With the Tour de France looming, many amateur cyclists like myself are inspired to squeeze into our lycra and take to the road.
As a professor of Sports and Nutrition, I am in a fortunately position to keep up to date with the latest, evidence based, nutritional tips which have been shown to safely improve the capacity of the heart, lungs, joints and muscles leading to better performance. They are particularly relevant for cyclists like me in their 60's who bodies have seen better days. This advice, however, applies equally to elite athletes, club cyclists and weekend warriors helping them, not only to feel faster and stronger but make their ride more enjoyable and comfortable.
As a professor of Sports and Nutrition, I am in a fortunately position to keep up to date with the latest, evidence based, nutritional tips which have been shown to safely improve the capacity of the heart, lungs, joints and muscles leading to better performance. They are particularly relevant for cyclists like me in their 60's who bodies have seen better days. This advice, however, applies equally to elite athletes, club cyclists and weekend warriors helping them, not only to feel faster and stronger but make their ride more enjoyable and comfortable.
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00:00Every year, iconic cycling events such as the Tour de France or the Giro d'Italia
00:05inspire and encourage thousands of women, and mainly men, to squeeze into their Lycra and take to the road.
00:15Any activity which encourages more people to exercise is clearly a very good thing.
00:21Exercise is one of the most important lifestyle habits to improve current well-being and future health.
00:28It correlates with a reduced risk of many chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack and even cancer.
00:38When training, the actual exercise element is only half the story.
00:43When you're putting your body through its paces, you really need to look after the nutrition.
00:48Because without adequate nutrition, your performance will drop, your ability for your muscles to recover will be impaired
00:57and eventually you'll get run down and get ill and increase the risk of having an illness,
01:03particularly a viral infection, which will make you have to stop the training.
01:08This article explores the essential components of nutrition when exercising, particularly cycling, which tends to be pretty intense.
01:18It looks at the importance of good hydration, adequate carbohydrates or pre-loading,
01:25essential minerals, protein and phytochemicals.
01:35Phytochemicals are often overlooked in a good training program, but they are absolutely essential.
01:42They reduce inflammation in muscles and joints, they reduce oxidative stress produced by energy pathways,
01:51they enhance mood and increase the motivation to train, they help with sleep and many other pathways.
01:59Carbohydrates should be in the form of slow release energy, such as nuts, wholemeal bread or pasta.
02:07And if you do have to use sugary energy bars, once you start using them, you've got to carry on,
02:13otherwise you'll get a dip in your insulin levels and you'll get some hypoglycemia.
02:18It's also a good idea to load up the day before a race or a training program,
02:23making sure you have plenty of excess energy intake in the form of carbohydrates,
02:30so your liver stores of energy are at their best the morning of the race.
02:40Of course, protein is essential for muscle development and muscle repair,
02:45and we should really increase our protein intake when training intensively.
02:50This doesn't have to be in the form of meat, you can get just as much protein in lentils, chickpeas, quinoa and things like that.
03:04Nitrate-rich foods include beetroot, berries such as blackberries and blueberries, celery and spinach.
03:12Nitrates are essential for a good diet while you're training.
03:18They actually have a unique ability of vasodilating, opening up the arteries,
03:23which improves blood supply and improves oxygenation of the muscles, the heart and the lungs and hence improve performance.
03:33Minerals are essential for many metabolic pathways within the body, including energy production.
03:4070% of us are actually deficient in one or more essential minerals,
03:45so try to increase your intake of nuts, seafood such as clams, oysters, mussels,
03:52and if you don't really like those foods, if you're training intensively,
03:58an essential mineral supplement would be a really good idea.
04:02Good nutrition will help you ride faster, will help you ride for longer,
04:08and more importantly, help you enjoy the ride better,
04:12because you won't get so many injuries and you'll feel much better the day after
04:17and you'll be able to get back on the saddle quicker and hence,
04:21improve your training programme and hence performance.