MultiCare Health System

Welcome to today's E-Health Connect Chat.

Our guest to today is, our friend, Registered Dietitian, Claire Kjeld.

Welcome Claire!

Thanks!  Good to be here again.

Today we are going to talk about the Roman Meal Sound to Narrows race and how you can fuel your body so you can cross the finish line at your best.

Before we get started, let’s talk a little about the Roman Meal Sound to Narrows.

The Sound to Narrows race began in 1973 as a fun run and has morphed into a multi-wave event welcoming individuals of all ages and fitness levels to participate. The event benefits the MultiCare Center for Healthy Living and its mission of choosing a healthy lifestyle.

This is a great event that drives home the mission of the Center for Healthy Living, providing an opportunity for our community to get out and be healthy.

So, let's dive in.

We are nine-weeks away from the June 11th race. Claire, when it comes to nutrition, what are the first things that someone should think about when they are considering participating in the race for the first time?

As you start to count down to race day and begin training for the event, it is important to make sure eating habits support rather than hinder your training regimen.  

With nine weeks to go, take a look at your current diet.  Do you get a variety of nutrients from each of the 5 food groups: grains, fruits, vegetables, milk, meat and beans?

Ofcourse, remember, if exercising is new to you, make sure to check with your physician to ensure you are ok to get started.

So, let's break this down week-by-week. What should we focus on for week eight?

With eight weeks to go before the Sound to Narrows, check in on your hydration.   The goal with hydration is that you obtain optimal hydration prior to exercise and you maintain optimal hydration throughout exercise.

•        Prior to your workouts:  Ideally, 2 hours prior to exercise, drink a minimum of 16 ounces of fluid (either water or sports drink).

During your workouts:  Aim to drink 5-10 ounces of fluid every 15-20 minutes (3-6 gulps or squeezes of your water bottle).

After your workouts: Drink enough fluid to restore pre-exercise body-weight (1 pound of body weight = 16 ounces of fluid).  It is actually even better to replace 1 pound lost with 3 cups of fluid (24 ounces).

Is water better than sports drinks? What kinds of sports drinks should we be looking for?

Water is all you need if your workout is less than 1 hour.  When workouts are longer at at least a moderate intensity, sports drink or a carbohydrate containing food plus water is a good choice.

For a sports drink, the ideal concentration is 6-8% carbohydrate.  What this looks like is approximately 14-15 grams of carbohydrate per 8 ounces.  Any more carbohydrate can slow down stomach emptying, leading to discomfort and delay is getting the carbohydrate energy to the muscle for use.

Regular Gatorade is an ideal sports drink that fits this concentration.

Should we drink the whole bottle or should we be cautious of portion sizes?

For workouts lasting an hour or more at moderate intensity or higher, it is recommended to aim for 30-60 grams of carbohydrate per hour.  This would equate to 2-4 cups of Gatorade per hour.

For seven weeks before the race what should we focus our nutrition on?

Going in to your workouts, it is important to have some available energy to perform at your best.  Depending on the duration of your workout, you will need to adjust your choice of fuel prior to workouts.  One of the goals during exercise is that you maintain blood sugar levels.  If you fail to fuel prior to your workout, you run the risk of having an early drop in blood sugars during your workout.  This can lead to fatigue, and decreased performance.

Including a small snack or calorie containing beverage within 60-90 minutes before exercise will help to maintain your blood sugar.   If you are exercising for less than an hour, snacking on food that digests easily, are low in fat and provides a good source of carbohydrates, is ideal.  Examples of this include:

·        Bread, pasta, crackers, fruit, low fat dairy

With six weeks before the race, should we look at the timing of when we eat?

Yes!  What you eat prior to a workout will partially determine how well you perform.  Even if you are eating the “right foods” before workouts, eating them too late or too early can decrease your performance.   The general rule is to give your body more time to digest the larger the meal you have.  If you have a short amount of time before working out, choose something small or liquid that is easy to digest and will be readily availble by the time you start your workout.

When we are almost half way through our training for Sound to Narrows, what should we be focusing on nutritionally?

Make sure to be thinking about recovery after longer workouts (typically more than 1 hour or on days where you have multiple workouts).

The food choices you make (or don’t make!) after a workout are just as important as your pre workout meal or snack.  If you are a recreational exerciser who works out a few times per week, what you eat after a workout is not as important as it is for a competitive athlete who trains once or twice daily.  When your workouts are less intense and less frequent, you will have enough time for your muscle energy stores to recover before the next workout.  If you do exercise once or twice daily for most days of the week, your food choices following a workout need to be able to replace muscle and liver glycogen (stored carbohydrate).

To replace glycogen in your body, you need to eat carbohydrate-rich foods.  If you eat or drink a food or beverage that contains carbohydrates within 30 minutes after exercise, your body is actually able to replace depleted stores faster than if you wait a longer period of time.  It can take up to 48 hours to recover glycogen stores so ultimately, your overall diet should be rich in carbohydrates (about 60-65% of your daily calories).

Liquids and foods work equally as well at replenishing your glycogen stores but foods with a higher glycemic index will replenish fastest.  Protein has been shown to enhance glycogen replacement.  A lot of protein is not required after workouts but a little protein with your carbohydrate snack or meal can help with faster recovery.  Enjoying a dairy product like chocolate milk (higher carbohydrate then unflavored), yogurt (fruit flavored for extra carbohydrates), or a combination of foods that provide both carbohydrates and protein are great choices for recovery.

How can I manage the increase in calories needed while still losing weight during training?

Weight loss as a goal while training can be a tough one, especially as you approach a competition event.  Balance out the increase in calorie needs by properly fueling your workouts.  The calorie deficit component can take place later in the day, after workout times.  Just make sure not to cut calories before, during, and after workouts as this will affect your performance.

For the last four weeks of training before the race, what should we be doing to prepare our bodies?

This is the time to keep practicing the nutrition and hydration tips discussed.  Work on properly fueling your workouts with a balanced diet, varied from all the food groups and rich in carbohydrates.  Include appropriate snacks and meals pre and post workouts to best fuel and recover. Ensure adequate hydration pre, during, and post workouts.  Get a system in place now so that you aren't entering in to race day without a well rehearsed plan in place.

What's a good balance for my plate while I'm in training? I've heard that I need to take in significantly more carbohydrates?

This is a really individual question as it depends on your weight, height, activity level and training schedule.  I would recommend a consultation with a sports dietitian to go over your needs with you.

I'm a certified specialist in sports dietetics and am availble for appointments Monday through Friday.  I can be reached at 253-403-1503.

You can learn more about the Roman Meal Sound to Narrow race by visiting www.soundtonarrows.org. There you will find a full breakdown of physical and nutrition trianing for the race.

That is all the time we have for today!

Thank you so much Claire!

You're welcome!  Best of luck to everyone!  I'll see you at the Sound to Narrows!