How to manage your nutrition during exercise effectively to perform at your best? by Guillaume Klein

Optimize the body's functioning

Prioritize digestive comfort during exercise

It is essential to provide your body with the right fuel, because, just like a car, it is the fuel for our engine.

There are common rules for optimizing nutrition during prolonged endurance exercise, but each person has their own way of functioning.

The type and intensity level of the sporting activity

Individual digestive tolerance and sensitivity

Your feelings, tastes, and cravings

Healthy products with the simplest and most natural ingredients possible

Energy bar (click here)

Suitable for prolonged exercise, it is absorbed more slowly by the body and can contain a valuable amount of protein, vitamins, and minerals.

Consume products containing natural ingredients, with unrefined sugars with a moderate glycemic index, protein, fatty acids, as well as vitamins and minerals.

Energy gel (click here)

Very high in carbohydrates with a high glycemic index, it is quickly absorbed by the body, but this is more of a disadvantage during prolonged exercise.

Indeed, it can cause blood sugar spikes, provides very few vitamins and minerals, and its acidity often causes digestive problems.

It is better suited to a short event requiring a more rapid supply of available sugars; however, it can be used occasionally during a long effort in the event of a major drop in energy or at the end of the event.

For proper absorption, the energy gel must be taken with water.

Sports drink (click here)

It should be isotonic, meaning it has the same concentration as blood, to allow better absorption and prevent digestive issues and dehydration.

It should contain quality carbohydrates to provide the body with a regular and gradual supply of sugars.

A reasonable amount of unrefined sugar per serving—approximately 30 g to 40 g of carbohydrates per 500 ml—is more than sufficient.

Vitamins and minerals to optimize carbohydrate use, support muscle function, combat acidity in the body, and compensate for losses through sweat.

Race and personal aid stations

Race and personal aid stations will break up the monotony of gels, bars, and energy drinks.

During long efforts, it is recommended to consume salty foods and various preparations, to have a “meal snack” and provide the body with different amounts of protein, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, and essential fatty acids (sandwich, sweet potato purée, rice, fruit, dark chocolate, nuts, dried fruit...).

Protein and BCAA (click here)

BCAA intake becomes beneficial during prolonged exertion to compensate for insufficient protein consumption, providing an easily assimilated nutritional supplement.

This intake of branched-chain amino acids—Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine—complements the protein consumed through food during the effort.

For athletes wishing to optimize their endurance capacity, they help conserve carbohydrate stores and delay muscle and central nervous system fatigue.

A minimum intake of 1g of BCAA 2.1.1 (50% Leucine + 25% Isoleucine + 25% Valine) per hour of exertion.

A range of approximately 30 to 90g of carbohydrates per hour (exercise drink plus food intake), depending on needs, individual tolerance, intensity, and the type of effort.

Choose energy products containing low- to moderate-glycemic-index sugars to avoid blood sugar spikes and provide a gradual energy supply.

Prefer an energy bar that is higher in protein and essential fatty acids, and lower in carbohydrates.

Eat at regular intervals, approximately every 20 to 30 minutes, to help regulate blood sugar levels.

Towards the end of the effort, you can consume higher-glycemic-index carbohydrates that are easily absorbed, partly to compensate for depleted glycogen stores and maintain alertness, concentration, and performance until the end of the effort, and partly to minimize the body's digestive workload.

Indeed, digestion slows down during exertion to optimize muscle and cardiac function.

Regularly vary your energy intake with salty foods and homemade preparations to break up the monotony of gels, bars, and energy drinks.

Maintain good hydration throughout the effort to compensate for losses caused by sweating and facilitate the absorption of consumed carbohydrates.

Mix water and an energy drink in small, frequent sips, at a rate of 300 to 500ml per hour depending on weather conditions and individual needs.

1 energy bar + energy drink containing 40 g of carbohydrates

¾ of a banana + energy drink containing 40 g of carbohydrates

1 energy gel, 20 g + energy drink containing 40 g of carbohydrates

30 g of dates + energy drink containing 40 g of carbohydrates

The total amount of food consumed should remain within a certain range (30 to 90 g of carbohydrates per hour of exercise), to avoid overloading the body with an excessively high carbohydrate intake that the body would not absorb, causing gastric problems or dehydration.

It is important to train the intestines to receive food during exercise, so that digestive tolerance and the energy quantity needed to fully optimise performance factors can be tested.

These explanations provide a general framework for managing energy intake during a long-endurance sporting event.

However, it is necessary to tailor it specifically to each person’s way of functioning in order to benefit from its positive effects on energy efficiency and digestive comfort during exercise.

 https://formationnaturenergy.com/client-kit-nutri-energie

This content was published by our Ambassador Guillaume Klein (Personal Coach, Expert in sports nutrition and health / Ultra-endurance specialist)

• Nutriformation graduate, specialising in micronutrition and nutritional therapy
• Trained in sports nutrition by the Evonutri Academy of Positive Nutrition
• Ultra-trail coach trained by the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Athletics League
• FC Metz professional team sports dietitian and nutritionist (since 2018)
• FC Metz training centre sports dietitian and nutritionist (since 2019)
• Creator of the EPIC® method

A sports enthusiast and ultra-endurance athlete in running and ultra-cycling, Guillaume has been able to test the benefits of a natural, balanced diet tailored to his actual needs, as well as specific, adapted training. Guillaume values high-quality products that meet athletes’ nutritional needs and, from a health perspective, have the most natural composition possible.

You too can benefit from his advice and find all our products on this website

If you would like more information or advice, please do not hesitate to contact Guillaume via his website www.naturenergy.live.