Diet Tips for Runners in Lockdown

Diet Tips for Runners in Lockdown

Given we’re now heading outdoors far less often than we might like, some of us might be struggling to fit in as much exercise as we’re used to. And that’s OK! The important thing is you’re following government guidelines and keeping yourself and others safe during this very unique time. But it’s also why diet tips for runners are coming in handy right now!

But many of us runners are used to fuelling our bodies to compensate for the vast amounts of energy we’re expanding on runs every single day. If that’s no longer happening, it might be wise to take your daily calorie consumption into account now that we’re moving a lot less than before.

At The Running Bee Foundation we host thousands of runners in our incredible running events each and every year. Which is why we’re well aware of following a balanced and healthy diet. Here are a few diet tips for runners (and anybody really!) to consider during lockdown:

Keep an eye on carbs

Carbs are a common occurrence in pieces covering diet tips for runners, because they’re such a useful tool and a dangerous enemy at the same time.

In the lead-up to a race, or in particularly heavy times of training, you might be loading up on carbs every now and again to ensure you’ve got plenty of energy reserves to get you through the toughest moments of your run.

But loading up on carbs when you’re not getting the right amount of exercise to compliment it is never a good idea.

When carbs aren’t burned off they’re stored as fat; This is a notoriously easy way to gain unwanted weight and will undoubtedly throw your exercise or running regime into disarray when you finally start running as often as you’d like again.

So try to limit your intake of heavy carbs like breads and cakes. Your performance will thank you for it.

Stay hydrated!

This is an obvious one, yet it’s always something people forget about when our sense of time gets disrupted as it is doing right now!

In case you didn’t know, we should be drinking around 2 litres of water a day (or the equivalent of 8 8-ounce glasses). Far too few people actually hit this number, which is why you should do the smart thing and monitor how much you drink each day, especially if you’re still training.

Try using marked water bottles, which tell you exactly how much water you’ve drunk, to keep track of where you’re at with your daily water intake. Or set alarms on your phone throughout the day reminding you to drink.

It’s understandable during times like these that we’d forget something as simple as picking up a glass of water. The important thing is we make the effort to stay hydrated!

Now, speaking of forgetting…

Don’t forget to eat!

Watching what you’re eating is quite different from reducing what you’re eating.

If you feel like you might be over-indulging when it comes to portion size, maybe cut it back a little to reduce calories. But there are also people on the other end of the spectrum who completely forget to eat full meals and rely on micro-snacking throughout the day.

This is not recommended! If you want to build and maintain your strength you need to be feeding your body the right kind of stuff with three wholesome meals a day.

The majority of your plate should be vegetables and proteins, with a few small, healthy carbs thrown in for good measure.

Remember: You can be healthy and still eat well! It’s all about what you’re putting in your body to give you the best results.

Avoid sugary & fatty treats

Remember what we said about snacking throughout the day? Well it’s highly unlikely that all those snacks were healthy options like carrot sticks or pieces of fruit, right?

It’s probably going to be a combination of crisps, chocolate, biscuits and other easy-to-grab treats that do absolutely for your nutrition. In fact, when consumed in large numbers they can do you some serious damage and won’t help you stay in shape for getting back out on the running track!

So if you’re not planning on sticking to three meals a day and end up fitting in some nibbles in-between, at least try to snack responsibly.

Always get your 5 a day

It might be an old rule, but there’s a reason doctors recommend we eat at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables each and every day.

Why? Because fruit and veg contain all the essential vitamins and nutrients that not only allow our bodies to survive, but to thrive. It also leaves us with a much improved immune system, which we could all do with right about now!

So if you want to #BeeActiveBeeHealthyBeeHappy for your next run, Bee sure to eat your 5 a day!