Beginner Running Nutrition Tips

Ron Bowman: Hi! This is Ron Bowman. Today we are talking about beginning runner tips. And now we are going to talk about nutrition for beginning runners. Nutrition is one of the biggest aspects of any program running whatsoever, its one of the biggest part of our lives. So you got be taking into consideration when you start a running program as well. One of the biggest myths about running is that when you run you can eat anything, you want as often as you want. And that's one of the biggest mistakes that too many runners make because you can then get yourself into a situation where you are actually gaining weight while running. It basically boils down to calories burnt, calories taken in. And if you are trying to lose weight running can help you burn more calories but you also want to watch the calories that you are taking in. In addition of that its complicated by the fact that in order to run and run more effectively and for longer and more enjoyably, you want to make those calories the best calories that you can. So its a difficult process to try and take all of that in. For beginning runners, I like to stretch to them in very simple terms. And its a proven way of going about training nutrition for anyone. And that's simply, eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full. Its very simple that it takes a lot of time to get used to that because we have been ingrained with clean your plate, eat everything on your plate, big portions at all the restaurants we go to and social eating, if its dinner time I have got to eat. If I am out with friends I need to be eating. But if you just go back to and work on eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are full. Your body will let you know when you are full. Again as I have stressed before if you pay attention and you will get used to learning how to listen to your body.

For runners its easier than most to get away from the attitude of I must eat three times a day and eat more times a day because of the busy schedules and trying to fit running into it. You heard a lot of people will say, oh, you must eat six times a day or nine times a day. And what you have to do is find out what works best for you, if that means carrying around an energy bottle with you and when you feel hunger pains coming on, having that energy bottle with the bottle of water and that's what it takes.

But usually eating more times a day is better than fewer times a day because it lets your blood sugar stay in a more stable level all the day. And that includes during your running as well. So if you are getting ready to run, you want to have something in your stomach, a little bit of energy to go with it. So that you can get through your run regardless of how long it is, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour and then have something when you are done already. So that you do not go into hunger pains and not have something available for you.

What you dont want to do is spend too much paying attention to specific counts of calories or the type of calories that you are getting. So nutrition like running and like I have talked to you before, you want to pay attention to your body. Learn to listen to your body and that's more difficult that it sounds but it makes all the difference in the world. Because then you became an experiment of one and you are able to work and get the most out of what you want to gain in your running and fitness programs.

And that concludes our discussion of beginning running tips. I hope you have gotten something out of it that you can use. I have tried to keep it simple because in reality that's what running is. Its very simple, doing what makes it fun for you, listening to your body and gradually you will gain an appreciation for it and enjoyment of it. I hope that running will become a part of your life just as it is a part of my life and its as enjoyable for you as it is for me.