by Amy Goodson, R.D., C.S.S.D., L.D.
If you were going on a long trip, you’d fill your car up with gas, right? So when taking your body on a long trip—swimming, biking, and running—why wouldn’t you fuel it up too?
One of the most common mistakes made by my triathlete clients is that they don’t start thinking about nutrition until long after they begin training. Over time they realize they are always tired, they aren’t recovering adequately, they aren’t reaching their goals, and they can’t figure out what’s wrong. The answer? They forgot to put gas in their tank. No matter if the trip is long or short, it requires fuel and the better quality fuel you put in, the better performance you get out.
For most, nutrition seems daunting. It seems too difficult so they don’t put much effort into it. They keep eating like they always have while they are asking for more from their bodies. The reality is nutrition is not that hard if you follow the basics and stay away from the fluff. Just because you read it in a magazine, saw it on the news, or heard about it at the gym doesn’t mean it’s sound science and something you should necessarily follow.
When working with clients, new to the sport or training for a full Ironman, I recommend they live by the “80/20 Rule.” Eighty percent of the time, focus on eating for health and performance, fueling the body so that it works the best it can. Twenty percent of the time you can eat for pleasure, meaning that you consume foods that might be higher in calories (fat and sugar) and lower in nutrition (protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals). In other words, sometimes you can eat what you want, but just don’t eat everything you want as that can really add up. It’s important to remember that every food, including chocolate cake, can be included in a healthy diet, but the key is eating more nutrient-rich foods the majority of the time and limiting the others to every now and again.
Just like you plan your training (how many hours a week you will swim, bike, and run), you should also plan your nutrition (how many meals and snacks you should eat over the course of the day). Having a game plan or a training plan will ensure that you fuel your body adequately for the trip your body is taking that day or that week. Most people who exercise regularly (i.e., those that train heavily) need to be eating a variety of meals and snacks throughout the day, including pre-, during-, and post-workout snacks. You can’t wait to fuel and hydrate until your car ride to the gym because at that point it’s too late. It’s something you need to pay attention to from the time you wake up until the time you go to bed. Sound overwhelming? It’s not if you make it a habit. Just like spending your Saturday morning biking for three hours followed by running an hour sounds pretty overwhelming to the average person, if you do it often, practice it and build up to it, it’s not that hard. It becomes habit.
I’m sure you’re wondering what to eat, when to eat, and how much of it to eat. Do you carb up or avoid carbs? Do you drink a sports drink during exercise or just water? Can chocolate milk actually help you recover or do you need a more traditional (i.e., gross tasting) recovery drink? That’s why we’re here. Swim, Bike, Run—Eat is designed to teach you the basics of sports nutrition and how to fuel your body, whether you are training for 30 minutes or for 5 hours and 30 minutes. If you want your car to work to the best of its ability, you give it the best fuel. You fill it up before it runs out of gas and take it for tune-ups regularly. Do the same with your body. Fuel it up with nutrient-rich fuel, hydrate it with the right liquids, and give it a tune-up each day after your training with recovery nutrition. Author Tom Holland, Ironman, trainer, and sports nutritionist and I, a sports dietitian, have years of experience working with the most elite and the most basic of triathletes. Together we have a solid base in science and can provide you with the tips, tricks, and recommendations that you need to fuel your body to perform at its most optimal level. Want to know how to be the best? Keep reading and we’ll tell you how.
