Some runners mistakenly believe that the body needs food within 30 minutes after a run, but as explained in an article by KMW Training Centers, the 30 minute rule may not be all it’s cracked up to be.

While everyone raves about needing to eat in the magical window 30 minutes post-exercise, be advised that your body is ill equipped to handle food during that time. Digestion requires proper circulation to organs like the stomach, intestines, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas.

But during and for a short time after exercise, those organs are only receiving 2-3% of total blood flow. Eating under these conditions can cause digestive issues like gas, bloating, nausea, and constipation.

Instead of looking for food immediately after your workout, allow your heart rate to settle down a little and your digestion system to come back online. Instead of the 30 minute rule for eating, the one hour rule might be smarter and more beneficial.

[KMW Training Centers]

The post Is it smart to eat within 30 minutes after running appeared first on The Runner's Resource.

Tara Coleman has a good post on three good pre-workout meal options. One option she mentions is a smoothie that sounds really tasty.

Green Tea Smoothie

½ cup Salada Green Tea
½ cup milk
½ cup frozen berries
1 banana
1 scoop vanilla protein powder

I personally have thought of a smoothie as a good post-workout option – not a pre-workout meal.  However, I see no reason why a smoothie wouldn’t be a great energy boost before a run.

The one slight concern I have is the milk, which is not the easiest thing to digest.  If you have any digestion issues with milk, it may be best to cut that out of the recipe and substitute it for something else (water and crushed ice?).

[Tara Coleman]

The post Is a smoothie a good pre-workout meal? appeared first on The Runner's Resource.

The glycemic index assigns a number within the range of 0-100 for various types of foods based on the rate that glucose is released into the body. This rate is critical because the body’s muscles need glucose in order to run.

A high glycemic index number means that the specific food will release glucose quickly into your blood stream. A low glycemic index number means that the food will release glucose at a slower and more steady rate.

The general rule is that it is important to eat foods with a low GI number prior to a run. The idea is that these foods will give you a stable supply of glucose for the entire duration of your run. After a run, it is important to eat foods with a high glycemic index number in order to quickly release glucose into your system and allow muscles to recover.

The following is list of common foods and with their GI index:

Classification	GI Range	Examples
Low GI	55 or less	Beans, sunflower seeds, vegetables, peaches, strawberries, mangos
Medium GI	56-69	Pita bread, basmati rice, grape juice, raisins, prunes, banana
High GI	70 and above	White bread, white rice, corn flakes, breakfast cereals, potato, pretzels
Source: Wikipedia

Understanding the glycemic index and eating the appropriate foods as part of your pre and post run routines can do wonders for your running.

The post Understand the Glycemic Index to Improve Running appeared first on The Runner's Resource.