3. EAPNS: Post Workout Nutrition

The theory behind refueling:

I have been struggling with that subject for a few days now and think I have found the right answers. 

They are:

- Window of opportunity: Eat as quickly as you can after your workout. Ideally 10-15 mins after, but no longer than 60 mins.

- Simple Carbs

- Protein

- No fat

It doesn't seem to be very difficult, does it? The part I was struggling with were the simple carbs (sugars). In one of the earlier blogs I was preaching of the importance of complex carbs and how they are used to restore muscle glycogen and how simple carbs will not do the job. For immediate post work out nutrition that whole theory can be thrown out the window. Simple carbs are the way to go, ideally in liquid form. Liquids can be absorbed even quicker! 

             The reasons why simple carbs are better are twofold. They can be absorbed much quicker then starch and can therefore be transported to the muscles more quickly. In addition simple carbs will increase the low and depleted insulin levels. Insulin is the most anabolic hormone in the human body and is responsible for delivery of nutrients from the bloodstream into muscle cells. The higher insulin levels also speed up the synthesis of protein, which aids the rebuilding of muscle tissue. The amount of carbohydrates you should take in depends on your body weight and the duration of the workout. It is roughly 0.5 g carbs per pound or 1.2 g per kg. The suggested values per weight range at the figures provided seem to be the average. One site suggested to take in 1.6g/kg immediately after the workout and another drink 1 hour afterwards. . 

              Protein is generally 50% of the carbs and can therefore range from 0.6g/kg to 0.8g/kg. Sources for carbs can be sports drinks, juices etc or fruit; bananas work well, they contain 25-30g of sugars. As far as fat goes, immediate recovery nutrition doesn't need to contain fat and it is probably better to focus on sugars and protein and get your healthy fats as part of your regular meals. 

            A few examples of recovery drink of my choice are Walmart's alternative to Slim Fast or Mass XXX from GNC, which contains complex carbs and is better for secondary refueling  1-3 hours after the workout.

Alrighty off to a short run with drils and in the pool for some more drills!!!!

Rediscover Yogurt - Fruit + Yogurt= Perfect Snack

It has been a while since the last blog, as things have gotten busy and the nice weather draws me outside for training, the time to dedicate to the blog pretty much dissipated. I cannot promise much as far as how much I will be writing over the next few months, since the triathlon season is reaching its peak.
Rediscovered Yogurt:
Ever since I moved to the US about 6 years ago and probably even before then,  I pretty much wasn't eating yogurt. Part of it was that I didn't like the flavor of fat free yogurt. I have recently rediscovered yogurt, with a different viewpoint and positive experience of its taste. Instead of normal (mostly fat free) yogurt, a friend pointed out "Greek Strained Yogurt" from Fage. It is very creamy and smooth and has a little bit of a salty flavor to it. It comes in 3 different fat content categories, where I prefer the 2 % option. There are obviously pros and cons to each version, in general I eat yogurt as a snack in between meals or as a dessert and therefore try not to consume too many calories from fat. It is however important, especially for snacks, to add some calories from fat, since a the body needs fat and b the meal/snack will last much longer and you will prevent heisshunger (ravenous appetite).  Snacks should generally have similar nutritional contents as meals, just in smaller doses. If you only eat fruit, you are providing you body with a lot of sugar, which will drive up your insulin levels quickly and are also digested very quickly. If you eat fruit and a yogurt that contains some, fat, you are not only adding fat, but your are adding valuable protein. Voila, here goes your complete meal :).

+

Image Sources:

Left: http://www.fageusa.com/NutritionChecklist.aspx

Right: http://www.mehc.ae/images/temp/fresh_fruit.jpg

2. EAPNS: Carb loading 1: Simple and complex carbohydrates

Endurance athletes talk about carb loading all the time :); everybody has a different approach prior to race day. Carb loading prior to race day can be up to a weeklong routine, or just a few days. I will talk about race prep carb loading in a different blog.

One of the things only few people think about is that carb loading needs to occur all the time, it is one of the most important elements of recovery and continuous training efforts. Carb loading simply means that you are replenishing your sugar depots in your muscles and your liver. Those are the main sources that can store glycogen, there is also some stored in your blood, but those sugars are maintained continuously by calorie intake and insulin production. The energy stored in those depots is recalled, when working out, not only on race day.

What kind of carbs/sugars can be stored in your muscles/liver?

There are essentially 2 types of carbohydrates, simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates are small molecules, such as sugar (glucose), fructose (sugar in fruit and fruit juices). lactose (sugar in milk), galactose (monosaccharides) and two sugars bonded together. Simple sugars are easily digestible and are perfect for quick energy replacement during workouts and races. Excess simple sugars are easily converted into fat.

Complex sugars or starch are simple sugars bonded together in a long chain. They are not as easily digestible, but are the source of glucose stored in our muscles and liver. The fact that complex carbs take longer to be digested leads to the effect that they are not as easily converted into body fat.

It is recommended to keep the intake of simple sugars as low as 10% of you daily carbohydrate intake.

How much energy can be stored in muscles and the liver?

Muscles are the main storage of glycogen, one can store anywhere from 200-500 grams of glycogen, which translates into 800-2000 calories. Some athletes have shown storage of up to 2700 calories stored in muscle. Long term training will result in greater storage depots in muscles as well as the amount of muscle mass of course. However, greater muscle mass will also means that your body burns more calories at any given time.

The liver can store 60-120 grams of glycogen, which equals 250–500 calories. 

Your body generally uses mostly liver glycogen over night, which means that a good breakfast with supplements can easily replenish liver glycogen. I will write about that subject separately as well.

Image source: http://www.all-creatures.org/recipes/images/i-pasta-penne-rigate.jpg

Carbohydrate foods:

Simple Sugars:

 - Table Sugar

 - Cakes, pastry, biscuits

 - Fruit (the calorie content of fruit is generally low and fruits contain fiber, which slows down the digestive, which    reduces the amount of excess calories stored in form of body fat)

 - Juices

 - Soda

 - Jam

 - Chocolate/Candy

Complex Sugars:

(Food in it’s most natural form i.e. whole wheat etc)

 - Bran

 - Cornmeal

 - Oatmeal

 - Whole wheat pasta, regular pasta

 - Brown/white Rice

 - Potatoes

 - Wholemeal breads

 - Wholegrain cereals

 - Legumes: Peas, Beans Lentils

What have we learned?

Reduce the simple sugars in your daily diet. Carbohydrates are fuel for your body, if carbohydrate stores are low exercise will seem like a real effort! Not only on race day!!