Many of you will know Susie Burrell, the dietician who regularly appears on TV. But how many of you know that Susie was a physie girl?  Susie recently spoke at the BJP Conference, as part of our ongoing teacher training program.  Amongst the many tips she gave for healthy eating was some sound advice about what to eat when training for an upcoming event or competition.

Check out Susie’s website www.susieburrell.com.au where you can subscribe to her free weekly newsletters which are full of great advice, information, recipes and motivational quotes like this one:

“In my mind, I’m always the best. If I walk out on the
court & I think the next person is better, I’ve already lost” – Venus Williams

Click on READ THE FULL POST for Susie’s thoughts on what to eat when training.

Naturally, the more you train, the hungrier you are also likely to get and hence getting your diet right is imperative if you are to shift a couple of kg whilst ensuring
you have enough energy for your increased training load. Here are my top tips to keep you on track with your diet as you prepare and also check out my blog for more detailed diet info – http://susieburrell.blogspot.com/

1. Try not to cut out too many carbs
   You need a little more carb if you are training more than an hour each day or you will find
   yourself craving sugar. Try recovering with 10-20g of carbs along with protein
   within 30 min of every run. Good options include yoghurt, a skim milk coffee or
   protein/carb bar.
2. If you train before breakfast you need carbs at night
   Many runners prefer to run on an empty stomach which is fine unless
   you have not eaten any carbs since lunchtime the day before. Add just 20-30g
   with 1 potato, ½ cup pasta or rice or some sweet potato and notice how much
   better you feel during your morning run.
3. Manage the cravings
   We get sugar cravings when we have not eaten the right mix of carbs and protein. Manage your post run appetite with
   a meal replacement shake, protein shake made with skim milk or crackers and
   cheese with a vegetable – the bulk will keep you full while the mix of carbs and
   protein will help to regulate your blood glucose levels.

Should you eat before you train?
I have been asked this question at least 5 times in the past week alone; “Should
you eat before you train in the morning?” For many, the belief is that if you do
not eat, you will have no readily available fuel in the form of carbohydrate,
and as a result you will burn a greater proportion of fat. Unfortunately, things
are not so clear-cut when it comes to physiology and fat metabolism.

If no carbohydrate is available to the muscle when it is being trained, while you
will burn a higher percentage of fat overall, but of a likely smaller amount of
total energy, as the body will reduce metabolism to adapt to the perceived fuel
shortage. For this reason, if you complete a light training session of <30
minutes of moderate intensity activity, before 7:30-8am, you do not need to eat
before you train. But, if you train for >45-60 minutes, have cut out carbs
the night before and/or will not eat your breakfast until after 8am you are
likely to train more efficiently and burn more fat if you do eat a small portion
of carbohydrate before your session. Please note, small, just 10-20g, which will
top up your blood glucose level and let you access your fat stores more
efficiently. Good choices include 1 slice of toast with peanut butter or cheese,
a couple of Vita Weat crackers and ½ glass of milk.