Hello Runner,
How are you today? I hope you're doing fine as well as I am!
This past week has been very intense for me! My strength training changed, and I thought my quadriceps were going to run out of my body from the pain. As a result, I took it easy on my running workouts.
I've created a club to talk about nutrition on Strava! If you have a profile there, click here and become a member of the Club.
If you're an athlete and don't have a Strava profile, I suggest you create one! I think it's great for analyzing your performance and keeping track of your training.
In the last email, I gave an example of a full day's meals for runners. Today, I'm going to explain what you should eat on a rest day.
First, some general tips to keep in mind.
GENERAL TIPS
Calories
First and foremost: you shouldn't eat less or restrict calories on rest days! Your body needs proper nutrients to recover on days you are not training.
Remember → how and what you eat on rest days can impact your next few workouts.
Carbs
Even though you’re not running that day, carbs are still a very important part of your rest day diet because it’s an opportunity to replenish your glycogen stores so that you’ll be ready to tackle the next day’s run.
Your rest day is the perfect time to focus on high-fibre carb sources, since you don’t have to worry about the potential tummy troubles that could cause on a day that you’re running.
Proteins
To help your muscles recover, we're going to increase your protein intake to 1.6g/kg of body weight. Remember our 70kg example athlete who has to consume 98g of protein on race days? Now he'll have to consume 112g. I’ll divide this total amount into 4 meals.
Micronutrients
Rest days are ideal for increasing your intake of foods rich in protein and antioxidants, since these will help decrease inflammation in your body, which will help improve recovery.
Hydration
You likely don’t need as much water as you do on days when you’re running, but you still need to drink some to avoid dehydrating yourself for the next day’s run.
Gif by pudgypenguins on Giphy
Now, here is what the meal plan for a day off would look like.
SAMPLE MEAL PLAN
Breakfast
Scrambled eggs -2 whole eggs + 2 egg whites. (20g protein)
2 slices of wholemeal bread (7g protein)
Smashed avocado
Banana
Gif by spongebob on Giphy
Lunch
110g Baked salmon (25g protein)
80g cooked white rice (2g protein)
Side salad
Snack
1 scoop protein powder (20g protein)
1 cup milk (8g protein)
Piece of fruit
Gif by four_paws on Giphy
Dinner
80g grilled turkey breast (24g protein)
160g pasta with tomato sauce (8g protein)
Steamed broccoli and zucchini
Kiwi
Fluid Intake
Not much changes here; daily hydration remains the same. What will not be necessary is hydration during runs, as it is a rest day.
Just like the last email, I've included easy and good carbohydrate options - crucial for runners.
This is a general sample that can be followed by people new to running/cycling/swimming on rest days.
Remember that in the personalized meal plan, carbohydrates, proteins, and good fats are calculated for your individual needs! This will help you achieve your goals faster and improve your performance and health.
Any questions or something you would like to share, drop me an email.
Wishing you a great weekend!
Here’s to health and good runs ⚡️
Ana Paula Alonso