Fuel for Sport

Fuel for sport

How much carbohydrates

A general guide to know whether you are eating enough carbs is how you feel during exercise. Eating too little can make you feel fatigued, lethargic and almost empty.

By upping your carbohydrate level by 50-100g more per day could make a great difference to your energy levels.

Over eating carbohydrates can also have the opposite effect and make you feel heavy and sluggish while exercising. The best advice is to listen to your body and go from there. Make changes along the way and adapt as you go.

So when is the best time to eat? Pre-workout meals should be eaten 2 -4 hours before you exercise in order to allow your body time to digest and not make you feel sick while running for example.

Ideas for pre-workout meals

•    Sandwich - chicken/fish/cheese/egg/peanut butter

•    Jacket Potato - cheese/beans/tuna

•    Pasta - tomato based sauce and cheese

•    Rice - chicken and veggies

•    Porridge with milk, berries, seeds ant nuts

Ideas of pre-workout snacks

•    Fruit

•    Smoothie - add protein powder to make it more filling and aid recovery

•    Energy bars

•    Cereal bars

•    Banana loaf

Ideas for during exercise - if the workout/event is longer than 60 minutes consider feeling with

•    Energy gel/bar

•    Dried fruit

•    Bananas

•    Electrolyte drinks

Ideas for fueling after exercise, eat within 2 hours of exercise to aid recovery.

•    Protein shake

•    Fresh fruit

•    Smoothie

•    Rice cakes

 Examples of carbs for the activity

Activity Level Grams of carbs per KG per Day

3-5 hours per week 4-5

5-7 hours per week 5-6

1-2 hours per day 6-7

2-4 hours per day 7-8

4+ hours per day 8-10

Eg. 60kg female training between 2-4 hours a day should consume between 420g - 480g of carbohydrates per day.