YMCA Healthy Living Magazine, powered by n4 food and health (Spring 2014) | Page 18

FUEL
BEFORE
SPORT

Sports Dietitians Australia provides these tips
to help you understand the importance of
adequately fuelling up before sport.
o, you have set yourself a goal.
A charity fun run? Perhaps
your first marathon? Or maybe
you’re just looking to improve your
training stamina and performance?

S

The meal or snack eaten before
training, or before your major event,
provides a chance to tweak your ability
to meet the nutritional goals ahead. The
importance of this meal can range from
a crucial top-up of fuel and fluid levels
before a nutritionally challenging event,
to a simple psychological boost from
favourite menu choices or eating
rituals.
In all cases, your food and drink
choices should leave you feeling
comfortable and confident to start the
event. You want to be able to perform
at your best without experiencing either
hunger or gut discomfort, and allow all
of that hard work to pay off!
A major item on the checklist for many
endurance sports is to have adequate
fuel in the form of carbohydrate
(glycogen) stores in the muscles and
liver. Glycogen is a critical fuel in the
muscle, but the