Fueling up!

(source)

What do I mean by fueling up? I mean fueling your body correctly in order to perform at your best. So many times, especially us women, we tend to not fuel our body with enough each day.

I recently was reading an article about how to "Eat Like A Champion" while training for a marathon. One thing that stuck out to me during the article was the fact that just as our mileage changes so should our diet. What they are saying is that my diet for a week of 20 miles should not be the same as a week of running 40 miles. Make sense? This really hit home to me because I am one of habit & don't change my diet up very often.... Looks like I am going to have to work on that this off-season as my miles increase!

If you are training for a half or full marathon be sure to look at your diet & be willing to make adjustments.... It will help you finish that much stronger come race day!

"Diet and training are so closely intertwined, they can't be separated. -Carmichael (author of Food for Fitness: Eat Right to Train Right)

Another thing that I have learned is that eating within 45 minutes of your workouts is so important! Are you incorporating this concept? If not, start today! Eating a good source of carbohydrates & protein is key to fueling your body after a good workout. Stay away from low-carb diets if you are pretty active. If you are low in carbohydrates it can affect your health & your performance according to many... I can always tell when I haven't eaten enough the day before a long run. My body feels completely run down.

Take this into consideration as well:

"Recent evidence shows that adding protein to your high-carbohydrate postworkout meal enables the carbs to move more quickly into the muscles for faster refueling," he says. Carmichael advises a ratio of about 1 part protein to 7 parts carbohydrate, although it's more important simply to strive for a protein-carbohydrate combination than it is to achieve that specific ratio. A postrun meal of rice and chicken (heavier on the rice than the chicken) will get you what you need for a speedy recovery. -Carmichael

Here are a few examples of what you can have for a post-workout meal:

*Shakeology (the healthiest meal of the day- message me for details)

* Multi-grain bagel, peanut butter, & banana

*Greek yogurt & granola

*1 cup of orange juice & hand full of almonds

*turkey sandwich w/a drink filled with electrolytes (gatorade)

*pasta with a good source of protein

*chocolate milk (did you know chocolate milk has 20 g protein & 60 g carbs in 16 oz?)

*pita and hummus

*Oatmeal with protein powder 

*Eggs & toast with peanut butter or almond butter

***Always drink WATER before, during, & after exercise!***

(shoot for at least a 2:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio)

References:

Runner's World 

 Core Performance

Today's Tip: Allison Deaver shared her recipe for Taco Soup! Enjoy :)

Taco Soup:

1.5 lbs of ground turkey (browned)

1 medium onion (chopped), 1 can of Rotel, 1 can Ranch Style Beans, 1 can chili beans, 1 can kidney beans, 1 can of corn, 1 package of taco seasoning, 1 package of Hidden Valley Ranch Powder. Put all ingredients in the crockpot for four to six hours or simmer in a big stock pot for 20 to 30 minutes. Beans are really good for boosting your metabolism!

You can top with sour cream (lowfat), shredded cheese, chives, jalepenos, etc. 

This is great for game day this fall!

Choose your food wisely today!