E2 Eating and Exercise for Optimal Fitness

1.    Hydrate

• Before, during, after exercise. 16 ounces, 2 hours prior; 8 ounces, 15 minutes prior; 7-10 ounces, every 15-20 minutes. Replenish based on sweat rate.
• All day long – elite athletes will drink an average of 2 cups of fluid between and with meals, primarily water.
• Water, 100% fruit juice, low fat diary products, sports drinks and recovery drinks.
• Minimum 8 cups, although your specific needs are driven by age, weight, % body fat, training adaptation, weather and more.

2.    Carbohydrate (CHO) Rich

• 55-65% of calories
• Fresh fruits & vegetables (50% of your plate), low fat dairy, grains (50% whole grain)
• 25-38 grams of fiber per day
• CHO are stored 2/3 in muscle, 1/3 in liver as glycogen that fuel exercise.
• In the absence of CHO you will breakdown muscle (& fat) to fuel your runs.

3.    Eat a Big Breakfast

• Never start your engine cold
• Replenish with 3:1 CHO : PRO ratio after morning workout

4.    3 Meals, 2-3 Snacks

• Meals – minimum of 3 food groups
• Snacks – minimum of 2 food groups
• Always fluid, smaller portion
• 3 low fat diary, 2.5 cups of vegetables, 5 fruits, 5 grains, protein source at every
• meal.

5.    Balance

• Most common missing nutrients: fluid, carbohydrate, calcium (low fat dairy, fortified OJ, shrimp, salmon, beans), iron (lean red meat, greens, beans, nuts, legumes, brown grains) potassium (OJ, low fat dairy, tomatoes, potatoes), Vitamin A (low fat dairy eggs, carrots, spinach, margarine & salad dressing), Vitamin C (bell peppers, broccoli, oranges, strawberries, cantaloupe), Folate (beans, asparagus, spinach).

6.    Sleep

• 7-8 hours minimum
• Restless sleep is sign of overtraining, take day off

7.    Train

• Increases glycogen storage capability
• Strengthens heart lung capability
• Increases delivery of oxygen to muscle cells
• Reduces potential for lactic acid build up

8.    Weight Loss/Gain Timing

• Not during final count down
• Decrease with % increase in muscle, not increase in drag
• Don’t be a yo yo.

9.    Limit Sweets to 10% of Total Calories

• No Good/Bad foods
• Do Diets
• As an athlete choose foods that fuel your activity so that you can train and compete at your optimal level.

E2 Eating & Exercise for Optimal Fitness: How Can I Lose Drag, Gain Muscle?

Many runners believe that a leaner physique will increase their speed. It’s a reasonable conclusion that a body comprised of a higher percentage of muscle will run faster if it has less body fat to tow. This rings true in most sports when comparing players whose positions require faster response times. For example, football lineman traditionally have more body fat than the linebackers, middle distance swimmers average greater than sprinter swimmers, and track and field distance disc and shot put are higher than distance runners. However some athlete’s pursuit of body fat level that is too low for their sport puts them at risk for increased frequency of illness, injury, slower times, increased recovery needs and potentially an eating disorder. If you are interested in losing weight as you train for this season’s summer and fall events, be wary of overly restricting calories. You must strike a very delicate balance when attempting to build muscle and lose fat simultaneously. A diet that is too limited in calories, results in the body breaking down muscle to use for fuel. A slow, gradual weight loss of 1⁄2 to 1 pound a week will minimize the muscle loss associated with fast and dramatic results. Minimize your muscle loss by consuming protein at each meal (beef, chicken, turkey, fish, nuts, legumes, eggs, low fat diary) and don’t skip meals. Instead you want to eat frequently to offer your muscles a constant supply of protein and fuel. In addition to your regular cardiovascular workout make sure you are strength training at least twice a week, all 3 major muscle groups (legs & buttocks, arms & shoulders, abdomen & back). Don’t worry about weight plateaus if you’re a scale watcher since muscle weighs more than fat.

Hitting the Wall

Muscle pain, overwhelming feeling of fatigue, lightheaded, irritable, and poor concentration are all signs of hitting the wall.
Why we train is to store more fuel as glycogen, conserve glycogen, rely more on fat, improve heart and lung capacity and enhanced delivery of oxygen to muscle.

End Note

Train with what you will race with.