Unbalanced Diet Can Stall Race Training
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It's not just the major athletes that need to pay special attention to their diets when amping-up exercise routines or getting ready for that next big race. As she continues her own training for the New York City Marathon, NY1 Health & Fitness Reporter Kafi Drexel picked up some tips we all might be able to use and filed the following report. With the New York City Marathon now just a couple weeks away, most of us in training have definitely been putting in the miles. But to make sure there's enough energy through race day, I checked in with registered dietician Lauren Antonucci of Nutrition Energy.
Antonucci made her first appearance on NY1 in 2009 as the Women's Preliminary Race Winner in the Empire State Building Run-Up, so she knows a thing or two about fueling for competition whether you are a pro or just getting started.
“Most people sign up for an event, get really excited, panic for a few seconds and think they need a training plan, which is absolutely true,” says Antonucci. “And then somewhere along their training is when something happens, the energy is not great or the recovery is not great, you need a nutrition plan first, and then the nutrition is what carries you through the training.”
To make sure you're on the right track, Antonucci usually starts out by testing your metabolic rate, or how many calories per day your body burns. In my case, Antonucci found I'd been burning just the amount I need.
“If you are burning and replacing the same amount each day, your weight will stay stable,” she says. “And that generally applies, although there are some cases where people who are under-fueling and their weight is not necessarily dropping when they are training, but they may feel like they get sick and injured and tired.”
That’s a good reason, Antonucci says, for anyone in training to get tested to see if there's a nutrition deficit that needs fixing. Two major areas she found I was lacking? Not fueling up on enough nutrients other than water while working out, and not having enough protein in the diet.
Antonucci suggests sports gels, higher-carb sport drinks with a balance of electrolytes and potassium, along with protein-rich foods.
“You are what you eat, so what you put into your body is your fuel,” says Antonucci. “So if you don't have enough carbohydrates, you won't have great energy. If your protein intake isn't adequate, your recovery won't be very good. Your muscles will hurt or you'll feel fatigued or you'll get sick all the time.”
And no one wants that. Getting plenty of electrolytes and potassium also keeps muscles from cramping, and antioxidants from fruits and vegetables help muscles recover. So fuel up and enjoy the workout.