Sports Nutrition: Trick or Treat Edition

Hey Just Tri Tribe!

When black cats sneak and pumpkins shine, when nervous shivers creep down your spine, when fun trick-or-treating is at it's prime, beware and be scared - it's Halloween time!

Happy Halloween!! Not sure if you relate, but my house tends to be filled with all the candy and sweets this time of year. 'Tis the holiday season! And instead of worrying about restricting my consumption of sugar, I reframe the way I view fueling around my workouts with candy in mind. 

Yes, candy can be a substitute for pre-workout, mid-workout, and post-workout fueling. If you're active, you really don't need to agonize over your sugar consumption. Is candy your best fueling option? Absolutely not, but depending on which candy, most are good sources of simple carbohydrates - which elevate blood sugar levels and increase energy availability quickly. 

When fueling for activity and sport, it's always important to keep this basic nutrition rule in mind... female athletes perform best in a fueled state. This means consuming carbohydrates around activity. Carbs are not only necessary for high intensity exercise and sustaining prolonged exercise efforts (exceeding 45 minutes), they're the preferred fuel source of energy for our brain.

Energy Intake Recommendations for Active Females:

- Baseline consumption = 40 to 45 calories per kilogram of body weight (this includes calories from carbohydrates, protein, and fat).

- For light or active recovery day training, eat 2.5 grams of carbs per kilogram.

- For high-intensity training (lasting 60-120 minutes), eat 3 to 3.5 grams of carbs per kilogram.

- For endurance training (2-5 hours), eat 4.5 to 6 grams of carbs per kilogram.

- For extreme training (5+ hours), eat 6 to 7 grams of carbs per kilogram.

An active female's metabolism is highly sensitive to caloric restrictions. If left in an extended calorie restriction state, aka fasted state, or exacerbated by exercise and poor fueling, a female's endocrine system can take a big hit - blunting estrogen and progesterone production and elevating stress hormone levels (i.e. cortisol). The female body is designed to quickly adapt to famine in an effort to increase survival rates. One of the best ways to support a healthy immune and stress response when exercising is to eat enough carbohydrates. 

Although candy isn't the ideal fueling option, there are some candies that are better than others. Let's say you're preparing to go out for an hour long bike ride. It's a good idea to consume 100 to 200 calories, 45-60 minutes before the workout and then eat 100 to 150 calories every hour of working out. If you usually fuel with Gatorade Energy Chews or Clif Bloks, but you might have Skittles and candy corn laying around after trick-or-treating, then swap the energy chews with a small pack of candy. It's important to stick to the amount of carbs that will fuel your workout and ironically, most Halloween-portioned size candies are perfect!

I don't recommend trying a new candy substitute during a big race or game for the first time. If you're considering a change in your fueling, try it during a training session to see how your body responds to it and if you like it, then use it to fuel during competition.

Candy Consumption Pro Tips:

- Lighter candies like Skittles, jellybeans, gummies, Mike & Ikes, etc. are best for people with sensitive stomachs and high-intensity sessions.

- Moderate to complex candies (contain chocolate, nuts, and nut butter) like Snicker, Reese's peanut butter cups, Whoppers, Almond Joy, etc. are great for longer, steady state workouts.

Candy will not replenish your electrolytes. So it is important to drink a sports drink with sodium or pair your candy with a salty snack, like pretzels.

Candies that contain higher amounts of protein can be swapped for a protein bar in a pinch. It's always a good practice to satisfy your carbohydrate and protein needs after a workout (within 30-45 minutes) to support your recovery, so if you don't have immediate access to a high quality protein source, grab a Reese's peanut butter cup or a Mr. Goodbar. Anything is better than nothing.

So if you're venturing out to collect gobs of candy tonight, try to be selective. Pass on the Blow Pops, Ring Pops, and Hershey's chocolate bars and grab the Reese's, Swedish Fish, original Skittles, and Snicker bars.

Thank you for taking time to read my blog.

I hope you, your family and friends have a spook-tacular night! 

Have a great week, get some movement in, and as always, Just Tri!!

Yours in Sport,

Lindsay

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