Downhill Skiing — Foods for Endurance on Ski Days
To ski strong, remain mentally alert, and have enough energy in reserve for the expert zones, you need to fuel and hydrate your body throughout the day. During a day of all-terrain skiing, your body can burn between 2,000 and 3,000 calories, depending on your weight, which is over and above the calories required for normal bodily functions. The energy needs to come from the food you eat before, during, and after skiing.
First, weÂ’ll review the six essentials of life. Next, weÂ’ll look at the foods an all-terrain skier needs to maximize his or her performance, as well as when to eat and hydrate throughout the day for endurance.
Forget the Atkins protein-only diet, skiers need loads of carbohydrates, which the body burns quickly and easily, to remain strong and alert on those double black-diamond runs. But you also need protein for sustained energy, as well as some fats. So, what you eat is of prime importance.
For starters, weÂ’ll take a look at the six essentials of life and then weÂ’ll calculate the calorie burn experienced by all-terrain skiers on a typical ski day. Next, weÂ’ll determine the food thatÂ’s required by those same skiers to make up for the lost calories. However, eating the right foods, but at the wrong time of the day can actually be detrimental to your endurance. WeÂ’ll discuss when and how to eat and hydrate so you can maximize your performance and enhance your staying power.
The Six Essentials of Life
The five essentials of life that must come from the foods you eat are glucose from carbohydrates, amino acids for protein, and fatty acids from fats, as well as vitamins and minerals. The sixth essential is not actually a food, but a fluid, namely water. Now, letÂ’s take a look at the six essentials in more detail.
Proteins
