A 45-minute run, a 3-hour hike, cycling all day: when and what should you eat?
General rule…
What we gain from drinking or eating during exercise depends on its duration and intensity. Here’s a summary, followed by an explanation:
|
Duration of exercise |
Drink? |
Eat? |
|
Less than 1 hour |
Water, according to thirst |
No need for anything |
|
1 to 2 hours |
Water or a sports drink, according to thirst |
Yes, carbohydrates |
|
More than 2 hours |
Water or a sports drink containing electrolytes, according to thirst |
Yes, carbohydrates and protein |
Less than 1 hour
We don’t need anything special, except water. Our thirst will guide us. Our needs increase when it’s hot, when we’re sweating heavily, or when we’re working really hard.
If we train on an empty stomach in the morning, that’s the exception. It’s better to have a snack with us just in case, to eat before we start seeing stars!
1 to 2 hours
Sports drinks, homemade or store-bought, are convenient for providing both water and carbohydrates (sugars). We can also drink water and eat snacks (squares, balls, etc.).
Whatever we choose, we start fueling within the first 45 to 60 minutes of our workout to avoid a drop in energy and performance. Above all, we shouldn’t wait until we feel weak, because it will be difficult to recover. We continue drinking or eating every 20 to 30 minutes, aiming for 30 to 60 g of carbohydrates per hour. At a minimum, that’s the equivalent of one 500 ml bottle of sports drink, 5 dried dates, 45 ml of maple syrup or 2 balls or 1 Zenit square.
More than 2 hours
We start drinking or eating within the first hour, still aiming for 30 to 60 g per hour. If we’re doing an ultramarathon, a long cycling event, or another colossal effort, our needs can increase to as much as 90 g of carbohydrates per hour. At that point, eating also becomes part of the sport! It becomes especially important to have a variety of foods available so we don’t get tired of them: sweet foods, salty foods (crackers, pita bread, vegetable juice, etc.), maltodextrin-based drinks (less sweet-tasting than those made with regular sugar, but just as effective), and above all, foods we feel like eating, because eating can make all the difference between carrying on and hitting the wall.
For long events, we also eat foods containing protein because they are more sustaining. A handful of nuts and seeds, cheese, jerky, or snacks made with peanut butter, nut butter, or plant-based protein can be useful. Zenit energy squares are made exactly with these magical ingredients.
If we sweat heavily for 3, 4, 5 hours, or even longer, it is essential to replace the electrolytes we lose, especially sodium. Store-bought sports drinks contain them. We can also add them to homemade drinks by including 1/4 tsp of salt per litre.
1, 2, test
When we take part in a long event that we’ve prepared for over several months, we want to do everything we can to make sure it goes well. To avoid digestive surprises, it’s best to test our fueling strategy during training. An emergency in the bushes is never fun.
By Stéphanie Côté, M.Sc., dietitian
Speaker and author of “Knowing What to Eat – Sports Nutrition,” published by Modus Vivendi, 2019