One of the most popular recreational activities for visitors at Hilton Head is bike riding. While it may seem easy enough to just hop on a bike and go, your experience will be much more pleasant if you take precautions to do it right. Among those precautions are hydrating properly and eating right. Eating right is more than just eating the right foods, but eating them at the right time. A good healthy breakfast can make all the difference on your ride. Check out these tips to make sure you set for your ride in terms of nutrition.
Before You Ride
It’s hard to ride on an empty tank, so you want to fuel up before you head out. Since most people choose to ride in the morning, this fuel is a healthy breakfast. The best foods for providing energy are carbohydrates. Good choices for a pre-ride breakfast with enough carbs to keep you going are:
-A high-carb drink, such as a smoothie or meal replacement shake
-Oatmeal and fruit (such as berries or a banana)
-Eggs
During Your Ride
You may think that you won’t have time to stop for a snack during your ride, but it is actually essential to do so in order to keep your energy throughout the ride. Experienced riders may not need to stop, preferring to eat on the go, but there is no shame in taking a minute to recharge. Consider adding some of these to your saddlebag:
-An energy bar
-A banana
-Energy gels
After Your Ride
If you have been riding for fitness, more so than a casual jaunt across the island, you need to think about recouping some of those lost nutrients and calories. Post-ride snacks should be high in protein to begin repairing the tiny tears in your muscles that are getting stronger. Good post-ride snacks include:
-A protein bar
-Nuts or trail mix
-Chocolate milk
Riding a bike can burn more energy than you might expect. Be sure to take care of your body by fueling up as needed, and you will get to enjoy the ride even more.