Nutrition Hacks and Personal Trainer Pro Tips on how to hydrate and fuel during race training or long workouts.
Need to know how to fuel properly during a race event or workout? Keep reading to learn Personal Training Tips to be successful! Check out our $20 Plan—5K Running guide to get you started on your fitness journey!
NUTRITION is KEY to give you a major advantage during your runs and workouts—if you do it right. Let's remember that nutrition includes foods that provide nutrients (essentials for the body) and water (our body is made up of 60-65%). A good rule of thumb is to GIVE YOURSELF 3 to 5 HOURS of eating a FULL MEAL before going on a LONG RUN OR WORKOUT (lasting over an hour). A small snack before a workout/run is okay but NOT A FULL MEAL. Hydrating with water is important also when your workouts are over an hour or more regularly if doing exercise in high temperatures.
Tip #1 - Hydration
Whether you are training indoors or outdoors, during & post-hydration is essential. THE TRICK IS TIMING. When you sweat, the body loses electrolytes (minerals) which are necessary for bodily functions.
It is recommended to start HYDRATING when you reach ONE FULL HOUR during a run/work out. If you are training over 2 hours, it is even more important to REPLENISH YOUR ELECTROLYTES (sodium, potassium, etc.) This can be sips of Gatorade or any electrolyte-based drink. One of my favs is CORE & ESSENTIA, I feel super hydrated after I drink a 30oz of one 50oz one of these. I personally drink one of these AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK (I work out 4x-5x/week). Both of these brands are PH balanced, purified, Fluoride and Chlorine-FREE. CORE recently came out with CORE+ which has everything in the regular one but adds vitamins (vitamin C, zinc, etc.) and natural plant extracts for flavor.
Tip #2 - Fuel (Before, During and After)
Before your run—especially a very long run, such as six miles, eating foods high in carbs is beneficial 3-4 hours beforehand. Now you’ve probably heard of the practice called CARB LOADING. It is essentially eating meals very high in carbohydrates a few days and hours before a long run/race/competition. This is helpful for runs/competitions lasting 2 hours or more. Serious athletes track their carb intake which depends on one’s WEIGHT, AGE, RUNNING TIME, and other factors. Carb loading has been shown to increase PERFORMANCE, and PREVENT FATIGUE (see sources below).
During your run—For runs OVER AN HOUR to an hour and a half it’s beneficial to eat a food high in carbs or high glycemic carb snacks. Again there is a certain number of grams that should be taken for maximum efficiency which we help our clients with. If you are interested in learning more and want to know what would be best for you, schedule a 30-minute consultation with us!
After your run—this will depend on what season of training you are in, or what your fitness goal is. If you are an ATHLETE, it will be important to CONSUME MORE CALORIES than you lost to maintain your muscle mass and prevent fatigue. To help with recovery, muscle growth and muscle repair, protein supplementation and meals with variety in nutrients (protein, carbohydrates and lipids vitamins, minerals) is suggested. If you are in a season of toning or WEIGHT LOSS, you will need to calculate your total daily calories and include this calorie deficit. This should be discussed with your personal trainer, dietician, or primary care physician, etc. We use nutrition tools from the NIH (National Institutes of Health) and other resources to guide clients towards achieving their goals.
"The most important nutrients to focus on while training for a marathon or running event are WATER & CARBOHYDRATES" – Ashli, Personal Trainer and Founder of Healing FoodFully
Tip #3 - Here's a Plan for you
Excited to start or jumpstart your running journey? We offer a 5K TRAINING PLAN provides a 3 MONTH RUNNING SCHEDULE to run 3 miles (5 kilometers) in 3 months. This 5K Training Plan is perfect for beginners who aspire to RUN or jog 3.1 miles or individuals who are new to the running world and want to learn how to start their running journey EFFICIENTLY.
Click here to read our How to Train for a Marathon Pt.1 & How to Grow Muscle Mass Being Vegan blog to learn more on how to train for a marathon and more on healthy forms for protein being vegan!
Tip #4 - Finish Strong
Fall is here! How have you been doing on your workout goals you set for the year? You probably had a nice STRONG START, CONTINUED FOR A BIT, but now maybe you have some UPCOMING changes/PRIORITIES…..Well, even if you can’t workout with your favorite trainer as much, we have come up with TWO PERFECT ways for you to stay engaged— A 5K Running Guide and a complementary Workout Plan only $20! These are perfect ways to MAINTAIN your current results for strength and endurance (this guide includes at-home and gym workouts).
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Sources:
Muth, N. D., & Tanaka, M. S. (2013). ACE Fitness Nutrition Manual. American Council on Exercise.
Publications International Ltd. (2019). Protein: What You Ned to Know about Protein Powders, Collagen, Peptides, Amino Acids, Bcaa and More! (Publications International Ltd, Ed.). Publications International, Limited.