THE Jog Blog – 69

I love food. I love to eat; I love to dine and I love to watch others cook. (I am not a domestic goddess but I am ok with that!)

There are certain foods that I have in my house at all times. These are staples for me since I began incorporating exercise into my life.

BANANAS:

Excellent for anyone to have in their diet, but specifically for runners. You will usually find bananas at any organized running event because they are a good source of carbohydrates and contain potassium which runners need. Bananas also help with muscle contraction and can aid in preventing cramping so they are a good food for joggers.

I eat bananas as is but also add them to shakes, cut them up for my cereal /oatmeal (with raisons and raw nuts) or the classic peanut butter and banana sandwich on whole grain bread. YUM!

EGGS:

I purchase organic, free range eggs. I grew up on a farm so I want the eggs that I eat to come from happy, active chickens. Happy chickens = happy eggs.

Eggs are an excellent source of protein and amino acids which help with muscle repair and recovery. If it’s a longer run, I will sometimes eat a scrambled egg on top of a toasted multi-grain bagel aproximately an hour or so before I exercise. If it’s a shorter jog, I have the eggs once I finish. I boil the eggs and add a little Dijon mustard to them along with a slice of cheese, orange juice and sliced apple. I find this to be an awesome snack after running.

Cereal Bars / Protein Bars:

I rely on protein bars to get me through my day when I teach or I use them the night before a big run. They are not always a good choice though so make sure you read the labels because sometimes they can have just as much fat and sugar as candy bars.

Beans:

I love beans and brown or wild rice. It is now a staple in my diet as I need more iron due to feeling fatigue. My blood work showed I was on the low side for iron so beans and rice are an excellent source of protein, carbohydrates, iron, potassium, fibre, omega 3 and 6 and vitamins, specifically your B vitamins. I have to be careful when I eat beans because my system needs a day to process them before I run long distances.

WATER! Don’t forget to hydrate each and every day. I drink a lot of water!

Food is necessary and eating should be an enjoyable experience.

Our bodies truly are remarkable machines letting us know what foods we need, what foods give us energy and what foods aren’t healthy…all we need to do is listen.

I hope you have a beautiful weekend full of laughter, love and healthy, yummy food shared with family and friends!

See you on Tuesday.

With a smile,

Tina