FUEL
FOOD TO GO EXPERT NUTRITION ADVICE TO FUEL YOUR RUNNING
How veteran athletes should adjust their nutrition for optimal health and performance
There are few certainties in life, but one thing is clear: you can’t stop the ageing process. However, advances in medicine, sport science and nutrition mean that more runners continue to thrive well beyond their third decade. In Britain, you’re considered a master athlete from the age of 35 to 100-plus years old and competition occurs in five-year age groups. The UK has a great track record at the World Masters Athletics Championships. In fact, in 2018, the UK was the number one nation, with 704 athletes taking part. They won 80 golds, 66 silvers and 57 bronze medals. Moreover, multiple age world records are currently held by UK masters athletes.
Use it or lose it
It’s often reported that metabolism and energy requirements decrease with age and so you need to be more mindful about your nutritional intake. While there is truth in this statement, the real cause is declining levels of muscle mass. Muscle is metabolically active, so if this falls, energy requirements and performance will also fall accordingly. This is why it’s even more important to maintain participation in physical activity as you get older if you want to counteract these reductions.
Studies have shown that to maintain physical performance as you get older – and particularly into your fifth decade and beyond – it’s a good idea to incorporate two faster-paced (they don’t have to be long sessions) and two resistance training workouts each week. This combination helps reduce the decline in muscle mass, with resistance training also being critical to maintaining good bone health.
Food for the ages
The science is clear: if you maintain your levels of physical activity, with more of an emphasis on resistance training, your metabolism and nutritional requirements don’t actually change too significantly. This means carbohydrate availability is still important around training sessions to ensure optimal adaptation and progression. In fact, for women going through perimenopause and menopause while still participating in sport, declining oestrogen and progesterone levels mean that they actually become more dependent on a sufficient carbohydrate intake to keep fatigue at bay and maintain their regular levels of performance.
Areas of nutrition that do differ to when you’re younger are protein intake and
