so that there is plenty leftover as we age. If you’re in your thirties or older, get plenty of calcium to keep your body from taking it from your bones, because your body has stopped storing so much calcium there.
Runners are more likely to get sick right after a hard run, so make sure you’re not only taking your Vitamin C, but get plenty of zinc as well. If you opt for zinc supplements, choose a chewable zinc tablet and allow it to dissolve in your mouth for a while. It is better absorbed this way.
When To Eat
As a runner, I like to position my meals for optimal energy, post-workout repair, and to curb those blasted side-stitches. However, this makes sense for *any* workout...
Finish eating your food 2 hours before your workout. So, if you run at four o’clock, make sure you're finished with lunch at two. This allows your body plenty of time to start the digestion process so that blood can be used for the muscles during your workout.
Drink water. Water should be the beverage of choice for your pre-workout meal and you should continue to drink water until an hour-and-a-half before your workout. In our example, you would stop drinking at two-thirty.
During the next 90 minutes, enjoy watching TV and mentally preparing for your run. You will be running to the bathroom within this 90 minute period in order for your body to rid itself the extra fluids (it takes roughly 90 minutes for water to go through your body). This 90 minutes is very important for preventing the need for potty breaks during your run.
Twenty minutes before the workout, scarf down a banana, Gatorade, or some other small snack that is high in carbohydrates (simple carbs such as fructose from fruit, not sugar from a Milky Way bar). Also, drink one-half cup of fluid with this snack (preferably water).
During your workout, drink about one-half cup of fluid (at least) every 20 minutes. If your workout goes much longer, take in another carbohydrate snack at 40 minutes (power gels are REALLY good for this), and continue to do this as needed. Remember, don't drink too much fluid at one time, or you may start to feel queasy. The extra snack at 40 minutes is to replace lost energy in your muscles so you can continue your workout. This is usually for advanced, long, hard workouts that last over an hour.
After your workout, eat something high in protein and carbohydrates. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a glass of orange-juice is a perfect post-workout meal. Don't forget to replace lost fluids by drinking plenty of water.
If it sounds like a science - that's because it is. The body is a wondrous thing, and knowing how to feed it will benefit you greatly in your endeavor to become a happy runner.
This page is Copyright ©2000-2003 Diane Ursu Last revision: August 9, 2003
Moronacity.com
Email: running@moronacity.com