More Fitness = More Food

So much of the fitness industry is telling you that dieting is how people get more fit. This may be true if weight loss is your goal – calorie deficits are the path to taking off weight. Though, if increased and sustained physical fitness is your goal, here’s a newsflash for you: it’s going to take more food.

During the pandemic, athletes might have put nutrition by the wayside. Even if they did grab a few extra cookies from the pantry or ordered more takeout over the last year, they may still have seen improvements in their fitness. Why? Extra energy in can help us put more energy out. For an athlete who is holding 200 watts for an hour and wants to increase that output to 250, it’s going to take both higher intensity and higher consumption of calories to produce the desired result!

This is why dieting is not often recommended while in the final build phases of training for long-distance or multi-hour events like a century ride or a half marathon. Food is truly the fuel that will carry you to the finish line!

Now, increasing calories can be as difficult as decreasing them. While you might think it’ll be a joy to add in extra nutrition, it’s something you need to train your body and your gut to handle. It’s also important to consider that not all calories are created equal. It’s still incredibly important to find the right balance of macronutrients and micronutrients for optimum performance.

Have questions about nutrition? Reach out to us today.

Also, check out our recent Training Talks episode all about nutrition and endurance training!