Eating and Training

How to time it right:

Many cyclists know exactly what they should eat and when they should eat it. It’s the practical application of this theory that messes them up. You are either ravenous when you don’t want to be – during training – or not hungry when you should be – immediately after training. The problem is that when you are planning your ride around a busy work schedule, your brain, leg muscles and stomach don’t always stay in sync. An early-morning ride, for example, can leave you feeling fatigued during your working day. A midday training session may become no more than an afterthought if hunger overrides your motivation. And an after-work jaunt may press your dinnertime perilously close to bedtime.

Early Birds:

To eat or not to eat? That is the eternal question of those who like to ride as the sun is coming up.

The answer is, if you can, you should fuel up before your morning ride. This performs two functions. First your muscles receive an energy supply to help you power through the ride. Secondly, your entire body, especially your brain, receives the fuel and nutrients it needs for optimal functioning. It shouldn’t be a surprise that studies support this and that eating before a ride boosts endurance compared with fasting before. People who eat before exercise rate the exercise as better and as less rigorous compared with those who fast. Here are a few refuelling  strategies for both types of morning exercisers.

Early risers

Choose high-carbohydrate foods that are low in fat and moderate in protein. Aim for about 400-800 calories, which will fuel your training with out making you feel sluggish. Drink about half a pint of water one-two hours before your ride to offset sweat loss.

Try these 400 – 800 calorie pre-ride breakfasts:

• Two slices of toast and a piece of fruit
• Cereal with skimmed or semi-skimmed milk and fresh fruit
• A toasted bagel topped with low-fat cheese and tomato slices

Late sleepers

Most cyclists fall into this category and don’t have time to eat and digest a full meal before they head out of the door. If you fall in to this camp, experiment to see what you can stomach before you train.

Here are a few suggestions:

• Half a pint of a carbohydrate drink
• An energy gel washed down with plenty of fluid
• Half a bagel and a cuppa

A high-carbohydrate evening meal should power you through your pre-breakfast ride.

For both types

Whether you are an early or a late riser, your body needs calories from carbohydrate, protein and other nutrients after you have finished riding. A recovery meal will help fuel your morning at work, preventing post-ride fatigue. Eat within an hour of finishing your training and be sure to include both carbohydrate and protein.

Here are some options:

• A fruit smoothie made with a tablespoon of protein powder
• Eggs and avocado on whole wheat toast and fruit juice or fresh fruit
• Leftovers from dinner – pasta, soup, chilli or even vegetable pizza

Photo by Maurijn Pach: https://www.pexels.com/photo/shallow-focus-photo-of-pasta-546945/

The Lunchtime Crowd

People who cycle during lunch hours sometimes find that hunger gets the better of them. By noon, your fuel from breakfast is long gone and your blood sugar may start to dip. Rather than increasing the size of your breakfast (which may just leave you feeling sluggish), you should bring a light, pre-ride snack to work.

Remember the following three points as your ride:

• Timing: eat one to three hours before you ride to allow enough time for the food to leave your stomach
• Quantity: eat 100 – 400 calories, depending upon your body size and what you had for breakfast
• Content: select foods that are rich in carbohydrate, low in fat and moderately high in nutrients

Try these mid-morning snacks:

• A breakfast or energy bar with five grams of fat or less
• One slice of whole wheat toast topped with fruit spread
• A 75g serving of dried fruit with a can of vegetable juice
• One packet of instant oatmeal made with skimmed milk

Post lunch cycle

The obvious problem with lunch hour exercise is that you don’t have time for lunch. But you need fluid and food to recover and fuel your brain for the rest of the working day. Packing your own lunch becomes a must, unless you have a work cafeteria where you can grab food for desktop dining. Packed lunches don’t have to take a lot of time.

Try these tips:

• Opt for convenience and shop for lunch items that save time such as yoghurts, raisins, nuts and cereal bars
• Always add fruit. Toss one or to pieces of fruit in your lunch bag for a reliable source of nutrient-packed carbohydrate
• Make the most of leftovers. Choose any food from the previous night’s dinner you’ve already packed in a sealed container ready for transport, reheating and eating

Evening Exercise

After a stressful day at the office, there’s nothing like a cycle ride to burn off excess tension. The problem is that you sometimes don’t feel like heading out of the door if you’re hungry or just exhausted. If you do manage to ride, sometimes you return home so ravenous you eat everything in sight as you make your evening meal. Then you eat dinner late and end up going to bed on a full stomach.

What to do?

It’s very simple, just stick to the following two principles:

1. Eat healthily during the day to avoid any intestinal upset that might thwart your
   training plans. Eat little and often and enough that you’re adequately fuelled for
   your session to avoid the ‘I’m too hungry’ excuse.
2. Eat lightly after exercise to recover well without causing digestion to interfere with your sleep.

Here are some tips for evening exercisers:

• Never skip breakfast. Eat at least 500 calories for your morning meal. For example, quickly throw together a fruit smoothie made with yogurt, fruit and juice. Or try cereal topped with nuts, skimmed milk and a piece of fruit.
• Make lunch your main meal of the day. Focus on high-quality protein, such as tofu or chicken, or pulses and grains, with fresh fruit.
• Always eat a mid-afternoon snack. Around two – three hours before your ride, eat a snack of fruit or an energy bar together with half a pint of water.
• Drink more fluids. Grab a drink as soon as you step through the door after your ride and keep drinking as you prepare your meal. This helps replace sweat loss and may prevent you trying to eat everything in sight.
• Eat well to moderately at dinner. Your body will use those calories to stockpile fuel in your muscles.