Posted By: Kristam Moffett Have you ever put the wrong fuel into your car? After driving off you probably didn’t get too far down the road before you knew that something was wrong and you had broken down. Just like cars, it is important that we fuel our bodies with the correct fuel, if we don’t this affects our body’s ability to perform and over time we will start to have issues. There are 3 areas that I would like to highlight with regard to nutrition; fluid intake, balanced healthy diet and then post exercise recovery.
Fluid intake
Fluid intake is very important, the human body is made up of approximately 60% water, part of the body’s cooling system is to sweat so it doesn’t overheat, as you exercise you will heat up and as a result the body will start to cool itself down by sweating, and now coming into the warmer weather you will sweat a bit more during periods of exercise. It only takes a small drop in the body’s fluid levels for it to affect optimal performance. The daily recommended water intake for adults is 2-3 litres. This can seem a lot but this also includes tea, coffee and you also get fluid from the food you eat. If you are going to be doing exercise you should try and drink extra water throughout the day, drinking small amounts of water at a time helps the body to absorb it better than drinking large amounts all at one go. It should also mean you not having to go to the toilet as often when you start exercising, very important if you are exercising outside! If you have been staying hydrated during the day this should mean that you only require a small amount of fluid during exercise.
Healthy Diet
Having a healthy balanced diet is also very important. When we go on an air plane we have confidence that the air plane has been filled with jet fuel so the engines will run as efficiently as possible producing enough power to get the plane in the air, the same applies to the body, if you want it to perform well it needs to be filled with the right fuel! The body needs to be fuelled with fruit, vegetables, carbohydrates, proteins and fats, taken in proportionate quantities for the demands that are put on it. The majority of people don’t need to make drastic changes, a lot of the time this can be done by simply replacing the unhealthy snack with a healthy one with these changes being easier to maintain over a longer period of time. The body stores the food you eat and then turns that into energy that is used to power the muscles, healthy foods are a more efficient fuel supply for the body enabling it to produce energy when needed. During normal exercise the body doesn’t need food to be taken unless it is doing continuous exercise longer than 90 minutes.
Post Exercise Recovery
Once you have finished exercise that is when the preparation for your next workout begins. What you eat and drink post exercise will determine how well you recover from that workout. As mentioned previously you sweat during exercise, so you need to replace the fluid and salts that have been used during exercise, if your workout has lasted longer than 60 minutes you probably need a sports drink rather than plain water. These beverages are designed to keep you well hydrated, but they also provide electrolytes to replace those lost in your sweat. Care should be taken in selecting the right one as some of these are quite high in calories. Exercise puts stress on your muscles, joints, and bones, and your body “uses up” nutrients during workouts so post exercise foods are all about putting back what you’ve lost, and providing the raw materials needed for repair and healing. It is important that protein is part of your post workout meal, protein is vital to the human body and is essentially what you are made up of, as well as the other food sources as this will help with DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). Primary sources of protein are meat, fish, dairy and eggs. We hope that you have enjoyed this blog and given you a few ideas on nutrition for your training.