Guest Post By: BackatSquareZero
One of the first realizations I came to when I began half and full marathon training is that my body suddenly needed more food. I will admit that initially I took this as a chance to go buck wild. 20 mile training run done, I earned the right to have copious amounts of bread and cheese for dinner and a full pint of ice cream for dessert right? (This may also explain why I gained lots of weight while training for my first full.) However, I soon discovered that using the extra mileage as an excuse to fill my body with junk was harmful in more ways than one – not only did my weight climb, but my running suffered. Turns out I didn’t just need food to satisfy my hunger – I needed fuel.
I have since discovered that if I feed my body junk, I cannot be surprised when I perform like junk and feel sluggish on my runs. For a runner food is more than just food, it is what fuels us. You cannot expect your engine to run right if you are putting the wrong type of gas in the tank.
One simple switch that can help you fuel yourself better is to make sure you are snacking smarter. Three meals a day just doesn’t cut it for most runners who are training hard for half and full marathons. Your body needs snacks between meals too. However, we must fuel ourselves well:
– Stay away from the vending machine.
– Ditch the fast food.
– Say no to the office candy jar.
Instead, pack your own fresh fruits and veggies for snacks at work. I always have apples, bananas, clementines, cherry tomatoes, or baby carrots on hand so I am fueling my body the right way. However, I know sometimes you need a bit more than just fruits and veggies, so I always used to stash a store bought protein or granola bar in my bag to keep me powering through the day and fueling my body right. My newest discovery has me rethinking that too. Did you know it is just as easy to make your own healthy bars and balls at home?
Using a food processor/chopper you can create your own healthy bars and balls to take with you to work so you can stay fueled right all day long. Plus, unlike the store bought version you can see exactly what is going into your homemade bars and balls so that you know exactly what you are putting into your body. My favorite bar/ball recipes use simple ingredients like dates, nuts, spices, and oats to keep you fueled and your hunger at bay in a healthy natural way. I would highly suggest everyone give it a shot and try to make some of their own healthy bars/balls for fuel.
Two of my favorite recipes, which do not require many ingredients and are easy to make, are No Bake Snickerdoodles from My Whole Food Life (my version pictured above) and 5 Ingredient Chocolate Brownie Energy Bites from The Lemon Bowl. Both of these recipes take me about 15-20 minutes from start to finish, totally worth it to have lots of delicious little balls that taste like dessert, but are all natural, gluten free, and will keep you fueled like a champion. I usually whip up two different batches (usually the recipes above because I am addicted to them) in one day to prep for the week. It only takes about 30-40 minutes total and in the end I have about 50 different balls in two different flavors. I store some in the fridge in snack size Ziplock bags and freeze the rest until I am ready for them.
Have you ever tried making your own bars or balls at home?
Abby is a formerly overweight couch potato who started running to get healthier and was shocked when she fell in love with the sport, the feeling, the people, all of it. She talks to strangers on race courses, runs to the side to high five cute kids, and is the person who sticks her entire hand into the community candy bowl at mile 20 of the marathon course. Abby blogs about her journey to live healthier, become a better runner, and lose the weight at BackatSquareZero. Also, find her on Twitter(and Instagram) as @BackatSquare0.