Running isn’t easy if you’re overweight or out of shape in general. Apart from some cardio, stretching, and weight training, what makes a runner go to peak performance is the food that they ingest. While we all like to indulge in the occasional pizza and desserts, having healthy eating habits is imperative if you want to go competitive.
Stock up with real food
Does the food you eat contain lots of chemicals or additives? Do you feel weird after eating a meal even in small quantities? Then it’s time to go the bio way. What do we mean by this? Start by getting organic, grass-fed meat instead of the processed meat you regularly find in supermarkets.
Add some locally-sourced veggies, fruits, nuts, and beans to your diet, preferably from a local store whose food source you’re familiar with. Locally-sourced fish is yet another great option for meat lovers, and you can check out the best herring dishes here.
It’s ok to have a cheat day
Stop trying to be a health freak. It’s gonna work. It’s ok to eat pizza, desserts, and other guilty pleasure foods as long as you don’t overdo it. This might seem to come in contrast with our previous point, but it doesn’t.
To put it as simple as we can, what you usually do is far more important than what you rarely do – i.e. it’s ok to eat pizza rarely if you usually stick to healthy food.
Keto isn’t all that good
As a runner, you’ll need to cut back on your sugar intake, but you have to be realistic about your need for carbs. Most beginner runners make the mistake of not eating enough carbs before a marathon and find themselves tiring much faster than those who did.
If you’re overweight, excess carbs may be a problem, but if you’re fit and trying to run, they can be useful in moderate quantities.
Vegetables are your friends
Does it sound cliche? Yeah, we know. But as cliche as it is, it’s true. Veggies have very few calories compared to other food groups, and they’re packed with nutrients and almost zero sugars.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that your diet should consist solely of vegetables. Leaving ethics aside, meat is necessary for building muscle strength and getting proteins that are nowhere to be found in vegetables.
Try out different recipes
Just because you’re on a diet doesn’t mean you have to eat stale and tasteless food. Try out different recipes, add your own spices to the mix, be inventive, don’t be afraid to experiment. Food shouldn’t be considered just a simple resource for sustenance. Food should be fun to cook and eat, and by applying this mentality you’ll have a much easier time dieting.
Final thoughts
What do you think of this information? Did you learn something new or did you already know everything we’ve talked about today? Let us know in the comments below, and share your advice with our fellow runners in the community.
