Your Health Saudi Magazine مجلة دليلك الصحي Oct 2013 | Page 30

with a light snack, but leave more
lead time for intense workouts.
Fueling During Exercise
If you’re headed out for a run or
ride, you might be better off leaving
the energy bars and performance
gels behind. There’s little evidence
showing that snacking during
short workouts actually improves
performance. According to guidelines
by the American College of Sports
Medicine and other groups, athletes
were encouraged to eat during
exercise. Written by sports exercise
and nutrition experts, a lot of it makes
sense. For example, if you exercise,
your body will need fluids, energy and
other nutrients. However, there’s a lot
of contradictory information about
what, how much and when to eat.
Because there are no set rules on
eating and exercise, the best guideline
is to look at your specific situation.
Whether to eat during a workout

30 |YOUR HEALTH MAGAZINE OCT. 2013

depends upon your body—can you
tolerate food during a run?—as well
as the intensity and duration of your
workout. It also makes a difference if
you are running in the morning on an
empty stomach. After fasting all night,
you will probably need to eat before,
or possibly during, your workout. For
moderate exercise—typically under
an hour—the research is mixed as
to whether eating energy bars or
drinks during a workout improves
performance. The guidelines, though,
say that a typical power drink during
a one-hour workout is fine. Your best
bet, though, is to eat a healthy meal
after the workout. If you exercise
longer or multiple times a day, you
will need a lot more energy. This may
mean eating more than three meals,
along with several snacks, a day. You
can also eat late in your workout
or have a substantial snack late at
night. Listen to your body. That’s your