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Tldr; if you are on the move, you need calories in your muscles to keep them steady. Weak legs can cause you to fall, which can cause a serious injury, which can be the end of you. Having a good meal BEFORE you get on the move is the difference between walking safely at a good pace, and dangerously stumbling around and potentially hurting yourself.
Here is the story of how I learned this lesson. I was hiking counterclockwise around Eagle Rock Loop in the Ouachita National Forest in Arkansas with my dog and my lovely girlfriend. It was our first day on the trail, and we were in the process of crossing the mountain ridges on the Athens Big Fork portion of the trail. The trail often consisted of fist sized, sharp, loose rocks with a steep mountain drop on one side or the other. This is exactly the stuff that you can easily slip on. If you are lucky, you'll twist your ankle. If you are unlucky, you could break your ankle, break your leg, or even fall down the mountain. Regardless, a sure footing is absolutely vital. Not long after noon, we started to realize that our legs weren't as steady as we had liked and thanks to the trekking poles we brought with us, we caught ourselves every time our feet slipped. We discussed the issue a bit when I realized that our muscles were probably drained of all glucose.
As a quick fix, we immediately stopped and chowed down on foods high in carbs and simple sugars. The important part here is to spike your blood sugar level as high as you can so that your body produces a lot of insulin. What you want here is to induce what you might know of as a 'sugar low', which is what happens when your body has too much insulin, which is pulling all of the glucose from your blood and putting it into muscles and fat. This is the fastest way I know of to recharge your muscles in a hurry, but it isn't a permanent solution.
The better solution is to eat a hearty meal before you exert yourself in any major exercise. When you feel your muscles getting weak, STOP and make another big meal. Your stomach won't be happy about being full while you are exerting yourself, but the feeling goes away quickly enough and you will be much safer for it. As an added benefit, this gives you an opportunity to stock up on vital electrolytes that will keep your mind sharp when it is needed most.
We used this method for the rest of the trip, and we didn't have any further problems with stability or clarity of mind. It works, so remember to use it if you ever have to 'bug out' or even just go on a hike.
I'm no dietitian, but I'll give you some food suggestions anyway. Candy is great for sugar density in an emergency. Dried fruit has a similar effect, but with more nutrients. Crackers are almost always palatable and go well with just about any other food item while providing good carbs. We used summer sausage for its salt, protein, and fat content. All of which was vitally needed as we were abusing our bodies on that trail. Think of protein and fat as long term energy while carbs are short term energy; plan your meal accordingly. Remember that the blood sugar spike is what you want if your muscles aren't stable, and you'll want the slower release of energy to keep you going through the day.
Here is the story of how I learned this lesson. I was hiking counterclockwise around Eagle Rock Loop in the Ouachita National Forest in Arkansas with my dog and my lovely girlfriend. It was our first day on the trail, and we were in the process of crossing the mountain ridges on the Athens Big Fork portion of the trail. The trail often consisted of fist sized, sharp, loose rocks with a steep mountain drop on one side or the other. This is exactly the stuff that you can easily slip on. If you are lucky, you'll twist your ankle. If you are unlucky, you could break your ankle, break your leg, or even fall down the mountain. Regardless, a sure footing is absolutely vital. Not long after noon, we started to realize that our legs weren't as steady as we had liked and thanks to the trekking poles we brought with us, we caught ourselves every time our feet slipped. We discussed the issue a bit when I realized that our muscles were probably drained of all glucose.
As a quick fix, we immediately stopped and chowed down on foods high in carbs and simple sugars. The important part here is to spike your blood sugar level as high as you can so that your body produces a lot of insulin. What you want here is to induce what you might know of as a 'sugar low', which is what happens when your body has too much insulin, which is pulling all of the glucose from your blood and putting it into muscles and fat. This is the fastest way I know of to recharge your muscles in a hurry, but it isn't a permanent solution.
The better solution is to eat a hearty meal before you exert yourself in any major exercise. When you feel your muscles getting weak, STOP and make another big meal. Your stomach won't be happy about being full while you are exerting yourself, but the feeling goes away quickly enough and you will be much safer for it. As an added benefit, this gives you an opportunity to stock up on vital electrolytes that will keep your mind sharp when it is needed most.
We used this method for the rest of the trip, and we didn't have any further problems with stability or clarity of mind. It works, so remember to use it if you ever have to 'bug out' or even just go on a hike.
I'm no dietitian, but I'll give you some food suggestions anyway. Candy is great for sugar density in an emergency. Dried fruit has a similar effect, but with more nutrients. Crackers are almost always palatable and go well with just about any other food item while providing good carbs. We used summer sausage for its salt, protein, and fat content. All of which was vitally needed as we were abusing our bodies on that trail. Think of protein and fat as long term energy while carbs are short term energy; plan your meal accordingly. Remember that the blood sugar spike is what you want if your muscles aren't stable, and you'll want the slower release of energy to keep you going through the day.
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