Fuel to Train
HOW and WHAT you eat plays a vital role in exercise, training, and performance. Everyone has had that moment where that truth is realized on a personal level. You hit the wall lifting weights and you realize that when you eat bad you train bad. You have a day where you feel like you could run forever on that God forsaken treadmill and you realize that when you eat good, you train better. The problem is, you aren’t absolutely sure why one day was bad and one day was better.
Let’s start with carb intake. It DOES NOT MATTER what sport or exercise you are involved in, good eating involves carbs. Yes, carbohydrate. A lot of it. Most athletes should be eating upwards of 60% of their total calories from carbs. I know what you are thinking. The answer is still CARBS. Here is why:
- The body is designed to burn carbs for fuel. This is the most efficient energy producing fuel you can eat.
- Your muscles store carbs for energy. They do NOT store protein. (I know, catch your breath!)
- If there isn’t enough available carbs in the diet, the body will break down protein (muscle) to compensate
Now based on what I just said above, here is what needs to happen. You need to make sure that you have enough carbs in your diet and in the right amount. If you aren’t sure what a carb is, then get with me and let’s fix that.
Some red flags that could be indicators of not enough carbs in your diet:
- Poor endurance, cardio is really tough. You “hit the wall” frequently.
- Poor recovery. It seems to take a while to recover from a workout.
- Lingering injuries. Something is always out of whack or not completely healed.
- You consume a high protein diet.
No gas, No go. Eat like a Rudog.