Running requires your body to be in good shape. If you practice running to maintain fitness, you definitely need- supplements. When you are preparing for a marathon, then also you need runner supplements.
Running
It’s quite obvious that everybody wants a fitness plan that they could easily fit into their busy schedules. Among them are people who haven’t worked out since a long time and want to start again while others want a workout routine that doesn’t demand much time. Well, there’s one exercise plan that you could easily squeeze into your busy lifestyle, and it’s – Running.
The key to successful travel is advance planning .Make no assumptions about the availability to food or drinks that will satisfy your needs. Bring some items with you when traveling to be certain you have some key foods and drinks that will keep you happy and nourished .
Don’t try new foods until after the final competition event, and they only on the recommendation of your local hosts .Experimenting on your own can be dangerous. Find out as much as you can about where you’re going by visiting a bookstore or library, or do some research on the internet . Give yourself plenty of time to get acclimatized to the location you are traveling to.
It takes about 1-2 days for time traveling time, so for a trip from Delhi to Mumbai or Kolkata or may be any other country, you should arrive at least 2-3 days before the event if event is within country or arrive at least 6 days before event if outside the country.
If that’s not possible, do whatever you can to reduce stress by getting plenty of rest, relaxing with friends, and getting on the local schedule as soon as possible.
- Players should travel to a new location early enough to allow time to adjust. Eating at the same times the local population eats and sleeping at the times the local population sleeps will help you adjust more quickly. Exercising lightly may also help.
- Wearing compression hose with light compression while travelling long distances helps keep blood fluids circulating and avoids edema, which will help you feel better on arrival and adapt more quickly to the new environment.
- Travelling with some familiar foods is a good idea, particularly if the competition takes you to an unfamiliar country and culture. These key staples can give you some time to find local food you can eat.
To optimize performance energy intake should match dynamically with energy expenditure. Any reduction in energy intake will result in energy deficiency and will have a profound effect on performance.
Negative energy balance (energy intake is lesser than energy output) will disturb normal appetite control by decreasing leptin and increasing gherlin production. This in turn increases cortisol (stress hormone) production, which will catabolise fat free mass to provide energy for the body, thus resulting in fat constituting a higher proportion of body weight.
As a result of relatively increase fat mass and the runner will further reduce energy intake to attain an ideal body weight and composition which will further reduce the body’s metabolic rate and calorie needs. Such low calorie diets will manifest serious long term effects in terms of increase frequency of diseases.
Thus, eating the right foods is very crucial to maintain energy balance throughout the day. Energy intake should focus on optimal ratios and quantities of all sources of energy: carbohydrate, protein and fat.
Rather than decreasing calorie intake to enhance performance diet should focus on diet which is high in complex carbohydrates (Whole grain cereals and its products, fruits, potato), moderate in good quality protein (low fat milk and its products, egg white, whey protein, egg white, lean meats) and relatively low in fat.
“Proper nutrition and hydration can greatly impact the runner’s performance”
As a runner, your diet is important for peak functioning. Proper nutrition and hydration can greatly impact the runner’s performance. There’s actually no such thing as a dedicated runner’s diet. The diet which is good for runners is the same diet which is recommended for everyone. Problem is, many people fail to follow the right diet.
CARBOHYDRATES
For a runner, 60 – 65% of your total calories should come from carbohydrates as carbs are the best source of energy. Carbs is the source of both instant as well as long-lasting energy (glycogen) in our body. Instant source of carbohydrates are basically sugar, which provide short term energy boost- typically come from natural sources like fruit or juice, refined sugars found in candy, soda, doughnuts, etc.
These are basically empty calorie food with no essential vitamins or minerals. While on the other hand, glycogen stored in the muscles should be the primary source of fuel which released energy slowly for a longer time and keep you going for about two hours of running.
Example of long lasting sources of carbs : Whole grain, boiled rice, potatoes, fruits and starchy vegetables. Moreover for runners three large meal concept doesn’t work and hence they should require eating small and frequent meal with 3 to 4 hours interval so that it will help maintain energy levels throughout the day.
PROTEIN
Runners concentrate more on consuming carbs and therefore sometimes forget about their protein needs. Protein is required to repair damaged tissue during training therefore at least 15% of calories intake should come from low fat sources of protein. Good sources of protein are low fat milk and its products, soy milk, tofu, fish, lean meat, egg white, lentils, nuts, and whole grains.
FAT
Fat is a necessary part of our diet and out of the total calories 25% should come from essential fat such as omega 3, MUFA and PUFA (vegetable oils, salmon, tuna, flaxseeds). Not all fat are bad, the real culprit are the saturated fats such as red meat , full cream milk and products, butter, vanaspati ghee. Therefore, keep intake of saturated fat below 10 percent total fat intake.
VITAMINS
Vitamins don’t provide energy to the runner but they are still an important part of their diet as they help to neutralize the free radicals produce during exercise which can damage cells. Vitamins C, E, and A are antioxidants present in whole foods.
MINERALS
Calcium: Good sources of calcium include low-fat dairy products, dark leafy vegetables, sesame seeds, and eggs. To prevent osteoporosis and stress fractures calcium rich diet is very essential for runners.
IRON
Iron is essential to supply oxygen to the cells. Good natural sources of iron include organ meats, figs, dates, rice flakes.
- Players should consume about 450 ml of fluid approximately 1 to 1.5 hours before physical activity. After this fluid consumption, players should institute a sipping protocol (about half a cup every 10 to 15 minutes) with the sports beverage they will consume during their game. This will help ensure that exercise begins with blood sugar and blood volume at a good level.
- After the last meal and before the beginning of exercise, foods that have a long gastric emptying time (i.e., foods high in fat, protein and fiber) should be avoided, as should unaccustomed foods and beverages.
- Thirst is an important emergency sensation indicating the body cannot tolerate a great deal more fluid loss; but players should not rely on thirst as the primary indicator of when to drink. When the thirst sensation first occurs, players has already typically lost 1.5 to 2.0 liters of fluid.
- Before thirst sets in, players should drink a carbohydrate-and sodium-containing solution at fixed and well-practiced intervals. Care should be taken to not over consume fluids during physical activity, particularly fluid devoid of sodium, as these may increase the risk of developing hyponatremia.During exercise; players should consume a beverage that provides about a 6% carbohydrate solution and a sodium concentration of between 100 and 200 milligrams per cup.
- After physical activity, players should consume sufficient fluids to regain a good state of hydration, as indicated by clear urine .This should be done as soon as possible after the exercise is over. As a guide, the difference in body weight before and after exercise is an indication of the amount of fluid that was not replaced during exercise. 500 g of body weight is equivalent to 450 ml of fluid. A good training program will attempt to add sufficient fluid to the training regimen so as to avoid a significant weight (i.e., body water) loss.