The "rule of 3H"
During physical activity muscles use a high volume of blood, thus depriving the digestive organs of blood flow. Therefore you should maintain a period of 3 hours between the end of your last meal and the beginning of the exercise. This helps reduce the risk of indigestion and muscle fatigue.
Various other factors, such as time and dehydration increase the risk of discomfort.
You are recommended to consume solid foods.
What meals to eat before exercise?
Do not wait until race day to build up energy reserves. You should start building up your glucose reserves 4 days before the exercise.
The last meal before the event
The last meal should be consumed 3 hours before the beginning of your exercise. Choose warm rice, pasta or potatoes. You can supplement with easily digestible vegetables as well as lean meat or fish.
Avoid fat.
If you did not start building up 4 days in advance, you should choose a meal consisting of complex carbohydrates and proteins (dairy products, ham, egg), 2 hours before the start.
During the exercise
Drink lots of liquids and consume ripe bananas, dried fruits and cereal bars without sugar.
After the exercise
Continue to drink, preferably sparkling water.
30 minutes to 1 hour after the exercise, you should consume a meal based on carbohydrates accompanied by milk.
Why hydrate?
The human body consists of 60% water. During physical effort, approximately 75% of the energy you use is converted to heat. To regulate body temperature, the organism eliminates excess heat through sweating, causing loss of body liquids and minerals (1.5 to 2 liters per hour on an average during jogging performed in environment at 25°C).
Many factors influence sweating during exercise: the outside temperature, wind and humidity, intensity and duration of exercise, altitude and clothing.
Dehydration is drastically altering our physical abilities: for example, a dehydration equivalent to 1% of your body mass leads to 10% decreased physical capacity as well as increased risk of long term complications.
Therefore, be sure to compensate for dehydration early – preferably before thirst sets in.
Why a carbohydrate based liquid helps better than water alone?
Sports drinks contain carbohydrates to ensure a constant supply of energy, but also vitamins and minerals to replace what is lost through sweating.
The presence of glucose and sodium ensures faster absorption of water, thereby improving hydration.
Adapting your beverage
In hot weather you must hydrate more. You should therefore dilute your energy drink with cold water.
During exercise you sweat and you have significant energy needs. Therefore many sport performers choose to drink concentrated drinks to get more energy in a smaller volume of liquids, but this is not recommended as it can caused you discomfort.
Choosing a sufficiently diluted hypotonic or isotonic drink will reduce the risk of discomfort considerably.
The stomach is weakened during exercise and is particularly sensitive to acids. If you suffer from heartburn or indigestion, please choose a beverage with neutral pH.
Remember...
24H Rollers requires a huge physical effort – despite regular training – please choose the best solution for your hydration and carbohydrate intake.
