The post below is written by Dr Emma Stevenson from Northumbria University. Emma is Associate Director of the Brain, Performance and Nutrition Research Centre. Emma has also worked as a consultant Sports Nutritionist for a number of International athletes and squads including the England Women's football squads, Great Britain Ice Skating squads and England Netball. Emma is currently the club nutritionist for Sunderland Association Football Club. Emma is currently a member of The Nutrition Society, BASES and Association for the Study of Obesity.The focus of Emma's research has been the influence of the types of carbohydrates consumed before and after exercise on metabolism and performance. So as you can see Emma is great person to give us some advice on what to eat on the challenge, Thanks Emma!
Food and fluid intake will be extremely important to Serena and Andrew during their challenge
not only to fuel their working muscles but also to maintain morale! It is difficult to say exactly how
many calories they will need to consume on a daily basis but the good news is that they will be
able to eat plenty without any weight gain!
Each day should start with a substantial breakfast. Although a traditional Irish fry-up may be
tempting, it is most important that they consume plenty of carbohydrates to fuel their working
muscles. This means plenty of cereals, bread and fruit and not too much fried sausages and bacon!
Scrambled, poached or boiled eggs and baked beans on toast are a good option too. It is also
important that Andrew and Serena start each day in a well hydrated state. Although it may sound
strange, the best way to ensure this is to check the colour of their pee every morning and if it is
not a pale straw colour then they need to drink more!
During the ride, Serena and Andrew should try and snack every hour or so. Good snacks include
dried fruit, cereal bars, bananas, hot cross buns, malt loaf, chocolate, peanut butter sandwiches. It
is best to try and experiment with different things during training rides to see what is easy enough
to eat whilst cycling and how the body responds. It is also important to take on fluids - little and
often is best. Again experiment with different sports drinks or diluted cordial. If you are able to
eat real food whilst cycling then you probably don’t need sports drinks as well – water or cordial is
fine.
Recovery is going to be really important on a day to day basis to enable them to cover long
distances on 10 consecutive days. I have no doubt that there will be several delicious pub meals
consumed after a hard day but try to choose high carbohydrate foods such as pasta, potatoes, rice
and bread. High fat food will take longer to digest and won’t refuel the muscles.
I am sure the odd pint of Guinness or two won’t do any harm (in fact the calories and iron may
come in very useful!) but only once the cycling is done for the day! Also remember to stay
hydrated so plenty of non-alcoholic fluids too! Milk is actually a great recovery drink as it can help
to reduce muscle soreness (essential in this challenge!), it can aid rehydration and help refuel the
muscles. A pint of milk with a plate of Irish stew and potatoes will definitely do the trick!
Best of luck with the challenge!
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