Runner's Diet

Regular physical activity is the best thing we can do for a healthy and long life. And the best physical activity is the one that comes naturally to us, does not require special effort, investment, or arduous learning. Then there is a good chance that the new passion will turn into a habit, or even better - into a passion. For many, this is exactly what happens with running.

Running is our natural form of exercise and, barring serious contraindications, it has a beneficial effect on everyone regardless of gender, age or body type. If running, from irregular bursts, turns into your favorite activity, be sure to pay attention to what you eat and how you eat. A proper diet is an important factor in the success of a runner in the fight for better results, figure, health and well-being.

Warning: it's addictive!

Those who have tried know – as soon as we overcome the first barrier, which is primarily our own psyche, a completely unexpected pleasure opens up to us. The joy of exhausting but pleasantly rhythmic activity such as running is a feeling that triggers new experiences in many. There are those who talk about a sense of freedom, there are those who refer to clarity of thought, and still others point to the purely physical pleasure that comes from regular, repetitive movement of the arms and legs.

Regardless of which group you belong to, if you can no longer imagine a few days without jumping into your running shoes, it is definitely worth considering your diet. The body of an amateur runner requires an appropriate amount of energy to endure an exhausting workout, as well as a balanced diet for full regeneration. Do not treat regular runs, even at low intensity, with disregard for your approach to nutrition. This can end fatally both for your health and the entire running adventure.

Where to start when creating a diet? First, know your needs

BMR is, in other words, 'basal metabolic rate', or the amount of energy your body needs to maintain all basic life functions. To know and understand your minimum calorie requirement, it is worth visiting a specialist dietitian at least once in your life, who will precisely determine the amount of calories you need to function well and effectively, both at a low level of physical activity and when you move more. For busy people and those lucky ones who watch their BMI and do not need to worry about weight, the simplest and most convenient option is to use a BMR calculator.

A runner must add a properly selected "calorie reserve" to their BMR, which will allow them to both give their all during training and recover properly. For a person who is not very active, who spends most of the day in a sitting position, we multiply the BMR by about 1.2-1.3. In this way, the result obtained corresponds to our daily calorie requirement. For those who have caught the running bug and train every day or every other day, the BMR value is multiplied by even 1.5-1.6.

How to choose the right diet as a runner

Providing your body with enough energy is absolutely essential. Regular training with a calorie deficit will lead to weight loss (which can be a desirable side effect or even a goal in itself), but it can also result in muscle loss, especially if you don't provide yourself with enough protein. To feel strong during a run, have the energy to accelerate in the last stretch or run up a hill, you simply have to have something to draw from!

It is important how many calories we consume and where they come from. A person who runs regularly has an increased need for protein and carbohydrates. A runner should consume 1.2 to 1.6 proteins per kg of body weight, with proteins being included in each meal. The healthiest sources of protein are legumes, eggs, lean meat and fish.

Carbohydrates should be the backbone of a runner's diet, but with the note that their sources are best sought in wholesome products. Highly nutritious and rich in sugars will be all kinds of groats, rice, oatmeal, muesli, fruit (including dried fruit!), pasta made of dark flour and wholemeal bread.

The average fat requirement is around 1g per kg of body weight or, from a percentage perspective, 25-35% of daily energy requirements, depending on age, gender or metabolic type. We are not making any special distinction here between runners and the rest of the population. Most importantly, fats should always come from valuable, highly nutritious sources. The best fat options include olive oil, rapeseed and flaxseed oil, oily sea fish, avocados and nuts.

Diet for a runner

Anyone familiar with running effort knows what we mean when we constantly emphasize: do not overload the digestive system up to 2 hours before training! Why? Because almost every beginner runner will sooner or later make this mistake and feel the painful consequences during or after training. Going out on the running track with a full stomach inevitably ends with nausea. On the other hand, running with full and digesting intestines is a series of unpleasant ailments that in themselves make training unpleasant or even impossible. Remember that our intestines are busy with digestion after a meal, and blood from the whole body flows towards them. This is not the right time for exercise, and certainly not for intensive activity.

The more often we run, the longer routes we design and the greater our ambitions. Longer, regular runs additionally increase our energy demand. A short run before breakfast is not the same as 10 km before bed! The most important thing is to observe your body, examine your well-being, control your weight and running results. Each body has its own individual specificity and it may happen that the book calorie values ​​do not correspond to the actual energy demand. Vigilance pays off!

If we have already mentioned morning runs, it is worth mentioning running on an empty stomach. There are several schools and many supporters and opponents of this approach. We assume that everything is for people, but within reason. Regular long runs on an empty stomach will certainly exhaust the body, but shorter distances, especially for those who like to run early in the morning and do not feel hungry at this time, do not require an earlier meal. Let's be practical - what time would we have to eat breakfast to jump into running shoes at 6:30? Always and everywhere: monitor your condition and listen to your body.

When 10 km becomes a regular workout, in addition to a healthy diet, it is worth considering taking isotonic drinks and energy gels during and after exercise. A mandatory element of training is proper hydration. For both longer and shorter distances, water (preferably enriched with electrolytes dissolved in it) is a must!

If you are interested in more supplements for runners , see our post on this topic: https://www.activlab.pl/pl/blog/Najlepsze-suplementy-dla-biegaczy/856

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