Healthy training habits and practices are vital to a successful 2-Day Walk. Carren Sellers, a top nutritionist in Atlanta, has answered some of our walker’s questions about staying healthy while training for the 2-Day:
Q: What amount of carbohydrates is necessary to support a 6-9 mile training walk?
It is recommended to consume 30-75 g per hour. Walking 3 miles an hour is a moderately intense exercise and requires 30-45 g per hour. Intense exercise such as swimming or bike riding will require 45-70 g per hour.
Q: Should I take additional vitamins when training for the 30-mile weekend walk?
Your calorie needs increase when training. If you are providing these calories with lean meat and lean dairy products, fruits, vegetables and whole grains, you will provide more of the vitamins and minerals in a bio-available form. From my experience and that of my colleagues, there doesn’t appear to be a very strong case for supplementing vitamins and minerals.
Q: Are there certain vitamins that support muscle strength?
Many athletes believe that vitamin or mineral supplements can enhance sports performance; however, the vast majority of such supplements are either untested or have failed to show results in the tests that have been done.
Look out for more Q&As with Carren Sellers to help you prepare for the 2-Day Walk in future issues!
