Happy hump day!
I hope
everyone is having a wonderful Wednesday! I love food and I have always
struggled with deciding what to eat before a workout or meet. After four years
of being an avid runner, I have come up with these helpful tips and I hope they
benefit all of my fellow athletes:
·
Eat carbs: This was a major food group that was
stressed to athletes in my sport’s teams. In cross-country we would always have
spaghetti dinners the night before a meet. Eating carbs the night before
creates and stores energy that is beneficial for a quick and fast workout. The
best foods for this group would include whole wheat noodles, bread, rice, oats and
even potatoes.
·
Light meals: In the summer I highly enjoy
running in the early morning. The down side of running in the morning is you
usually don’t have food in your system. I have tried many different choices on
what to eat before a workout but my greatest piece of advice has been small
meals.
Normally in the morning I am not hungry but I usually
force myself to eat. My pre-workout meal normally consists of one plain toasted
Eggo waffle and a half of a banana. This meal is just heavy enough for me to
get some substance to gain energy and not vomit during the workout.
·
Water: Water is a runner’s best friend. Every
since I have become a runner/athlete, water has been an essential part of my
life. Some people believe that if you just drink water slightly before and
after a workout you will stay hydrated. That is not true. The best way to stay
hydrated is to drink water constantly though out the day. My coach used to
always say “if you don’t have water on you, you aren’t a true athlete”, and I
now take that very seriously.
The best rule of thumb on drinking water is
that you should drink fluid ounces of water according to a specific
formula. Women should drink their body
weight * .31. Men should drink their body
weight * .35. (This is according to Runners World). It is totally acceptable
to drink more but try to drink no less than this amount. The benefits of drinking water are less
cramps and just an all around better workout.
Since I have been in college and I don’t get to enjoy meals
with my family I seem to miss out on praying before a meal. The verse that my
family would reference during our prayers was Luke 22:19-20 “And he took bread,
and gave thanks, and break [it], and gave unto them, saying, This is my body
which is given for you; this do in remembrance of me.”
Praying before you eat may seem like a hassle and awkward at
times but it is humbling to take a step back and be thankful for what we are
blessed with. I challenge you this week to when you are grabbing a quick snack
in between classes or eating food in the union to just take 30 seconds and say
a quick prayer thanking Jesus for the food you are receiving.
Have a blessed rest of the week!
Jamie