In our previous blog we talked about what carbohydrates are. If you haven't read our previous blog or want to refresh your memory check back via this link.
Today is the day you want to go out and have a blast. You have been working towards the tour or race for a few weeks and you want to get everything out of it to be well prepared. But what do you eat in the hours before the event?
After a good night's sleep and dreaming about the achievement you are going to make today, your body is usually empty. This is because your body also uses energy during the night and you do not consume any food (fuel). Therefore, it is important to provide your body with the right nutrition (fuel) again.
For the event, it is especially important that you choose slow carbs. The reason is that fast carbs will cause your blood sugar to skyrocket and then cause a valley, as discussed in our previous blog. Slow carbs will keep your blood sugar on an even flow. It is important here that you consume a large meal in the time frame of 3 to 5 hours before the race/tour.
But why is it important to take a large meal at least 3 hours beforehand?
This has to do with how your body stores carbohydrates (glycogen). Most glycogen is stored in your liver and in the muscles themselves. Between the time frame of 3-5 hours, your body can store the glycogen both in the muscle and in the liver. As you get closer to the exercise (+/- 2 hours before), your body will no longer store the carbohydrates in your muscles. However, it will still be stored in your liver. So if you want to use most of your carbohydrate supply, eat your last big meal 3-5 hours before the exercise. For example, as your last big meal you can choose oatmeal porridge, a good plate of pasta or other products that contain a lot of slow carbohydrates. Make sure that the meal contains a minimum of 140 grams of carbohydrates and a maximum of 330 grams of carbohydrates, and that the meal consists of 80% carbohydrates. This ensures that the absorption of carbohydrates is not impeded by proteins or fats. To easily get enough carbohydrates, you can choose to use our Endurance booster sports drink carbohydrate drink. This drink contains 55 grams of carbohydrates per 500ml.
In the 30 to 60 minutes before the event/race it was advised for a long time not to take any carbohydrates, because of the drop in your blood sugar level. In recent years, however, a distinction has been made between fast and slow carbohydrates. Now it is recommended to consume mainly slow carbohydrates in the last hour before the race. From our assortment you can choose to use our Endurance booster or Isotonic sports drink and in addition Endurancebar drink. Try to consume between 60 and 90 grams of carbohydrates.
Next week we'll talk about Carbohydrate intake during races or workouts. See you next week! ?
