Do you want a steady stream of energy while doing your cardio? Would you like to recover at the best optimal well-being and performance? Did you ever "crash" after a long bout of long, intense cardio?
Riding my bike up the Angeles Crest mountains is one of my favorite routes. A while back I had an interesting experience during this long ride. I remember this one group ride I did with 4 other friends. I was feeling so good going up about 22 miles uphill. I didn't' have any food in me from the start. I was "riding high" with excitement. It was a pretty hot day. I told myself "I feel good!"
Coming back down the mountain, I started to feel dizzy. My sugar levels were low. My hands were feeling weak as I held onto the handlebars. I should have prepared better for this long ride by eating first before I left in the morning. I learned a major lesson. I prepared better for my longer cardio rides and always stash an energy bar in my fanny pack. Spend some time an prepare your pre and post training meals and snacks.
Here are some tips:
-All Training Sessions. Have a small whole-food containing protein and moderate glycemic index carbs about an hour prior to your workout. Sample would be: 1 cup of oatmeal with eight egg whites ant 6am, following by your cardio at 7am. If you want to do cardio sooner after eating, choose a rapidly digested meal/snack such as a nutrition shake with 1-cup skim milk, which you can consume, a half hour prior.
-Medium Intense Longer Session. Have a small, quick snack that can be digested prior but try and hold off on it if it is less than 2 hours and just take in a whole-food meal shortly after the session. This will be more of a post workout meal. If you will be training a long distance like I did on my bike trek (which was over 4 hours long), then definitely eat a whole food before leaving.
-For HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) Sessions. Take in a quick digesting drink of quality protein and carbs right after training. A nutritional shake with 2 cups of skim milk. Have a good quality meal replacement drink with a good source of vitamins and minerals. This is short cardio bouts so try and save your meal for after the session.
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