Alberto Salazar is best known for his outstanding performances in the New York City Marathons in the early 1980s and his American track records in the 5,000m and 10,000m races:
He says: “One of the greatest advances over the last 20 years has occurred in the application of a healthy diet. In the old days, us distance runners thought that we could eat anything we wanted because we would always burn it off during training. We did not understand that just because we weren't gaining weight, regardless of what we ate, that eating better would allow us to train harder, recover faster, and ultimately perform at a higher level.” Salazar goes on to say, “You are only as good as the food you put into your body. Using a car analogy, fueling yourself properly can be likened to using the correct grade of gasoline in your car. Your car may run on several different types of gas, but it will only run optimally on one specific grade.”-Alberto Salazar
What makes an runner/athlete good?
-Innate talent
-Training-speed, endurance, strength, flexibility
-Adequate sleep & rest
-Diligence, determination, motivation
-NUTRITION
Rate your level hunger:
Satiety-10- Stuffed to the point of feeling sick
9-Very uncomfortably full. Need to loosen your belt.
8-Uncomfortably full. Feel stuffed
7-Very full. Feel as though you've over eaten
6-Comfortably full. Satisfied.
Neutral-5-Comfortably. Neither full nor hungry
4-Beginning signals of hunger.
3-Hungry, ready to eat.
2-Very hungry, unable to concentrate
Hungry-1-Starving, dizzy, irritable
Meal timing:
-Eat smaller more frequent meals
-Our bodies need to be fed every 3 hours
-Avoid creating calorie excesses (too big of meal) or deficits (too long without eating) during the day.
-Learn to listen to your hunger and fullness. See questions above.
Your daily meals should look like this:
1.Breakfast 2. Snack 3.Lunch 4.Pre run snack 5. Recover snack 6. Dinner 7.Snack
What to eat:
Balance of:
---Carbohydrates-Primary fuel source for your working muscles. Need 8-10g/kg of body weight. For example, a 150 pound (68kg) person should have about 600g of carbohydrates day. (note: kg=X lbs/2.2 to get kg.)
---Protein-building and repair, muscle energy source. Need 1-2g/kg body weight. 68Kg * 2 =136g protein.
---Fat-Essential in hormone production, temperature regulation, absorption of fat soluble vitamins, energy source.-Need about 20% calories coming from fat. Learn to include healthy fats in your diet. Examples: fish, nuts, seeds, olive oil...
As you sit down to eat each meal, evaluate your plate to make sure you have a BALANCE of carbohydrates, protein, and fat.
RECOVERY
Think about this:
It's not the actual workout that makes you faster; it's the physiological adaptations that occur in response to the workout. Physical training is only half of the battle. The other half is recovery.
What is recovery?
-Easy running or maybe days off
-Stretching
-Massage
-Sleep
-Icing/heating treatment
-Fuel (nutrition) for replenishment, repair, replacement, rebuilding, etc.
Snack ideas:
-Whole wheat bagel & peanut butter
-Pretzels, nuts
-granola bars
-wheat crackers
-Greek yogurt & berries
Hydration
The best way to ensure that you remain adequately hydrated is to carry a water bottle and constantly SIP on it all day. You don't want to start practice each day already dehydrated.
Another good rule of thumb-Take a look!
If your urine looks like lemonade, you are well hydrated. If it looks like apple juice, you are under-hydrated.
Supplementation-Food 1st, supplements 2nd! Don't rely on supplements.
-However, there is a time and a place for using supplements.
Recommendations:
-One per day, multivitamin
-Calcium (500mg/day + vitamin D)
-Iron (only if indicated by a blood test and doctor recommendation)
Other supplements:
-Powerade, Gatorade, nutrition bars, and other supplementation products are okay to use as a SUPPLEMENT, not in place of your normal healthy diet.
-These products were designed with the science in mind, however the right combinations of foods will also work.
FINAL THOUGHT---Remember what Alberto Salazar says: “You are only as good as the food you put in your body”
Schedule an appointment with Alison for a personalized wellness plan and more tips on properly fueling your body.
email: alisonhop@gmail.com
mobile: 949.607.8090
