So the other day in class, a couple of you “bonked.” While the definitions for the word range from hitting your head to sexual intercourse, the definition I’m referring to it as follows: (from Wikipedia because it’s easier to copy and paste than writing the same thing with different words): Bonk describes a condition caused by the depletion of glycogen stores in the liver and muscles, which manifests itself by precipitous fatigue and loss of energy. If we look at the hit-your-head definition...the word bonk in this case means to hit a wall. So basically, the bonk refers to that catastrophic moment when there’s suddenly nothing left in the tank; when the legs turn to jelly, and you are DONE!
The simple explanation for bonk is that long-endurance exercise depletes the body’s store of glycogen, which produces the energy required to maintain performance. When the glycogen depletes entirely, the body has no more fuel and instead burns fat, resulting in a surge of fatigue and a performance collapse. That’s the simple version anyway... (see below for a link to a longer version).
You can cure milder instances of the bonk with brief rest and eating or drinking food or fluids containing carbohydrates. “Carbs” is not a bad word. You need them! They are your fuel! To ensure your glycogen levels are high when come to class, eat some carbs. You’ve probably heard the term “carb loading”? (if not, a quick Internet search will provide you additional information). Carb loading maximizes the storage of glycogen (or energy) in your muscles. You clearly don’t need to carb load for class, but you do need energy!
Eat before you come to class. You need fuel!
Maybe Robert will chime in here about carbs and breakfast (your most important meal of the day!)...and why you need to eat!
If you want to read more on bonking, more than you ever wanted to know can be found here: http://tunedintocycling.wordpress.com/2008/05/10/cycling-nutrition-the-bonk/
I hope that helps...
Bill
Bill is correct, breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day. When you wake up in the morning your glycogen stores are depleted like they are after an intense workout. They are depleted because you haven't had anything to eat in ~8 hours and you body has continued to metabolize what ever it has at its disposal through out the night. Because your glycogen stores are very low in the morning you need to replenish them quickly and fully with a good breakfast. The ideal breakfast contains a serving of lean protein and a good amount of carbs. Some good choices for carbs are breakfast cereal or bagels or cream of wheat. For the ladies in the class 25g of protein and 40g of carbs is a what your breakfast should consist of. In addition to replenishing your glycogen stores, a good breakfast raises your metabolism so that you burn more calories for the rest of the day. Check out the following articles for more information about breakfast and ideas for good breakfast choices.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.suite101.com/content/the-benefits-of-eating-breakfast-a18998
http://www.suite101.com/content/benefits-of-eating-a-healthy-breakfast-a59622
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/many-benefits-breakfast
Eating a breakfast like I described is an easy way to make a big improvement in your diet, so get started today!