Developing Your Walk Training Plan, Part 3
One of the key pieces in any training regimen is nutrition. While you should always eat a healthy diet, it’s even more important when you’re pushing your body, burning extra calories, and laying down new muscle.
(Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist, but I do know what happens when I don’t plan my meals around my training. If you have any questions about eating or any diet-sensitive health issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or food allergies, please consult a nutritionist.)
Remember the old food pyramid? The government has redesigned it with a heavier emphasis on whole grains and fruits and vegetables.
Here are the daily recommendations:
Dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese) — 3 daily servings (1 cup milk/yogurt, 1-1/2 ounces cheese) provide calcium, protein, and riboflavin.
Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans, and nuts – 2-3 daily servings (3 ounces cooked meat, 2 eggs, 1 cup cooked beans, 4 tablespoons peanut butter) provide protein, B vitamins, iron, and zinc.
Grains (bread, pasta, cereals) – 6 daily servings (1 slice bread, ½ cup cooked rice, pasta, or cereal) provide fiber, B vitamins, iron, magnesium, and selenium.
Vegetables — 5 daily servings (1/2 cup raw or cooked, 1 cup raw leafy, ½ cup juice) provide fiber, potassium, vitamins A, E, C, and folate.
Fruits — 4 daily servings (1 medium, ½ cup juice, ¼ cup dried) provide fiber, potassium, folate, and vitamin C.
Oils (poly- and monounsaturated) – 6 tablespoons daily provide Essential Fatty Acids.
What, exactly, do all of those nutrients do for you?
- Fiber lowers cholesterol and keeps your digestive system healthy.
- Protein builds tissues, including muscle.
- Iron carries oxygen in your blood to your cells.
- Magnesium helps build strong bones and releases energy from your muscles.
- Potassium helps regulate blood pressure and keeps your heart functioning efficiently.
- Calcium builds strong bones.
- Selenium is an antioxidant.
- Zinc boosts the immune system.
- Vitamin A is an antioxidant and keeps cells healthy.
- B vitamins (thiamin, niacin, riboflavin and folate) boost metabolism and help the body turn food into energy. Folate also boosts red blood cell production, which means your body can carry more oxygen.
- Vitamin C heals wounds, boosts the immune system, aids in the absorption of iron, and keeps teeth and gums healthy.
- Vitamin D works with calcium and phosphorus to build strong bones.
- Vitamin E is an antioxidant and promotes healthy cells.
- Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) are necessary for the functioning of most of the body’s systems and for repairing cellular trauma and fighting inflammation.
A few words about calories
A moderately active person needs about 1500-2000 calories a day to maintain a healthy weight, so if one of your training goals is to lose a few pounds, you may need to decrease your caloric intake even as you increase your activity level. To lose a pound a week, you need to create a 3500 calorie deficit. Walking at a 4MPH pace burns 400 calories an hour, so in your first week of training (if you follow the schedule) you’ll burn an extra thousand calories or so just by walking. The two days of cross training will further increase your energy expenditure. If you cut out the extra glass of wine at dinner and the bag of chips in the middle of the afternoon, you’ll eliminate another 2500 calories, so you should see the pounds slowly begin to drop.
Even if the weight isn’t coming off as fast as you would like, you will see your body becoming more toned, you’ll sleep better, and your energy level will increase. As you increase your mileage and speed, the extra pounds will melt away. As you get into the long distance training, you may find you need to injest a few more calories every day (but a daily Snickers is still a no-no).
For more information on good nutrition as well as tools to help you develop a good eating plan, visit the USDA’s web site mypyramid.gov.
Next time: training table tips for making eating well a fun and enjoyable way of life.
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