Question:

How much water do I need?

Answer:

The goal of drinking fluids before exercise is to be well hydrated before you are physically active. If you have rested for at least 8-12 hours before activity and eat and drink regularly, extra hydration may not be needed. If you have lost fluids from sweating prior to exercise, have not been regularly drinking, or have dark, concentrated urine, then you may need 1-2 cups four hours before you begin exercising and another ½ – 1 cup two hours before.

Question:

This past weekend I did a century and had a bonk experience. I forgot my pack with my fuels, so I overdid the lunch with foods at a restaurant all at once (food choices were “heavy” – mashed potatoes, broccoli rice casserole, mac and cheese, and salisbury steak – not the best options). There were 60 miles to go. At mile 90 I lost energy and went from 16-18 mph to about 12-14. I felt like I had enough to calories to get me there, but apparently not. Do you think this was from not refueling every hour, or did I just not fuel enough period?

Answer:

Mostly, it’s a matter of too much intake all at once vs. smaller, usable amounts throughout your ride (which is what you normally do and what you intended to do).  The difference is: when you eat a lot at once, your body has to divert more blood, energy, and oxygen to your gut to digest it – less to your legs/muscles.  You may not have felt it this time, but that’s why athletes often feel like they are dragging immediately after eating too much; then, once digestion and metabolism of the food source happens, they get more energy for a short time period.  Once the food has become usable energy in your bloodstream (blood sugar), some will be used, but the rest has to be stored because your body simply cannot “use” it all at once for energy.  A rise in blood sugar leads to a rise in insulin (hormone).  Insulin will cause you to store it – stored as glycogen (good), others as fat (okay, but an inefficient energy source anytime soon).  Then, after all the insulin is pumped out to deal with too-much-blood-sugar-at-once, you’ll usually experience a low blood sugar, and since you didn’t have another fuel source ready for immediate energy, you bonked.  Very different than small amounts, that are able to be used consistently throughout a ride.  This is also why it’s not a good idea when athletes save all their fuel for the 1/2 way point or the summit of their climb and then eat a bunch at once (I’ve done a fair amount of mountaineering and see this ALL the time – very little fuel on the way up, then a big fat lunch on the summit).  So again, it’s not about total calories at one time.  It’s about the amount of carbs your body is able to use per hour – if not used, then stored.  This amount is generally believed to be 40-60 grams per hour.  On longer rides like this, you can use other sources of slower carbs, protein, and fat in small amounts throughout the ride because you do have time to digest them.  Keep in mind, liquid and simple carbs can hit your bloodstream as soon as 10-15 minutes, but proteins, fats, and fiber can take hours.  Overloading at once will leave you with delayed digestion, risk of cramps, a “peak” of blood sugar followed by too much insulin in system, then a low and no new fuel source.  Bonk.

Please send us your questions for our Expert Sports Nutritionist, Kelli Jennings to “Ask the Sports Nutritionist“. Kelli Jennings is a Registered Dietitian with a passion for healthy eating, wellness, & sports nutrition.  For more information go to www.apexnutritionllc.com.

Question:

I’m training for some upcoming races this Spring/Summer.  On short rides I tend to just drink water because I don’t want to overuse all the sugary sports drinks.  Is it okay to just drink water on longer rides as well (2-3 hours)?  Or should I add a electrolyte powder or pill?

Kelli’s Answer:

Since you are training with the intention of improving as a cyclist and/or racing, it’s important that you give your body the fuel it needs when it needs it (this is different than a person who is working out primarily to lose weight or leisurely). On rides less than 60 minutes, water is fine.  Longer than an hour, when your ride is moderate to high intensity, you need more than just water.  Here’s why:

1. When you’re training or competing for >60 minutes, and especially in hot or humid weather, you lose more than just fluid in your sweat.  Your body depends on the electrolytes you lose for many functions, and it’s crucial to replenish them if you want to perform at an optimal level.
2. Sports drinks that contain a 5-8% carbohydrate solution leave your stomach quickest, and are therefore digested and absorbed faster than water.
3. Sodium actually increases the absorption rate of fluids in your large intestine, so you hydrate better when the fluid contains sodium.  Of note, this is a good reason to use a fluid in which the sodium is dissolved into it rather than popping electrolyte pills or sodium tablets once in awhile.
4. When you replenish only fluid, but you’ve lost fluid and electrolytes, your body must work hard to reestablish the correct ratio of electrolytes to fluid in its plasma.  In order to do so, you may continue to excrete fluid in order to not cause a diluted plasma ratio of electrolytes to fluid.  End result: More dehydration.
5. Your brain operates on glucose.  Your muscles, once they’ve used up their short supply of glycogen, need a quick source of glucose for optimal performance.  When you give your body fluid, lytes, and carbs, you give it the nutrients it needs to work harder for a longer amount of time.  In this way, plain water without another steady source of carbohydrates falls short.

Please send us your questions for our Expert Sports Nutritionist, Kelli Jennings to “Ask the Sports Nutritionist“. Kelli Jennings is a Registered Dietitian with a passion for healthy eating, wellness, & sports nutrition.  For more information go to www.apexnutritionllc.com.

Butter Vs Margarine

Comments:  Talk about a nutrition debate: margarine vs. butter!  Actually, neither is the best option when choosing a fat for spreading or baking.  Whenever possible, use olive oil, peanut oil, or coconut oil instead.  When you do need margarine or butter, choose butter over margarine.  Instead of opting for a spread with 20+ ingredients, use one that has only a few.  But again, use it sparingly.  Natural does not equal a health food, just the lesser of two evils.

What to buy: Butter, use sparingly and choose olive, peanut, and coconut oil instead when possible.

What to leave: Any margarine, especially those with partially-hydrogenated oils.

By Kelli Jennings of www.apexnutritionllc.com.

Whole Foods

We’re of an age where the foods available to us are becoming more and more instant, in that they are broken down so that we can cook them, prepare them, and consume them as fast as possible.  Although there is a nice surge of Organic and Whole foods being the popular choice, there is an ever increasing supply of the opposite available.

So how do we select whole foods when shopping in the grocery store?  As famous food author Michael Pollan says “eat foods your grandmother would have heard of”.  Fruits, vegetables, whole-grains, beans, nuts, seeds and lean meats, fish should make up the majority of our meals and snacks.

These foods usually have a lot more nutrients because they are in their natural state and not heavily processed.  These whole foods can be converted yourself into “fast food” by preparing and cooking in bulk so that they are readily available.