The best fuel for female runners

If we want to be distance runners, our diet should contain much more sugars compared to non-runners. I don?t mean cakes but carbohydrates present in potatoes, rise, pasta, cereals and wholegrain bread. Carbohydrates are the building blocks for our main source of energy ? glycogen. It is stored in the muscles and the liver and gets burnt through: aerobic exercise (when moving with less intensity), anaerobic exercise (during bursts of intense movement) or somewhere in between (when our muscles keep producing lactate, which supplies us with energy and this lasts a while). Like a hybrid vehicle, we can burn a variety of fuels including fat. Fat is especially important when moving at low intensity and is important during all runs lasting for more than 90 minutes. If we run out of glycogen supplies during a long run we can kiss our marathon dreams goodbye.

Before reaching for a caloric bomb, remember that a person of average body weight has enough fat supplies to run several marathons, and some of us have even more. But avoiding fats is not the right choice either. For example, low-fat yoghurts contain complex sugars or artificial sweeteners, not a good thing. Fats also help dissolve some vitamins. CLA can also be beneficial as it helps burn fat while increasing lean muscle mass. It is found in high-fat milk and high-fat dairy products and in the meat of animals with a long lifespan. Fast-growing chickens and pigs won?t be of any help.

Eating fruits and vegetables also provides healthy benefits and bigger portions are allowed but the quality is no longer what it used to be. Today?s vegetable doesn?t contain as much vitamins and minerals as some 15 years ago, and we would have to eat tones of it to satisfy our nutritional needs. Using dietary supplements, either those for athletes if you run a lot or the regular ones, is therefore recommended.

How should we combine eating with practice and races? Don?t run on an empty or full stomach. You should eat your bigger meals at least two hours before practice and only eat small portions about an hour before any run. If you are not in a position to eat properly, have an energy bar (which is not the sugar-filled bars sold for CZK 5.50?) or special porridge such as Pelupa from Penco. Eat something after the run. Feed your body with simple carbs (sugars) found in bananas, for example, to prevent it from using fuel sources stored in your muscles. Also you can take an energy bar or products containing BCAA (branch chained amino-acids) for muscle regeneration. If you are an active runner, keep an eye open also for ?before activity? and ?after activity? type of drinks with the necessary substances, or eat magnesium to prevent cramps. Of course, drinking during the day and practice is also very important especially on hot days and if you run more than an hour. If you want to lose weight don?t forget about the energy value in drinks and food supplements when calculating your energy consumption.

TIP:

Do you use fat burning fuel? That?s good. Producers compete to supply high contents of carnitine, chromium, etc. They can help shake off the first few kilos but you can?t rely only on them especially when you aren?t active. You must exercise to achieve better effect. Dear ladies, get started! Take advantage of the winter and practice cross-country skiing or skating. Do it with the same intensity as if going for a run. It is a nice change and different muscles get to work.

MY EXPERIENCE:

I have said before that the most weight I have ever had was not when giving birth but when I was about 17. The pants I had back then are huge and also photos from that time show that I?m not lying. Nobody at home cared about physical conditioning. My mom probably didn?t care after giving birth to three children. She never did any sports, there was no example I could follow. Moreover, I was able to eat 16 dumplings?

Young bodies burn calories well. But once it starts releasing hormones during the teen age years, the results are less satisfying. When I turned 16, I decided a change was necessary, especially if I spent all day in a school chair or at the choir. I went to an athletic track and lost 8 kilos in a year and a half without caring what was on my plate. Watching what I ate didn?t come until 10 years later when I switched from active running to occasional distance runs and returned to singing. I didn?t want to gain weight again and I knew that our metabolism slows down with age. I had to balance my energy intake and output.

Luckily I wasn?t on a diet ever in my life. Yuk! There were times though when I wouldn?t eat certain meals. I don?t need dumplings, red meat, sausages, pork, and now even the ?chemical? chickens. I buy organic products as much as possible. I started when Matýsek was born and I was breastfeeding. But I have chocolate from time to time and when the family meets around the table, I don?t know when to stop whatever the food. On special occasions like Christmas, for instance, I use fat burners. Diet supplements to gain vitamins and speed up metabolism are a necessity.

And what about my menu? As a distance runner I eat more food high in carbohydrates such as oatmeal for breakfast, from meat it is high-quality beef or venison for high level of iron. I think that?s it for disparities.