What Should an Athlete Running Track Eat & Drink?
Maintaining a healthy diet when running regularly is essential to keep your body healthy and energized. Many professional runners focus their daily food intake around foods containing vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, and healthy fats. Beverages must be chosen wisely to avoid dehydration when running.
Runner Friendly Food Groups
Runners must maintain a properly balanced diet. Nutrition plays an important role when participating in strenuous activities such as running. Adequate vitamin and mineral supplies fuel the body and boost your energy levels.
Eating one handful of almonds three to five times a week can supply your body with high levels of vitamin E. Regular consumption of almonds can lower your cholesterol levels and protect the body from future cardiac diseases.
Eggs should be eaten on a daily basis as one of your main sources of protein. Eggs contain 6.25 grams of protein, vitamin K, vitamin D properties, and all nine amino acids.
Stir-fry vegetables are a great source of antioxidants. With the beta-carotene and vitamin C stir-fry vegetables contain, runners will experience less muscle soreness after a long run. These antioxidants battle internal tissue inflammation that coincides with free radical cellular damage. Eat your stir-fry veggies as a side dish or light snack when energy levels are low.
Fish and chicken provide excellent sources of protein, vitamins, healthy fats, and omega essentials. Grilling, boiling, and baking your fish or poultry is a healthier option than frying.
Lettuce and salad mixes make a quick low-fat snack when on-the-go. Top your favorite salad mix with boiled or baked chicken strips, then drizzle a low-fat salad dressing on top for the ultimate snack. Balsamic vinegar is a natural salad dressing that can stimulate energy levels, reduce cholesterol, reduce fatigue, fight free radical cellular damage, and slow aging.
Consuming eight ounces of low-fat yogurt daily can aide your immune system with a healthy dosage of probiotics. Probiotics are healthy bacteria that thrive in yogurt and boost your body's defenses while aiding your intestinal tract to fight unhealthy bacteria.
Try eating whole grain breads, cereals, and pastas. According to a team of Penn State researchers, " Diets containing high amounts of whole grains may help achieve weight loss, reduce the risks of diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases." Eating whole grain foods provide the muscles with healthy carbohydrates that are metabolized and create Glycogen. Anaerobic activity such as running requires glycogen to power your body's muscles as opposed to oxygen.
Beverages
Staying hydrated during the course of exercise is a dire necessity to keep the body functioning properly. Water is and always will be the number one beverage choice for athletes. It contains zero calories, fats, or carbohydrates, yet has the ability to remove toxins, flush fat cells, quench our thirst, and improve vitamin and mineral absorption. Try drinking a minimum eight cups of water daily for proper hydration.
Try drinking sports drinks such as Gatorade that supply the body with electrolytes. When in vigorous motion, your body will perspire, thus releasing electrolytes. The two common electrolytes released during perspiration are sodium and potassium. Restore the loss of your electrolytes to maintain balanced muscle and nerve functions.
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