Go Faster Food with Kate Percy - What to Eat and When

We were lucky to have Go Faster Food's Kate Percy at a Bike Science Bristol open evening. This is the first part of a 3 part series of blogs covering nutrition and hydration tips.

 

What to eat and when

 

It may be hard to plan when you are going to eat and when you are going to exercise when you have a busy work and family schedule.

Sometime you are not hungry enough before your exercise or you are too ravenous to even consider doing any.

It is very difficult to get it right and you can get this completely wrong especially before a competition with a nervous stomach.

Luckily, what you eat on a daily basis training has the greatest impact on your performance. Of course, what you eat on the day and the week leading up to a competition is also crucial, but good nutrition during training is very helpful for your performance when the day comes.

 

Be organised!

 

PLAN AHEAD YOUR TRAINING and plan meals around your sessions

KEEP YOUR CUPBOARDS WELL STOCKED

COOK LARGER QUANTITIES OF MEALS TO FREEZE: Take it from your freezer and reheat it.

 

 

Exercising at sunrise.

 

If you want to train in the morning it is important to fuel up before exercise.

You will not have eaten anything for about 10 hours, your blood sugar and insulin level will be low and so your brain and body will not function at its optimum level.

If it’s possible, try to get up an hour before your training so that you have chance to digest your meal.

 

Try a high-carbohydrate power breakfast:

Porridge with honey and sunflower seeds, fruit and nut muesli with blueberries

Or

Birchermuesli that you will have prepared the night before and that will be waiting in the fridge.

 

But if you really don’t have time or cant get out of bed try:

Half a banana and a glucose tablet

Or

A chia seed energy ball

 

After training you have a 15 - 30 minute window where it is important to refuel with a meal that is mainly carbohydrate with some protein. For example:

 

Banana Protein Recovery Shake

 

 

 Lunchtime workouts.

 

Unlike morning workouts, lunchtime workouts mean you have a plenty of time to fuel-up.

At this time unless you have had a late breakfast, your blood sugar will have dipped and you will be very hungry. This feeling leads to the temptation to skip the workout session.

 

Have a pre-lunch snack about one hour before for example:

An energy-giving hummus and rocket sandwich, a flapjack

Or

Big slice of Go Faster Chocolate & Almond Boost Bars

 

 

After your exercise find something quick and easy to eat such as:

Bowl of soup with bread

Couscous salad.

 

Evening stress-busting.

If you want to exercise at the evening you have to make sure that you have had a good breakfast and a decent lunch and have a mid-afternoon snack and drink a plenty of water throughout the day.

 

After your workout, have a proper evening meal or you will find it difficult to get to sleep if you are hungry - and your body will not recover properly.

 

 

Recovery and eating well on rest days.

 

What is very important to remember is that eating well on a rest day is as important as a training day.

It can take up to 20 hours for muscle glycogen stores to be fully replenished after workout.

Training intensely on a regular basis means that you need to recover from a previous session. If you fail to refuel properly over a period of time the glycogen reserves will become progressively depleted. You will feel lethargic and your muscles will feel heavy and tired.

 

 

Fuel well and check out the Go Faster Food website for recipe ideas: www.gofasterfood.com

 

 

 

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