Eating And Drinking

threepeakschallenge.com are organisers of fund raising challenge walks in support of the Dave Owens and Frank Goodall Memorial Fund to raise monies for nominated charities in support of cancer research, prevention, and treatment.

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What to eat, and what to drink for your day out on the peaks. More handy tips from the bearded boy wonder... The Mountain Goat

Just what do you eat and drink on your day out doing the Three Peaks Challenge. Do you go for the full ‘Pasta Party’ on the night before the walk, or do you just call in at the nearest ‘Little Chef ‘ and down an All Day Breakfast and two extra rounds of toast. Everybody has their own preferences of course, but for a successful day out

the basics remain the same. Here we give you the technical advice on how to beat your own body when it’s screaming at you to pack in!

Eating
All the time you're out on those peaks, you'll be burning calories and consuming water which you'll lose in the form of perspiration. What you eat is partly down to personal taste. Good items are dried fruit, fig rolls, muesli bars, bananas and so on, but try to avoid high fat snacks while actually walking.You should also carry some sort of emergency stash of high energy food. Chocolate is a

good option, (but can be tempting in non-emergency craving scenarios). A proper lunch, sandwiches and fruit for example, is great for morale and an energy top up.The actual amount of energy needed depends on a number of factors:- your body weight, age, gender, plus the distance and total height gain of the walk. In hill walking, your

muscles need both carbohydrate and fatty acids. If the available carbohydrate is reduced too much, then you will have to slow down. Good food also provides the motivation to complete - and enjoy your walk. You need to have enough food with you so that you can avoid exhaustion due to lack of energy.

Exactly how much will depend on the factors outlined above (i.e. age, weight, gender, distance, height climbed). You'll want to have food which is light to carry but which is 'energy dense' (don’t get this one the wrong way ‘round). Foods which are high in carbohydrate are a good idea. Probably the most effective way to consume food when walking is to eat 'little but often' throughout the day. It's also very important that your day begins with a good breakfast eaten ideally about an hour before the walk start. At the end of the day, your body

Drinking
The most important requirement is water. When we exercise, our body temperature is controlled by the evaporation of sweat from the body surface. If your body is dehydrated, then heat can't be dissipated in this way. This can result in the rapid onset of heat exhaustion.
Interestingly, thirst is a poor indicator of dehydration. It's estimated that by the time you feel thirsty, you've probably already lost a significant amount of body fluid. So you should not wait until you're

thirsty before having a drink. Try to remember to drink regularly. Drinking every 15 minutes for example is a decent bet! Water is probably the best option although there are also a variety of isotonic drinks now available which aid the rate at which water is absorbed by body tissues. Aim to consume between 500 ml and a litre per hour depending on how hot it is. However, whatever your choice, drink often. You need to take on a minimum of 2 litres a day. Try to avoid caffeine drinks when resting up - they're diuretic. (makes your body want to urinate). Not good for the ladies when the nearest toilet is a bush four miles away.

The Mountain Goat

Eating And Drinking

will need to refuel (and we don’t necessarily mean 5 pints of Guinness at the first available pub). It does this most effectively within 2 hours of the end of your walk. Again, it is foods which are high in carbohydrate (e.g. banana, chocolate, cereal bar) which are most effective.

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Text : Philip Lynskey : Gerard Mitchell :
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