Here’s What to Eat When You’re Preparing for a Marathon
What are the best things to eat and drink when you’re preparing for a marathon?
You may be surprised, because the answer to that is fast-absorbing carbs, food that’s rich in simple sugars to fuel the muscles for running. It also has to be easy to digest so your running won’t be impeded.
At 30-60 minutes in, here are the food and drinks that’s best to eat mid-run:
Fluids:
- Coconut water
Although coconut water isn’t some magical beverage that people claim it to be, it does have its merits.
It’s a great source of electrolytes: phosphorus, sodium, magnesium, calcium and potassium; it also provides your body with carbohydrates. Your stomach digests it well so if you’re the type who can’t hold food and liquids in after a run, this is good for you.
To give coconut water an interesting twist, incorporate it in a recovery smoothie.
Blend coconut water, fruits, greens, and inject with protein with greek yogurt, nut butter or protein powder. It’s a quick, easy, nutritious drink packed with nutrition.
- Salt and water
It sounds weird considering drinking salt and water conjures the image of shipwrecked sailors drinking seawater… but there’s a reasoning behind it.
The concept behind it “hyperhydration”, a trick used by athletes to store as much as 1 liter of extra fluid for exercising.
When drinking salt with water, your body will try to balance the sodium and water levels. Extra sodium suppresses the signals that would tell your body when to pee.
A study recommends that a teaspoon of salt in a liter of water before running is enough to keep you hydrated. It’s not recommended for those with elevated blood pressure though.
A pinch of salt
- Infused water
Infused water is the best compromise between plain water and sugary drinks – no sugar, but with a cool, refreshing splash of flavor.
Choose what fruits you like (a conservative choice is strawberry, lime and cucumber), put them in a jar, and lightly mix them up using a wooden spoon. Fill the jar with water (or seltzer water for a bit of fizz).
Add a bit of agave if you’d like it a bit sweet then refrigerate.
- Gatorade
Need we say more?
Food:
- Fruits
Fruits are your best bet for mid-run snacks: they’re easy to prepare, high in sugar to inject energy to finish your run.
Go for fruits higher in simple sugars and carbs like dates and bananas. With 30g of carbs a banana is just as effective as a carbohydrate drink when talking about performance and blood sugar. Grapes are high in sugar as well as Vitamin C that’s helpful in reducing the damage exercise does to the cells.
You might want to consider munching on raisins next time – they’re very high in calories. Dried cherries are good post-run because thy reduce leg muscle sores an
Pack these fruits in Ziplock bags for your post-run pick-me-up.
- Candy
Lots of sugar and no fat and fiber is the criteria for a post-run snack. Gummy bears tick off all the boxes, but marshmallows are better because its package makes for easy packing.
- Pretzels
A plain, white bread pretzel with no peanut butter is good. It’s rick in simple sugars that ease the ache in your calves.
Benefits From Chiropractic Care
The foremost benefit of chiropractic care is pain relief. The truth is, pain relief is just at the top of the iceberg when talking about the benefits of chiropractic care, because in truth there is more to it than just that!
Here you’ll discover how the holistic approach of chiropractic medicine benefits you:
A Healthy Nervous System with Chiropractic Care
A Healthy Nervous System with Chiropractic Care
A healthy body cannot be complete without a healthy nervous system. No matter how well you eat, how much you work out, how much water you drink or how active your lifestyle, it’s much harder to remain in good physical health if you neglect your spine. We all know that a course of chiropractic care is the best way to remain free of back and neck pain, stiffness, immobility and the risk of more serious conditions like sciatica or Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. However, preventing pain is only one of the many benefits of chiropractic care.
Chiropractic care is essential in maintaining a healthy nervous system. And if the nervous system can’t function correctly, the whole body can’t function correctly.
Getting to know the nervous system
Most of us have very little to no idea of how our nervous systems work. And who could blame us? It’s an extremely complex part of the human body incorporating literally hundreds of billions of tiny nerves all transmitting data to and from the brain via the spine. The nervous system governs things like pain and sensation but it is also in charge of communicating impulses from the brain which control our basic organ functions. Without a properly functioning nervous system your body can begin to miscommunicate a number of vital messages throughout the body which can be severely disruptive to your overall health.
How does chiropractic care help?
So, we know that a healthy immune system is integral in ensuring that all of the organs of the body function as they should. But what does this have to do with chiropractic care? While many see their chiropractor to mitigate or prevent stiffness, immobility and pain, let’s not forget that the spinal column is the highway down which all nerve impulses must travel to and from the brain. When the spine is misaligned or otherwise traumatized, this can be like a roadblock on this all-important highway, slowing or impeding the transmission of vital nerve impulses. Over time this can have a range of negative consequences on the body. Fear not, however, with the aid of your chiropractor you can enjoy the benefits of a healthy nervous system throughout your whole life. What are those benefits?
Glad you asked…
Benefits of a Healthy Nervous System
The nervous system is intrinsically tied to the endocrine and immune systems. When your immune system is functioning well you benefit from better hormone regulation as well as being better able to fight off illnesses and infections.
There are hundreds upon hundreds of functions which our bodies carry out every day without us even realizing. These functions are improved when you have a better functioning nervous system. With regular chiropractic care you may enjoy benefits like;
- More efficient metabolism
- Better growth and development in children and young adults
- Improved sexual function and libido
- Better sleep
All because the nervous system is doing a better job of governing the endocrine and immune systems.
There are even a range of conditions which have been proven to improved with maintaining a healthy nervous system through chiropractic care such as:
- Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- Cerebral Palsy
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Parkinson’s Disease
Corrective Chiropractic can help you to be your best self through improved nervous function. So, what are you waiting for? Schedule an appointment today!
Boosting Your Immune System with Chiropractic Care
Boosting Your Immune System with Chiropractic Care
Though Spring often brings milder temperatures, it also brings with it a host of allergies, colds, and other illnesses. These can make us question whether our immune system is working the way it should. Our lifestyles can play a large role in how healthy we feel through the the year. Staying on top of annual physicals and incorporating regular chiropractic visits can be the key to feeling your best.
And, to do this will require you to pay particular attention to your immune system.
What is the role of the immune system?
To stay in great health, your immune system must work quickly to eliminate any foreign particles or viruses that may get into your body. Its main role is to fight off infections and keep them from wreaking havoc on our other body systems. To do this, you want to be sure your immune cells are as strong as they can be. Because when they are not, your risk of getting (and staying) sick increases exponentially.
How can I naturally boost my immune system?
Your diet plays a large role in the health of your immune system. Getting ample rest and staying active through regular exercise are also ways that you can give your immune system a boost. recent Research points to chiropractic adjustments as being an additional way to ensure your immune cells are ready to protect you.
Although many people associate chiropractic treatments as only needed to alleviate back or neck pain, these treatments can actually help improve a host of conditions, including seasonal allergies, ear infections, even bedwetting. That is because chiropractic treatments adjust the spine to ensure that it is not misaligned. When the spine is misaligned, it disrupts the connections traveling between the nervous system to all of the other body systems. When this is corrected using soothing chiropractic sessions, the nervous system is able to restore these critical connections. And, when your nervous system is functioning properly, you are able to increase the number of immune cells and their response rate to ensure you are able to fight off any infection, bacteria, or virus you may encounter.
It is recommended to visit your chiropractor, once every three months. During these sessions, they will be able to assess your spinal alignment and recommend a course of treatment to keep your spine and posture in perfect alignment.
If you have not seen a chiropractor this year, then now is the time to make an appointment. With 7 convenient Atlanta-area locations, Corrective Chiropractic is able to offer its patients the highest level of quality care to keep them healthy all year round. Click here to schedule a free back evaluation session.