How To Eat Properly While Running

For some , running is an activity to maintain general tone. For others, it is a way to lose weight, while still others run professionally, and every workout is aimed at maintaining shape. Is there a difference in the types of sports nutrition for runners given their training expectations?

Running of any type, which sets various goals, is based on the general biochemical processes of the human body. And therefore there are no significant differences in the diet .

The main goal of sports nutrition during running is to maintain the required level of energy reserves in the muscles, prevent the toxic effect of ketone bodies and lactic acid that appear in the process of muscle activity and, ultimately, support macro- and microregulation at the physiological level.

Food options before running can be conditionally divided into several recommendations depending on which group of runners they are addressed to.

If you have been training for more than six months and strive to achieve certain sports results (that is, you run not to lose weight, but to exercise), it is recommended to start training immediately after waking up.

Ideally, it should be a protein breakfast consisting of either regular food or sports nutrition products . The optimal amount of protein for breakfast is 0.5-0.7 g per kg of body weight.

Beta-alanine and arginine intake works well for future training. In a complex, they improve blood circulation in muscles and normalize energy exchange, raise the threshold of fatigue.

If you do not run professionally, give preference to a protein breakfast, as well as taking vitamin and mineral complexes, ideally with an antioxidant effect.

An hour and a half before the start of training, all groups of runners are recommended to consume food rich in carbohydrates. But with important nuances - simple carbohydrates will not have the desired effect, but they can harm. After all, one of the options is a self-prepared mixture of juice, water and sweeteners (if there was a full meal shortly before that) or consumption of foods rich in carbohydrates .

Chocolate and chocolate bars (including from the series of sports nutrition ), sweet dried fruits, honey, macaroni and pasta, rice in the form of sweet pilaf, buttery pastries on molasses, yogurt with rice balls — all this will give you the necessary energy.

If the goal of running is to lose weight, then the last meal should be no later than 1.5 hours before training.

Dishes prepared using: cereals and legumes, potatoes, eggplants, cabbage, mushrooms, radishes, spinach should be excluded from food products . The consumption of fatty (including grilled) meat and fried foods is not allowed.

In order to avoid an increased load on the kidneys, blood vessels and heart muscle, it is necessary to limit fluid intake before training. A gainer or sweet tea, low-carb energy drinks, but not carbonated water, caffeinated drinks, or sugary sodas are ideal. The maximum volume of liquid drunk within 30 minutes before training should not exceed 200 ml.

Sports nutrition offered by most companies is, to some extent, very convenient for runners . First of all, this is a significant saving of time spent on the selection and purchase of the necessary products, their preparation, and checking the combination. The second convenience is the ability to choose such a product or several that will provide the necessary set of nutrients at a specific stage of preparation for training or directly during a run.

Before talking about nutrition after running , it is worth considering how to properly maintain a water-drinking regime during training. The list of prohibited products includes carbonated water, including those with flavorings and dyes, as well as drinks containing caffeine and cola.

Gainers, drinks with electrolytes (including self-prepared with pharmacy rehydrating powders), sports energy drinks with added vitamins should be treated with some caution.

It is recommended to consume them in doses - no more than 2-3 sips for every 2-3 km run.

After training , the diet is aimed at replenishing carbohydrate reserves. This is due to the appearance immediately after intense physical exertion of the so-called "carbohydrate window" — a short period of time (no more than 80 minutes), during which the body replenishes the reserves of glycogen spent during running .

In order not to have a failure in metabolic (especially catabolic) processes, as well as not to disrupt the work of liver cells, it is necessary to "close" or, as athletes say, "load" this window with the help of carbohydrates. In the opposite case, the lack of glycogen will be replenished at the expense of proteins, which will sharply lower the threshold of endurance and, in fact, nullify the effect of training.

Immediately after training, the possibilities of enzymatic and mobile activity of the digestive system are sharply reduced, so it is impossible to start eating immediately after finishing a run. How to act so as not to disrupt the digestive system and at the same time load the carbohydrate window, thereby avoiding disruption of catabolism processes?

After training, 250-300 ml of juice is drunk to support carbohydrate metabolism and at the same time to quench thirst. Tomato, apple, citrus juices with sugar, grape juice are good (only if well tolerated). Alternatively, a milk-chocolate drink or sweet tea with a small buttery bun with butter, jam or chocolate-nut spread.

20-40 minutes after training (the time is determined individually, but earlier or later consumption is not recommended), you can start a full meal.

The optimal amount of carbohydrates that must be consumed immediately after training is calculated based on 0.7-2.5 g per kg of the athlete's body weight + 20-30 g of protein. It can be millet, oat, semolina, rice porridge with milk, with the addition of dried fruits and honey or jam.

100 g of such porridge contains about 70 g of carbohydrates and more than 10 g of protein. Potatoes or pasta with meat, bakery products with butter, honey, jam or jam will also saturate the body with all the necessary components.

The drinking regimen is similar to the one described above, but instead of juice, immediately after training, take half the amount of gainer and 5 g of BCAA - a complex with amino acids (leucine, isoleucine and valine). This combination will quench your thirst, replenish carbohydrate and energy reserves, start the processes of protein synthesis, alanine and glutamine formation, and also cause mild stimulation of insulin formation.

After 20 minutes, either vitamin C is taken in its pure form - 500 mg or a ready-made antioxidant complex, which will protect muscle cells from the traumatic effect of oxidation products formed in the process of muscle activity.

One hour after taking supporting sports supplements, it is time to saturate the body with proteins and carbohydrates. The time has come to consume protein-carbohydrate complexes in the form of dry mixes or ready-made cocktails, bars.

Competent nutrition during running consists not only in optimizing proteins, fats and carbohydrates and observing the diet. In order for training to be as useful as possible for the body, and for food to replenish all expenses and maintain a high level of fitness, it is necessary to plan nutrition during jogging taking into account the body's physiology after intense physical exertion.