Written by Anette Ramm, Clinical Nutrition Physiologist at Volvat Medical Center, National Theater.
DIET By investing some time in diet planning, you can greatly improve your exercise performance. Not least how it feels to conduct a session. Rule number one is to provide enough food and drink before the session.
Enough food before exercise
For the most active, it can be difficult to get enough nutrition during the day. In a training period where the body is exposed to more stress than before, we must increase food intake to meet the increased energy needs. Then you may want to set up a meal plan with enough small and large meals, and adapt them around your workouts. A quick and easy snack to replenish energy and the carbohydrate store on the go are, for example, dried fruit, nuts and almonds. This snack is energy-dense, healthy, easy to take with you and quick to eat.
Carbohydrate
There are many who live with a low carbohydrate intake and among other things cut out bread, pasta, rice and potatoes. Carbohydrate-rich foods are useful for those who want to perform better when it comes to running. Several studies show the benefit of consuming carbohydrates before and during training to increase performance, this applies to both the top athlete and the exerciser. If you exercise 1-2 hours a day, you should get a minimum of 5-8 grams of carbohydrate per kg of body weight, a person who exercises more than two hours per day should get in 8-10 grams of carbohydrate per kg of body weight (1).
Exhaustion during exercise can be delayed
When the glycogen stores in the muscles decrease, the signals are interpreted as fatigue. It may therefore be more difficult to carry out a session if the glycogen storage is initially low. To get the most out of a long training session, it therefore pays to have eaten a well-composed meal two to three hours before the session and a carbohydrate-rich snack about an hour before. The small snack before training can be, for example, a banana (1).
The body uses both fat and carbohydrate as an energy source
During low-intensity training, most of the energy will come from fatty acids from the body's adipose tissue. At high intensity, a larger proportion of energy for muscle use will come from carbohydrate. During hard physical exertion, it is therefore an advantage to have as much energy stored in the muscles as possible. This energy is stored as glycogen. The size of glycogen stores is increased by consuming carbohydrate in the hours before exercise.
Make sure you are in fluid balance
The thirst mechanism is not optimal. We do not feel thirsty in time. A good tip is therefore to try to drink throughout the day and preferably before you feel thirsty. It is important to be in fluid balance before training, because it is very important for performance. If you have a large loss of sweat during exercise, it is also important to get enough salts. Drink plenty of water with meals so that fluid loss can be restored quickly.
Recovery-enough and proper food and drink
In the time before a race or a competition, there are several factors that are important to have in place to be best prepared. Of course, strength, endurance and technique are important factors to perform optimally. Most people are aware of this. What many do not place as much emphasis on is recovery, where nutrition is an important factor. If you want to get ready for a new session as soon as possible, you should have a small meal right after training. Chocolate milk can be a great recovery drink right after exercise because it contains carbohydrate, fat, protein, vitamins and minerals. Also get a bigger meal within two hours after finishing training.
Help the body with fruits and vegetables!
When you exercise, energy turnover increases and "waste products" are formed. Free radicals can damage the body's cells. After a workout, we need antioxidants to restore balance in the body. The antioxidants work by reducing the "waste products" after exercise. Some of the vitamins and minerals in fruits and vegetables are antioxidants. Therefore, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables!
Lose weight to prevent strain injuries
If the goal is to lose a little weight before the race, you should be in energy deficit, but then it is even more important that what you eat contains what the body needs to prevent injuries and disease, and maintain muscles. Eat varied and healthy to give your body what it needs in this phase.
Reference:
1. "Performs better with the right diet" by Christine Helle, Olympiatoppen
Anette Ramm, Clinical Nutrition Physiologist, Volvat Medical Center, Dept. National Theater.
