Fun & Fitness over 50

One thing I like about athletics is that I can eat just about anything as long as I eat it at the right time. Maybe I should qualify that a little bit. I mean there are really some "foods" you should avoid although I can't think of what they might be right now. For example, during and within 1/2 hour after an intense workout is good time for all those high GI foods that I should normally avoid. With the exception of the "fasting cardio" workout first thing in the morning which I wrote about in a previous post, I can and should drink some kind of sugary liquid like Gatorade during and immediately after a workout. In this type of workout, your muscles are using available carbs which need to be replenished along the way. Of course, water is sufficient if your workout is not longer than an hour. So I just usually do this on my Sunday rides which are about 2-1/2 hours long. At the end of a workout your muscles are really receptive to recovery of glucose in the first half hour. I am trying to do a medium to low GI diet in general and really had a hard time figuring out what to do for breakfast since I didn't want eggs and bacon every day. But if I work out in the AM I can and should have things like a bowl of cereal with a banana and even (horrors!) a teaspoon of sugar right afterwards. Don't head for the shower first, head for the fridge. Joe Friel in his book Cycling Past 50 suggest a homebrew recovery drink made with a ton of sugar and skim milk. I haven't tried this yet. Maybe add some flavoring too like vanilla. Apparently a 4:1 carb to protein ratio is good. Accelerade sports drink uses this ratio. The protein is from whey which is one of the best and most digestible sources.
So you see, sometimes "bad" foods in one time and place can be good in another! It works for me!