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Winter draws a wide range of athletes, from the professional to the recreational snow sliders, all of whom are anxious to hit the slopes and get the most out of every day. Downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing all place high physical demands on our body and its ability to supply energy to keep our muscles and mind operating at peak performance.
Have you ever had a day when you've run out of gas and have to quit early? Your friends all went to the steep and deep, leaving you to an early après-ski. Not that this all bad. According to nutrition specialists, if you try to exercise after you have depleted your muscle fuel, you won't have the strength or stamina to continue. It's true that the better shape you are in, the better your body utilizes the available fuel without burning out. No matter, skiers all need a steady supply of quality fuel - before, during and after skiing - especially at higher elevations, like the Rockies with bases starting at 8,000 feet above sea level.
How and when you fuel your body and mind can have a big impact on your athletic performance. Breakfast sets the stage for how you think and feel in the afternoon. Yesterday's meals may affect the energy you have on today's last run. Stockpiling and restocking takes 24 to 48 hours to supply the energy your muscles need to get the work done, so skipping dinner the night before just weakens your next-day performance.
Sport nutritionists suggest the following rules-of-thumb: The further away from a workout, the more you can eat; the closer to the activity, the less you can eat. Far in advance of your workout, eat a bigger meal that includes a variety of food groups - a mixture of carbohydrates, protein and fat. If your workout is coming up soon, eat smaller amounts and be sure that the food, snack or meal is primarily made up of carbohydrates.
All athletes need a diet that provides enough energy in the form of carbohydrates and fats, as well as essential protein, vitamins and minerals. You'll need an additional 300 calories at elevations above 8,000 feet, in addition to the 2,500 to 2,900 you'll burn in a day of downhill skiing. That translates into eating a variety of foods every day - grains, vegetables, fruits, beans, lean meats, and low-fat dairy products. The base of your diet should come from carbohydrates in the form of starches and sugars like pasta and whole-grain breads.
According to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, endurance athletes on a high-carbohydrate diet can exercise longer than athletes eating a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet. However, constantly eating a high-carbohydrate diet is not advised and can condition the body to use only carbohydrates for fuel and not the fatty acids derived from fats. Keep in mind that nutritional misinformation can do as much harm to the ambitious athlete as good nutrition can help.
Most people eat way too much junk during a day of skiing and they don't eat when they should. Nothing tastes better than a charbroiled cheeseburger or a bowl of chili - until you ski hard after lunch. Trust me … they tasted better the first time. You will continue to taste that burger over and over till you finally wash it down with a cold beer at après-ski.
Skimping on the morning meal is a common mistake. This is not the most important meal - dinner the night before being the most important - but it is necessary to get you going. Breakfast sets the tone for your day. Before skiing, eat some high-carbohydrate foods like bananas, bagels or fruit juices. These foods are broken down quickly and provide glucose to the muscles. Start your day with a fruit smoothie along with your daily supplements; complement this by eating a sports bar or a raw almonds-type snack between meals. This may help you keep going on those cold or deep powder days, when you're working harder to stay warm or making a ton of turns.
During your ski day, perspiration and exertion deplete the body of the fluids necessary for optimal performance and can lead to dehydration. It's important to drink plenty of cool water, at least a half a cup of water every 20 minutes.
Extra fluid intake continues to be crucially important. The higher the altitude, the lower the humidity, and the quicker sweat evaporate from the skin. This can lead you to think that you're sweating less than usual - whatever you do, don't drink less than usual! Some doctors and nutritionists recommend water consumption at this elevation should be half your body weight in ounces of water per day.
Although your body will adapt to some extent after a while at altitude, there's a decrease in the water vapor content of air breathed out and there will still be a net increase in fluid requirements. It's also a good idea to cut down on caffeine and alcohol, as both are diuretics, encouraging loss of fluid.
After skiing, if the exercise was strenuous and lasted a long time, your grocery store may need refueling. Consuming foods and beverages high in carbohydrates right after exercise will replenish glycogen reserves if they are low.
A sore muscle or two after a tough day on the slopes seems unavoidable. Standard cocktails and a hot tub may help, but something as simple as a glass of low fat chocolate milk may help rebuild and repair the damaged muscle tissue that is causing the pain. Research has found that consuming three to eight grams of protein within one hour is a key ingredient for muscle repair. There are several recovery drinks on the market that provide the amount of protein needed to aid in the recovery.
The thing about skiing is, you spend six weeks diligently doing all the right exercises but after an hour on the slopes you're so hungry and exhausted you can barely move. No matter the intensity of the exercise, it's important to drink plenty of water and eat a nutritious, balanced meal that has lots of carbohydrate-rich foods such as grains, pastas, potatoes, vegetables and fruits. Those typical greasy, high-fat skier lunches are not going to set well in the afternoon. Eating the right energy-giving food can change your endurance and provide the energy required to ski your best all day.
See you next run.
Don Jewkes is a 33-year certified PSIA-RM level 3 Pro for the Ski and Snowboard Schools of Aspen at Snowmass, local resident and owner of Sunset Ski Repair. Drop him a line at donjewkes@comcast.net . Visit his Web site www.sunsetski.com.
Have you ever had a day when you've run out of gas and have to quit early? Your friends all went to the steep and deep, leaving you to an early après-ski. Not that this all bad. According to nutrition specialists, if you try to exercise after you have depleted your muscle fuel, you won't have the strength or stamina to continue. It's true that the better shape you are in, the better your body utilizes the available fuel without burning out. No matter, skiers all need a steady supply of quality fuel - before, during and after skiing - especially at higher elevations, like the Rockies with bases starting at 8,000 feet above sea level.
How and when you fuel your body and mind can have a big impact on your athletic performance. Breakfast sets the stage for how you think and feel in the afternoon. Yesterday's meals may affect the energy you have on today's last run. Stockpiling and restocking takes 24 to 48 hours to supply the energy your muscles need to get the work done, so skipping dinner the night before just weakens your next-day performance.
Sport nutritionists suggest the following rules-of-thumb: The further away from a workout, the more you can eat; the closer to the activity, the less you can eat. Far in advance of your workout, eat a bigger meal that includes a variety of food groups - a mixture of carbohydrates, protein and fat. If your workout is coming up soon, eat smaller amounts and be sure that the food, snack or meal is primarily made up of carbohydrates.
All athletes need a diet that provides enough energy in the form of carbohydrates and fats, as well as essential protein, vitamins and minerals. You'll need an additional 300 calories at elevations above 8,000 feet, in addition to the 2,500 to 2,900 you'll burn in a day of downhill skiing. That translates into eating a variety of foods every day - grains, vegetables, fruits, beans, lean meats, and low-fat dairy products. The base of your diet should come from carbohydrates in the form of starches and sugars like pasta and whole-grain breads.
According to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, endurance athletes on a high-carbohydrate diet can exercise longer than athletes eating a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet. However, constantly eating a high-carbohydrate diet is not advised and can condition the body to use only carbohydrates for fuel and not the fatty acids derived from fats. Keep in mind that nutritional misinformation can do as much harm to the ambitious athlete as good nutrition can help.
Most people eat way too much junk during a day of skiing and they don't eat when they should. Nothing tastes better than a charbroiled cheeseburger or a bowl of chili - until you ski hard after lunch. Trust me … they tasted better the first time. You will continue to taste that burger over and over till you finally wash it down with a cold beer at après-ski.
Skimping on the morning meal is a common mistake. This is not the most important meal - dinner the night before being the most important - but it is necessary to get you going. Breakfast sets the tone for your day. Before skiing, eat some high-carbohydrate foods like bananas, bagels or fruit juices. These foods are broken down quickly and provide glucose to the muscles. Start your day with a fruit smoothie along with your daily supplements; complement this by eating a sports bar or a raw almonds-type snack between meals. This may help you keep going on those cold or deep powder days, when you're working harder to stay warm or making a ton of turns.
During your ski day, perspiration and exertion deplete the body of the fluids necessary for optimal performance and can lead to dehydration. It's important to drink plenty of cool water, at least a half a cup of water every 20 minutes.
Extra fluid intake continues to be crucially important. The higher the altitude, the lower the humidity, and the quicker sweat evaporate from the skin. This can lead you to think that you're sweating less than usual - whatever you do, don't drink less than usual! Some doctors and nutritionists recommend water consumption at this elevation should be half your body weight in ounces of water per day.
Although your body will adapt to some extent after a while at altitude, there's a decrease in the water vapor content of air breathed out and there will still be a net increase in fluid requirements. It's also a good idea to cut down on caffeine and alcohol, as both are diuretics, encouraging loss of fluid.
After skiing, if the exercise was strenuous and lasted a long time, your grocery store may need refueling. Consuming foods and beverages high in carbohydrates right after exercise will replenish glycogen reserves if they are low.
A sore muscle or two after a tough day on the slopes seems unavoidable. Standard cocktails and a hot tub may help, but something as simple as a glass of low fat chocolate milk may help rebuild and repair the damaged muscle tissue that is causing the pain. Research has found that consuming three to eight grams of protein within one hour is a key ingredient for muscle repair. There are several recovery drinks on the market that provide the amount of protein needed to aid in the recovery.
The thing about skiing is, you spend six weeks diligently doing all the right exercises but after an hour on the slopes you're so hungry and exhausted you can barely move. No matter the intensity of the exercise, it's important to drink plenty of water and eat a nutritious, balanced meal that has lots of carbohydrate-rich foods such as grains, pastas, potatoes, vegetables and fruits. Those typical greasy, high-fat skier lunches are not going to set well in the afternoon. Eating the right energy-giving food can change your endurance and provide the energy required to ski your best all day.
See you next run.
Don Jewkes is a 33-year certified PSIA-RM level 3 Pro for the Ski and Snowboard Schools of Aspen at Snowmass, local resident and owner of Sunset Ski Repair. Drop him a line at donjewkes@comcast.net . Visit his Web site www.sunsetski.com.
