The Fluid:Food Equation
Fluids will help maintain normal body temperature and deliver energy and nutrients to hardworking muscles during your competition or workout. Sufficient hydration yields better and sustained performance around town, across country, or even further.
Carbohydrates are the fuel of choice for both recreational and competitive events or exercise because they are the most readily available fuel for working muscles. In fact, observance of high-intensity and endurance exercise, reveal low-carbohydrate fuel stores as a common limiting factor.
Protein is not only essential for increasing muscle mass and strength but for recovering from prolonged exercise routines such as may be observed in readiness for competition. Vitamins and Minerals don’t provide energy, but they’re absolutely essential for converting the food you eat into the energy your muscles can use.
Exercise and Food: The Right Combination
Timing the consumption of food and drink throughout your exercise sessions can significantly improve hydration, energy, recovery, and the quality of individual workouts. Following this hydration and nutrition regimen before, during, and after workouts can help to optimize exercise performance and improve recovery for subsequent workouts.
BEFORE: Two to four hours before exercise, be sure to hydrate early and often, and eat healthful and nutritious carbohydrate-rich foods, including light sandwiches, pasta, salads, fruits, and nutritional bars. Consider more rapidly absorbed nutritional shakes as little as one hour before an event, depending on your individual level of digestive comfort. Continue hydrating right up to the start of an event and consider a natural caffeine boost such as green tea 30 minutes prior to exercise.
DURING: Continue hydrating with small amounts of cool fluids, including water and sports drinks, every 15 to 30 minutes. For events lasting longer than an hour, consider rapidly digested carbohydrate-rich foods such as bagels, gels, bananas, apples, oranges, and nutritional bars.
AFTER: Try to consume a balanced intake of fluids, carbohydrate, and protein immediately after an event or workout to maximize hydration, muscle-energy refueling, muscle repair, and muscle rebuilding. The right balance of carbohydrate and protein can trigger and enhance the anabolic recovery process when consumed immediately after exercise and again an hour or two later—especially for those who have multiple daily workout sessions.
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