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Cyclists need plenty of energy to stay pedal-powered for lengthy periods. This is especially the case when cycling long distances or racing. But what kind of foods should you be eating? What’s the best way to fuel your body? Read on for answers, and remember - no matter how much or how little experience you have with cycling, staying hydrated is key!

What You Should Be Eating to Eat During Cycling

Eating is an important part of cycling for several reasons. First of all, it provides a way for you to stay energized and build muscle. This is especially important if you’re going to be cycling for an extended period of time. Additionally, eating certain foods will help you to increase your power output, improve your performance, and even reduce the risk of injury. To fuel your body, you should be consuming carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are especially important during cycling because they serve as your primary energy source. If you don’t eat enough of them, you’ll fatigue quickly, and your power output will suffer. To prevent this, try to consume carbohydrates at every meal and snack, as they provide the most sustained energy. You should be eating a balanced diet that includes healthy fats, protein, vitamins, minerals, and water to stay hydrated. If you’re cycling for an extended period of time, you may want to increase your protein intake to help build muscle, as well as increase your vitamin C intake to improve your immune system.

What You Should Avoid While Cycling

In addition to consuming the right foods, you should avoid eating too much. Cycling is an intense activity, so the last thing you want to do is overstretch yourself. If you eat too frequently, you’ll increase the amount of fuel going into your body, which will put added stress on your digestive system, which is already under a great deal of stress. You should be consuming only small amounts of high-calorie foods, such as sugary drinks, processed foods, dairy products, etc., to keep your energy levels high and avoid the risk of becoming too tired or fatigued. Despite this, the best way to stay hydrated while cycling is to avoid drinking too much water, as this can lead to low energy levels, cramps, and headaches.

How Often Should You Eat While Cycling?

There’s really no set rule for how often you should be eating while cycling. The amount of calories you consume will depend on a number of factors, including your weight, sex, height, and the length of your ride. As far as frequency, you should be eating every 2 to 3 hours, or roughly every 30 minutes to an hour. If you find that you’re getting fatigued or have low energy levels while cycling, you may be eating too often. You can easily adjust this by eating smaller amounts more frequently, or you can consider eating only during shorter or harder rides. You should be avoiding sugary drinks while cycling, as they’re too easy to consume when you don’t need them and cause your digestive system to work too hard, which can lead to cramps, diarrhea, and even yeast infections.

Drink Strategies for Cycling

It’s important to re-hydrate both before and after your rides so that you avoid fatigue and cramps, as well as stay energized. While there are many different methods for re-hydrating, the easiest and most effective way is to drink water. Water is a great source of hydration and has a number of health benefits, including boosting your energy levels. Plus, it’s a cheap and easy way to stay hydrated while cycling. If you run out of water, you can try adding ice cubes to your drink to reduce the amount of liquid in your system and make up for the loss of water, as well as to increase the temperature of your beverage and reduce its sugar content.

Tips for Staying Hydrated while Cycling

- Drink water - Make sure to stay adequately hydrated, and you'll avoid fatigue, cramps, and headaches. - Stay out of the sun - While the vitamin D present in the skin naturally is a great source of vitamin C, overexposure to the sun can decrease your body's ability to absorb this important nutrient. - Eat foods high in Vitamin C - For example, kiwis, oranges, and broccoli are good examples, as they are high in vitamin C and relatively inexpensive. - Pack in electrolyte drinks - Salt tablets and other electrolyte drinks can help you to stay properly hydrated when you're cycling for long periods of time in hot conditions. - Get more active - If you have time between rides, try to walk or do some calisthenics to allow your body to re-hydrate and stay energized.

Conclusion

Many people think that cycling is a low-impact exercise that doesn’t require much energy, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Cycling does, in fact, provide a lot of energy expenditure, especially for longer distances and in the heat. To fuel your body, you should be consuming carbohydrates, especially during longer or harder rides. You should also be consuming plenty of water and protein to stay properly hydrated and energized. Additionally, you should avoid eating too frequently and drinking too much water, and you should get more active between rides to stay properly hydrated.

DISCLAIMER

All the content on this blog, including medical opinion and any other health-related information, are solely to provide information only. Any information/statements on this blog are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, and should NOT be a substitute for health and medical advice that can be provided by your own physician/medical doctor.  We at Nano Singapore Shop, encourage you to consult a doctor before making any health or diet changes, especially any changes related to a specific diagnosis or condition.