Developing Your Walk Training Plan, Part 4
Now that your know why you should eat healthy food, here are some tips for incorporating good food into your training:
1. Make sure your dairy servings are low-fat. If you drink whole milk, switch to two-percent, and if that’s what you drink now, step down to skim. After a while you won’t miss the fat and your heart will thank you.
2. Eat more fish, beans, and tofu than red meat. If you like red meat, switch from beef to bison. It’s more expensive, but much leaner and more nutrient dense. It’s also tasty and usually produced in a more humane, environmentally sustainable manner than beef.
3. Use whole grains as much as possible. Avoid white bread, white rice, and pasta. Switch to whole wheat bread and pasta and brown rice. Add bulgur or barley to soups and stews and explore new tastes with quinoa, millet, and spelt. Here’s an excellent article on whole grains with links to recipes.
4. Fill your plate with color. Eat more bright orange sweet potatoes and squash and dark green leafy vegetables like spinach and kale. Fresh or frozen blueberries are a great addition to your oatmeal or morning smoothie.
5. Use saturated fats like butter in moderation and replace them with healthy oils like extra virgin olive oil and grapeseed oil.
6. Eat several small meals instead of three large ones. Eating small amounts more frequently keeps your energy level high and your blood sugar steady.
7. Eat breakfast! Especially on your longer or more strenuous walk days, BEFORE you head out the door, plan to take in about 300-400 calories that include healthy carbs and some protein. A whole wheat bagel with a smear of peanut butter, a protein smoothie, or a scrambled egg (no butter) with some fresh veggies and a piece of whole grain toast are all good choices.
8. While you’re walking, keep your nutrition level up. Bananas and oranges are good, as are peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat.
9. On endurance walk days, you may find that eating while you’re walking doesn’t sound good or sit well in your stomach. Experiment with gels and bars designed to replenish nutrients. Figure out what works for you so that on your event day, you can avoid the deadly “bonk.”
10. Eat as many fresh, organic foods as you can, time and budget permitting. If you must eat prepackaged, processed foods, avoid those with high-fructose corn syrup, added soy, and excess sodium, all of which are unhealthy. If you don’t have time to shop or cook fresh vegetables, use frozen, but never canned.
11. Give yourself a treat once in a while. If a Snickers is your favorite thing, one won’t hurt you. Just don’t make it a habit. If you’re a coffee drink fiend, switch to low-fat lattes and cappucinos for your daily fix and save the double chocolate caramel cinnamon mochas and pumpkin spice cream cheese frappucinos for a reward when you reach training milestones. Put the money you save into your fundraising account.
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