We are often asked how sports performance can be taken to the next level. We asked Lucy Johnson, a registered dietitian from LJ Nutrition, to provide us with a plan of action for the serious sports person.

The information below provides a strategy to fuel your body adequately during moderate to intense levels of exercise. These strategies are by no means aiming to promote health and wellness, simply to ensure that your body has the correct access to energy at the appropriate times.

Glycogen & Carbohydrate
Both fat and carbohydrate are used to fuel muscles, in different proportions according to the intensity and duration of the exercise. Fat stores are huge whereas glycogen store are very limited. Glycogen availability is one of the limiting factors to exercise. If stores run out, then exercise has to stop.

• Glycogen is synthesised from Carbohydrate
• To maintain glycogen stores need a high carbohydrate diet.
• Starchy foods (Bread, pasta, rice, noodles, cereals, potatoes)
• Concentrated in sugary foods (sports drinks, sweets, fruit juice)

Insufficient Dietary Carbohydrate
Training with insufficient carbohydrate in the diet will lead to:

• Unable to maintain muscle glycogen
• Reduced training gains and performance

Sufficient Carbohydrate
Training with sufficient dietary carbohydrate will maintain glycogen stores:

• Training gains and improved performance
• Improved capacity to store glycogen

Achieving a high-carb diet
You should aim for 5-7g/kg/day for general training and 7-12g/kg/day for intensive training and lead up to major competition

• Base meals around carbohydrate foods (rice, pasta, bread, potatoes, noodles, breakfast cereals).
• Carbohydrates should take up 50-60% of the space on your plate. Race week 70%
• Between meals choose snacks which are also carbohydrate based, (cereal bars, toast, crumpets, muffins, yoghurts, milkshakes, fruit)

Get the most out of your training with Carbs

Carbs Before exercise
Last meal 3-4 hrs before exercise, based on carbohydrates:

• Regular 50-60%, Race week 70%
• Low / Medium GI
• Top up with 50g Carbohydrate <60mins before exercise
• High GI
  Training in the morning:
  
• Night before Low GI meal (and bedtime snack)
  
• Low or Medium GI breakfast
  
• High GI Top Up
  PRACTICE YOUR STRATEGY

Carbs suitable for pre-exercise (contain 50g CHO)

• 1 Pint Fruit juice,
• 500mls Low Fat Milkshake
• Large bowl of breakfast cereal
• Packet of Jelly babies, boiled sweets or skittles
• 1 large Iced bun
• Crunchie + glass fruit juice
• 2 X Kellogg's Frosties / Rice Krispies / Co-Co pops bar
• 3 slices bread & jam/honey
• 2 soft rolls & jam/honey
• 1 Bagel & jam/honey
• 6 Jaffa cakes
• 3 Jam tarts
• Cereal bar + Banana
• 3 Handful's raisins
• 1 can fruit in natural juice
• Lrg glass fruit juice + Banana

During exercise (greater than 60mins)
For exercise or training lasting less than 1 hour, no extra carbohydrate is necessary as glycogen stores be depleted. Otherwise aim for 30-60g high GI carbohydrates every hour.

Suitable Exercise Snacks (contain 30 - 60g CHO) per hour aim to consume one of these options:

• Sports drink X 500mls
• Energy or sports nutrition bar (30 – 60g CHO)
• Handful of sweets (Jelly beans, Jelly babies, wine gums)
• Jaffa cakes / biscuits X 3-6
• Carbohydrate gels (remember to take fluid with gels
• PRACTICE YOUR STRATEGY

Recovery
Refuel ASAP (less than 30mins after exercise)
50-100g Carbohydrate every 2 hours
Combine Carbohydrates + Protein in recovery

Carbs with Protein – Suitable Recovery Snacks (contain 50g CHO & protein)

• 500mls low fat milkshake
• Large bowl of breakfast cereal with milk
• 1 x can low fat rice pudding
• Spaghetti / Beans on toast
• Sandwich, pitta bread or bagel with filling of tuna, ham, chicken.
• Large glass of fruit juice and a carton of low fat yoghurt
• 1 x pot cottage cheese and 6-8 crackers / rice cakes
• Jacket potatoes and cottage cheese, tuna, beans
• 3-4 slices of toast + peanut butter

Hydration
Dehydration leads to heart rate increases, change in concentration of body fluids causing cramp and decline in performance. Aim to remain within 2% hydration

• 3% dehydration à Impaired performance
• 5% dehydration à Heat exhaustion
• 7% dehydration à Hallucinations
• 10% collapse and circulatory failure

Hydration strategies
To drink sufficiently requires practice … drink to plan rather than thirst or opportunity.

Pre-exercise:

• 500-600mls 2-3hrs before
• 200-300mls 10-20mins before (sports drinks)

During exercise:

• 200-300mls every 10 – 20 mins (sports drinks)
• 1 – 3 big gulps at every fluid intake
• Carry your own drinks

Post exercise

• 150% sweat loss
• Replace electrolytes too (sports drinks or food + fluid)
• Monitoring

Vitamins & Minerals … Why?
Vitamins and minerals also very important in your training diet. B Vits are needed for energy production

Iron à Repair of muscles, Calcium à Because cycling is not weight bearing there is evidence of mineral loss in both men and women. To counter this, cross train and ensure good calcium intake.

Anti-oxidants
Training is putting your body under all sorts of stress therefore to fight off infections need to include a variety of fruits and veg (5 a day).

Further information
Lucy Johnson is available for further queries and personal consutlation at lucy@lj-nutrition.co.uk.