We are what we eat. Which are our common foods?
Achieving and maintaining a good running shape requires a balanced approach to training, nutrition, and recovery. Consistent running workouts, combined with strength training and flexibility exercises, help build endurance, speed, and resilience.
Prioritizing adequate rest and sleep allows your body to recover and adapt, reducing the risk of injury and optimizing performance. With dedication and smart training strategies, you can attain and sustain excellent running shape.
Let’s concentrate on Nutrition.
Nutrition
Nutrition also remains a major factor in maintaining the good shape and fitness we will need after the controversial calendar resumes.
Fueling your body with nutritious foods and staying hydrated are crucial for sustaining good energy levels. and promoting muscle recovery.
Understand the common food effect on your body
Many of you are probably familiar with the children’s movie about Popeye the Sailor, in which Popeye gains superpowers when he opens a can of spinach and quickly eats it. After that, he is capable of all kinds of things. Unfortunately there are hardly any foods that really have such a miraculous effect. But it is still necessary to know what we expect to get from the food we take every day and whether we can adjust it according to our needs.
Hereunder, we have presented several foods that we take without thinking. But, do we take them when we should. Match nutrition with your workouts and you will optimize your performance.
1. Coffee
Most people start their day with a cup of coffee. It is important to match your coffee intake with your training. British scientists conducted a study among middle-distance runners. Those athletes who drank 2 cups of coffee (containing about 3 mg of caffeine) before the start achieved higher results in the 1500 m than those who did not drink at all.
It has been proven that it is better to split coffee into two portions rather than drink it all at once. These are two large 250 ml glasses. Drink the first cup of coffee 2 hours before the start, and the second 1 ½ before the start. Add a glass of water to protect yourself from dehydration. Avoid simultaneous intake with creatine, because caffeine reduces its effect.
2. Orange
An extremely useful fruit, rich in Vitamin C. One medium-sized orange contains 75 mg. vitamin C. Orange juice is a good means of replenishing fluid losses after exercise. It is better to eat oranges in their natural form, because when squeezed, up to 30% of vitamin C is lost. The juice is preferable before exercise, so there is no danger of cellulose causing stomach problems.
2. Peanut butter
Rich in Vitamin E, peanut butter is preferable before a long run or a more intense workout. Peanut butter provides the body with a slow source of energy. Toast with 2 teaspoons of peanut butter is a good breakfast. It can be consumed alone or in combination with honey or jam. Another similar product is sesame tahini, which also has a very good effect on the stomach.
4. The cottage cheese
After a shorter interval training, you need not only carbohydrates, but also proteins for recovery and muscle building. Cottage cheese is the best solution. Low in fat, it is a great source of protein and calcium. You can prepare it according to your taste – salty or sweet.
How to consume it
You can mix it with raspberries, strawberries, blackberries or blueberries, sweeten it with honey and dilute it a little with water. Don’t neglect yogurt as well.
5. Spaghetti
The most amazing common food for a runner. Very appropriate dinner before marathon or long run. Prepared with tomato sauce with ham, fillet or lean meat and sprinkled, this meal provides the body with the necessary carbohydrate fuel. Be careful with the fat – one teaspoon of olive oil is enough, bearing in mind that meat, no matter how lean, necessarily contains fat.
Seasonal salad is a must. Season it with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, lemon juice, spices and salt to taste. To make the perfect salad for a marathon or a long run add diced ham, boiled chicken, cheese or steamed soybean sprouts. Thus you will easy overcome the feeling of hunger and not stuff yourself before the start.
6. Tuna fish
Fish is a necessary dish for the runner. We specify tuna because its meat resembles beef, and some people do not like the fishy smell of the sea. But you can easily choose any other fish. Grilled or baked in the oven, it is a protein and phosphorus rich dish. We have said many times that carbohydrates are the main common food of the runner.
Here it is important to say that runners need between 70% and 50% more protein, necessary for the building and recovery of muscles. A 100 g portion of fish provides 20 g of protein.
7. Honey
Also called the eternal food. Necessary before and after competition to recharge and restore muscle glycogen. The ancient Romans used balls of ground sesame and honey as main food for the legions before battle and during long journeys. And honey with walnuts is powerful combination as well.
American scientists did an experiment with a group of cyclists who consumed honey before a 60 km run, as well as one teaspoon dissolved in 200 ml of water every 15 km. Cyclists performed better and the level of glycogen in the muscles remained constant.
This view contradicts another, according to which honey should be eaten the night before the race and one spoon no later than 2 hours before the start. The reason is that honey is a very strong and microelement-rich common food, which is difficult for the body to digest and takes away the strength needed for the competition. Glucose and electrolyte drinks are recommended every 20-30 minutes of exercise.
8. Pasta with clams, shrimp or other seafood
A good idea for the first main meal after a race. You have already eaten fruits, honey, carbohydrate blocks letting the body to recover part of the spent vitamins, mineral salts, carbohydrates and fluids. Two to three hours after a long run, it’s time for the main meal. Mussels, like most seafood, are rich in zinc and iron which levels are definitely decreased after the run. Iron strengthens the exhausted organism, and zinc restores muscle fibers.
9. Meat
The main meal in the week after the race is roast lean meat. Muscles need protein to recover. Therefore, increase the dose of meat, soy and dairy products in your diet. Be sure to combine meat with many and varied vegetables: cabbage, carrots, beets, turnips, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, tomatoes, as well as leafy ones.
Common foods, dоn’t exclude it
Of course, everyone can make their own recipes with these common foods and replace them with their own. It is important to follow the basic rule: eat as much as you spend. And remember, a rational diet is a vital condition for good training and successful competitions.
As for Sailor Popeye, he’s right. Spinach, as well as nettle, are rich in iron and give strength and endurance. Also it makes the immune system stronger.
Follow our tips and you will enhance your performance and change your Life style.
