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Slide 1: ==== ==== No Matter What Your Sport... No Matter What Your Level... The more OXYGEN you deliver to your muscles, the better they will perform! http://tinyurl.com/8xj823s ==== ==== The Glycemic Index (GI) is so important to understand for Triathletes because it can in many instances hold the key to higher energy levels and increased performance. Many Triathlete's take glucose shots, BUT these high energy shots may not be right for you and can be detrimental to performance if this proves to be the case. Glycemic Index (GI) The GI measures how quickly/ slowly or the rate at which glucose, which comes from food, is absorbed into the blood stream by the digestive system. When you are training you always want to have energy and lots of it. Being flat during a training session is the worst feeling, and can make you feel really tired, and decrease your performance significantly. Therefore it is important that you eat the right foods. The GI has a scale from 0-100. The higher the food rating, the faster it is absorbed. The GI of food has an impact on insulin release from the pancreas and the blood sugar level of the individual. A High GI rating means that it will be absorbed into your blood stream quickly. This will give you energy almost immediately BUT it will also mean that your energy levels will go down just as fast. For training you want food that will sustain you for the whole session. So... Food for an event Low GI foods are recommended to get your body completely filled up. This will establish maximum glycogen stores in your body( all you need to know is that this is a good thing). Therefore, eat these low GI foods, 4-48 hours prior to the event. Higher GI foods should be eaten the last 2 hours leading up to the event/performance. Higher GI foods give you a quick lift in blood sugar levels. Low GI foods promote a slower more long term recovery strategy. Therefore during recover they should both be used. The greatest glycogen/ food fuel replacement occurs within the first 30 minutes after exercise. However, it can take up to 48 hours for your body to be fully recovered (food wise) after long aerobic events(around 70-85% heart rate). The ideal meal is carbohydrates because they will sustain your energy levels much more than sugars, especially simple sugars such as lollies. Carbohydrates are also good because they do
Slide 2: not give you a drop in energy levels quickly like sugars do. Instead, they maintain their energy release so you get longer lasting energy. TIP: By having High GI foods before exercise rapidly decreases your energy levels. Not only because these foods don't give you sustained energy release for exercise, but your glycogen (food stores)in your muscles also decreases more rapidly. This means that you are not going to be able to maintain your energy levels for as long. Furthermore, more fluid and water is taken from the gut when you have High GI foods which results in dehydration. This is definitely something that you will want to avoid. What about Glucose Shots? Should I use them? There are many names for the Glucose Shot (named simply this way because it contains 100% glucose liquid). Other names include carbohydrate shot, energy gel or the affectionate 'Carbo Shot' (you will hear this used a lot among Triathlon circles). How do they affect your body? Your energy levels can be maintained during an event/race with the use of Carbo Shots, but, the use of these shots needs to be monitored and well rehearsed to avoid a sharp increase in insulin levels. A sharp spike in insulin realease will cause you to lose a lot of your energy stores and decrease your ability to maintain your energy level. This can be disasterous. Plus, Some people do not react well with glucose shots. So, make sure you try them out during training to see if they suit your body. This is very important. The last thing you want to do is train for a race, be all ready for it, and then not race as well as you had planned because you tried something new on Race Day. I found out the hard way, and my race was a disaster. Unfortunately I listened to a friend and took the shot, since they seemed to help him. As a result, I felt like I had no energy during the race. And I think that's an important note, just because something works for someone else, does not mean that it will work for you. NOTE: Never ever, ever try anything new on race day. Jake Allan is a former Elite Junior Triathlete who now is an avid triathlon writer and founder of http://www.BeginnersTriathlonTrainingSecrets.com. His website covers all areas of Triathlon from the three disciplines to nutrition, injury prevention and other helpful advice in a step-by-step way to get you to your goals. To get full access and to get a FREE copy of the "Complete Beginners Guide" eBook, go to http://www.BeginnersTriathlonTrainingSecrets.com/free_guide Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jake_Allan
Slide 3: ==== ==== No Matter What Your Sport... No Matter What Your Level... The more OXYGEN you deliver to your muscles, the better they will perform! http://tinyurl.com/8xj823s ==== ====