Page 108 - AMB Freelist

hour-long session (wearing minimal clothes and dried off).
This will give you an idea of how much you need to drink per hour during a ride in certain conditions so you can come up
with a fluid replacement plan and remind yourself to stick with it, particularly on hot days.
FUELLING OPTIMAL RECOVERY
Good recovery nutrition helps the body bounce back faster, improves energy levels and mood, and prevents injuries. Research is still evolving in this area, but it seems that the recovery window is longer than first thought and may be up to 3-4 hours for women and 18-24 hours for men. Rather than focusing just on the 30-60 minutes after training, what you eat around training and across the day can therefore have a big impact on recovery.
Do try this at home:
Start your post-ride recovery by eating soon after you finish before life gets in the way. Go for protein, carbohydrate and fluids. Try a smoothie, cereal with milk or a sandwich with juice.
Then, try to eat protein every 3-4 hours during the day (ideally 20-30g protein at meals and 10-15g in snacks). Bonus: eating protein regularly during the day helps to reduce cravings at night as well.
End the day with some extra protein before bed to help with muscle building and repair and sleep.
CARBOHYDRATES DURING MENOPAUSE
Women in perimenopause or menopause have slightly different carbohydrate needs. If this is you:
• Eat at least 110-120g carbohydrate per day (low carb is not a
good idea!)
• Be sure to add carbohydrates in around training
• Choose colourful fruits and vegetavles, lentils or wholegrains
rather than processed carbohydrates to boost the vitamins and minerals in your diet.
KEY NUTRIENTS FOR HEALTH AND PERFORMANCE
Performance and health can be impacted by a lack of certain nutrients including calcium, vitamin D, unsaturated and omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B12. Ageing, medical history and some medications
can all impact the ability to absorb and utilise these nutrients.
Calcium and vitamin D are two of the most important nutrients for older athletes, particularly women, as needs increase and intake is often inadequate. Calcium is important for bone health as well as muscle and cardiac function. Men over 70 and women over 50 require an additional 300mg of calcium per day to support health (1300mg total). Vitamin D is also important key for bone health and muscle function, but also supports the immune system. Ageing can reduce the skin’s ability to produce vitamin D by up to 50% and dietary sources of vitamin D are often inadequate to meet requirements, leading to deficiencies. Supplements may be helpful for these nutrients but it’s best to discuss with your GP, sports physician and sports dietitian to see what is best for you, your medical history and training and racing goals.
Do try this at home:
Aim for 3-4 serves of high calcium foods each day. Think milk, yoghurt, cheese, soy milk, tofu, salmon, sardines, almonds or tahini.
Eat vitamin-D rich foods such as eggs, mushrooms, dairy and oily fish regularly and check the recommendations for sun exposure for vitamin D production for your area
Include lean proteins, nuts and seeds and oily fish regularly to provide your body with good fats, vitamin B12 and iron.
TRAINING WITH EXISTING MEDICAL CONDITIONS AND MEDICATIONS
Older athletes are more likely to have medical conditions managed with medication which can have side effects impacting on performance. If this is you, discuss your medication and training goals with your GP or sports physician.
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