{"id":1492377,"date":"2022-11-04T16:00:07","date_gmt":"2022-11-04T14:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazine.bkool.com\/?p=1492377"},"modified":"2022-11-04T16:29:03","modified_gmt":"2022-11-04T14:29:03","slug":"cycling-supplies-and-how-to-prepare-customised-nutrition-bars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazine.bkool.com\/en\/2022\/11\/04\/cycling-supplies-and-how-to-prepare-customised-nutrition-bars\/","title":{"rendered":"Cycling supplies and how to prepare customised nutrition bars"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
How much do you know about refreshments? Let’s see how you can improve your intakes during the race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let’s start off with a bang. Here are the most important factors to consider:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Can you imagine coming from a months-long hiatus and wanting to reach your peak performance that same week? If only it were that easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With your digestive system the situation is similar. It takes time and training to handle high amounts of carbohydrate during exercise without discomfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first step is to start with a fully tolerable load and work your way up from there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are some possible strategies you can employ to train your digestive system:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And these are the improvements you can make:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Electrolytes, the forgotten ones. Of course, we lose water through sweat when we exercise, but we also lose electrolytes such as sodium. If we don’t replenish the sodium we lose over the long run, we will see our stress, confusion, disorientation and, in short, we will see our performance decrease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sodium can be replenished during exercise through isotonic drinks or salt tablets, although it can also be present in other forms of food supplies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With sodium there are no excuses, as by simply using salt we can replenish our sodium needs. 1g of salt contains 0.4g of sodium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Caffeine is an interesting strategy for those moments when fatigue starts to set in because it can reduce fatigue and therefore increase your athletic performance. But be careful! This effect is temporary. Using caffeine at the start of a long run could lead to a greater feeling of tiredness at the end of the race if you do not continue to ingest it properly throughout the race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition, it is important to be aware of the flip side. Excessive use of caffeine could lead to tolerating high doses without achieving the desired effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In short, it is important to control the dosage and number of caffeine intakes you take for the race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are different ways of consuming caffeine. Through gels, tablets, drinks or infusions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Every cyclist has different tastes and tolerances for different formats. Below you will see different types of refreshments that you can consume depending on their texture:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most refreshments can be bought, as there are many commercial options, but we can also choose to prepare our own refreshments at home. In particular, we are going to focus on homemade energy bars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Energy bars are easy to carry and, unlike gels and isotonic drinks, they have a slower and more gradual assimilation, which can be interesting for certain moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bars usually have as a base ingredient a food rich in carbohydrates, such as oats or rice, but we can add many other ingredients. It will be the combination of ingredients and the adjustment of quantities that will allow us to achieve the texture, flavour and nutritional composition we want. And that’s the trick, to understand our needs before we start preparing a bar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, let’s get going with two recipes for homemade bars for cyclists:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because it contains complex carbohydrates, quality proteins and antioxidants which will help to replenish glycogen stores and regenerate muscle tissue. Of course, it is very important to measure the quantities of each ingredient carefully, because depending on the quantities we use, we will be prioritising one macronutrient or another, and the nutritional contribution of the recipe will change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are looking for a plan <\/a>designed just for you, you are in the right place. Discover INDYA’s <\/a>technology platform with online nutritionist and you can continue to improve your cycling performance with truly personalised nutrition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Plus, we’re bringing you a unique offer to get your first month of personalised nutrition planning at 50% off, including a sports nutritionist and tracking app. What are you waiting for?<\/p>\n\n\n\n