With Coach Tim, Online Running Coach for We Run and the We Run Virtual Running Club
Your body recovers and re-builds itself after training using building blocks made of what you eat. In this post I highlight some key vitamins and minerals that are key to those who train to help with recovery, allowing your body to re-build itself stronger after each training session.
Why Are Vitamins And Minerals Important?
Vitamins and minerals are key to many of the body’s processes. For runners they are key in the release of energy as we run, helping growth and repair of muscles after training and they also support our anti-oxidant system to minimise tissue damage. Vitamins and minerals are key to the function of our immune systems, and therefore avoiding that pre-race cold!
It’s worth pointing out at this stage that there is no benefit to taking high amounts of vitamins, as the body either excretes them unused, or some can build up in the body and cause health issues.
Some Key Minerals For Sports
- Top of the list is calcium. Calcium is important for muscle growth, bone health and nerve function. If you don’t get enough calcium muscle function can deteriorate and there is a risk of brittle bones and osteoporosis. Calcium is particularly important for female runners as our hormones mean we are more at risk of some of the negative impacts on our bones.
- Iron is best known for its role in red blood cells and the process of getting oxygen to our muscles; pretty key for running! There is also evidence to show that high impact sports like running can increase iron loss from our bodies. Vitamin C increases the absorption of iron from your diet, so that’s worth considering. Again, female runners need more, this time due to menstruation.
- Selenium is my final key mineral for sport and running. It’s an important building block in anti-oxidants; these fight free radicals which cause cell damage. Selenium (alongside magnesium, zinc and copper) also speeds recovery and prevents fatigue – what’s not to like!
Some Key Vitamins For Sports
- B vitamins are important in energy production and metabolism, so will really help you to fuel your muscles consistently when running.
- Vitamins A, C and E are great anti-oxidants which help minimise the damage to cells from free radicals as well as helping our immune systems to stay tip top.
What Are Free Radicals And Anti-oxidants?
Free radicals are produced in our bodies all the time as a result of normal processes, like energy production. High levels are linked to cell damage and some cancers.
High levels of training produce more free radicals due to the increased amount of energy production, this can lead to muscle damage, slow recovery and fatigue. They also limit the muscles ability to use our energy stores, limiting our running performance.
To reduce the numbers of free radicals you need more anti-oxidants. Some of the vitamins and minerals above are anti-oxidant so really help. The more active you are the more you eat to fuel your sport, so if you eat a healthy balanced diet you should have more than enough anti-oxidants to mop up the extra free radicals you produce.
Cooking And Preparation Tips To Get More Goodness From Your Food
- Buy local, seasonal produce, nutrients are lost as fruits and vegetables are stored and transported.
- Prepare fruit and veg as you need them, nutrients start reducing as you start chopping things up!
- Eat the skins, after washing them thoroughly.
- Use frozen items if you can’t get hold of fresh, they have almost as many nutrients.
- Steam or shallow boil to reduce the amount of nutrients that are lost in cooking.
- Keep and re-use cooking water in sauces, gravy or stock to keep the lost nutrients.
