What kind of gas do you put in your car?
If you have a run-of-the-mill family car, maybe that doesn't matter so much. But sports cars need the good stuff.
So do sports "people."
Good fuel (food) is important for everyone, and especially for anyone who exercises — which should be everyone!
And the more you exercise, the better your food needs to be.
We cover the basics about this in our free Exercise Essentials online training program, but we wanted to get the inside scoop on higher intensity exercise from a young athlete on The Hallelujah Diet.
Though she's just 20 years old, NCAA cross country skier Hilary Saucy pays particular attention to her Hallelujah Diet, despite that her peers consider themselves invincible, regardless of what they eat.
Hilary knows better and gave us a few exercise secrets that are worth considering no matter how old you are:
AM/PM: What’s your favorite pre-workout dinner? Hilary: Gluten-free pasta, rice or sweet potatoes are my favorite pre-workout dinners. Avoid meat, cheese, anything super starchy, fatty, or greasy.
AM/PM: Do you eat during workouts? Hilary: Absolutely! Any workout longer than 45 minutes I carry a snack with me. During exercise the body’s glycogen stores begin depleting after 45 minutes to 1 hour which makes re-fueling a must. I usually refuel with a banana or other high energy snack during a longer workout. Typically I plan on one food item per hour of exercise.
AM/PM: How do you make sure that you consume enough water? Hilary: There are exact methods of doing this, but a good rule of thumb is one water bottle (~16oz) per hour of activity. Drinking after workouts is something I focus on because it is close to impossible to consume enough liquids during a workout. The body can process up to 8 oz of water every 20 minutes.
AM/PM: Does a salad really fill you up after a workout? Hilary: Yes and no. After a hard training session, raw foods—despite the large variety—just don’t fill me up enough. My body craves carbohydrates, which aid in recovery, which are hard to get in large doses from raw foods alone. To satisfy this problem, I simply add a few spoonfuls of cooked grains/beans (quinoa, millet, rice) to my salad. Protein aids in muscle recovery, too. I’ve made the mistake of not eating any protein after racing and I felt terrible the next day.
Got a question about exercise and The Hallelujah Diet? Comment below!
