Not for thought, but food for exercise

In last week’s column, I mentioned joining a gym (North East Athletic Center in Millerton) and that many people of my acquaintance seem to have done the same thing. Perhaps everyone is actually following through on their New Year’s resolutions.

Whatever the reason, last week’s column noted that anyone who is exercising (especially in the dry depths of winter) should be sure to rehydrate often, preferably with water or with beverages enriched with electrolytes and other beneficial ingredients.

One danger of being either a new or an occasional or an indifferent athlete is that you (or perhaps I should say I) don’t take yourself very seriously, and don’t really care for your body in the way it needs to be cared for. But even if you (or I) only work out for 15 or 20 minutes, once or twice a week, it’s still essential to support those athletic activities with the right kinds of food. This not only helps you replenish your stores; it also helps increase your endurance.

I find that I tend to get tired very quickly when I work out. There are probably many reasons for this (boredom might be one of them) but I have been advised by many people whom I trust that it’s important to eat before you work out.

Several times a week, I swim before I go to work. I will never be one of those people who can eat an egg or a peanut butter sandwich before I swim. But I’ve done some experiments and found that I am most happy in the morning if I’ve had a few bites  of a dried fruit-and-nut bar.

Every body is different, and every meal is a complex interaction of chemical processes, so I’m not saying that what works for me will work for you. Your best bet is to do some reading about diet, nutrition and fitness and then experiment with different meals until you find the foods that best suit your exercise style.

One thing I learned while doing some research of my own is that some foods burn faster in your body than others. There is something called a glycemic index that measures this. Foods rated at 100 metabolize the fastest (think super sugary foods); you can find charts online that will tell you where your favorite foods rank on the chart. The foods that have the lowest glycemic index ratings tend to burn slowly in your body, which means (for the purposes of this article) that you’re less likely to get tired quickly when you’re working out.

If you do a really intense hardcore workout, you might want to experiment with eating foods that are high on the glycemic index to boost your energy levels after you exercise. Since this isn’t my particular issue, I can’t really share any recipes to help you out here.

But I can share a recipe I’ve developed for a fruit-and-nut bar that I find carries me through my morning swim very nicely. It is supposed to mimic a brand called Kind that is sold at many area stores. I bought out the entire stock of every store in my neighborhood, however, and had to use a little creativity. This recipe features dried fruits and nuts, which provide protein and low-glycemic index dried fruits. It tastes good and is easy to eat in the car (although it makes your fingers kind of sticky). Don’t eat too much at one time though, or it’s liable to have a stimulating effect on your digestive system. I tried this recipe with candied ginger; it tasted great but the ginger did overwhelm the other flavors. But be experimental and try different combinations until you hit on the one you like best.

Fruit-and-nut workout bar

Makes six bars

1 cup assorted nuts, without skins; 1/4 cup each of dried fruit such as dates, figs, cherries or apricots; 3/4 cup raisins; a drop of vanilla extract; 1/8 cup maple syrup

Chop the nuts up until they’re in smallish pieces, and then toast them in a skillet at high heat until they are golden and pleasantly toasty, which should take two or three minutes. In a food processor, combine the dried fruits and purée them until they are pretty fine; they should begin to clump together and form a ball. Remove the fruits and combine them in a bowl with the nuts, vanilla and maple syrup (you can also use honey). Using your hands or a firm spatula, spread the mixture out into a baking dish or rimmed flat serving dish. The bars should be about a quarter- to a half-inch thick; if they’re any thicker, they’ll never dry out. Leave the bars out, unwrapped, overnight so they lose some stickiness. Cut into bars, wrap in plastic wrap, eat 30 to 45 minutes before your workout.