Nutritional ideas for your workouts

Avoid working out on an empty stomach.
If you haven’t eaten within the 2 hours prior to training grab a banana, an electrolyte drink, or something else that is light to keep your blood sugar steady.
•For shorter workouts (less than 45 minutes) a piece of fruit would suffice. Make sure it’s fruit that your stomach is familiar with and can easily digest.
•For a workout that’s 60-90 minutes, consider adding an electrolyte drink 1/3 or halfway through to ensure your body has a constant flow of carbs, and to prevent dehydration.
•With a workout over 90 or 120 minutes, then you’ll want to consider taking in a combination of liquid hydration along with some form of solid food: bar, rice, boiled potato, etc. Find out what works for you in terms of liquid and whole foods and you’ll be ahead of the competition!

Don’t miss your breakfast.
This seems to set the tone for how your body utilizes nutrients throughout the day. We often hear that people “aren’t hungry” when they get ready for the day, and that’s perfectly okay. Start with something simple like an egg and a piece of fruit, or a glass of milk and a granola bar. Try being consistent for a week, let your body adjust to having nutrients in the morning and then you can progress from there.
Blood sugar should rise and be more stable with a protein/carb combo. For more sustained energy, add in some healthy fats; for example add avocado to that egg or put some almond butter in a smoothie or on your toast. You’ll stay full for hours to come and energy for that mid-day workout will be better than expected. (Vegan-Breakfast 1 Apple / 1 Orange 1 bowl of steel cut oats 1 protein shake.)

Never skip your recovery meal.
If you’re skipping recovery nutrition, you’re skipping out on the ability to produce results from your training program. Figure out what recovery protocol works for your training, implement it within the precious 30-45 minutes after your workout, and eat within another 90 minutes after that…watch your performance soar.
Why is it recommended that you eat within 30-45 minutes after their session? Science shows, the good old “recovery window” starts to close within 45-60 minutes. Liquid recovery nutrition seems to be easier on the stomach, digests quicker and can be more convenient to use if you’re not at home to prep anything. Stash a protein shake or some amino acids in your gear bag so you can down it when you’re done. Then, when you get home, get in an equally distributed meal: some complex carbs, protein, vegetables and some omega fats. This will again, re-stabilize blood sugar and keep your body moving forward! (Vegan-fresh fruit with protein powder or medium-firm tofu makes an excellent post-workout combination. You could blend these together with soy milk and chia seeds for an easily-digestible smoothie.)

Get in a nutrient-dense snack before bed.
Some healthy fats, nuts, berries, protein - foods that will not spike blood sugar, but help keep it from dropping during the night.
Often times the question is, “Shouldn’t I not eat after X time in the evening?” I guess you could say there’s a mental benefit to feeling good about not overeating or self control about what you’re putting into your body. However, from the perspective of fueling for sport, there’s not a lot of physiological benefit to fasting before bed; we know blood sugar is rapidly depleted during sleep to sustain the body’s processes. Furthermore, if we restrict nutrient intake, what would the body rebuild from during the evening?
(Vegan-before bed 1/2 protein shake or toast with nut butter [rye bread]).

Based up a Training Peaks Post

Adult cardio… How much is needed?

Aerobic activity – what counts?

Aerobic activity or "cardio" gets you breathing harder and your heart beating faster. From pushing a lawn mower, to taking a dance class, to biking to the store – all types of activities count. As long as you're doing them at a moderate or vigorous intensity for at least 10 minutes at a time.

Intensity is how hard your body is working during aerobic activity.

How do you know if you're doing light, moderate, or vigorous intensity aerobic activities? For most people, light daily activities such as shopping, cooking, or doing the laundry doesn't count toward the guidelines. Why? Your body isn't working hard enough to get your heart rate up.

Moderate-intensity aerobic activity means you're working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break a sweat. One way to tell is that you'll be able to talk, but not sing the words to your favorite song. Here are some examples of activities that require moderate effort:
Walking fast
Doing water aerobics, riding a bike on level ground or with few hills (this is achieved in our Xpress endurance ride).

Vigorous-intensity aerobic activity means you're breathing hard and fast, and your heart rate has gone up quite a bit. If you're working at this level, you won't be able to say more than a few words without pausing for a breath. Here are some examples of activities that require vigorous effort:
Jogging or running, swimming laps, riding a bike fast or on hills. (this is achieved in our 30 minute Velocity Xpress interval ride).

You can do moderate- or vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, or a mix of the two each week. A rule of thumb is that 1 minute of vigorous-intensity activity is about the same as 2 minutes of moderate-intensity activity.

Some people like to do vigorous types of activity because it gives them about the same health benefits in half the time. If you haven't been very active lately, increase your activity level slowly. You need to feel comfortable doing moderate-intensity activities before you move on to more vigorous ones. The guidelines are about doing physical activity that is right for you.

30 minutes of high intensity training two to three times per week will meet many of the aerobic requirements mentioned above. Our 30 minute Velocity Xpress class will take you to the correct aerobic level slowly.  You will achieve moderate to vigorous intensity after a few weeks.

No matter what you chose, the most important part is getting started.  Find what is right for you.  Assemble a group of your friends and try a class together.  Most first time classes are free.  Find something as a group, cement the time slot in your calendar and stick to it.  You owe it to your body.

CDC Dec..2011