Paleo Diet and Endurance Sports

What do you think the normal diet is for people who participate in endurance sports? Most of the time, runners, swimmers and other athletes focus on filling their diet with carbs and sugar. A diet without grains, starches and processed food may seem counterintuitive, but there is actually a way to thrive on even the oldest kind of diet.

Many have already embraced the paleo diet whether they’re into endurance sports or not. This diet mimics what humans would have normally eaten before we mastered agricultulture. Learn the surprising way the paleo diet and endurance sports can work together.

Compensating for Carbohydrates

The most obvious downside of the paleo diet for endurance athletes is the lack of carbohydrates. If you try the paleo diet and haven’t gotten that far into it yet, you’ll essentially have no choice but to use carbohydrate gels for long event races, although for races less than an hour, simple water should do the trick.

After about six to eight weeks into the paleo diet, your body will learn to utilize fat stores rather than carbs for energy. Not only does this level out your blood sugar fluctuations, but it can actually be more efficient than carbs in general..

Counting Calories

Many people who strive for fitness, whether they’re into endurance sports or not, monitor their diet by counting calories. This is a mistake if you choose the paleo diet. Calories aren’t so much an issue with this diet as it focuses more on the kind of food you eat, not how much.

Those who participate in endurance sports may actually need to eat significantly more than you might think to ensure you have all the energy you need. One of the most common problems is athletes simply not eating enough when on the paleo diet.

Additional Benefits

Since most athletes utilize a high starch and sugar diet, they don’t get to enjoy the additional benefits of a paleo diet. Without the processed foods and grains, you’ll have more vitamins and antioxidants in your system to prevent disease.

For endurance sports specifically, the paleo diet increases fat oxidation and balances pH levels which leads to longer endurance and better kept muscles. Put all of that together, and you can expect a nice speed increase, providing you do it right.

Endurance Sports with OnTime Results

Despite what you might expect, the paleo diet and endurance sports can fit quite well together as long as you don’t limit your calories. If you’re a runner or are looking to organize a race, be sure to check out OnTime Results, the best way to get all the equipment, management and timing services you need. Not only will we time the runners, but we can provide everything else you could possibly need. Contact us today to discuss the needs of your next event!