Practically everyone is aware of the value of carbohydrates as a way to boost energy reserves and prevent leg and muscle cramps but if youve tried this strategy before and cramped up during a race, what makes you think what youre doing is right? In this article well take a look at alternative energy sources to turbo-charge your performance. One strategy to prevent muscle cramps associated with fatigue that most people overlook is loading up on protein before an event. Theres always such an emphasis on carbohydrates and sugar however the main problem with relying too much on carbohydrates is that you run the risk of having an energy peak followed by a low and at this point youre more likely to get a cramp. Instead, I recommend you try loading up on a spread of carbohydrate, protein and fat. I like it to be a more 40% carbohydrate, 30% fat, and 30% protein diet making sure that Theres an important thing to note here you should make sure that the making sure the foods are from fresh sources. The carbohydrates shouldnt be from refined or processed sources (cakes, biscuits, refined flour, sugar) and the fats need to be good fats and not trans fatty acids (these are fried foods, margarine, anything with hydrogenated vegetable oil on the package, heated vegetable oils). The protein and fat energy sources will actually last longer - your peak wont be as high in the first half of the event but you wont have your down in the second half and youll be just as strong. So if were looking at daily events I usually encourage the people to take a good strong protein meal 4-6 hours before the event then 2 hours before the event take a carb meal and with that combination youll get the instant sugar to your muscles and youll have the protein and fat in there to last you for the rest of the event. A big side-effect of relying too much on junk food, bad fats and processed carbohydrates that most people arent aware of is that they lead to the body producing more of a particular hormone that has a stimulatory effect on muscle tone. Put another way, poor nutrition choices may increase your chances of cramping. And aside from improved training techniques, becoming more flexible and getting your fluid and energy strategies right, I rate nutrition as the key means of preventing and eliminating muscle cramps. If you value your sporting life and are looking for another piece of the cramp-relief puzzle, then more protein and fat (only the good type) in your pre-race meal might just change things for you. Theres a great quote that goes, if you always do what youve always done, youll always get what youve always had and isnt that the truth when it comes to regular muscle and leg cramps! |
