During an intensive bout of exercise, your body can use up to 200 or even 250 grams of carbohydrates depleting your full store of glycogen, or stored glucose. Once your exercise is finished, those carbohydrates need to be replenished quickly to keep you at your peak athletic performance. Refueling your body and rebuilding stores of glycogen, or stored glucose, is the last critical step of training.

Replenishing Carbohydrates Post Workout

All athletes following an intense workout should refuel with high carbohydrate snacks and a large meal. This becomes especially important for athletes who will be required to compete again within the week or those who are training heavily daily. In these cases, it’s critical to build up stores of glycogen again before the next bout of activity.

To properly replenish carbohydrates following a workout, you should consume a large high-carbohydrate meal within the first two hours following exercise. Ideally, that meal should occur within the first hour, as this is the “magic window” for muscles to be most receptive to replacing glycogen stores.

Following a heavy workout, your muscles are very receptive to nutrients and glucose and glycogen. This is due to the increased blood flow in the body for the first 15 to 30 minutes following an activity. During these first few minutes, a quick snack of high GI foods such as bananas or dried fruit can help to restore some glycogen with the bulk of the restoration to come later in a full meal.

This first small window of time is also excellent for a high protein food to help build muscles. Eating a high GI food causes the body to release large amounts of insulin to counteract the glucose ingested. The high amounts of insulin stimulate a greater uptake of protein into the muscle cells along with the glucose. The insulin essentially ferries both glucose and protein along to the cells during their most receptive time.

Eating the Right Foods Post Workout

Glucose is blood sugar which translates to energy for the body’s cells. When the glucose is stored in the cells, it becomes glycogen. Eating the right foods before a workout can boost glycogen stores,  but these stores are depleted after 90 minutes of exercise. Longer periods of exercise can require refueling of the body’s glucose stores during exercise, but after training is finished, your cells are essentially empty vessels waiting to be refilled properly. Eating the wrong foods at these times can cause problems with energy stores and prevent proper recovery.

Carbohydrates Within 30 Minutes

The first 30 minutes of training gives you the best opportunity to replenish your stores and deliver protein to the muscle cells as well. During this first half-hour, try to eat at least ½ gram of carbohydrates per pound of body weight. If you weigh 160 pounds, you’ll want to consume 80 grams of carbohydrates in these 30 minutes. While protein is important in this period as well, the proper ratio of carbohydrate to protein is 4:1. For the 160-pound athlete, in 30 minutes you should shoot for 80 grams of carbohydrates and 20 grams of protein.

Carbohydrates Within 2 Hours

Within the first 2 hours following an intense workout, you should eat a large high-carbohydrate meal to restore the rest of the carbohydrates used in exercise. These foods should be mid to high GI foods including items such as fruit, bread, pasta, potatoes, rice and perhaps even some simple sugars such as sports drinks.

Carbohydrates Within 24 Hours

It takes up to 20 hours in the best of circumstances to fully recover from a large scale athletic event. Carbohydrate stores, or glycogen, re-establish during these 20 hours provided you’ve consumed enough carbohydrates to replenish your stores.  It’s important to stay focused on eating the right kinds of carbohydrates during the day following training to fully restore all stores of carbohydrates, especially if you’re performing for hours each day.

Problems with Post Workout Carbohydrates

A common trick among many athletes focuses on a quick pick-up following activity by using recovery drinks and gels that have high glycemic index (GI) carbs. These simple sugars are effective to a point, but can cause problems in the long run. High GI foods immediately following a work-out stimulates insulin activity to deliver glucose and protein to the cells, but those large floods of insulin can also cause bouts of low blood sugar as the body compensates for such a quick release. Opting for medium release carbohydrates and avoiding pure simple sugars such as those in high GI foods can provide a more balanced replacement.

It’s also important to note that the recovery periods following workouts are ideal times for you to consume high amounts of carbohydrates and even protein, but not for fats. Be sure that you’re selected low-fat, high carbohydrate options to allow your body to restore itself most effectively.

Copyright 2010 Life Health Secrets

Carbohydrates and the Glycemic Index

When carbohydrates are digested in the intestine, the sugars the carbohydrates contain are released into the body. Carbohydrates with a simple molecule structure are broken down quickly and flood the body with glucose, or blood sugar. More complex carbohydrate molecules break down more slowly due to their intricate nature and release glucose more steadily over time. The faster a carbohydrate breaks down, the higher its glycemic index (GI). Slow-burning, complex carbohydrates have a lower glycemic index number.

When a high GI food is eaten, the body works to counteract the high amounts of glucose with high amounts of insulin, which helps to carry the glucose into the cells. This resulting flood of insulin can cause blood sugar lows which many people are particularly sensitive to. Slow release carbohydrates with a low GI are much more desired before workouts and as part of an ideal diet overall as they can avoid the wide swings of blood sugar and insulin. Foods with a score of 70 or higher are defined as having a high glycemic index; those with a score of 55 or below have a low glycemic index.

Glycemic Load

The trouble with using just the glycemic index to classify foods is that it doesn’t take into account the amount of carbohydrates in the food itself. A good example is watermelon which has a high GI thanks to the large amount of sugars but has relatively few carbohydrates per bite with so much water content. The glycemic load takes into account both the glycemic index and the amount of carbohydrates in foods by multiplying them together. In general, a glycemic load of 20 or more is high, 11 to 19 is medium, and 10 or under is low.

To measure carbohydrates effectively, you must be aware of the true glycemic load – not just the glycemic index, although that is an excellent starting point in planning your meals and snacks.

Copyright 2010 Life Health Secrets

In some cases, the glucose arriving in the body’s cells are stored for later use. This is particularly true of the liver and muscle cells. In these cells, excess glucose is stored as glycogen for later use. As discussed previously in regard to the best pre-workout meals, eating carbohydrates before exercising is a great way to prepare for a bout of exercise.

Glucose and Glycogen

When you eat a medium to high GI rich food prior to working out, your glucose levels will be affected. The high amounts of insulin released to handle the carbohydrates you just ate will cause blood sugar levels and energy to drop. This condition is temporary, however. Within 15 minutes of beginning an exercise program, the body has effectively processed the bulk of the the carbohydrates and glucose levels return to normal levels while insulin levels fall off.

To avoid the ups and downs of eating carbohydrates directly before exercising, plan to give your body time to properly digest and normalize the food you’ve eaten. Consuming high GI foods within an hour of a competition or intense workout can lower glucose levels and energy as well. Giving your body a bit more than an hour to properly digest foods you eat before a workout will result in a more even distribution of glucose and result in more stable energy supplies.

Glucose and Exercise

Your best option to normalize glucose levels is to eat a low to medium GI food a bit more than an hour before working out. This tops off supplies of glucose and glycogen giving your body the maximum amount of burn time while exercising. Carbohydrates before exercising are likely exactly what you need to perform at your best.

Copyright 2010 Life Health Secrets

When you eat carbohydrates with a low glycemic index your body stores the carbohydrates as glycogen in the liver and muscle, and as glucose in the blood. Once stored, your body has a glycogen reserve of roughly 1,800 to 2,000 calories. This is enough to sustain you through 90 to 120 minutes of exercise. Failing to build this critical reserve of stored carbohydrates pre-workout can have significant effects on your performance.

Building Stores of Glycogen

To maximize your workout, it’s important to replenish your glycogen levels (stored carbohydrates) at least two or three hours before starting a moderate or intense work-out routine. Proper timing is required for a simple reason. Your body needs time to digest and store the food as energy.

Hours before exercising, begin storing up glycogen and glucose by eating a meal rich in polysaccharides. Otherwise known as complex carbohydrates, polysaccharides are starchy sugars contained in foods such as breads, pasta, rice and potatoes. Eating a combination of these foods pre-workout will give your body and brain adequate reserves to perform well for up to two hours. After the first 90 to 120 minutes of your workout, you’ll need to replenish your stores by consuming additional carbohydrates while exercising. Eating properly before, during and after your workout can have a dramatic effect on your athletic performance.

Before the workout, avoid simple sugars including mono saccharides and disaccharides. These are best for a quick boost of energy but don’t have the staying power of the complex carbohydrates. Simple sugars, including most fruits, are best following a work-out rather than before. Eating properly before a long workout can also help to stabilize the nausea that can occur with marathons, for example, and prevent low blood sugar which can cause fatigue and light-headedness.

Eating the Right Carbohydrates Pre-Workout

Properly fueling your body with carbohydrates before a workout gives you up to two hours of stored energy in the form of glycogen. If you’re engaging in an activity less than moderate exercise for a minimum of ninety minutes at a time, high glycemic index carbohydrates aren’t especially relevant. Your goal should be to consume enough complex carbohydrates ahead of time to give your body the proper fuel necessary.

Finding the right complex carbohydrates to eat before a workout is as simple as opening the pantry door, but determining how much to eat and when is a bit more complicated.

A moderately active person should be consuming 3 grams of carbohydrates for every pound of body weight per day. This is true if you’re training for 1 hour per day. If you’re exercising for 2 hours daily, you need 4 grams of carbohydrates per day. However, you don’t want to consume your full daily amount of carbohydrates before exercising.

Instead, plan to eat between .45 and 1 gram of carbohydrates per pound of body weight at least 2 hours before training. Ideally, you should be eating these carbohydrates 3 to 5 hours to give your body time to digest the meal and store the energy properly. The carbohydrates consumed pre-workout are part of your daily total.

For example, a 150 pound athlete should consume 68-150 grams of complex carbohydrates at least two hours before exercising. This translates to 2-4 cups of brown rice or beans.

Benefits of Pre-Workout Carbohydrates

Outside of your daily workout regime, fueling your body with the proper amounts of complex carbohydrates has additional long-term benefits. The brain is fueled almost entirely with glucose derived from the carbohydrates in your diet. Keeping a reserve of glucose and glycogen fuels the brain as well as the body.

Foods with a low glycemic index (GI) may also help lower the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Eating vegetables, whole grains and rice provides the necessary energy for your body, but also lowers your risk of diseases such as diabetes, controls your appetite more effectively and helps you avoid adding body fat.

Copyright 2010 Life Health Secrets

WHAT TYPE OF CARBOHYDRATES ARE BEST?

Okay, but what type of carbs should the athlete be eating? The reason carbs have a bad reputation is because there are lots of low-quality sources out there, in the form of junk foods and other convenience foods that don’t offer any real nutrition – people fill up on them and pack on the pounds, but are still starving for nutrients. Over consumption of simple sugars (mono and disaccharides), like those found in candy and soda, has also been linked to the onset of type 2 diabetes and obesity. These types of carbs have a high glycemic index, which means they cause your blood sugar to rise rapidly and then eventually crash. The exception to the rule is the simple sugar found in fruits. Because fruits contain fiber, vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and other goodies, they generally prevent the sugars from being absorbed so rapidly in your system, so you don’t get that crash.

Aside from fruits, the other type of carbs you want in your diet are complex carbohydrates. Most complex carbs, or polysaccharides, have a lower glycemic index and so take longer to be broken down in the body, offering sustained energy over a longer time period without causing you to crash. They also provide your body with vital nutrients that tend to be more absorbable than the kind you get from vitamin supplements.

While it’s true there are a few exceptions – for example, white rice and potatoes both have an extremely high glycemic index – in general it’s better not to stress the details too much; glycemic index is only a small part of the story. For example, fructose (as in high fructose corn syrup) and ice cream both have a low glycemic index, and neither is exactly renowned for its health benefits. As long as it’s a healthy meal, our internal body chemistry usually balances things out. White rice eaten with beans, for example will have a lower glycemic index than white rice alone. Fats also lower glycemic index. The main point is to consume whole foods prepared in a healthy manner.

In general, complex carbohydrates should be part of your meals at least 3-5 hours before training or an event. Because they release their energy more slowly and evenly in the body, this ensures that you’ll have the energy you need to perform, and that you won’t be in the process of digesting at game-time. Great sources of complex carbs include brown rice, spelt or kamut bread, lentils, beans, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, brown rice pasta, quinoa, and more.

When Does The Glycemic Index Matter?

If you are training less than 90 to 120 minutes at a moderate level of intensity, high glycemic indexed carbs are noted not to help your body’s energy needs.

If you’re an endurance athlete, then glycemic index matters. High Glycemic carbs are recommended to athletes during prolonged exercise that require quick access to the glucose. Endurance athletes typically need to replenish their carbohydrate levels once they’ve moved beyond the 90 to 120 minute mark. If you’re an endurance athlete, you should be reloading your carbs every 15 to 30 minutes from the time of starting your activity as your core glycogen stores will deplete within 90 to 120 minutes depending on the level of intensity.

What’s the optimal carbohydrate to use? While athletes typically use sports drinks and gels, these sorts of products can have adverse affects on your body in the long term, and have been shown to damage athletes’ teeth. However, they’re currently the best products we’ve got, and are reasonably effective.

SUMMARY: POINTS TO REMEMBER

• Eat 60% carbohydrates at every meal, along with 20% protein and 20% healthy fat.

• Eat complex carbs at least 3-5 hours before training or competition.

• If you are training past 90-120 minutes, then you will need to reload using a source of high glycemic carbohydrates every 15-30 minutes once you have begun your activity.   It is suggested that you will need to replenish ½ gram of carbs every ½ hour.

• It takes 20 hours to replenish your body’s glycogen from carbohydrates after daily training.

• Calculate your daily carbohydrate needs (see above for chart and formula).

• Carbohydrates come from grains, legumes, fruits and starchy vegetables.

• Great sources include brown rice, spelt or kamut bread, lentils, beans, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, brown rice pasta, quinoa, and pretty much any fruit.

Copyright 2010 Life Health Secrets

Carbs are stored as glycogen in the liver and muscle, and in the blood as glucose. Glycogen stores provide about 1,800 to 2,000 calories worth of energy, or enough fuel for approximately 90 to 120 minutes of continuous vigorous activity. If you don’t replenish your supply of carbs pre and post workout, then your body can’t replenish its own supply of glycogen. This means that the fuel you need isn’t there when your body needs it, and performance suffers. Also, your brain is fueled by glucose, which comes from breaking down carbohydrates. Considering your entire body depends on your brain for coordination, you want to keep it running well.

Are you getting enough carbs?

Making sure you have enough carbs isn’t just about eating a bowl of pasta the night before the big game. As an athlete, your daily diet should consist of 60% carbohydrates (the other 40% is divided equally between protein and fat, but we’ll get to that later) in order to ensure that you consistently have enough glycogen stored for training. If your glycogen stores are depleted, then you’ll have less energy, and your training won’t be as productive, so don’t skimp on the carbs. How much you need depends on your body weight, level of activity, and whether you’re male or female.

Here’s a quick formula for approximately how much you should be getting daily:

Your body weight in kilograms x carbs in grams per kg of bodyweight (see chart below)

= your daily carbohydrate needs

Daily carbs in grams per kg of bodyweight            Training Level

3g                                                                                      no training

4-5g                                                                                  3-5 hrs/wk of moderate exercise

5-7g                                                                                  6-10hr/wk training

7-9g                                                                                  10-15hrs/wk training

more than 10g                                                               15+hrs week

The first number corresponds to females, the second to males, though you can adjust it to what feels right for you.

So, for example, a male weighing 177lb or 80.29kg (to convert to kg, multiply by 0.4536) who trains 6-10 hours a week will require

80.29 x 7  = 562.03 grams of carbohydrates per day, maximum

A female weighing 135lbs, or 61.234 kg, who trains 3-5 hours a week will require

61.234 x 4 = 244.94 grams of carbohydrates per day, minimum

To give you a rough idea of what this translates into, 1 cup of pasta translates into 40g of carbohydrates, 1 cup of brown rice 45g, 1 cup of pinto beans, 44g.

To continue to Part II:  Part II Carbohydrates: The Body’s Core Fuel For Energy

Copyright 2010 EliteSportsandFitness.com