St.Albans Athletics Club Nutritional Advice

Pooling the collective qualifications of our coaches revealed a mixed bag. For example, Tim had a range of horticultural qualifications, Paul really did have a lot of qualifications and Gavin claimed to have a Cycling Proficiency badge. Good job then that we have Doctor Liz - she is dead good at really hard sums, has written a book on microbiology (we think that's what it's about - we don't like it as it has no pictures), and is well placed to provide some expert nutritional advice...

When I saw one of our star performers tucking into a bag of Cheese & Onion crisp, 10 minutes before the start of her last cross country race in Watford, it occurred to me that perhaps we weren't giving our young athletes the advice they need about food and nutrition.

Our body's energy needs are met by three main sources: proteins, fat and carbohydrates. During exercise, your body produces energy from carbohydrate (or glycogen, the form in which it is stored in you body) as this is more readily available than fat to meet your energy needs. This means that it is really important to replenish your glycogen stores immediately after hard exercise.

To do this you need to make sure your diet contains a good supply of carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, potatoes rice and cereals. Your diet should also contain 15-20% protein, as this helps your body to recover after a hard training session. Protein can be found in milk, fish, and cheese as well as meat and poultry. You also need some fats to help with muscle repair - it is better to eat unsaturated fats such as those found in fish and plants, than saturated fats such as those found in crisps, biscuits, fried food.

1.	Never skip your breakfast : It is one of the most important meals of the day and you need to get out of bed early enough to make sure you have time for it. Having tried and tested many over the years, I have reached the conclusion that porridge, with honey and milk, is undoubtedly the King-of-Cereals. A bowl of this, along with some fruit juice, a hot drink, and slice of wholemeal toast with spread and jam will set you up for the day. If you don't like porridge, try to have some cereal, but avoid the ones with lots of added sugar. A Mars Bar and can of pop on the way to school is no substitute for a good breakfast !!
2.	Try and eat something light about 2 hours before you train. If you train in the evening, don't do it on a full stomach, but don't come along to training having eaten nothing since lunchtime - you will feel tired and hungry and won't get the best from your session.
3.	Always have a snack within twenty minutes of training: After you train you need to replenish the energy stored you have used up. The best way to do this is to take on some carbohydrate. Bananas are a great post-training snack, as is toast or cereal bars. Get into the habit of always having something to eat soon after training.
4.	Always bring a drink to training - even in the winter, when the weather is cool. Dehydration can occur from having drunk too little either before or during exercise. For every hour of exercise you should aim to drink 1-1.5 litres over and above your normal amount (or more if the weather is warmer !!).
5.	The more you train the more you need to eat, just don't forget the old African saying: "An empty sack won't stand up….",
	Eat well, sleep well, train well…….