Nutrition Tips for Cyclists

Before Physical Activity

To properly prepare your body, you must give what it will need during the activity. To do this, you must eat a good amount of carbohydrates, proteins and vitamins. However, there are several kinds of carbohydrates, some gives an explosion of energy very fast, but do not last very long and others are digested slowly and give energy over a longer period. This kind of carbohydrate is found in cereals and nuts. Another essential nutrient is proteins. These are used to repair cells and muscles, but are also a very good source of energy. A good pre-sport lunch should look like a bowl of cereal or oatmeal with nuts, fruits, milk or yogurt. Cereals and fruits contain carbohydrates to give you the energy to begin your adventure in strength. Fruits also contain minerals and vitamins that help to prevent cramps. Nuts and dairy products are high in protein that will give you energy reserves and keep your body in shape.

During Physical Activity

The most important during the activity is to keep a good level of energy and to hydrate. When we sweat, we evacuate a lot of minerals essential to body. To replenish these minerals, you can take one bottle of water containing electrolytes. It is also important to eat when we do sports. Bringing fruits, gels or energy bars is a good way maintain a good energy level.

After Physical Activity

Sport is the best way to get in shape. However, intense physical efforts can hurt the body more than make it stringer. Therefore, it is important to help the body rebuild itself by giving it what it needs. After big effort, we are often lacking glucose, so a sweet drink can satisfy the sugar down cause by the reduced level of carbohydrates in the blood. It is also important to provide the necessary proteins to rebuild muscles. During physical activity, we create a multitude of micro tears in our muscles. It is important to provide our body with protein to rebuild our muscles. There is a short period of about 30 minutes after the physical activity where the body will absorb faster what you give it. That's why having recovery bar close by can be very beneficial to recover from our effort and be ready to return out there faster!