Time To Eat!!!!

I know that some people have been reading these blogs hoping for more to do with rest... Well hopefully this one will add to your joy of what is training for the half marathon!
It is all about food. I am not going to write a whole diet plan for people or attempt to pretend that everyone will have the same dietary requirements however, I do think at the early stages this to, is VERY important to mention.

I have no doubt you are all aware that to start training you need some sort of energy, it is really important that you do have the right amount of energy to do this training, just as it is that you get enough rest, without vital ingredients like this you are more prone to injury, and as I write this I am currently 1 week and three days post operation to solve my most recent injury. (Funnily enough gained when I played a netball game whilst feeling slightly under the weather, hadn't eaten and tired).

You have a certain normal amount of energy your body uses, some people use more energy during the day and others use less. It's all to do with the buzz word you have probably heard passed around called metabolism. If you have a high metabolism it means that you use more energy to function than someone with a low metabolism. Sometimes people blame being able to eat lots and stay skinny on a high metabolism and vice versa. Either way this is a good place to start, you should know roughly how much you eat a day and whether you can keep your weight stable or not. (if you are ever in doubt or struggling to maintain a stable weight I advise you to see a doctor, nutritionist or other professional, yo yo dieting or increasing and decreasing significant weight regularly is not healthy).

Then whatever you normally eat to keep yourself going throughout the day, when you start training you have to be prepared that your body will require more (scary sometimes for us ladies but it is true)! You cannot function on the same amount of food but increase the amount of exercise you do. Obviously if you are reasonably overweight and you are doing this as part of a diet then your diet may not increase as much but I would still advise you eat enough but eat 'good varied' food.

So the bad news is, this doesn't mean that you should now be eating ten chocolate bars a day on top of your normal diet (boo hiss), however it does mean increase the number of times you eat. The advice is (funnily enough) little and often. You shouldn't be eating until you feel bloated and stuffed, however you will require more food so how about adding in more fruit or healthy snacks during the day. You also need to ensure you eat a varied amount of healthy food.

Your energy systems for long distance running requires carbohydrates! So anyone on the stupid atkins diet BIN IT! Ensure you take some carbs on board, it is important (such as pasta, potatoes, bread etc)! You should also be having all your vitamins and minerals to stay healthy and strong, eat some protein to keep your muscle toned and functioning and also have some fats (they do have their place in your diet, not everything has to be fat free).

So now I have highlighted

• An increase in food intake according to how much extra energy you are using.
• Importance of a varied and balanced diet.

The next thing I need to highlight is the importance of breakfast... Breakfast kick starts this 'metabolism' in the morning and your body needs to be working to be welcoming of exercise. If you are not used to having breakfast, I am not suggesting you start cooking a full english every morning, you can have fruit, cereals, toast, yoghurts etc... Remember varied diet.

Do not skip meals... I reckon this is obvious...

After exercising you have up to 2 hours to eat something... If you leave it longer than this your muscles will find it harder next time you exercise. Your muscles hold little energy stores called 'muscle glycogen', this is from the food we eat. When you train these stores deplete as they are used to make your muscles work, if you eat within 2 hours then you build these back to the same amount, if you eat within 1 hour you should be able to increase these vital stores to enable you to go longer next time. It doesn't mean you have to have a full three course meal within 2 hours, just a small snack, maybe some fruit? Very important...

Try not to eat just before exercising. When you start to exercise your body sends the blood delivering oxygen round your body to your muscles (blood shunting). If you have just eaten it will restrict blood to your stomach as it is sending it to your muscles instead and so it will not digest your food as easily so this may make you feel slightly sick. It would help if you have a large meal to have eaten 2 hours before, small snacks obviously not as long, and in some cases if you are having a break in between running sessions a small snack is good to replace the muscle glycogen.

Drink... You need to ensure that you take on lots of water! Lots and lots and lots and lots...
Bit gross but your wee should not be a dark yellow colour and should be a lot lighter in colour and it should not smell. If you have dark coloured wee then you are not drinking enough water. Again however if this does not change and if you are concerned seek medical advice.

If you do not have enough water then your blood will be thicker and it would actually be harder for your blood to get oxygen round your body. Think about it, if you knock over a jug of thick gravy then it takes a while to spread round the table, knock over some wine and it goes 'everywhere'!!!

Wow... Tired from typing now, going back to putting ice on my knee...
Enjoy training... and don't forget:

1. Little and often - increase food intake
2. Varied diet
3. Breakfast - don't skip meals
4. 2 hours before and within 2 hours after
5. Water

If you want anymore info that I can help with feel free to contact me @nataliepeperell