We all know that we need to eat to properly fuel our bodies. Despite this knowledge, many of us still drastically under fuel ourselves on climbing days. Not having enough crag snacks can quickly sabotage performance, lead to much shorter climbing days, and cut into your recovery efforts. Eating enough while climbing is a great way to ensure that you’re giving yourself the best possible chance to send your project.

That being said, our bodies requirements during physical activity are different than during rest. An optimal performance diet differs from person to person. However, to give you a starting point to rethink your climbing day fueling, here’s an article from Rock and Ice by sports dietitian and personal trainer Marisa Michael. In it, Michael outlines some general guidelines that will help you mix up your crag snacks and better fuel your climbing performance.

“If you’re in the habit of not eating before you climb, or maybe you shove a few cookies in your mouth on the way to the crag, it’s time to re-think your fueling strategy.”

“If it’s been more than two to three hours since your last meal, eat something. Simple carbohydrates are the best. They are easy to digest, which means your body will metabolize them quickly to supply much-needed blood sugar to fuel your ascent. Simple carbs also won’t sit like a rock in your stomach (pun intended), which leaves you feeling energized and light rather than bogged down by fiber or fatty, greasy foods.” – Marisa Michael

Crag Snacks

Michael focuses mainly on tweaking our climbing snacks so that we give our bodies quick and easily accessible fuel. For her, this means simple carbs and she outlines a bunch of tasty and easily packable options for you to choose from.

Additionally, Michael touches on the topic of caffeine and how for some people it can have a positive impact on athletic performance. She is careful to note though that caffeine, and different eating strategies, doesn’t work for everyone. To make sure you don’t waste climbing days experimenting with your diet, she suggests introducing new foods at home. This way you can make sure they work for you before bringing them to the crag.

Click through below to read more about her climbing day fueling strategies for yourself!

Full Article: Rock and Ice – Crag Snacks

(photo courtesy of rockandice.com)

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