Writing this email I am sat in John Lewis’ in my home town of Chester.
Now, for my non UK readers, John Lewis’ is a department store which is frequented on the whole by your yummy mummy types.
Most people in here are very well turned out (that excludes me) and probably are reasonably affluent, or at least want to look that way.
Anyway, thats it for the scene setting.
The cafe has a outstanding selection of cakes and every time I pop in I find it very hard to resist, but resist I do.
I love cake, especially with a nice cup of coffee.
Obviously from a nutritional point of view it is flawed in every way and is what nutritionists describe as calorie dense, as opposed to the much more preferable nutrient dense food.
Like a lot of calorie dense foods it is remarkably tasty and easy to eat a lot of.
If you are like the table of 3 women sat opposite who are enjoying their cake in the mid morning having probably had cereal for breakfast and about to have a sandwich for lunch this is a recipe for disaster.
Far too many refined carbs.
These women don’t look the types who will be going for a 40 mile ride later to burn it off, more the types who are happy to spend their husbands money on some new shoes.
I digress….
Eating cake can never be described as good, but there are times it can be better – these times are generally when the body is depleted or about to be depleted, ideally the former.
The simple way of looking at this is to eat around your training.
So if on a tuesday you do a swim technique session lasting 30-45 mins, this is not a day for cake.
If on a Sunday you go out for a 4 hour ride, don’t eat it before, but you can get a good slice afterwards when the body will be hungry for energy – ideally eat it within 30 mins or so of finishing.
Hopefully you get the picture.
Some say that it isn’t rocket science and no it isn’t but it does take some pre planning to get this right.
Instead of just avoiding cake all week and then getting stressed or tired and going crazy for it, if you actually plan it in to your weekly nutrition plan you will always be in control instead of reacting to a situation.
This means looking at your programme and planning your cake time in advance to match the training you have planned.
Most of my clients have an online coach and I get there plan forwarded to me each month so I can match their eating to their training and more importantly plan their cake time!