Fuel up for peak performance

Fine tune fueling up before you hit the pavement.

No matter what kind of exercise you do, you need food and fluids to fuel up, stay hydrated and help your body recover. Think of food and fluids as part of your basic exercise equipment.

As an endurance athlete, how you fuel up for workouts is just as important as how you fuel up for events. That’s because a consistently well-nourished and well-hydrated body has more stamina and endurance and can get the most out of workouts. For example, a pre-exercise snack can help you perform 10 percent harder in the last 10 minutes of a onehour workout.

Fueling your workouts is also an opportunity to train your digestive system, which will help you avoid intestinal discomfort and diarrhea on event day.

To determine which foods and beverages will provide optimal energy and sit well in your stomach during events, you’ll need to experiment with different timing, types, and amounts of what you eat and drink before, during, and after your workouts. There’s no other way. What works best for others may not work best for you.

“Race day is not the time to try that new gel flavor or add protein to your sports drink,” cautions Katie Murtha, registered dietitian, and consultant for the MSU Sports and Cardiovascular Nutrition Clinic.

Before exercise

Food: Some people are able to eat immediately before exercise, but most prefer to eat 2-4 hours before.

According to Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook (2008), the rule of thumb for carbohydrate consumption for endurance exercise is:

Time / Carbs (g)/lbs. body weight

5-60 minutes 0.5

2 hours 1.0

4 hours 2.0

“Two hours before, you could have cereal and low-fat milk, a bagel with peanut butter, a baked potato with lowfat cottage cheese, an energy bar, or a fruit smoothie made with fruit, yogurt, and milk or juice,” says Murtha. “One hour or less before, you could have yogurt (not low-carb), graham crackers, a sports drink, pretzels, raisins, or a banana.”

The amount you eat will depend on how your body reacts while you’re exercising to what you’ve consumed before exercise. That’s where trial and error comes in.

Fluid: According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), in addition to drinking adequate fluids in the 24 hours before exercise, athletes should drink about 16-20 ounces of fluid 2-3 hours before exercise. “You should be sipping frequently prior to your workout to maintain hydration before exercise,” says Murtha, “But make sure to drink at least two cups of water two hours before and at least one cup of water as close to starting time as possible.”

During exercise

Food: When exercising longer than 90 minutes, plan to eat a pre-exercise snack—which will fuel the first 60-90 minutes of your workout—and additional carbohydrates during your workout.

The additional carbohydrates will help maintain a normal blood sugar so you can keep your focus, maintain your energy, and get the most out of your workout.

Depending on your sport and your stomach sensitivity, you may prefer to consume liquid carbs (sports drinks) or solid carbs (from food or engineered sports food such as gels, chews, or bars) and water or a sports drink during exercise.

“If you don’t like commercial sports products, try fig cookies, animal crackers, gummy lifesavers or dried fruit,” suggests Murtha.

“However, be aware that often foods alone will not replace your electrolyte needs such as sodium and potassium. Therefore, you may need to consider an electrolyte supplement if you’re not also using a sports drink.”

Eating too much during exercise may slow the rate that fluids leave your stomach, causing sloshing and discomfort. Also, concentrated carbohydrates such as energy gels have been known to cause GI distress and diarrhea in some people.

Fluid: The ACSM recommends drinking 6-12 ounces of fluid at 15-20 minutes intervals during exercise, beginning at the start of exercise. “One gulp is about an ounce,” says Murtha. “Dumping water over your head may feel good, but it is not re-hydrating your body.”

Karen Giles-Smith, MS, RDN, is a local registered dietitian who specializes in nutrition therapy for clients with disordered eating and eating disorders.