Nice weather, sun is shining, days are getting longer … and if we add a trend of being fit and running, it turns out that we meet runners every few meters on the park path.
Some have been running for a long time and others are just starting their running adventure. These beginners of course do not know anything about training or running yet, but can you determine what are the most common mistakes of amateur runners?
The biggest mistake in thinking with which we can see among amateur athletes is probably underestimating of the importance of the proper nutrition. People who have just started the adventure with running are focused only on running: they are planning their trainings and routes, comparing their achievements with friends and their previous runs. All the attention of an amateur sportsman focuses on running. This kind of person often forgets what a huge role a diet plays …
A beginner runner will probably read several articles on the internet how a meal should look before running, and what’s best to eat after training, but many will forget that the other meals are equally important, that the daily and weekly balance is extremely important, that the variety of food and the richness of minerals and vitamins are the elements that will allow you to progress your training.
We must realize that only the combination of diet and training gives satisfactory results. Of course, at the very beginning it is important that the closest ones notice the efforts and commitment of the beginner. It is extremely important to appreciate the first steps. In the case of a person running for some time, it is equally important that the closest people congratulate on the existing results and progress. However, to go further, to achieve greater effects and avoid injury or micronutrient deficiencies, it is essential to adopt a healthy diet.
What should we understand by the term “healthy diet for a runner”? First of all, the variety of products. Making the assumption that yoghurt with a banana is a great after training meal, and you can eat it after every single run, it can turn out to be wrong …
Potassium, proteins, carbohydrates are very important after training, of course, but these ingredients must also appear in various forms, and not only as a banana and yoghurt. The second common dietary error among amateur athletes is having too much meat in the diet. For the runner, the feeling of lightness during the training is particularly important. There is no way for a person with visceral body fat to feel light while running. Too much animal meat and fats is the main reason behind the emergence of excess visceral adipose tissue. On the other hand, fish appear usually too rarely in an amateur sportsman’s diet. At least three portions of fish per week should be included in the diet. Remember that vegetarian dinners should also be on our menu.
I could make an indefinite list of smaller and larger sins committed by amateur athletes. There are people who make one or two serious mistakes, and there are people who make ten minor nutritional errors. In both cases, the effect will be the same: no effects of the training.
In order to eliminate these mistakes, it is best to book an appointment with a specialist who will help identify the problems and find appropriate, individually tailored solutions. When choosing a specialist, it is worth paying attention to whether they are a personal trainer who only completed a weekend course in nutrition or is a dietician who only deals with nutrition, but does not know much about running.
Ideally, we should go to a professional who has both dietary education and knowledge about running. Thanks to this, the diet will be tailored to the trainings, and the runs will be tailored to the individual level of fitness.
