Category Archives: Nutrition

Cycling Training Nutrition

Ok, I’m not going to bore you with in-depth details about what ratio of carbs to fats and protein you should eat, you can read an article on that next if you find yourself wanting more details and facts about the number crunching side of good nutrition.

Now, some of you might be doing cycling training so that you can lose weight. Still, you need to remember, if you are doing almost any kind of sports training, to get in shape, lose weight, or both, you need to eat enough to support your physical activity. What I am saying is it isn’t good to under eat. If you aren’t doing any physical training, then eating less is a perfectly fine way to lose weight, however, when you are doing sports training you need to eat a surplus of calories to make it really pay off. Your body will need those extra calories to build muscle, and to give you the energy to participate in the activities involved with whatever you are doing.

The next big thing you need to do is to eat healthy. You don’t need to eat healthy all of the time, or buy 100% organic food. (It’s great if you can, but a lot of people can’t afford it). None the less, you need to pay attention to what you eat before and after any kind of training you do for cycling.

So, what’s healthy food? Generally speaking, fruits, veggies, and water do the trick pretty well. Most other stuff that isn’t widely known NOT to be a healthy food to eat works alright most of the time too. Just make sure you stay away from things like: alcohol, soda, pastries, and other junk foods before workouts. One of the main reasons to do this, other than those foods being bad for you, is that many of them, like soda or alcohol, will have a soporific effect, or other negative impact on your training, which can add up to be a severe detriment to your progress.

In general, you should avoid consuming any of the above mentioned foods entirely while on a cycling training routine, or a cycling training program. It’s very important to have a good exercise program for your sport, but you won’t be able to make the progress you want with your cycling training program unless you have good nutrition to back up your efforts.

To recap:

1) Make sure you eat enough, food is your body’s energy source, no food, no energy.

2) Make sure you drink enough water! Your body uses more water than normal while performing any kind of strenuous physical activity, and if you don’t drink enough water, you may feel tired, dizzy, and experience headaches.

3) If you really can’t live without your junk food, don’t eat it before or after exercising, and I mean several hours before or after. (Like 3-5 hours).

4) Eat healthy whenever you can. This means fruits, veggies, organic food, and water as your primary source of liquids.

Don’t forget to make a good cycling workout routine/training program. If you don’t have enough experience to create one for yourself, there are many top quality guides and programs already on the market.

Getting the proper nutrition is important for people of all ages but eating right often becomes difficult for seniors. The elderly, who are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population, may have a hard time getting all the nutrients required for a balanced diet. Malnutrition often presents itself as weight loss, disorientation, and lightheadedness and is often mistaken for illness or disease. If you take care of an elderly parent or grandparent there are plenty of steps you can take to help them get adequate nutrition as they get older.

The best way to find out why your loved one is not eating well is to pay attention and ask them questions. Be encouraging of honesty and openness and reassure them that they are not a burden to you or anyone else in your family. Remind them that they are important to you and that you are there to take care of them. Some of the possible causes of poor nutrition include a decrease in sensitivity of the senses of smell and taste. This affects their ability to taste and enjoy food making them less likely to eat food.

Another cause is side effects of medications which sometimes reduce appetite, make food taste strangely, or cause nausea. Many seniors are also on fixed or limited incomes and out of worry for money, they may cut back on grocery expenses or eat less-nutritious foods in favor of expensive nutritious food. Seniors also experience physical difficulties as they become frailer with age and deal with arthritis and fibromyalgia. Simple tasks like peeling fruit or standing for a long time to cook a meal become too challenging.

Here are some practical tips to ensure that your elderly senior is getting proper nutrition. Offer them nutritionally dense foods because many seniors don’t eat as much as they should. The food they do eat should be as nutritious as possible:

Offer whole and unprocessed foods that are high in calories like healthy fats like nut butters, nuts, and olive oil, whole grains like brown rice, whole wheat bread, and whole grain cereals, fresh fruits and vegetables, and protein-rich beans, legumes, and dairy products.

Make food that is aromatic and flavorful. As elderly people’s senses become dulled with age, it is important to make foods that smell strongly delicious in order to stimulate their appetite. You can intensity flavors with herbs, marinades, dressings, and sauces. Combine textures such as yogurt with granola and switch between a variety of foods during one meal to keep food interesting.

Make eating a family occasion. Depressed seniors who feel lonely and isolated are less likely to take the time to sit down to eat a healthy meal. Sit down with the whole family or invite them over on a regular basis. When mealtime becomes an interesting and fun occasion, seniors are more likely to eat and more likely to enjoy what they are eating.

Promote healthy snacks in between meals. Many seniors don’t enjoy large meals so an alternative solution is to plan for several mini-meals throughout the day. Make the meals nutritionally dense with many fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Cut back on high sodium meals and food with high saturated fat content.