What’s the deal with carbs eh?

by | Jun 6, 2019

The great news is that you SHOULD be eating carbohydrates. If you REV, chances are you are burning more calories than your sedentary friends. When you REV, you are training your body and your body requires appropriate fuel in order to perform optimally. Calories = energy. Do you feel like you hit the wall halfway through your REV class or during the downtime when you REV a double? Chances are your body is suffering from not enough carbs!

Carbs are stored in your body as glycogen and a lack of that storage can cause your blood sugar to plummet and you to bonk out. While low-carb diets are popular, even among athletes, you really should be consuming between 55-65% carbs DAILY.

While this is great news, we must be discriminating in the types of carbohydrates chosen to fuel optimal performance and keep weight at healthy levels, and for this, we can look to using the “glycemic index” (GI) for some guidance. According to Harvard Medical School, “foods low on the glycemic index (GI) scale tend to release glucose slowly and steadily. Foods high on the glycemic index release glucose rapidly. Low GI foods tend to foster weight loss, while foods high on the GI scale help with energy recovery after exercise, or to offset hypo- (or insufficient) glycemia.”

Confused? Well, that’s understandable. As an endurance athlete (REVing 3-5x a week, that’s YOU) you may require high GI carbs post-REV. So eat that bagel you’re craving after class and don’t deny yourself! On days when you are resting or cross-training, select foods that are lower on the GI: think sweet potatoes and oatmeal. Good luck out there!