If you are tempted to get out on the bike a bit more in the spring and summer months and make the most of the weather, it is important to support your training well with a diet that will provide energy and help you to recover a little better.  Imagine being able to pick up the pace at the end of a long ride or simply make a cycle that you regularly miss due to fatigue. Well, here are some simple solutions to help you to avoid lead legs or simply to speed up your recovery and ensure you can still put in some quality mileage. Lynn clay explains.

Balance calories

One of the most important factors in training preparation and recovery is simply ensuring that you are consuming adequate calories.  When adding mileage it is worth considering how many extra calories you will burn as you add on the miles.  You may be tempted to take a fast-track to weight loss, by upping the cycling dramatically and keeping calories stable.  It is more sensible however, to add calories as you add mileage, so that you are not left in a heap at the end of a tough weeks training.  After all, what good is that if you are then out for a week due to a cold or general lethargy.    Even for a 60kg female cycling at an average speed of 15mph, average calories expended per mile are around 40, so gently up your calorie intake as you increase your mileage to stay strong.

Calculate carbohydrate

Ensuring you are eating carbohydrate in each meal will keep your energy stores full for training and provide immune system support too.  Opt for low glycemic carbohydrates in your daily food and high glycemic carbohydrates around exercise.  Ideally aim for at least 5 grams of carbohydrate for each kilogram you weigh and consume this daily from a variety of sources.  Ensure you include carbohydrate straight after exercise, whether in a drink or food source.  Ideally combine carbohydrate with protein as research shows an improvement in glycogen replenishment (stored carbohydrate levels) when carbohydrate and protein are consumed together.  If it is not easy to transport a post-training meal opt for a sports nutrition formula such as ‘Recovermax’, available from GNC or at www.maximuscle.com. Simply including this post exercise fuel replenishment will make a big difference to muscle soreness and energy recovery.

Hurry and Hydrate

Dehydration can have a huge impact on performance and immune health.  Just 3% dehydration can decrease power and co-ordination by 15%.  Just think how much training effort you put in to improve your performance and by simply not drinking enough fluid all of this hard work can be negated.  General hydration guidelines are to consume 2 – 3 litres of fluid per day however this will need to be complimented with extra fluid around exercise.  Ideally for runs lasting longer than 45 minutes, opt for a carbohydrate drink to supply additional energy and improve hydration.  Once duration is greater than 90 minutes an electrolyte drink should be selected to replace salts lost in sweat.   Approximately 0.75 litres of fluid should be added per hour of exercise in moderate climates.  If you are lucky enough to be escaping for some training in the sun, increase this to 1 – 1.2 litres per hour of exercise.  Rehydrating the body after exercise will also reduce inflammation in the body, improving the recovery process.

Caution:  If all of your added fluid is water, in extreme circumstances, it is possible to drink too much water, diluting sodium and potassium levels in the body.  This can lead to a condition called hyponatremia commonly known as ‘water poisoning’.  The easiest way to rebalance this during exercise is to use an electrolyte drink.