- “How much should I eat during a workout?”
For anything lasting more than 1-1.5hrs, aim to replace half of the calories you burn with food. For example, say you burn 400 calories an hour, so shoot for eating 200 calories during your second hour of the workout and for every hour after that, until you’re done. There are 4 calories per gram of carbohydrate, which means you want to be eating 50g carbohydrate per hour. Take a look at some nutrition labels and see what 50grams looks like. If you’re not used to this, you will have to train your body to be able to digest this amount of food – you have to train your body for food intake the same as you do for fitness!
- “What if I don’t want to eat after I workout?”
It’s okay to not eat a full meal right away, but try your best to get in some sort of simple carbohydrate within 45-60 minutes of finishing. Eat what you crave! I recommend Skratch Labs Endurance Recovery Mix, a banana and peanut butter smoothie, a PB+J, or any other simple snack that ends up being 4-5 parts carbohydrate and 1 part protein. This period of time is when your muscles are extra sensitive and will be able to quickly absorb energy to repair and recover for your next effort. Then, chill for a bit and eat a full meal 2-3hrs later.
- “Does beer count as recovery?”
Lets make a deal: finish your race (at the bar) with a glass of water or electrolyte beverage, then have a beer. For every beer you have, you have to have the same amount of water or electrolyte beverage. Beer doesn’t count as a recovery meal, so it’s fine to drink a pint right after you finish, but shoot for having a full meal within 2-3hrs of finishing a hard effort. Your muscles can’t only use beer for repair and recovery.
