Plan your training day!
While in training, it’s not just your fitness or chosen sport that needs all your attention. Without focusing on your nutritional status, you will not reach your maximum performance potential. Optimum performance requires optimum nutrition. For instance, if you are as little as 2% dehydrated during training you may experience various symptoms including fatigue and dizziness, which will greatly impair performance.
Certain nutrients need to be consumed at specific times of the day when training. For example, a high fibre meal shouldn’t be consumed before training as fibre foods can cause gas and discomfort. Fructose should also be avoided as fructose delays gastric emptying and can cause stomach cramps in some people.
Some people tend to be confused when it comes to knowing what foods are best and which are best avoided for training purposes. Others don’t know whether they should believe what they hear about bulking up on ‘X’ nutrient and limiting consumption of ‘Y’ nutrient. This article is here to cut out the confusion and help simplify what is needed to know to ensure you reach your peak condition.
Proper nutrition, whether it’s for before, during or after the training session, is essential to provide energy, comfort and attentiveness.
Before
Fuelling for your training session is vital. To start a training session without consuming the right foods or filling up on fluid will put you at an increased risk of injury and illness. You won’t make it too far before you start feeling the effects. Adequate nutrition before training is required to;
• Maximise fluid levels, preventing dehydration
• Provide foodstuff that is quickly absorbed and digested
• Ensure adequate energy levels to train
• To prevent hunger arising during training
The timing of meals and fluid consumption is another important factor that must be considered. For example, eating large amounts close to the time you intend to train can cause discomfort as the food won’t have fully digested. General guidelines are to;
• Wait 3-4 hours before training if eating a large meal to allow the food to digest
• Wait 2-3 hours if eating a smaller meal
• Wait 1 hour if eating a small snack before training to allow the stomach to settle
• Consume approximately 500ml of fluid every two to three hours before training
• Keep your fluid levels topped up and about 15 minutes before training, drink a further 200ml
Choose foods containing a high carbohydrate content and a lower protein and fat content, as carbohydrate foods are absorbed more quickly, allowing the body to use the energy more quickly.
Meals
1. Porridge made with water, with a banana, one slice of wholemeal toast, one teaspoon of jam, orange juice
2. 2 slices whole wheat bread, 2 slices ham, ounce of swiss cheese, 1 leaf lettuce, 1 sliced small tomato, apple juice
3. Spaghetti, mushrooms, tomato sauce, ounce of cheese, 1 slice of bread
4. Minestrone soup, cheese crackers and vegetable juice
Snacks
1. Grapes
2. Fruit yogurt
3. Fig/oatmeal cookies
4. Trail mix
Foods to avoid
1. High protein/fat containing food as they take longer to digest
2. Gas producing foods, such as broccoli, can cause bloating and a feeling of discomfort
3. Fatty/fibre foods may cause discomfort
4. Caffeine; can act as a diuretic
During
People often forget that maintaining adequate nutrition during exercise, whether it be training or a competition, is just as important as any other time. The aim of nutrition during training is to maintain glycogen stores and keep hydrating the body. Ensuring that you have enough energy to continue training and replenish fluid losses is vital to prevent an impaired performance.
Drinking 150ml-200ml every 15-25 minutes is important to replace any fluid that has been lost. This amount should be increased if the weather is hotter and/or more humid.
Remember that cold weather doesn’t reduce the amount of fluid required! Drinking a sports drink for longer training sessions(over an hour), is recommended to help replenish glycogen stores and electrolytes lost through sweating.
Avoid drinks with more than 8% carbohydrate and choose hypotonic fluid as hypertonic fluid can cause nausea and muscle cramps. Fluid chosen should be of a desired flavour to encourage you to drink it.
Convenient foods to carry with you during a training session include oat/cereal bars, energy gels or raisins. If you train for a long duration and take breaks, eating a bagel with jam, for example is a good option to refuel.
After
Finishing a training session is not the time to sit down to get your breath back. It is essential that the body’s stores of glycogen, fluid, sodium, and protein are replenished.Muscles are most receptive to reloading 15-30 minutes after exercise. In this time, fluids containing sodium and carbohydrate foods should be consumed. Protein foods should also be eaten at this time to accelerate the repair caused to damaged muscle tissue during exercise.
Drinking approximately 1 litre of fluid for every kg in body weight lost after training will help to balance fluid losses. Carbohydrate foods with a high glycaemic index (Gi) should be eaten so they are absorbed quickly.
Meals
1. Baked potato, tuna in brine, fruit juice
2. Pasta, vegetable & meat sauce, bread roll, fruit juice
3. Bean burrito with vegetables, milk
4. Lean meat sandwich, carrot sticks, cookie, milk
Snacks
1. Pretzels, tomato juice
2. Bagel, peanut butter, jam, milk
3. Pita, raw vegetables, hummus
4. Fruit smoothie
Nutritional requirements for those in training depend on a number of factors including; gender, body composition and the type duration and intensity of the activity. The correct proportion of nutrients is vital. For example, too little fluid can cause the detrimental effects of dehydration, whereas too much fluid can cause bloating and discomfort – not to mention the need to go to the toilet more often!
A healthy, balanced diet is one of the major requirements to reach optimal performance. By following the simple guidelines outlined above, you are sure to see an improvement in your performance, as well as your general health.
