The types of food we eat as well as how and why we’re eating the food is important.
Here are three simple lifestyle changes you can make that will have a big impact on your general wellbeing (how good you feel) and your running.
1. Eating more whole foods
Eat more veggies! Five-a-day is the bare minimum. You should be consuming two servings of fruit and three-PLUS servings of veggies per day. So, if you can increase the amount of non-starchy vegetables you eat, you’ll be feeling great in no time.
2. Drink more water
Water consumption impacts your ability to concentrate as well as how well your brain functions. When you’re thirsty, you also tend to eat more.
By the time you feel thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. So, be sure to head to the water cooler a bit more often or carry your own bottle full of H2O.
Dehydration also negatively impacts sporting performance – so drink up!
3. Reduce your intake of 'free sugars'
Free sugars are any sugar source outside of those naturally found in whole fruit and lactose which naturally occurs in milk and milk products. These free sugars include: honey, maple syrup, golden syrup, brown sugar, white sugar, agave, fruit syrups, coconut sugar and, surprisingly enough, fruit juice is counted here, too.
The World Health Organisation guideline limits sugar consumption to 26 grams per day, which is 6 teaspoons. When you consider that’s how much sugar is typically found in a single glass of juice, you’ll want to take a closer look at the foods you eat.
With training, there is a time and a place for additional free sugars as they can be helpful during endurance training and in recovery. Yet, it’s best to get specific advice on what's right for you depending on how you train and what your goals are.
