Sports fanatic! Running a marathon with less than 10% body fat, the secret is…

The media once reported that female artist Chen Yihan is a sports fanatic. She loves running, weighs 45 kilograms, and has only 10.7% body fat! In fact, top marathon runners usually have less than 10% body fat. As for how ordinary people can reduce body fat by running, a well-known Japanese running coach will tell you the secret.

Marathon runners reduce body fat to achieve better results in competitions

Some people run to lose weight, while others run to gain weight. Regardless of the purpose, exercise needs to provide the body with enough fuel, that is, enough nutrition, so that the body can function normally and achieve the ultimate goal of strengthening the body. Especially for marathon runners, if they want to achieve their goals during the competition, they must reduce their body fat to a certain standard. However, marathon runners generally eat a lot because marathon training consumes a lot of energy. For those who are used to running or marathon runners, how should they eat so as not to accumulate body fat?

Manabu Kawagoe, a jogging coach who has coached many top marathon runners in Japan and currently teaches ordinary runners, wrote in his new book "Everyone can complete a full marathon in 4 hours!" The most efficient marathon training mentioned that if ordinary runners want to use marathon as a health-preserving exercise to maintain health and enjoy the fun of running, they must first remember three basic nutritional concepts:

【3 basic nutrition concepts for runners】

1. Nutrients that can be converted into energy: energy nutrients such as sugars (carbohydrates) and fats. For Japanese people, whose staple food is rice, most of their energy nutrients come from carbohydrates. It is said that this diet is very suitable for marathon runners. But now the Japanese diet is becoming more and more European and American, and the proportion of fat is getting higher and higher. This way of eating is actually not good. You should try to consume more carbohydrate foods that can be converted into energy, and avoid excessive intake of foods or snacks with high fat content.

2. Nutrients for building a strong body Protein is an indispensable nutrient for building muscles, blood, bones, etc. Make sure to consume fish, meat, eggs, dairy products and other foods every day. Calcium needed for bones, iron needed for red blood cells, and some minerals are all essential nutrients for building a strong body.

3. Nutrients related to body functions: vitamins and minerals. Generally speaking, runners sweat easily, and many vitamins and minerals will be excreted along with sweat, so they need to supplement them actively. Vegetables and fruits are the main sources of vitamins and minerals.

It is recommended to consume these nutrients evenly, eat three times a day, and try to have a combination of "staple food (rice or bread) + main dish (fish, meat) + side dishes (vegetables, etc.)".

Pre- and post-training diet examples

Considering the time required for digestion and conversion into energy, it is recommended that you eat 3 hours before training. As for morning jogging, as long as you have taken in enough nutrition the night before, it is okay to run before breakfast. Basically, the diet should be easy to digest and can be converted into quantity. Especially before intensive practice, try to consume carbohydrate foods such as rice, bread or noodles to accumulate enough glycogen.

Glycogen is stored in the muscles and is the source of energy for the body. Long-distance jogging of more than 15 kilometers and faster running training of about 10 kilometers will consume a lot of glycogen. Before conducting this type of training, you must fully consume the raw materials of glycogen, which is the so-called sugar (carbohydrate) diet. Eat more rice, bread, or pasta and other pasta foods, which are rich in sugar.

★Diet before training: It is ideal to eat within 30 minutes after exercise. You can carry bananas or rice balls with you when practicing.

★Diet after long-distance running: To repair damaged muscle fibers, you must consume protein (pork, eggs, tofu, etc.). It is ideal to eat within 30 minutes after exercise. If it is inconvenient to eat, simply supplement with milk or yogurt.

Maintain an ideal body fat percentage: avoid excessive sugar and fried foods

Most of the body fat is useless baggage for marathon runners. Taking the average male citizen runner as an example, reducing body fat to below 10% may be a bit harsh, but at least the goal should be to maintain it at 10-20%. Training during the exercise period consumes a lot of energy. Even if some people have a body fat of more than 20%, as long as they actually carry out various trainings, they have the opportunity to reduce their body fat percentage to the ideal level.

The biggest reason why you can't reduce body fat is fat. It is not that your body fat will increase if you consume fat. Your body fat will also increase if you consume too much sugar. However, compared to 4 calories in 1 gram of sugar, 1 gram of fat contains up to 9 calories. You should pay special attention to foods with high fat content such as fried foods and snacks. People whose body fat percentage is slow to drop should try to avoid eating fried foods, and it is best to peel off the dough when eating.