Get Your Carb On
Supposedly, one bagel is equal to five slices of bread (what cruel person took the time to figure this out?!). However, sometimes you need a good kick of carbs to replace the energy sources your body depletes during an intense exercise.
Muscle glycogen recovery replenishes muscles with carbohydrate glucose (glycogen). It’s best to consume carbohydrates within 30 minutes after exercise as this is when you’re body best synthesizes the carbs into useful glycogen – even waiting as much as two hours reduces efficacy. Combine protein with the carb source for better muscle/cell recovery plus break post workout meals into small portions that you can eat in intervals to avoid overwhelming your system (i.e. don’t pig out in one sitting).
My ideal snack after a 12 mile run is half a bagel with unsweetened soy nut peanut butter (soy pb has higher protein/less fat and sugar) with a piece of fruit. If it’s post race or a more aggressive training run, I’ll eat a small portion of pasta with some kind of chicken mixed in about 45 minutes after the bagel.
Loved this post M. I will be running the London 2010 marathon next April and will definitely use this tip in the future!
Liz Conley said this on October 20, 2009 at 6:34 PM |
Good luck! Jealous that you got into the London 2010 – should be a great marathon!
fitpost said this on October 20, 2009 at 10:28 PM |