Eat and Drinking During Training

If you gain any weight during a session or feel sloshy from water in your belly, you drank too much. Drinking too much is more dangerous than drinking too little during multi-hour sessions. As an athlete takes in water while sweating out salts, the salt level in the blood becomes diluted, resulting in a condition called hyponatremia. The extreme hyponatremia associated with gaining several pounds during exercise can cause coma and death, so don’t just keep drinking automatically and unconsciously while you exercise. Use the guidelines above to get the amount that’s about right for you, taking into account your current fitness and the weather. Take at least a gulp of liquid every 10 minutes throughout your exercise session. Think of short exercise sessions as practice for longer ones. The fact that you can finish a session without eating or drinking does not mean that you should.

What to eat?

Food eaten during exercise should be high in carbohydrates, easy to carry, easy to open, and easy to digest. Many athletes have success using fig bars, bananas, pretzels, boiled potatoes in a bag with some salt, a microwaved yam, small sandwiches, or energy bars (not protein bars). Experiment to find what works for you. Beginners and runners may find that they have a hard time digesting solid foods. They should consider using energy gels and they should definitely use an energy drink. Gels are also good for ultra-endurance events.

How much to eat?

During any exercise session longer than half an hour, begin eating at the half-hour mark and have a big bite of something every 15 to 20 minutes. Athletes in serious training or even moderately fit athletes cannot absorb as many calories as they expend while exercising. At best, they can slow their losses. If you wait until you’re hungry, your glycogen stores are already depleted. Aim to eat the maximum amount you can, before feeling full, while training. If you come home hungry you did not eat enough while training. If you come home full, you ate too much. Most exercisers will do best with between 175 and 325 calories per hour. Larger and more experienced athletes can eat more. Again, think of short workout sessions as practice for longer workouts and get in the habit of eating every 15 to 20 minutes any time you train.