The Walking Gourmet

Because most people don’t think walking is especially demanding, they often don’t focus on proper nutrition and hydration when they walk. Don’t forget that even a four-mile walk in the heat burns over 400 calories and may cause you to lose several pounds of bodyweight as perspiration. And if these deficits aren’t replaced quickly, you’ll feel draggy and tired for work or for the next workout.

So how can walkers and hikers get enough calories and fluids to fuel their adventures—and recover properly afterward? Just remember these five points:

1. Begin Properly Fueled and Hydrated
   If you walk early in the morning, before breakfast, set the alarm early enough so you can down about 16 ounces of a sports drink containing six to nine percent carbohydrate before you head out the door. (Most commercial products are in this range, but check the nutritional information on the label to be sure.) If you walk after work but before dinner, in the afternoon or early evening, plan to eat a pre-walk snack at your desk about two hours before the workout. The snack should contain about 60 grams of carbohydrate if you’re an average-sized woman, 80 to 100 if you’re a man. To help you plan food choices, remember that most energy bars contain about 40 grams of carbohydrate, a banana about 30. Here’s another good choice for workplace snacking: a bagel with jam and a handful of raisins or a fruit bar. (See sidebar for more choices)
   
   
2. Prehydrate
   Calories from carbohydrate are part of the pre-walk equation, but adequate hydration is at least as important. If you drink coffee during the workday, you may be dehydrated because coffee is a mild diuretic. Even people who abstain from coffee-drinking often don’t drink enough water during the day. The result—you start your walk a bit dehydrated and dry out more with each mile that passes under your shoes. Here’s another point—research shows that it’s difficult to rehydrate with water alone. A carbohydrate-rich sports drink, or juice or other liquid with electrolytes are much better.
   
   If you’re an early-morning walker, the suggested pre-walk 16 ounces of sports drink or other liquid will hydrate you as well as supply carbs. Drink it an hour before the workout so you’ll be able to urinate just before you start to avoid unwanted pit stops. Brisk exertion slows down the kidneys, so runners and cyclists often avoid this problem, but the slower pace of most walks means you might want to scout out restrooms on your route if you walk more than an hour.
   
   
3. Carry Adequate Fluids and Drink During Walks of an Hour or Longer
   Always drink before you feel thirsty. Your body’s sensation of thirst lags behind its need for liquid, so when you feel thirsty, it’s already too late. Every 15 minutes, slug down four to six ounces (several big swallows). If you’re walking in an organized event, you can often rely on aid stations. On long hikes in hot weather, carry a pack with bottle holsters or use a back-mounted hydration system. Modern backpacks have sleeves for hydration reservoirs, so there’s no reason to run dry. On multi-day hikes, always carry a water purifier to treat water from streams and springs.
   
   
4. Hydrate After the Walk
   No matter how much fluid you ingest while walking, in hot weather you’ll sometimes finish dehydrated. There’s a simple way to be sure you’ve replaced fluid after your walk—simply weigh yourself before and after and compare the figures. If you’ve lost weight, it’s water you’ve sweat out. Many walkers think that weight lost during exercise is fat but that’s not the case—fat loss is a slow process. So you’ll need to drink 20 ounces of fluid for each pound of bodyweight you’ve lost while exercising. Keep drinking until your weight has returned to normal and your urine is plentiful and pale yellow in color. On multi-day hikes, remember that if you’re not getting up at least once in the night to urinate, you’re not drinking enough.
   
   
5. It’s the Recovery, Stupid
   One last step—but it might be the most important. Studies show that your muscles replace their fuel (glycogen) much faster and more efficiently if you eat plentiful carbohydrates immediately after endurance workouts. Your goal is to eat 60 grams of carbohydrate (if you’re an average-sized woman) or 80 to 100 grams if you’re an average male. Your muscles will re-load best if you refuel in the 15 minutes after the walk. The muscles replace glycogen less efficiently after this two-hour post-walk “glycogen window.” Notice that the amount of carbohydrate you should eat after the workout is similar to what we’ve suggested you consume before a late-day walk. There’s one exception—research indicates that if you mix four parts carbohydrate with one part protein, your glycogen stores will top off more quickly. That’s as simple as having cereal, a banana, and some skim milk for protein.