CARBS - and your athletic performance

image by @cartoonsbypun

There is a lot of misinformation about how truly important carbs are. I'm here to tell you that you should eat carbohydrates in a much greater amount, and more often than you might have previously assumed. Because the trendy high protein -  low carb diets have serious and potentially negative implications for your athletic performance. 

​WHY?

Carbs are stored as glycogen in the muscles and are the main fuel for the creation of muscular energy. Also, carbs (sugar) is the primary fuel for your brain, which always must continue to function. A failure to sustain sugar delivery to your brain and working muscles results in cessation of high-intensity activity. 

WHAT? 
When all things are equal in a race, or activity, involving strenuous exercise, it will come down to who has the highest glycogen stores. If you don't provide your body and your brain with enough carbs, not enough will be stored and there will be a shortage during exercise (almost all glycogen stores are used up after about two hours of strenuous exercise - this is called hitting the wall). 

WHY?
Because mental fatigue always results in muscular fatigue regardless of how much energy is stored in the muscles. Sustaining carb sufficiency is problematic because unlike either protein or fat, humans have a limited storage capacity for carbs. 

ALSO: with low blood sugar and low muscle glycogen stores your body actually will break down your muscles 😱😳

WHAT??
Depriving your body of carbohydrates will force your body to go to muscle and fat as energy. Depending on what you are doing, your body will break down your muscle tissue to provide energy. 

How to avoid glucose depletion should be the major focus of your nutrition practice

HOW CAN YOU ACHIEVE THIS? 
Eat plenty of carbs and have a routine that keeps your glycogen stores from becoming depleted. 
BEFORE, DURING AND IMMEDIATELY AFTER EXERCISE: choose highly digestible, low-fiber, starch-based carbs: bread, pasta, rice, sports drinks. If you want to cheat and have ice cream the best time would be right after a hard workout. 
REST OF THE TIME: choose low and medium glycemic foods and high-fiber carbs: whole grains, vegetables, beans, fruits. 

CONCLUSION 
With a broad knowledge of what carbohydrates are and how they work, you can increase performance, maximize weight loss without loosing the energy, improve overall health and maximize energy stores. So be smart and don't be afraid of carbs 🍩🍫🍭🍰🍦