To be prepared for big events - just as marathons, long-distance hiking or any competition which requires high energy - you need to apply Carb-Loading. Carb-Loading is one of the well-known nutrition strategies for athletes which helps in improving their performance by adjusting our diet and physical activity level to boost the amount of carbohydrates stored in our bodies. This diet aims to consume more carbohydrate-rich foods in order to maximize the glycogen stores in the body.
To apply this type of diet you need to monitor your body for a while as Jessica Bennett says” Practice what you eat”. Take a week before the big event to prepare your menu for the big day, try different types or carb-rich foods and notice your digestive system’s reaction to it. By the end of the week you’re going to have a list of your ideal items to be ready for the big event. It’s important to have a sense of what works the best for you as our bodies are different from each other and, for sure, you don’t want to try something new in your important event.
You have many options for this diet like potato, sweet potato, rice, brown rice, pasta, bread, oats, bananas, apples, mangos, dates, etc. It’s important to take care when you add high-fiber foods to your menu in preparation days as it might make your digestive system uncomfortable.
Applying this diet doesn’t mean you’ll remove other items from your dishes, in fact you’ll minimize the fats or the fibers to add more carbs. So, instead of eating pasta with fried chicken you can add more pasta and take grilled chicken with it. You need to balance the items in the way which makes the carbs items win the race!
Now you have your menu with all the possible dishes, you’ll start your loading process 3 or 2 days before the event to give your body the chance to store it. Do not count on the last day to have a big meal full of carbs, it’s a common mistake between athletes, give your body a fair chance to work well and to help you to succeed not to hit the wall!
The day before your event you need to eat well and not above your limit. For example if you weight 70 kg, that equates to 600 grams of carbs or 2400 calories. Make sure that when you wake up in the morning to feel a bit hungry which is a sign that everything from yesterday has been digested in the best way.