“Me, I run more to eat more!” is a phrase that sticks to your skin? Have you never really thought about it and now it seems like a brilliant idea? But in the end, is this a real or a fake good excuse?

Imagine that the simple fact of running opens the doors to excessive gluttony, without scruples, without fuss, or weight. Chocolate galore, pizza outrageous, a world in which, when you talk about calories, people look at you with wide, dumbfounded eyes. The idea is enticing, isn’t it? Ah, this is the moment you hear your alarm clock ringing! And yes, it was a dream … To your chagrin.

Do not pretend to be surprised, you have certainly heard the magic phrase enough: “you have to eat a little of everything” . And not, “you have to eat a lot of whatever” , well, not all the time (hello cheat meal *). So running more to eat without limits is an idea that you can and should definitely forget. At least that’s not what the phrase, “run more to eat more” should mean.

In fact, and only on condition that your daily calorie intake was not too rich ** Before you discover a passion for running, you don’t run TO eat more, but you have to eat BECAUSE you run. When you run, food is just your fuel. This is why if you do not eat, or eat too little, before going for a run, you are likely to experience the famous craving (also known in running jargon, under the names of slack, kick. pump, in other words the hazing of the runner). Thus, carbohydrates (pasta, bread, cereals, fruits, etc.) will be the first to be used by your body for running, especially during short and high intensity efforts such as sprints. During long and slow efforts, your glycogen stores are depleted, your body draws on lipids (avocado, olives, dried fruits, oils, eggs, etc.). Finally, it is the proteins (animal and / or vegetable) which contribute to the restoration of post-exercise muscle fiber.

Hence the importance of eating everything! Something made easier by running, which whets the appetite. Be careful though, because while it is easy to eat more when we are running, it is not as easy to eat less (less calories / rich foods anyway) when we are not running. This is because during the off / rest days (without running) your body does not require a calorie intake similar to the days you run.

We eat (more) because we run, of course. But to say that we run more to eat more is not completely wrong either. Indeed, why not motivate our long Sunday outing (an hour and thirty minutes, or even a lot more), with a little comforting gustatory pleasure? Since we are going to burn more calories during this long outing, and since it is essential to replenish our carbohydrate reserves after such an effort, a chocolate eclair for dessert or afternoon tea cannot weigh heavily in the balance (oh, that’s fine , the pun was tempting!). However, in the head, this gluttony weighs heavy. The pleasure of the taste buds is extremely satisfying, important, even essential, let’s not forget!

“Run more to eat more”, here is a mantra which should not become one, because, deep down, the one and only thing by which we must let ourselves be guided is our passion (a lot), and our stomach (a little). It’s all about the balance. And you, have you found yours?