What should I consume before sport?

To perform well your body needs to have adequate carbohydrate fuel stores in the muscle and liver.  Carbohydrate is stored in the muscles as glycogen to provide an important fuel source for sport.  Carbohydrate is also stored as glycogen in smaller amounts in the liver.  This glycogen reserve helps maintain blood glucose levels, and becomes very important during prolonged workouts or endurance sports.  The normal overnight fast (during sleep) will lower glycogen stores, which in turn can reduce your endurance performance.

If you are training or competing each day, particularly if you do more than one session, it is crucial that you constantly replenish your muscle glycogen levels.  The carbohydrate foods eaten in the last hours before a sport can help you to top up this important fuel.  If you are training or compete a couple of times per week your carbohydrate requirements will be different to someone who trains daily.  Carbohydrate requirements should be individualised to meet energy and activity levels.

Eating a carbohydrate rich meal or snack before sport gives you a much better chance of maintaining normal blood glucose levels and enhancing both physical and mental performance.  Don’t forget the enjoyment of a favourite pre-sport meal can be a great confidence booster!

What should I eat before a sport?

As a guide the choice of meal, snack and fluids should be:

• Easy to digest
• Rich in carbohydrate
• Low in fat
• Foods and fluids that are familiar and enjoyable
• Including plenty of fluids

The menu chosen should comfortably meet your training or competition needs, and be based on foods and fluids you know will be tolerated.  Experimenting with your competition plan during training is highly recommended.  Trying new foods or fluids on the day of an important competition or event is unwise!

Stomach upset?

Athletes who easily get stomach upsets, runner’s diarrhoea or who have sensitive bowels may find it difficult to eat solid food before exercise.  Reduced blood flow to the gut, dehydration and being nervous may all cause stomach upset.  These athletes should try choosing low fibre carbohydrate foods, drinks or liquid meals and consider the timing of food intake.  A reduced fibre intake can help prevent bloating, diarrhoea and stomach discomfort.

Liquid meals such as commercially available high carbohydrate drink supplements and home made fruit smoothies allow an athlete to fuel up without the full feeling.  Eating solid meals earlier and switching to a liquid meal supplement or sports drink closer to exercise may help to avoid problems. 

When should I eat and drink before exercises?

It is recommended that the pre-event meal is consumed 2-4hours before competition.  The decision will vary depending to the type and timing of the event and needs to allow enough time for the meal to be emptied by the stomach.  It is important that the timing is right for stomach comfort – neither leaving you too full at the start nor too hungry late in the session.

Some athletes can tolerate food closer to training or competition especially if there is only limited recovery time.  In this case, carbohydrate containing fluids such as sports drink or liquid meals supplements can also be used effectively to meet pre-competition eating goals.

For events in the morning, an athlete may schedule their breakfast 2-3hours prior.  In the case of a very early start, a larger supper the night before and a lighter snack or fluids only 1-2 hours before the event might be more appropriate.  Those competing later in the day may even choose to eat their normal meals in the earlier part of the day and then have a light snack 1-2 hours prior to the event.

Smart pre-event / exercise eating ideas.

• Breakfast cereal, reduced fat milk and fruit
• Porridge, reduced fat milk and fruit juice
• Toasted muffins or crumpets and honey / jam / syrup
• Toast with honey / jam / marmalade / vegemite
• Baked beans on toast
• Low fat creamed rice and tinned fruit
• Pasta toped with low fat tomato based sauce
• Jacket potato and creamed corned
• Low fat cereal bar / muesli bar / sports bar and banana
• Roll or sandwich with banana and honey
• Fresh fruit salad and low fat yoghurt or low fat dairy dessert
• Smoothie with reduced fat milk, low fat yoghurt and any fruit
• Soy smoothies with soy drink and blended fruit

By Jodie Barker

Fuel during Sport

During most sport your body will steadily burn a fuel mixture of carbohydrate (as glycogen) and fat.  If your sport is no longer than an hour, you will perform well without having to replace those fuels until you have finished.  Your next meals, if well chosen, will replace all the fuel you have used.  On the other hand, you will be sweating and losing fluid very soon after you begin any exercise.  This fluid must be replaced as soon as possible during exercise, because even minor dehydration can impair your performance. 

If your sport or training takes longer than an hour then you may benefit from consuming some carbohydrates during sport in addition to fluids eg sports drinks.  The decision will depend on the:

• Intensity of the exercise (higher intensity burns more glycogen more quickly)
• Duration (the longer the event, the more glycogen burned)
• Ambient temperature (the hotter it is, the quicker glycogen will be burned)
• How well you have eaten before sport (more pre-event carbohydrate means more available glycogen).

Carbohydrate consumed during an event may improve endurance by:

a)  Sparing muscle glycogen.  In low intensity exercise the carbohydrates taken during the event can be re-made into glycogen for later use.

b)  Keeping blood glucose (sugar) levels normal during moderate to high intensity exercise and providing extra fuel for empty muscles, so delaying fatigue.

Fluids

Fluids, there is no doubt you need them.  Water is good for replacing fluid losses.  However, sports drinks have a number of advantages, including a taste that encourages better fluid intake, and the addition of carbohydrates for glycogen fuel replacement.  Glycogen replacement is beneficial if the event is an hour or more.  Drink before, during and after exercise.  Don’t wait until you are thirsty.  If you feel thirsty then you are already too dehydrated to perform at your best. 

Events less than 90minutes

A sports drink provides some carbohydrates as sugars can help delay fatigue in a short event or team game.  It should not be necessary to eat any solid food in events less than 90minutes duration, as eating well beforehand will have a big impact on sports performance, and a sports drink provides plenty of opportunity to refuel during the event.  If you fatigue during the event, then probably you haven’t:

• Eaten enough carbohydrates beforehand.
• Taken enough sports drink.
• Trained enough you have overtrained.

Events Longer than 90minutes / Multi events.

Most fit people can exercise for 90minutes or more if they are well fuelled with carbohydrates before they start.  Unfortunately, there isn’t a never ending supply of glycogen fuel, so in endurance events it is recommended that extra carbohydrate is consumed, usually in the form of a sports drink or easy to eat food bar or sugar confectionery.

The sugars found in a sports drink will help to delay fatigue and allow you to compete at your optimal pace for a longer time.  If you eat solid food to supply additional carbohydrate, then it will need to be a choice that you feel comfortable with. 

Examples include:

• 50g jelly beans/jelly snakes etc
• 1 python snake
• 1 banana
• 1 fruit muesli bar
• 1 sports bar eg. Powerbar
• 3 fruit strips
• 50g carbohydrate gel

Studies of athletes show that around 30-60g of carbohydrates per hour should be consumed in an endurance event to delay fatigue. You should experiment to find a fuel replacement schedule that suits your individual needs.

Summary points

• During sporting activities, it is important to replace lost fluid as soon as possible
• In longer activities, both fluids and carbohydrates will need to be replaced to enhance endurance ability
• Consume 30-60g carbohydrate per hour during endurance events

By Jodie Barker

Fuel after Exercise

When you have completed a training session or event you will have used:

• Muscle glycogen
• Body fat (usually a small amount)
• Some protein (mainly in endurance events or weight training)
• Lost some fluids

Most importantly, fluids and carbohydrates need to be replaced soon after exercise.  Muscle glycogen is likely to be depleted and these are restored by consuming food or drinks containing carbohydrate.  Fluid must be replaced as quickly as possible because being even slightly dehydrated will affect your performance, your recovery and your daily activities, such as thinking and driving a car.  Fortunately, even if you are quite lean, you will likely have plenty of body fat stores for endurance work, and these can be replaced in your next meal. 

When should I eat and drink after exercise?

To take advantage of the body’s desire to replace glycogen stores after exercise, it is recommended that a post-event snack to be eaten within two hours after exercise, although the first 30minutes may be the most crucial time.  The body replaces glycogen at the quickest rate when carbohydrate foods and drinks are eaten soon after exercise.  This becomes very important when an athlete trains or competes two or more times a day and they need to replace glycogen quickly.

What should I eat after Sport?

As a guide, your choice of meal or snack should be:

• High in carbohydrate
• Moderate protein
• Include plenty of fluids; and
• Food and drinks you enjoy.

Don’t fall for the trap of eating anything you fancy because “you deserve it”.  For most events, the emphasis is on replacing carbohydrates and fluids.  Athletes who find it difficult to eat solid food after exercise should try liquid sources of nutrition.  Try to eat 1-2grams of carbohydrate per kg of body weight in the two hours after exercise.  This will equate to around 50-160grams of carbohydrates for most people.  Speedy intake of nutrients may assist in a variety of recovery activities, such as, rebuilding protein or assisting the immune function.

Nutritious carbohydrate foods and meal ideas are provided below.

Post exercise snack ideas

• Sports drink
• Banana sandwich
• Fresh fruit, canned fruit
• Fruit juice
• Sweet muffins
• Fruit bar
• Breakfast bar or muesli bar
• Sports bar
• Low fat flavoured yoghurt
• Fresh fruit salad with low fat yogurt or low fat dairy dessert
• Smoothie, based on reduced fat milk, low fat yogurt or soy and banana, mango or berries.

Example high carbohydrate meals and snacks

• Baked potato (1 med) + baked beans & mushrooms = 30g carb.
• 200mL low fat yogurt + 1 Tbsn dried fruit = 35g carb.
• Fruit smoothie (200mL low fat milk + banana) = 37g carb.
• Breakfast cereal (1 cup) + 150mL low fat milk + tinned peach (1 whole) = 40g carb.
• Raisin bread (2 slices) + ricotta cheese + jam = 45g carb.
• Ham and salad roll + fresh fruit = 50g carb.
• Spaghetti or baked beans (1 cup) + 2 slices toast = 55g carb.
• Breakfast cereal (2 cups) + 200mL lo fat milk + tinned fruit = 70g carb. 
• Toast (2 slices) with honey, jam or marmalade + fruit juice (1 glass) = 70g carb.
• Steamed rice (1.5 cup) + stir fried vegetables = 85g carb.

Note:

For the quickest replacement of glycogen stores, eat 1-2g of carbohydrate per kg body weight soon after finishing exercise.

By Jodie Barker

Running in Cold Weather

Most dedicated runners do not allow the cold weather to prevent them from going on their regularly scheduled runs. Whether the runner lives in a climate which has seasonably cold weather or simply experiences a bout of unseasonably cold weather, it is necessary for the runner to be prepared for these conditions and to understand how to run in this type of weather. This article will provide some useful information for equipment and techniques which can make running in cold weather both more enjoyable and also safer.

Dressing in layers is one way in which runners can make running in cold weather more manageable. Ideally all of the layers should consist of materials which will help to wick moisture away from the skin and the layers should be placed on the body in a manner in which outer layers can be shed easily if the runner becomes too warm during the course of the run. Simply dressing in one layer of a very warm material is not recommended because most runners start out feeling as though they need much more clothing than they feel as though they need once the body heats up. In dressing in layers, the runner should have a method for carrying the additional layers once they are shed. This may include tying clothing around the waist or placing small articles of clothing such as gloves and hats into a pocket.

Hats are a very important piece of equipment for running in cold weather. This is because a large percentage of the body heat lost can be lost through the head. Taking precautions to keep the head covered will help to prevent this loss of heat which can result in the runner becoming chilled. Again, layering can also be used in cold weather. Ideally, the layer closest to the head will be a thin layer which wicks moisture away from the scalp while the outer layer will typically consist of a heavier material. Again, the runner may wish to remove the outer layer once he warms up. This will help to prevent him from overheating.

Runners who plan to run in cold weather should understand the importance of hydration when they are running in the cold. Most runners realize they should make an effort to maintain hydration levels during warm weather runs because they are sweating noticeably but it is just as important in cold weather. Runners may not be aware they are sweating because the sweat is being drawn away from the skin and evaporating quickly but many runners sweat substantially while running in cold weather. Additionally, water is also lost through respiration. Take care to properly hydrate will prevent runners from becoming dehydrated while running in the cold.

One final tip for running in cold weather involves planning the run so you are running into the wind at the beginning of the run and the wind is at your back at the end of the run. This is beneficial because the runner will likely be sweating more on the second half of the run. Keeping the wind at your back will help to prevent the runner from becoming chilled if sweat begins to freeze on the body or the clothing while running into the wind.
 

http://www.therunnersguide.com/cold/

Nutrition tips - Alcohol and Athletic performance

There are a lot of dubious claims made about alcohol and athletes. It is commonly believed that beer is a good source of carbohydrate and will therefore help boost glycogen levels before and after training sessions. This is not the case. Although a 12oz can of beer does contain about 150 calories, only 50 of them are derived from carbohydrate, the rest coming from alcohol. Muscles can't take the calories from alcohol and convert them into glycogen, so the amount of energy you derive from a glass of beer is negligible.

Another misconception about beer is that it will provide you with a high intake of vitamins - particularly the B vitamin group. In fact, it would take eleven cans of beer to obtain the recommended intake of vitamin B12 (riboflavin), and significantly larger amounts to get an adequate intake of other vitamins. 

The main ingredient of alcoholic drinks is ethanol, which is produced by fermenting sugar or starch with yeast. It is during the fermentation process that alcohol gets its characteristic flavours and aromas. The substances responsible for giving each drink its individual taste are called congeners. They are also to blame for the adverse effects which excessive intake has on people. For example, it is the congeners in red wine which can cause a throbbing headache, rather than the alcohol content of the drink.

However, psychologically and physiologically, it is the alcohol which causes problems and athletes are as prone to these as anyone else. The average person will probably experience mild physiological changes after only a couple of drinks. These include a faster heart rate and a flushed face, which are familiar signs. Although at this stage the intellectual processes aren't exactly impaired, decision-making takes longer after even a few drinks. The adverse psychomotor effects of even low levels of alcohol have implications for athletes in games requiring great skill such as racquet sports. If the ability to react quickly is impaired, then the consequences will quickly become evident. A number of physiological effects could also be detrimental to performance. For example, alcohol may depress heart function, interfere with liver function and lead to dehydration by suppressing the release of anti-diuretic hormones.

When someone drinks alcohol, it diffuses into the body tissue and then is broken down by the liver. On average it will take the liver about an hour to break down one unit of alcohol. And what is classified as one unit of alcohol? This is typically the amount found in 12 ounces of beer, 4 ounces of wine or 1.25 ounces of spirits. Therefore, large amounts of alcohol can take up to twelve or fourteen hours to be metabolized depending on the height, weight and gender of the person.

For athletes, the message in the bottle is that alcohol is not harmful in itself provided it is taken in moderation and avoided in the hours before training or competition.

Alcohol Facts

• 
It is a diuretic i.e. it causes your body to lose fluid and dehydration results if the fluid is not replaced. 
• 
It cannot be used by muscles as energy for exercise. 

• It is metabolized at a fixed rate. A large intake of alcohol will remain in the blood until the liver can break it down. Exercise will not speed up the rate at which your liver metabolizes the alcohol in your body.
• 
Even taken in small doses, alcohol can affect coordination and reaction times.