Fuel Your Fitness

As stated by RD Theresa Shank in The Philadelphia Inquirer, “It is important to eat a healthy amount of carbs to properly fuel the activity of your cells.” I LOVE this quote for several reasons, but primarily the following: 1. It does not villainize carbs and 2. It focuses on the functional purpose of carbs- to fuel the activity of our cells! So many people are “scared” of carbs. However, if chosen wisely, carbs can become one of our greatest resources. I often get asked what type of pre-workout I use. I never have an answer, because I don’t take any! Instead, I use carbs to properly fuel my workouts by consuming the appropriate type(s) at the appropriate times both before and after. Here’s the low down on how to use carbs to fuel your fitness!

Snacks Before Exercise

• Benefits:
  • Help maximize glycogen stores, maintain glucose levels
  • Minimize exercise-associated muscle damage
• Types of snacks:
  • As time of snack approaches exercise, ↓size & protein, ↓↓ fat and fiber
  • General snacks- high in carbs, potentially high glycemic index
  • Strength and power snacks- may include small amounts of protein
• Examples:
  • 3 – 4 hours prior:
    • Whole grain pancake, egg, fruit, nuts; low-fat milk, water
    • Whole grain pasta with red sauce, chicken, fruit; water
  • 30 – 60 minutes prior:
    • Banana; sports drink
    • Dried fruit, crackers or pretzels; water

Snacks During Exercise

• Low to moderate-intensity exercise:
  • Unnecessary to consume anything besides water during activity lasting 90 minutes
• Endurance or high-intensity exercise:
  • Consumption of ~30 – 60g of (high-glycemic index) CHO per hour for activity lasting longer than 60 – 90 minutes
• CHO consumption during exercise may benefit:
  • Athletes not well-nourished prior to beginning exercise
  • Athletes who did not consume a pre-exercise meal
  • Athletes with a restricted energy intake for weight loss
• Examples:
  • Sports drinks, gels, blocks
  • Bananas
  • Crackers

Snacks After Exercise (Recovery)

• Consume combination of protein + CHO within 30 minutes to promote recovery
  • Amount depends on duration + intensity of exercise
  • For most athletes, recommend 15 – 30g protein + 2-4x that amount of CHO
• Food vs. Beverage?
  • Aim to include all essential amino acids (EAA), particularly leucine, to increase rate of muscle protein synthesis (MPS)
  • Liquid options (i.e., skim milk, sport recovery beverages) increase rate of MPS due to improved digestion, absorption
  • Recommend sport recovery beverage with added whey protein
• Examples:
  • Sport recovery shake
  • Chocolate milk
  • Greek yogurt with banana
  • High protein cereal with milk and fruit
  • Egg on English muffin, fruit
  • Lean meat or peanut butter sandwich, raisins
  • Smoothie made with tart cherry juice, yogurt banana