Training & Nutrition - what to eat, 10 day gig

I got a 10 hr per day for 9 days in a row, pedicab gig. What types of food and drinks should I be using to refuel during this job. I need to keep my energy level up as we're only supposed to take 2 half hour break each day. Thanks

Lots of carbs, definately.

You might want to check out a thread posted recently on not drinking too much. You will need alot of water, but make sure to keep the sodium levels up, eat some saltine crackers or something.

I find that I feel refreshed after I eat some kind of fresh fruit. Like and apricot, banana, apple, etc.

Go for the complex carbs, some extra proteins and make sure you get a little fat (unsaturated) in your diet. Drink plenty of water, and keep gatorade and powerbars close by just in case.

Koffee

It sounds like you are being exploited by your employer. You might want to check with your state labor board. You are probably entitled by law to a 15 minute rest break every 2 hours, and a 30 minute meal break every 4 hours. Even very fit athletes need periodic rest periods if they are to perform safely day after day. And for you, this is just a job, not a competition. You should not have to risk your health for a damn job! Also, if you are shlepping around paying customers in traffic, you may be placing them at risk if you are too tired to maintain a safe level of alertness.

It sounds like a short term job to me- just a 10 day pedicab thing. If it was a regular thing, I would certainly agree with you, though!

Koffee

yep just a one time thing, after these 10 days it's back to business as usual. The first day i didn't eat enough and got pretty tired. Today i ate more and did much better. Thanks for the tips.

complex carbs.....can i get those from pasta and bagels and stuff like that?

yeah, as far as i know complex carbs are starchy foods, i.e. pasta, bread, rice, etc.

simple carbohydrates is basically sugar.

I'm sure theres more to it, but thats the basics.

Complex carbs are the NON processed foods like whole grains, banana, tomato, squash and cereals, and that stuff in powerbars called Maltodextrin. Simple carbs are the faster digested and are simpler sugars, like (most) fruits and gatorade. You really want something that's going to sit in your digestive system and break down slowly so you have the energy to make it through the day.

Avoid processed foods. They strip out the fiber and vitamins and just don't give you as much energy as the food that's unprocessed.

Koffee