Fuel Your Workout:
Nutrition Guide to Maximize Results
Optimal Performance Series for Endurance Athletes
Read our four part series on optimizing your performance as an endurance athlete from guest blogger, Damon McCune, ABD, MS, RDN, LD
Optimal Performance Series for Endurance Athletes Part 1: Training Strategies
Part 1: Training Strategies Damon McCune, ABD, MS, RDN, LD, Founder of Allied Performance, LLC, Co-Author of The Vertical Diet There are several approaches to training and nutrition regardless of your overall training goal. In this four part series, I aim to clear the...
Pre-Workout Nutrition
Timing snacks and meals that include the most effective nutrients to fuel your body before a workout.
Focus on foods low in fat and fiber.
Eat a combination of foods high in carbs and moderate in protein.
Length and intensity of workouts matter.
Experiment to figure out what works best for you.
6 am workout? Fuel up the night before and eat something small in the morning.
What to eat:
Pre-Workout
- Turkey and swiss sandwich, apple, chocolate milk
- PB&J with banana slices
- Low fat Greek yogurt with berries and a small salad with chicken
- Hydrate with 16-20 oz. of fluid
Post-Workout Nutrition
Refuel, repair and rebuild with this guide on the amount of carbohydrates, protein and fluids needed after a workout.
The Performance Enhancing Plate
Learn which foods should be included in meals and snacks on both heavy and light workout days, including the benefits they provide.
Recipes
Simple, delicious recipes loaded with high-quality protein and other essential nutrients.
Cheddar and Mushroom Breakfast Squares
Fruit and Oat Smoothie
Baked Ziti
Confetti Quesadillas With Cilantro Yogurt Dip
Chocolate milk: nature’s sports drink
(following are summaries from an article at https://www.nationaldairycouncil.org/content/2018/milk-natures-sports-drink which is a review of several studies)
Replace fluid loss
One study found that gradually drinking milk restored fluid balance better than water or a carbohydrate-electrolyte drink. The nutrient package of milk, the fact that milk is released more slowly from the stomach compared to water or a traditional sports drink comprised of carbohydrates and electrolytes and the higher calorie content and presence of dairy proteins (casein and whey) in milk are thought to contribute Seery S and Jakeman P. Br J Nutr. 2016;116(6):1013-21.
Improve future endurance performance with carbohydrate-protein supplementation
Two studies found that cyclists and runners who drank low-fat chocolate milk after a workout saw a stronger activation of muscle repair and rebuild, along with better subsequent performance, immediately following and again two hours after exercise than those who drank a carbohydrate containing beverage with the same amount of calories.
Ferguson- Stegall L, et al. J Strength Cond Res. 2011;25(5):1210-24.
Lunn WR, et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2012;44(4):682-91.