Meb Keflezighi’s Nutrition is His Secret to Success (Sponsored)

by: Generation UCAN (Sponsored Post)
April 16, 2015

Runners nearing 40 years-old don’t typically win the Boston Marathon, but don’t tell that to defending champion Meb Keflezighi, who’s made a career out of defying the odds. Meb’s celebrity has soared since his inspiring win in Boston last year, but his goals for next Monday’s race remain the same – go for the win, the podium, and a PR. Meb believes an increased focus on nutrition is helping him remain a top contender and stay forever young, and he relies on his “secret weapon” Generation UCAN to fuel his training and keep him fit. “My metabolism has slowed as I get older,” say Meb. “I’ve been more careful about my diet and UCAN has been perfect.”

Meb has been using UCAN since 2009, when his nutritionist introduced it to him while training for the New York City Marathon. “I had tried a lot of different products, but they always bothered my stomach during or after my run and left me with inconsistent energy, so I was looking to solve that,” says Meb. “UCAN gives me 2 to 3 hours of sustained energy without any stomach problems. I can have it before or after a workout, and even as a snack.”

UCAN is an important piece of Meb’s overall nutrition puzzle, which has changed over the years

“When you’re 25, you can get away with eating anything,” says Meb. “I’m definitely more aware of my nutrition and calorie intake now than I was before. When I was in college I used to eat as much as 5000 calories a day, but now that the training mileage has gone down I’ve tried to reduce it.”

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Reducing his intake of simple carbohydrates and consuming more protein and fat during his hard training sessions is one of the big changes Meb has made.  “Before a run, I like to have toast and tea with a little almond butter, or eggs and some sausage. If I’m in a hurry and don’t have enough time to eat a meal before my run, I’ll have a Generation UCAN shake. When I was at UCLA (in college), I used to not eat anything before a run and that was a big mistake.”

How Meb Uses UCAN to Stay Fit

Since he started using UCAN before and after workouts and races, Meb has enjoyed a series of impressive performances and an amazing level of fitness at a point in his career when many expected him to slow down. This includes a marathon PR (2:08:36) last year in Boston at age 38.

 

Meb Boston Special (1) (1)

“Generation UCAN has been very instrumental in my training,” says Meb. “Part of the reason I’ve been running PRs is because it allows me to recover so I can train hard consistently. For me, it has been a game-changer with recovery. I really look forward to having the Chocolate Protein UCAN after my intense workouts. During my cool down, it’s the first thing that goes into my body.”

Meb has also seen the benefit of using UCAN as a healthy snack when he’s on the go. “I use UCAN at least 4 times a week and it helps keep my weight in check. Since I won Boston, I’ve been doing a lot of travel for appearances and haven’t always been able to train hard. I have the Protein UCAN as a snack to help me control my craving for sweets and to stay lean. The results speak for themselves.”

What Makes UCAN Unique?

“With UCAN, my athletes and I no longer think about when to fuel, how much to fuel, or our stomachs,” says running coach Greg McMillan. “I’m feeling strong towards the end of my runs and finally feel like I’ve solved the fueling puzzle. UCAN takes the worries out of running.”

More and more runners are finding that UCAN simplifies fueling and minimizes the need to load the body with unhealthy sugars. What makes UCAN completely different from traditional energy gels, chews, and drinks is its revolutionary SuperStarch carbohydrate.

UCAN vs. Other Sports Nutrition

SuperStarch was originally developed for Jonah, a child with a rare disease resulting in frequent episodes of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). This condition required Jonah to be fed 10-12 times a day in order to maintain steady blood sugar levels. Top researches spent years looking at all types of carbohydrates in an effort to find something that would give Jonah the steady energy he needed. This led to the discovery of SuperStarch, which proved to be the best carb for maintaining stable blood sugar in Jonah and finally allowed him to get a full night of uninterrupted sleep.

As the founders of UCAN ran further tests, they realized that this one-of-a-kind carbohydrate  yielded benefits for athletes who also have to work at managing their glucose levels. SuperStarch is non-GMO corn starch that goes through a natural, patented cooking process causing it to break down slowly over time. It delivers a steady release of energy and keeps blood sugar stable, rather than flooding the body with a rush of calories at once and causing in a spike and crash in energy. This one-of-a-kind carbohydrate that originally gave life to Jonah is the key ingredient in UCAN products.

Blood Sugar

By helping maintain steady blood sugar throughout a workout, UCAN allows runners to feel strong from start to finish without having to take in lots of calories and refuel frequently.

One packet of UCAN’s SuperStarch Drink Mix should be consumed 30 minutes before a workout as a pre-workout snack and will provide up to 2 hours of steady energy without needing to refuel. UCAN is very gentle on the stomach and is beneficial for runners who struggle with GI distress.  The Protein Drink Mix can also be used as a pre-workout snack to curb hunger and promotes healthy, efficient post-workout recovery. To optimize the benefits of UCAN, avoid combining it with energy products and foods that are high in sugar.

*Click here to Save 20% on Meb’s nutrition with the code LETSRUN at the UCAN online store. Order before the Boston Marathon and enter to win an autographed poster of Meb!

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