QUESTION
Do you have any written info you could forward to me about diluting/not diluting Gatorade and/or the use of gels with Gatorade? I train with a club in Indianapolis but both of our main coaches are very “old school” and use nothing but water and don’t have much knowledge about using Gatorade, diluting it, or using with gels.
ANSWER
I would strongly suggest you never ever dilute Gatorade, that is not the way the product is intended to be used. Gatorade is a 6% carbohydrate solution, and that is not by accident. We know from a tremendous amount of research on hydration and gastric fluid emptying that the ideal concentration for carbohydrate solutions to leave the gut most rapidly is between 6% and 8%. (As a related aside, Powerade is a 6.5% carbohydrate solution and Accelerade is a 7% carbohydrate solution.). You want the carbohydrate that is in these beverages to leave the gut as rapidly as possible so it can be in the bloodstream where it can then be utilized by your working skeletal muscle cells to allow you to run.
Additionally, Gatorade has electrolytes (sodium and potassium), which your body absolutely requires if your exercise session exceeds 60 minutes. Your sweat contains electrolytes and if you do not replenish those during your run you greatly increase your likelihood of cramping later in a race, which it sounds like you experienced.
My advice is to take Gatorade at every aid station during your marathon, even the early ones, from mile 1 on. The only exception to this would be if it is an aid station where you ingest a GU, or some other gel pack. If you take a gel make sure to swallow it with water, not Gatorade, as you do not need the additional carbohydrate or electrolytes due to the composition of the gel pack.
Finally, make sure you practice your runs with Gatorade and gels if that is your race plan. If you are not used to doing this in your long runs it is not a good idea to make the race your first experience with Gatorade or gels.
Best Wishes,
Dr. Devor
Steven T. Devor, Ph.D., FACSM
QUESTION
Dr. Devor,
Lately my running workouts with the group have been feeling a lot harder, and I think it might be related to my eating. I am confused by what to eat before my workout. My stomach is sensitive and is easily upset by too much food. Also what about carbohydrates and protein before exercise, or should I eat mostly fat before a workout? Is there any difference if I am going to be weight lifting or running.
ANSWER
Thanks for your question. As I have discussed many times in my talks to the group, eating before training or a race is crucial to enhance your performance and make you feel better while running or doing other exercise. It is important to get the right combination of foods in your pre-exercise meal. As your question indicates, I believe the confusion is still mainly with what to eat before exercise. Should it be carbohydrate, protein, fat, or some combination; that is what I will address. I can also offer you some suggestions for your sensitive stomach with regard to pre-exercise meals, and help with your confusion about protein before a workout as well.
The bottom line is this: when you eat carbohydrate rich foods prior to exercise you will not only perform better but also feel much better during your workout. Carbohydrate is the preferred fuel for your body during exercise, and is the only fuel your brain and motor nerves are able to utilize as fuel. In spite of all the claims, misinformation, and the idea of “fat burning zone”, it is a fact based upon a significant amount of very well done scientific research in my lab and others, that the percentage of fat burned during exercise is NEVER greater than the percentage of carbohydrate that is burned.
I believe this is where the confusion comes from and where the the idea of a “fat burning zone” came from. Do you burn more fat as fuel at lower intensities of exercise compared with higher intensities of exercise? Yes. However, and this is the important part, the percentage of fat that is burned is NEVER greater than the percentage of carbohydrate that is burned. For example, even when you are exercising at approximately 50% of your VO2max, which for most people is walking quickly (roughly 4.0 mph on a treadmill with a 0% grade), we are still burning approximately 60% carbohydrate and only 40% fat. For most people when they are exercising, they are at a significantly higher intensity than 50% of their VO2max. Consequently the amount of carbohydrate they are burning is increased well beyond what is being burned at the 50% of VO2max intensity. So the whole idea of a “fat burning zone”, is simply not true and is extremely misleading for many people. Further, it is precisely why it is so critical to have adequate carbohydrate in your diet if you are engaged in regular physical activity.
While it is true that when you exercise on an empty stomach it permits your body to burn more fat, this does not typically translate to a reduction in body fat (i.e., stored calories). When the body must utilize fat for fuel during exercise (because no carbohydrate is available), it requires you to work out at a lower intensity, and that means that you are burning fewer calories per minute of exercise. To really burn excess body fat (once again: stored calories), you need to exercise at a higher intensity. When you have supplied your body with adequate carbohydrate you will use that food to power your exercise, and that means you will be able to burn more calories per minute of exercise. When carbohydrate is not available, your intensity drops, both physically and mentally, and exercise on an empty stomach generally feels much harder. So, choose a satisfying meal or snack, but keep the high calorie additions to a minimum if you are trying to lose body fat. Allow 30 – 60 minutes to digest the food and then hit a high intensity workout. Try these lower calorie, carbohydrate-rich foods to fuel your workouts: Unsweetened cereal with skim milk and fruit, or whole wheat toast with light spread of almond butter and preserves, or maybe a low-fat yogurt-fruit mix.
Since your stomach is sensitive and frequently gets upset, I would suggest you go with low fiber and low fat foods before exercise. Try to eat at least one hour before you exercise and skip high fiber cereals and peanut butter. Fiber and fat take much longer to digest and are therefore in your stomach longer and cause it to work harder, not what you want if your stomach is already sensitive before you exercise. You want the food that you eat before a workout to be digested and out of your gut when you start exercise. I would try a banana, whole wheat English muffin or bagel, and perhaps some low-fat yogurt.
As important as carbohydrate is to fuel your aerobic exercise, it is equally as important before you do your resistance training to fuel your skeletal muscles for the lifting they are about to do. Another well entrenched myth and bit of misinformation that exists for many people is that you need to ingest pre-exercise protein to fuel your resistance training workouts. Once again, this is simply not true. Most resistance training is very high intensity exercise, especially when you are being pushed by a personal trainer or a workout partner. Just as with aerobic activity, the higher the intensity of exercise, the greater the percentage of carbohydrate that is required to work your hardest and get the most from your weight training session. If your carbohydrate availability is low, you will lose physical energy and mental focus and your workout will suffer. Proteins are very complicated molecules, and your body will never choose them to fuel exercise, unless your carbohydrate and fat storage is completely depleted. It requires a significant amount of energy to simply break down proteins we ingest, and so they become a very inefficient way to fuel exercise. Protein is an absolutely essential part of your diet for many reasons, but it is not used to fuel exercise.
To get the most benefit from your weight training focus on consuming adequate protein AFTER your workout when your skeletal muscles are in need of the protein for repair and growth. I suggest post workout meals of lean cuts of chicken and turkey, salmon, nuts and nut butters, and Greek yogurt. Beans and legumes are also great sources of protein as well as fiber and carbohydrate. If you are a vegetarian or vegan athlete, you can consume adequate protein by incorporating soy products such as tofu, tempeh, and seitan into your diet.
Best wishes for your continued training success.
Dr. Devor