Monday, March 31, 2008

Nutrition for Runners Who Want to Go the Distance

Proper nutrition is crucial for a runner, particularly if you are a long distance runner, if you want to have enough energy to complete a race, or to simply meet your personal running goals. When running, your body needs 10 to 20 times the energy it needs while resting. Proper nutrition will ensure you have the energy you need when you need it.

Simple and Complex Carbohydrates

It is understood that runners need to get most of their calories from carbohydrates. The problem is many people do not know exactly what foods are high in carbs. Even pasta is only about 80 percent carbs with the rest being protein and fat. To get enough calories that are beneficial to you means your diet should consist of 15 to 20 percent proteins, 30 percent fat and 50 to 55 percent carbohydrates.

To make things more difficult, there are two kinds of carbs: simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates include sugar, honey, sweet and soft drinks the get most of their calories from sugar. Runners should get only 10 percent of their carbohydrates from simple sugars. Complex carbohydrates come from the starch in plant foods, such as fruits, vegetables, pasta, legumes and bread.

The Glycogen Story

When training for a marathon, or even a half marathon, the average person will likely require about 2,500 calories a day. This is necessary to maintain glycogen stores in the muscles. Glycogen is a polysaccharide of glucose which provides quick energy storage in a human's cells. It is an energy reserve that can be quickly mobilized to meet a sudden need for glucose. The only problem with glycogen stores is that they are easily depleted and must be replenished.
Normally, a body can store about 2,000 calories of glycogen. Because a runner depletes this amount by about 100 calories a mile, by around mile 20 in a race, runners experience extreme fatigue. This can be delayed by carbohydrate loading before the race. The night before the race, or even a long practice run, it is important to consume a carbohydrate rich meal. It is advisable to top off the tank, so to speak, by eating a light carbohydrate meal right before bed.

Practice Makes Perfect

Every runner is different, so practice what works best for you. Some runners prefer eating a breakfast that carbohydrate rich before the race. Check to see if this routine will upset your stomach before taking off on a marathon race. Practicing ahead of time will let you know what foods work best with your metabolism. Don't wait until the day of the race to find out this information.

Hydration is Important

Once the race starts, hydration is very important. But like figuring out what food routine works best for you, take time to figure out what drinking routine works best for you.
Drinking while running isn't easy, but it can be learned with practice. Gulp the fluid too quickly and you could spend a mile coughing and gasping. If you stop to drink at the aid stations, you will loose time. Unless you grip the cup carefully, you will spill half the contents onto the ground. Learn the technique before your race begins. Also learn how much water you should drink during the race so you will not spend precious time in the restroom along the route.

Multivitamins are Essential

Multivitamins are also essential to ensure that you are getting enough of the proper vitamins and minerals in your diet without eating to excess. Vitamins in table form often deliver only about 10 percent of the nutrition to the body. VIBE solves that problem.
Liquid VIBE is different. Within seconds after taking VIBE, a full 97% of the nutrients you need for performance are absorbed into your body at the cellular level. And that is important. Because the faster needed nutrients get to your cells the more you'll be able to get out of your exercise and training regimen.

Vibe is available at NutritionForChampions.

Karen Vertigan Pope writes for Ciniva Systems, an award winning Virginia web design company. Ciniva specializes in web design and SEO. Ms. Vertigan Pope is the Project Support Manager of Ciniva Systems. Ciniva Systems is in charge of SEO for http://www.NutritionForChampions.com.
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Karen Vertigan Pope, EzineArticles.com Basic PLUS Author

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Nutrition for Champions

There is a huge amount written about nutrition for athletes. Much of the advice is dauntingly long and complicated, and some of it is contradictory. As a new runner, you won't go far wrong if you stick to these general.

  • If you exercise regularly, you need to eat and drink more. If you start exercising but go on eating the same amount, you will lose

    David Street rehydrating

    David Street rehydrating
    after a marathon
    weight. (This may be what you want, in which case see the article on losing weight.) Running, jogging or walking a mile burns about 100 calories; and if you run regularly, your resting metabolism will increase. If you run 40 miles a week, you'll need to eat about 600-700 calories a day extra.
  • Eat plenty of a wide variety of fresh or unprocessed foods. Your body needs carbohydrate, protein and fat, as well as vitamins, mineral, trace elements and water. If you deny it those things, you are likely to become lethargic, ill or get injured.
  • Drink lots of water. Try to consume at least 2 litres a day. Always have a bottle of water on your desk at work, and sip regularly during the day. Put a bottle on the kitchen table and sip whenever you walk past. Being properly hydrated will improve your running and your complexion! Tea and coffee don't help: they are diuretic (ie they make you urinate more) so they increase the need to drink water. (Herbal tea is OK.)
  • Eat more carbohydrates. About half of your daily calories should come from carbohydrates. This means lots of potatoes, pasta, bread, cereals and fruit. Where possible, try to eat unprocessed foods. Unfortunately, most pasta (the runner's staple) is refined: try wholemeal instead.
  • Eat a low fat diet. You should not eliminate fats altogether, but they should not form more than about 15 per cent of your calorie intake each day. This is not much fat.
  • Replenish your carbohydrates within two hours of exercise. Your muscles will recover much more quickly, and your body will increase its capacity to store glycogen, if you eat easily digestible carbohydrates (eg bananas) or drink a recovery sports drink soon after exercise – preferably within half an hour, and certainly within two hours.
  • Keep a food diary. You might be surprised by what you are really eating, even if you think you have a healthy diet. For a week, keep track of everything you eat, and break it down into carbohydrate, fat and protein.
  • You probably don't need vitamin supplements. If you eat a varied diet and you ensure that your fruit and vegetables are fresh, you should get the vitamins and minerals you need. But some runners on a heavy training schedule take a multi-vitamin tablet each day, and if you are prone to infections you might want to take Vitamin C and Zinc supplements.
  • Eat little and often. Ideally, start the day with a big breakfast with plenty of carbohydrates, such as muesli or toast. This will give you more fuel for the day, and help to increase your carbohydrate intake. Then eat every 4 hours or so. It is better to keep your body topped up than to let your blood sugar levels swing.
See the Article HERE