Tara Parker-Pope talked to Leslie Bonci, the director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and a certified specialist in sports dietetics, about eating for exercise in a recent post. According to Bonci, the most common mistakes are not eating anything or eating too much too close to a workout. Her advice is to drink 20 ounces of water and eat something the size of a fist (think granola bar or a snack containing carbs in the range of 150-200 calories) about an hour before you exercise. Bonci also addresses the fact that when you are actively exercising, you really do need to refuel more often. I'm sure this is common sense to some regular exercisers out there but I needed a refresher and thought I'd pass it on. Read more here.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Food for Fuel
Tara Parker-Pope talked to Leslie Bonci, the director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and a certified specialist in sports dietetics, about eating for exercise in a recent post. According to Bonci, the most common mistakes are not eating anything or eating too much too close to a workout. Her advice is to drink 20 ounces of water and eat something the size of a fist (think granola bar or a snack containing carbs in the range of 150-200 calories) about an hour before you exercise. Bonci also addresses the fact that when you are actively exercising, you really do need to refuel more often. I'm sure this is common sense to some regular exercisers out there but I needed a refresher and thought I'd pass it on. Read more here.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
I don't know about you, but i tend to cramp up if i eat anything within a few hours of running...but when i lift weights i need to follow the guidelines you have have posted..I have found that Cliff Bars do the job best.
What about if you just wake up and go? Any tips then?
it's still wise to have a glass of water ten to fifteen minutes before heading out on a run first thing in the morning. I have found I have a more satisfying run without eating beforehand, particularly since your body is still in fasting/ gluconeogenesis mode. This way you end up burning more fat and not the simple sugars from whatever it was that you just ate before running. The meal AFTER the run is far more paramount in terms of recovery...
Thanks for the input, everyone! I feel like there is no one answer or suggestion for everyone. My favorite runs are in the mornings, about an hour after a light breakfast and a glass or two of water.
Thanks for the tip Bruce. I guess my problem is that I literally get out of bed, put on my running clothes and walk out the door. I have no time! I do have more productive mid-day workouts (aka when I worked at the Sun), but now my schedule doesn't allow for it. I will try to rearrange my schedule in the a.m. and report back on how it goes. I know eating is definitely out for me, but maybe I can try getting up 10 min earlier (in the 5's!) to drink some water.
Post a Comment