Have a Healthy, Happy & Energised 2013!
Top 10 ‘back to basics’ Go Faster tips to eat well in 2013
I’d like to propose getting BACK TO BASICS IN 2013. Why do we work out? It’s simple! It’s about getting into the fresh air, getting fit, working out with friends and having a good natter, working out on your own to regroup your thoughts, pushing yourself to go that extra mile or beat your PB. It’s not complicated.
That’s what a athlete’s diet should be as well!
Use these top 10 ‘back to basics’ Go Faster tips to eat well in 2013! They’ll help with weight loss if that’s your goal, although it will require a little patience, but it’s essentially an easy and uncomplicated ‘way of eating’ , both achievable and enjoyable, which will promote both long-term health and better athletic performance.
1. Would you put diesel into a Ferrari? NO!!
Ensure each mouthful is nutritious
If you are active, your body may need extra calories, but this doesn’t mean that you should just grab the nearest sugar-coated custard doughnut! Don’t waste time with ‘empty’ calories – focus on nutrient-dense foods and try your best to keep to unprocessed; that’s fresh, natural ingredients. You’ll find lots of examples and recipes to use them in Go Faster Food. Of course, with our busy lifestyles processed foods are virtually impossible to avoid, so when you do eat them, check the label for hidden saturated fats and salt.
Know what you are eating, read the label and ask yourself ”Do I really want to put this into my body?”.
2. BALANCE AND MODERATION!
Sounds boring, but this is the key to long-term health. Whether training or not, the ideal diet should include a wide variety of foods. Your body needs balance, so don’t cut out one particular food group, such as carbohydrate, protein or fat. Stick to the standard BDA guidelines of around 60% carbohydrate – that’s bread, pasta, cereal, rice AND fruit and vegetables, with a good mix of protein (around 15%) and the rest from fats. As an athlete, you also need to increase your intake of vitamins and minerals.
Don’t forget the maths! The more you move, the more you can eat!
It’s as simple as that. Don’t eat more calories than you can burn. Fad diets such as Atkins, Paleo, Blood Type, Fasting, Dukan promise great things, but are best avoided unless recommended by a medical expert. They are complicated, difficult to sustain and can affect health in the long term.
Regular exercise and sensible, balanced eating will be far more effective in the long term that a diet.
3. Beauty comes from within, thank goodness!
Don’t beat yourself up if you haven’t got the ultimate 6-pack, or if you’re not the perfect size 10 with abs to die for…
Being active, fit and healthy is more important than having the perfect figure!
4. It’s not just about the race
Fuelling for endurance sport is not just about carbo-loading before a race; it is equally important to be smart about eating throughout your training schedule. If you don’t train well you won’t race well. Fuel yourself with the right foods during training, you’ll prevent injury and improve both your performance and your recovery times.
For general training, use the recipes, meal plans and advice in Go Faster Food.
For pre-race fuelling advice, meal plans and recipes, get yourself a copy of FuelSmart for Race Day
5. You don’t have to be a millionaire to eat well!
Eating well doesn’t have to break the bank! Good quality, nutrient-dense foods such as fruit, vegetables and wholegrains are easily available at the local supermarket, so don’t worry that you’re not visiting the farmer’s market, speciality health food store or deli every week.
Keep it simple! Avoiding processed wherever possible is the key to good long-term health. Avoid the ‘so-called’ healthy sports drinks and energy bars and make your own instead. You’ll not only be healthier but you’ll save ££££$$$$$. You’ll find easy recipes for these in FuelSmart for Race Day (£3.99)
6. Keep well-hydrated
Keeping well-hydrated throughout the day will make you feel energised and focussed. If you wait until you feel thirsty you’ll be slightly dehydrated already, so keep bottles of water with you, at your desk, in the car, on your bedside table. Take a big bottle of water to work with you and make sure you finish it by the end of the day. Read more about hydration.
Don’t waste money on expensive sports drinks when you can make your own – see hydration. Use your savings on a £3.99 copy of FuelSmart for Race Day instead!
7. Don’t train on empty
Try to plan your training sessions so that you can eat 1-2 hours before setting off, especially if you are planning an intense or longer workout. You’ll train stronger and feel better. Eat something which is low in fat, easy to digest and high in carbohydrate that will gradually release energy to your muscles; click here for pre-workout recipes….
8. Good recovery is the key to success!
Eat and drink to refuel within the 15 minute magic window to speed recovery
Carbohydrate is stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen. Glycogen levels become depleted after a workout and the quicker they are topped up again, the quicker your recovery will be and the better you will feel for your next session. You also need water and electrolytes to replace fluid loss, and protein to repair your muscle cells. Grab something as soon as you finish your workout like a honey sandwich, a bowl of rice pudding, a slice of toast with scrambled egg, peanut butter or hummus, an energy bar or flapjack, a piece of fruit (melon is good) or a refreshing home-made smoothie made with skimmed milk or yoghurt.
Eat and drink to refuel within the 15 minute magic window to speed recovery. Click here for recovery recipes…
9. Eat well on rest days
Rest days are highly important for recovery as this is the time when your muscles are at their most receptive – it can take up to 20 hours for muscle glycogen stores to be fully replenished and it is often when the hunger starts to kick in with a vengeance.
Make the most of rest days, replenish your depleted energy and feed your muscles by eating well.
10. Don’t be too boring and obsessive about what you eat!
Follow the 80:20 rule
Athletes can often become body conscious and this can sometimes lead to eating disorder. Please don’t get too hung up on your exact food intake; a relaxed attitude to eating will help you stay focussed, feel good, exercise better and enjoy your training without starting to feel that it is a chore. Eating well for around 80% of the time means that you can afford to stray for the remaining 20% without feeling guilty.
Enjoy your food! It’s what makes all this training worthwhile!
Chilli Chocolate Recovery Bites
So, now to the latest recipe, which, I must say went down extremely well at the Triathlon Show (I usually take edible examples along to my talks!) Chilli Chocolate Recovery Bites. Find out why they are so good for recovery and how to make them… click here for recipe.…
Optimise your performance with Go Faster Food FuelSmart.
Forget the theory and run on empty. If you do this it is important to make sure you hydrate before you leave and refuel as soon as you return. Runners often make the mistake of returning from dawn runs feeling good, rushing into the shower and straight off to work without taking anything on board to replenish depleted glycogen stores, repair muscle trauma and replace salts lost through sweat. Hunger pangs then set in later in the day and this is when any concept of healthy diet goes out the window and you reach for the nearest food available which might be a pasty from the bakery, processed rubbish from the vending machine or supersize bar of chocolate!
