Resource Wednesday: What To Do When Night Runger Hits

Oftentimes before bed, I will feel satisfied, if not a little hungry. I am one of those people who can eat moments after they open their eyes in the morning and I often have a small snack before my morning workout to keep me going. I am not a big fan of eating before heading to sleep for the night because I want my body to be resting, not digesting.

This is ideal.

The actual scenario plays out more like this:

 

Sometimes when I am training hard, my body wakes me up in the middle of the night and I am ready to give my left arm for some food. I know that a steak dinner is not ideal at this point, but if I have missed the mark nutritionally in some area, I have to eat.

The fact is, while you are sleeping, your body is doing something called catabolism where, because you are fasting, it is literally eating it’s own muscle. If you are trying to recover from your last hard training session, this is the furthest thing from ideal and it is important to know foods that help prevent this.

I used to keep a box of granola bars by my bed during marathon training, but because that felt like rock bottom, I have adapted a new strategy lately. If I am hungry before bed or the middle of the night, I grab this guy.

Rumble is a healthy drink that kind of tastes like a milkshake. But it has kale and other veggies in it so it is all very confusing.

Why? 

• It is a liquid which means it will not sit heavy in my stomach but will fill me up and allow me to sleep again. My body will not need to work as hard to digest it.
• It has casein protein which is a slow release protein. This means it will slowly release energy to my body, allowing it to restore and I can keep my muscles nourished and recovering.
• It has whey protein which is a quick releasing protein which gives my muscles what they need quickly which is a dose of amino acids and proteins!

I am not necessarily advocating for night time eating, I am just saying that if you are anything like me, it will happen and you should know what to do when it hits. Ensure that it has a balance of fast and slow releasing proteins and is preferably in liquid form for digestibility. (read: not icecream)

What is your middle of the night snack?

Web Resources:

Proper off season weight lifting on the Run Waterloo Blog. 

Why I am using bone broth in my training – my latest for Canadian Running

Go to bed tonight. On time. (Or else) – Macleans

Confessions of an anorexic runner – Minneapolis Running