Hello Runner,
Welcome back to your weekly moment of endurance nutrition!
Happy Weekend!
How are you today? I hope you're well and that your week has been great!
This week was shorter because of the holiday and also because of Sant Jordi (which would be Valentine's Day in Catalonia). Although it's not a public holiday, Catalans celebrate this day by going out for a walk, buying books, and roses to give to loved ones.
If you plan to visit Barcelona one day, consider coming on this date, as it's worth seeing the city at this time. What's more, the weather is perfect—not too hot and not too cold, perfect for strolling and running through the streets.
I think I put in a lot of training last week and woke up on Monday with pain in my foot, but I soon recovered! So I carried on training as expected, worked, and studied as well.
Let's talk about inflammation...., a topic that is frequently discussed on social media and that scares many people (including athletes).
First of all, if you're an endurance athlete, stress is part of the game.
→ Stress is not bad - is how you get stronger, faster, and fitter. Let's just say that without stress, you don't evolve.
The truth is that your strength workouts, long runs, intervals, etc, trigger a stress response in the body that leads to adaptation. And that’s good.
Now you must be confused, right? If the stress that generates inflammation is good, why does everyone say it's bad and we should avoid it?
It turns out that our bodies can't be “inflamed” all the time. Whenever stress is generated in our body, we need to support it so that our body adapts and doesn't get “stuck” in stress mode, producing more inflammation.
But how does an athlete know if their body is stuck in stress mode?
These are the signs:
Slow, gradual weight gain
Frequent injuries
Lingering fatigue
Mid-afternoon crash
High-carb and High-fat food cravings
Uncontrolled hunger at night
Those signs mean that your body is not recovering, not thriving, and not rebuilding.
So, what can you do to reverse these signs and reduce inflammation?
The answer is a nutrition strategy that supports your training, your health, your body, and your performance — all at once.
There’s no such thing as an anti-inflammatory supplement, an anti-inflammatory diet, or a treatment.
Since everyone is different and each nutritional strategy will be different for each person, below are some recommendations to help reduce inflammation and support recovery
MAIN RECOMMENDATIONS
Eat your Veggies and Fruits
Eat 3 portions of vegetables and 3 portions of fruit a day. Add them to your meals or eat them individually. Whatever works best for you.
The more you vary the vegetables and fruits, the better.
They will provide antioxidants to calm inflammation.
Stop this Low-Carb Nonsense
If you're constantly training for endurance, your body needs energy, especially energy from carbohydrates! A low-carb diet will put your body in stress mode and cause inflammation over time.
I know athletes/runners who have had serious problems because they practiced endurance and followed a low-carb diet.
Refuel During Your Long Training
Under-eating around training is one of the biggest triggers for chronic stress and inflammation.
→ Whether you're training on the treadmill or the street, take gels, gummies, dates, carbohydrate drinks, electrolytes, water, whatever you need to support your runs.
Get Enough Sleep and Rest
Overtraining and avoiding the necessary rest will also put too much stress on the body.
Just as we need a good nutritional strategy to perform well and support the body's adaptations, we also need to rest to recover our bodies.
Don't negotiate the 7-8 hours of sleep per night and the rest days (without training).
Remember that there is no such thing as an anti-inflammatory food or an anti-inflammatory supplement.
→ Your daily habits can generate more stress and consequently inflammation, or they can generate a recovered, healthy, and happy body.
You didn't get into running to constantly feel tired, bloated, and frustrated. You're here to feel strong, capable, and powerful.
Track of the week 🎧️
This week's Track of the Week is an oldie, a goodie. Perfect for listening to during recovery (at the end of a workout) or in Z1.
I've chosen the track No Rain by Blind Melon.
Any questions or something you would like to share, drop me an email
Wishing you a great weekend and week ahead!
Here’s to health and good runs⚡️
Ana Paula Alonso