Sports Nutrition

As I start my journey to train for marathon #3, I am vowing to become more informed about sports nutrition. While pursuing my Human Performance degree I find myself more passionate than ever about the affects of what we put in our body and the energy that it produces. I found a pamplet in my Runners World magazine by PowerBar this month. This pamplet is full of information for runners wanting to optimize their performance through proper hydration and fuel. To start, it is crucial to hydrate your body by consuming at least 14-20 fl oz of water or sports drink 2-3hrs prior to your activity or run. Then you will want to continue hydrating by having 8 fl oz immediately before your exercise. Maintaining hydration throughout your activity is highly important as well. When it comes to fueling your body it can become more complex. Our muscles will become fatigued rapidly if we cannot properly maintain the glycogen stores. In order to do this, we must replenish the carbohydrate fuel stores on a daily basis. I have learned to fuel my body properly in order to get the best performance when running, especially when increasing the distance to longer runs. It is crucial to choose high carbohydrate foods and avoid slow-to-digest fatty and high fiber foods. Each person is unique and will need to figure out what works best for their body during training but these guidelines are a good starting point to optimum sports nutrition.