What to Eat Before Training?

What to eat prior to training is a common area of concern, particularly with those new to exercise. We have all experienced nausea, bloating, cramping and lethargy during a session, something which is often blamed on eating too soon before exercise. This can of course be the case, however more often than not it’s the type and time that food is consumed that is key.

The body’s preferred source of fuel is carbohydrate, as it is readily available unlike protein and fat which must be broken down in order for them to be utilised by the body. Complex carbohydrates (wholemeal pasta, bread, rice, potatoes) take longer than simple carbohydrates (cane sugar, jam, sports drinks, biscuits) to break down but are the ideal source of food energy for training. Their energy is released at a more sustained rate, keeping blood glucose levels stable and keeping fatigue at bay. However due to their complex nature, they need to be eaten at least 3-4 hours prior to exercise to ensure adequate digestion and reduce any discomfort.

Simple carbohydrates are absorbed quicker and can therefore be consumed closer (up to one hour) to an event to top up fuel stores. They are also recommended during endurance activities that last >90 minutes as they cause limited stomach discomfort and can reduce the onset of fatigue. It should be noted however that simple carbohydrates (often known as high glycaemic index foods) raise blood sugar levels rapidly, which can also cause blood sugar slumps if not utilised soon after consumption. It is therefore essential that the timing of such foods are correctly built into your dietary plan. Suggested pre-exercise foods:

Less than one hour before exercise
1. Fresh fruit such as apples, peaches, grapes, watermelon or oranges
2. Sports drinks / gels
3. Fruit or vegetable juice such as orange or tomato

Two to three hours before exercise
1. Smoothies / fresh fruit
2. One-two slices of bread or a bagel
3. Medium pot of low-fat yoghurt
4. Breakfast cereal with low-fat milk (not high fibre varieties)
5. Sports drink
6. Banana

Three to four hours before exercise
1. Lean meat / chicken salad
2. Pasta with tomato sauce
3. Baked potato with tuna / beans
4. Toast or bread with a small amount of peanut butter, lean meat or low-fat cheese

Early morning exercise
Eating a meal two to three hours before training may not be possible when training early. Fluids can be used as an alternative at these times, as they can provide both fuel and fluid, with milkshakes and sports drinks being popular choices. Small amounts of fruit salad and cereal bars can also be incorporated if time allows.

Foods to Avoid Before Exercise
Any foods with a lot of fat can be difficult and slow to digest, remaining in the stomach for a long time. They also will pull blood into the stomach to aid in digestion, which can cause cramping and discomfort. Meats, fries, crisps, and cereal bars should be avoided in a pre-exercise meal.

It’s important to remember that everyone is different and what works for one person may not work for another, even when undergoing the same training programme. Find and practise with what works for you!

For more information please visit http://www.insideouttraining.co.uk/

Events 2010

As usual I’m recruiting people for a range of walks, rides and races!
Below are those that are coming up in the next few months:

Wimbledon Park Run (5K / 3 miles) – May 8th @ 9am
FREE EVENT (SIGN UP THE NIGHT BEFORE)

For all ability levels Parkruns are fantastic non-commercial, free, feel-good, community events. You sign up on the website once http://parkrun.com then simply turn up and run at any event in the country! Results are emailed the same day and posted on the website with historical results and stats including age group records and age-graded performances. Races take place all over the country at 9am on Saturdays and are fantastic as training runs as you have that added motivation of running with others. If you’d like to join on May 8th starting at the windmill on Wimbledon Park simply sign up for free on the site and I’ll look forward to seeing you there!

London to Brighton Bike Ride (54 miles) – June 20th

THIS IS NOT A RACE! If you fancy stopping for lunch or a few drinks (Lucozade that is) along the way then you’ll be joining most of the other riders who participate for fun, not to set any records! Any bike will do, there’s everything from £5,000 race bikes to mountain bikes that look like they’ve not been out the shed in the last 10 years! It really is a race open to any type of rider and ability level. Places are alocated on a first come first served basis! http://www.bhf.org.uk/events-and-volunteering/events/bike-rides/london-to-Brighton-2010.aspx

ADVANCED NOTICE FOR THE MORE ADVENTUROUS…..

GRIM 8 – (8 miles) – December 4th
IF YOU DON’T MIND MUD, WATER, AND MORE MUD!

GRIM is held over the Army’s vehicle testing tracks so expect it to be wet, undulating, muddy, and given it’s in December, also very cold! A yearly favourite of mine, the event is so popular they now run it twice over the weekend. For more information on this event visit the website http://original.grimchallenge.co.uk. This race gets 10 out of 10 on the fun factor, anyone that can run 4/5 miles comfortably will be more than capable of finishing, and smile as they do so!

Tough Guy 2011 – (8 miles) – January 30th
NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED

Probably the hardest 8 miles you’ll ever encounter, a few of us are taking part in this rather mad event next year! Advanced warning given for this event as it’s not one to be taken lightly, you will need to train hard to survive Tough Guy! The event is hard to describe so I will let the video do the talking http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IWT2qeNVTQ. For more information on this event visit the website http://www.toughguy.co.uk.

For information on training please visit www.insideouttraining.co.uk

Food Rules

I read a brilliant article this weekend in the Daily Mail called 'Food Rules' - I thought I'd share some of the highlights! Many of them are common sense, but then that's all healthy eating really is!

1. Avoid food grandma wouldn't recognise
There are now thousands of food products in the supermarket that our ancestors wouldn't recognise. They are processed in ways specifically designed to get us to buy and eat more by pushing our evolutionary buttons (such as our inborn preferences for sugar, fat and salt). These tastes are difficult to find in nature, but cheap and easy for scientists to deploy, with the result that food processing induces us to consume more of these products than is good for us.

2. It's NOT food if it has the same name in all languages
Think 'Big Mac' or 'Pringles'!

3. Avoid ingredients you don't recognise
Enhoxylated diglycerides? Cellulose? Xanthan gum? Calcium propionate? Ammonium sulfate? If you wouldn't cook with these additives yourself, why let others use these ingredients to cook for you? Foods scientists use these to extend shelf life and make old food look fresher and more appetising than it really is. Many of these additives haven't been eaten by humans for very long, so it's questionable whether they prove a health risk or not.

4. Question food labelled 'low-fat'
Removing fat from foods doesn't necessarily make them non-fattening. Carbohydrates can also make you fat, many low-fat and non-fat foods are more sugary to make up for the loss of flavour. You're better off eating the real thing in moderation than bingeing on 'lite' food products packed with sugars and salt.

5. 'The whiter the bread, the sooner you'll be dead'
This blunt advise is a reminder of the health risks of white flour. As far as our body is concerned, white flour is not much differnt from sugar.

6. Eat your colours
The colours of many vegetables reflect the different antioxidant phytochemicals they contain. Many of these chemicals help to protect against chronic diseases, but each in a slightly different way, so the best protection comes from a diet containing as many different phytochemicals as possible.

7. Eat slowly
Eat slowly enough to savour your food, you'll need less of it and you'll feel satisfied.

8. Avoid long lists of ingredients
Again, the more ingredients in a food, the more highly processed it probably is. (A long list of ingredients in a recipe is not the same; that's fine).

9. Eat when you're hungry, not when you're bored
For many, eating has surprisingly little to do with hunger. We eat out of boredom, for entertainment, to comfort or reward ourselves. One old wives test: if you're not hungry enough to eat an apple, then you're not hungry!

10. Only eat food that rot
The more processed a food is, the longer the shelf life, and the less nutritious it typically is. Real food is alive - and therefore should eventually die. (One of the exceptions is honey, which has a shelf life measured in centuries).

11. Don't refuel at petrol stations
Food sold at petrol stations is all highly processed - imperishable snack foods and extravagantly sweetened drinks.

12. Treats treats and treats
There's nothing wrong with special occasion foods, as long as every day isn't a special occasion. Chips, pastries and ice-cream offer some of the greatest pleasure in life, so we shouldn't deprive ourselves of them, but our sense of occasion needs to be restored.

For more help and advise with your nutrition visit www.insideouttrraining.co.uk