- There's no getting away from the fact that we need food
in order to function.
That part is simple but when you add in training
for a triathlon the what and when is a topic
that's always open for debate.
Well today I'm going to be bringing you some tips
that are going to help you hone your nutrition planning
for the season ahead.
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Starting with January and the most popular topic:
weight management.
Don't worry though this is not a weight loss video
but the beginning of the year is a great time
to address your goals for the season
and look at what best body composition you want
that's going to compliment your training and your racing plan.
And it's really common to see people panic
after the Christmas period when thy put on a few pounds
and they go on some drastic weight loss diet
to try and get rid of those pounds as quickly as possible.
But really you need to be focusing on fueling adequately
so that you can train well
and that should be the main focus.
If you're training well you'll find
that your body naturally starts to change shape anyway
and you want to make sure you've got enough fuel
in order to do that as otherwise
you're actually going to be detrimenting your fitness.
You might notice some of the pros actually post pictures
of their race weight as compared to their winter weight.
And some of them do carry a few extra pounds
which is entirely normal.
It's almost like giving the body a little bit of a break
and a bit of a buffer when you're doing those tough,
high volume sessions in the winter
as opposed to being in race season
when you're treading that really fine line
between being in tip-top condition
or getting ill and injured.
So it is entirely fine to carry a few extra pounds
at that time of year.
But that said, if you're someone
who's put on quite a lot of weight over the winter
or you need to lose weight,
more than just those few pounds
that you can do in race season,
you actually need to address that earlier on in the year
as you're not going to be able to work any miracles
when it comes to race season.
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When to eat is almost as important as what to eat.
And when you're strapped for time you'll quite often find
you get a lot of your training done early in the morning
first thing and its really tempting to just get up and go
and actually forget breakfast.
Now whether you realize it or not
you'll actually be doing faster training in this situation.
That has pros and cons.
And if you're doing a long steady state session
that's entirely fine but you need to bear in mind
that it doesn't mean you're going to be actually losing weight
by doing a faster session.
Just going to be changing the fuel that your body's using.
So for that long, low intensity session,
your body will start to metabolize fat
instead of carbohydrate for that
and you'll have plenty of that stored; however,
if you do have a really key important session
that's going to be high intensity
then your body will need glycogen
and therefore carbohydrate in which to fuel.
So for that you'll need to allow a little bit of extra time
to get up in order to have breakfast or at least a snack
in order to get the most out of your session.
What you eat before a training session
depends on two things.
A. What the session is going to entail and
B. How long you have until that session.
So say, for example, you've got a high intensity session
that's just half an hour away where you're going to need to
have something that's really easy to digest
that can get the carbohydrate
into your bloodstream really quickly.
So, for example a banana could work, a jell,
anything sugary that you can stomach
and get the energy from really quickly.
If however, on the other end of the spectrum,
you've got a long steady state four hour bike ride planned
and it's not for another two hours
well then you can have something
that's much more slow releasing in it's energy
and maybe even include some proteins and fats.
For example even a small meal like a jacket potato
with some tuna.
And then it comes to when to eat.
Well it's very much a personal thing
as everyone's stomach is different.
You'll find that some people might be able to have
a full meal almost an hour before a training session
where somebody else might need to have three hours
the same session.
But don't be too disheartened
if your someone who needs longer,
I was certainly in that window a while ago
but you can start to train your stomach
by working out what it can digest more easily
but also just starting to decrease that time
you'll find that you get naturally more used to it.
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it's usually a challenge
trying to fit your training into your day
let alone your nutrition and as a result proper meals
can become quite a challenge.
Now snacks are obviously great and can help you get through
and keep your energy levels up
but really a meal is more desirable.
So sometimes it might even mean splitting your meal.
You can say have a hard evening session
but it's quite late in the evening
and you know you won't be that hungry afterwards
so you could actually cook your meal
and eat some of it before and then once you've finished
you've got the rest of it already waiting for you.
Now we've talked a lot about fueling before your training
but you also need to look at refueling
and getting that energy in as soon as you can afterwards.
The general rule of thumb is the sooner the better
when it comes to recovery nutrition.
And if you know you're not going to be going home
or having a proper meal
it's a good idea to carry something with you
that's going to tick those nutrition boxes.
And you have to think about what's coming up later
so ultimately you do want to replace those glycogen stores
that you will have used in your training
so that means taking in carbohydrate.
But if you've got quite a long window
or maybe the last session of the day
you also want to consider taking on protein
'cause that's essential for helping your body
to be able to repair and ultimately get stronger.
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It's time to mention hydration.
A really important aspect of nutrition
that is so often easily overlooked.
And I'm not just talking about water here
as when you work out you obviously sweat
and therefore you lose salt and minerals as well.
So it's important to make sure
that you're adequately hydrated before you start a session
and if it's a tough one or in a really hot environment
you need to make sure you obviously top that off as you go.
Make sure you adequately replenish your hydration
when you've completed.
Dehydration can have a really negative impact
on your performance both in training
and when it comes to racing obviously.
Now it's also worth being aware
that thirst can sometimes disguise itself as hunger.
So if you are feeling really hungry
just make sure that you check
you've had enough hydration already especially
if you're someone who's trying to lose
a little bit of weight.
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Snacking goes hand in hand when training for triathloners.
Realistically even with the best planning and structure
you're still going to need more than your three meals a day
in order to compliment your training.
And I've already talked about when to fit food in
and it's easy to think that you shouldn't snack
if you're trying to lose weight for example
but actually it is quite the opposite.
'Cause I don't know if you, like me,
have ever got to that phase when you're so hungry
you can't even think straight.
And say for example you might have to go
and do your supermarket shop on the way home from training.
Well that can be a little disastrous
if you haven't had a snack beforehand.
So it's a really good idea to keep some emergency stashes
maybe in your bag or even in your car,
I always have a bar in my glove box
just for those situations.
Like we talked about getting your food straight after
is a good idea.
And you might be a little bit limited for space in your bag
or you're carrying too much weight
but recovery drinks are great and a way around that
is actually to have a powdered form
that you just add cold water to.
So you can have it in your bag
and it keeps for quite a while and then
when you do suddenly find yourself in need
you just get some cold water,
mix it up and you're good to go.
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Late night snacks might be seen as a bad thing
and often associated with post drink munchies
but actually having a healthy snack before bed
can be a real advantage to your training.
Say, for example, you've had your main meal
really early in the evening,
quite a few hours before you're going to bed
and you know you've got a tough training session
in the morning.
Well you don't want to be sort of naturally fasting
for that long of period so having something to eat
before you go to bed will just help your body with repair
as when you're sleeping
that's when it does a lot of it's repairing
and with that in mind it's a good idea to have something
that's going to be high in protein.
So for example a yogurt or maybe even having hot milk
will all help with that process.
And at the end of the day food is fuel for your body
when you're training for triathlon but that fuel,
that food can be enjoyable.
So it's a matter of experimenting
and working out what works for you,
listening to your body
and knowing what it needs for your training
but also listening to your stomach and working out
what you can digest for what types of sessions.
So make sure you plan ahead but still listen to your body
as you'll be craving something for a reason.
Well hopefully I've not made you feel too hungry
by watching this and talking too much about food.
Give us a thumb's up like if you haven't
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And we talked a little bit about planning there.
If you want some help on how to plan at your season
you can find a video for that just down here.
And if you want to see a video comparing the calories burnt
with cycling against running, well that one's just here.