Endurance athletes require not only tremendous amounts of aerobic endurance but also a steady supply of energy. For long-term energy, muscle uses oxidative energy systems. In these systems, oxygen is used to oxidize long-chain fatty acids, protein and glucose – all nutrients that generate energy. You should divide up your caloric intake to match the demands of your training and Anytime Fitness Costs. It shows the target percentages of fat, protein and carbohydrates that your 5/6 meals per day should supply.
While body fat is the primary source of energy during prolonged aerobic activity, it cannot be used efficiently unless some glycogen remains in the muscles and liver. Therefore, endurance athletes must ensure they replenish their glycogen stores. As an endurance athlete, you need to encourage glycogen sparing while stimulating the use of fat as your primary energy source.
Train for endurance regularly. This stimulates increased storage of both glycogen and fatty acids. Consume a carefully measured amount of high-quality carbohydrates several times a day to ensure an adequate supply of energy. This also keeps your blood sugar level stable throughout the day.
All athletes need to consume high-quality protein for effective recovery and adequate repair of damaged muscle tissue. Do not load on dietary fat. Contrary to the popular belief that large amounts of fat benefit endurance athletes, excess fats can lead to frequent urination with the resultant loss of essential minerals.
Do not consume food or high caloric beverages from 2 hours before an event to 15 minutes before. These can cause excessive insulin release leading to early onset of fatigue. Consume carbohydrates directly before and during an endurance event. Exercise slows the release of insulin into the bloodstream, and therefore the ingestion of a carbohydrate drink, such as staminade, spares glycogen and allows the use of fat for energy.
During the event, drink plenty of water. Endurance activities cause excessive sweating with the resultant loss of valuable fluid and minerals. Dehydration affects both your performance and your health. Drink a beverage like staminade, which contains electrolytes. This electrolyte replenishment formula also helps to replace minerals that are lost through sweating when training Anytime Fitness gyms in Texas.
In addition to eating a proper diet, you should also take dietary supplements in the form of a high potency multi-vitamin and a high quality protein supplement, which is required for muscle repair. The emphasis on protein for an athlete has shifted with time from quantity to quality.
Increasing protein intake at the expense of carbs can be a bad strategy for athletes engaged in heavy training because without sufficient carbohydrate the body simply switches to other fuels for energy and amino acids are catabolized from muscle tissue as a source of energy leading to excessive muscle breakdown.
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