Former high jump champion and now nutrition biologist Chiara Vitobello explains how to manage nutrition and supplementation with workouts
Pierfrancesco Catucci
Is it better to run with a full stomach or to have breakfast only when you return? How much and when is it important to eat in the half hour after training? What and in what quantity is it right to integrate? These are just some of the questions that every runner, from the amateur to the most experienced, has asked himself at least once. Eating well and hydrating in the right way are two fundamental elements on which to build any training and eventual competitions, but also a healthy life. Here then with Dr. Chiara Vitobello, former Italian high jump champion, now a trainer and nutritionist biologist, we have drawn up the guidelines to better orientate oneself in the world of correct nutrition, even more so as a function of a sporting activity, imagining as a model runner someone who runs on average 3-4 times a week for 5-10 km at a time.
the right foods
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There are no foods capable of guaranteeing us a winning performance, even more so if they are not linked to a correct and controlled diet and / or a constant commitment on the track or on the road. It is now well established, however, the central role that carbohydrates must have in the runner’s diet. Compared with fats, in fact, carbohydrates are the best energy substrate for endurance performance. On the other hand, there are foods or nutrients that risk compromising the success of a performance, whether it is competition or training, if taken with the wrong timing. In fact, it is not recommended, before a run, to drink alcoholic beverages and to exceed with the intake of fiber (vegetables, legumes and whole foods), fats (fried foods, elaborate condiments, cheeses …) and proteins (except for small portions of lean proteins) as the slowing down of digestion times caused by these compounds can expose the athlete more to the risk of gastro-intestinal disorders.
BEFORE OR AFTER BREAKFAST?
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Running on an empty stomach, rather than on a full stomach, does not give any concrete advantage either in terms of performance or weight loss. Although it is true that during the fasting run more fat is “burned” than in a full stomach run (during which carbohydrates will be consumed mainly), it is equally true that our body, which does not think in acute but in the medium and in the long term, in the hours following the fasting race, it will reduce the oxidation of fats in favor of the carbohydrate, going to all intents and purposes to even the accounts. We must therefore not base our choice on these aspects. It should be borne in mind that a poorly structured meal or snack or done too close to training, but also a low energy availability caused by fasting can compromise our running in various ways. Ok, then, to a full stomach run after a not abundant meal done in the right timing, but also on an empty stomach if motivated by the awareness that the first hours of the day are those in which you feel most rested, concentrated or simply are the only ones that daily commitments leave available for training.
THE ANABOLIC WINDOW
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After training, the three Rs rule applies: rehydrate, replenish and rest. Proper attention to these three points can ensure optimal recovery. The second point mainly concerns the restoration of glycogen stores “depleted” (depleted) during the race. To saturate the glycogen reserves again, a high energy availability is required, given above all by carbohydrates. If the latter, for any impediment, should not be optimal, it has been seen that the combination of carbohydrates and proteins is able to increase the possibility of glycogen accumulation. The shorter the time available between one sporting engagement and the next, the more stringent the need to take advantage of the post-exercise anabolic window. If you have several hours (more than 8) or days before your next workout, the importance of timing is greatly reduced.
reinstatement
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Replenishing electrolytes while running is often superfluous, especially when it comes to short rides. If you are in extreme climatic conditions, with high temperatures and high humidity, and you have to run for more than 2-3 hours, then it may become necessary to replenish the sodium which is the electrolyte most present in our sweat. . Other electrolytes, such as magnesium and potassium, are contained only in trace amounts in our sweat, so their replenishment should not worry us. A varied diet that provides for the correct intake of all nutrients, and especially fruit and vegetables, is able to provide the necessary vitamins and minerals, without the need for supplementation.
HYDRATION
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Hydration is a fundamental aspect for anyone, but even more so in athletes who experience a greater loss of fluids (sweating, exhaling, etc.). Every moment, before, during and after exercise, requires precautions. It is essential to always be normohydrated: showing up dehydrated at the time of the start will make any rehydration strategy implemented during the race useless or ineffective. In the meantime, a general guideline may be to take 200-300 ml of water every 10-20 minutes of running. In the post, however, it is very important to reintroduce all lost fluids: drink 1.5 liters of water for every liter of sweat lost. How do you know how much water has been eliminated by sweat? Weighing oneself before and after the race (under the same conditions) and adding to any weight difference recorded, the amount of water drunk during training or competition.
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