Why Adequate Sports Nutrition Is Vital To Training And Exercise
It is common that novice trainers believe the actual training session is the most crucial aspect of enhancing performance. There is no doubt that exercise occurrence, intensity and how applicable to your goals the routine itself is plays an critical part, but is it the most crucial ingredient?
There seems little objective in putting all that effort into your routines, sweating severely and feeling drained after a workout, then not giving the body the decisive nutrition and rest it needs to repair and grow back bigger and stronger. This is where diet is crucial. Of course you are not going to get very far on diet solitary, but then does it not seem a misuse of energy and determination if all the hard work is put in whilst in the gym and none when in the kitchen. If you are training for muscle and do not eat plenty of calories or protein in your daily diet do you think you will get bigger. If you are training for fat loss and are getting through chocolate or cakes all day do you think you will slim down. What about if you are preparing for a marathon and overlook to feed the body sufficient carbohydrates, do you think your body will recover fast enough to improve on your time.
The most common diet when training should meet certain requirements. The most critical and sensible is to provide the body with sufficient energy and nutrients to appease the demands of the individual training regime followed. The greater part of nutrition should come from whole foods, including protein from lean meats, eggs and nuts, carbohydrates from wholegrain breads, oats, sweet potatoes, then fruits and vegetables followed by healthy fats from eggs, nuts, and various seeds. The diet should support quick and full recovery after exercise, and deliver plenty of fluids to ensure maximum hydration, especially whilst training.
The average macros when training should be akin to when not training if a healthy and balanced diets maintained. The advisable daily energy intake from calories is to eat 50% from carbohydrates, 30% from protein and 20% from fats split into 6 to 8 small meals per day. This to ensure the body's metabolism runs at its peak rate. Depending on your goals you may want to modify these percentages slightly, for example if losing weight was your objective you would more than likely decrease the carbohydrates to around 30 to 35% and up the fats. If you reduce your calorie ingestion by too much you will begin to feel tired and lack drive, which in turn will stall your training performance.
To calculate what you should be eating based on the above assumption you need to work out your daily macros from carbs, protein and fats based on your overall daily calorie intake. Every one gram of fat comprises of 9 calories, whereas every one gram of carbs and protein comprises of four calories. The average daily calorie consumption recommendation for men is 2500, whereas for women it is 2000. Taking the males recommendation, we can see that 50% of carbs equates to 1250 calories, 30% of protein comes to 750 calories and 20% of fat equates to 500 calories. Therefore, we now need to divide the 1250 calories from carbs by 4 (1 gram per 4 kcal) to get 312.5 grams of carbohydrates, divide 750 calories from protein (1 gram per 4 kcal) to get 187.5 grams of protein, and finally 500 calories from fat by 9 (1 gram per 9 kcal) to get 55.6 grams of fat. You can now begin to grasp that the average healthy balanced diet when training based on 2500 calories per day should consist of 312.5 grams of carbohydrates, 187.5 grams of protein and 55.6 grams of fat.
As previously stated, the foundation of the diet should come from carbohydrates, particularly unrefined carbs like wholegrain foods. When the body digests carbohydrates, they are turned into glucose, which is a simple sugar. Glucose creates the body's primary source of energy, which the bloodstream supplies to every cell in the body. Too much glucose converts into a substance called glycogen, which is stored in the liver and muscle tissue. Once these glycogen stores are full, glucose starts to convert into fat, this storage process however that requires a lot of energy. This glycogen is the key energy source for the body during extreme training. During training, the body uses the glucose held in the blood as its main energy source by converting the stored glycogen back into glucose. Therefore, to increase the body's stores of glycogen you simply need to consume more carbohydrates. This is vital for those who train intensely for 60 to 90 minutes on a daily basis.
A meal high in carbohydrates should be eaten up to an hour pre any training activity as studies show it can have a beneficial effect on performance. The precise timing depends on the individual as eating so soon before training can have a negative effect on some peoples glucose levels. Ingesting sugary foods with a high glycaemic index before exercise is not practical, it may give the body an quick boost of energy, however the chances are the body will become lethargic during exercise. Low GI carbohydrates (wholegrain, oats) are ideal as they generate a sustained release of energy. Foods with a high glycaemic index are ideal within an hour
post training to top up glycogen levels and compliment, followed later by foods high in carbohydrates with a low glycaemic index.
Protein is the second most crucial ingredient when it comes to training, especially if the goal is to increase muscle mass. It plays a vital role in recovery and repair. The daily recommendation of protein intake is 1 to 2 grams of protein per kg of body mass for those undertaking sporting activities. It can be quite challenging to get decent levels of protein into your daily diet, which is why protein supplements are so popular these days. An average protein shake can provide 20 to 30 grams of protein per serving. Too much protein however can be potentially hazardous to long-term health. Studies show that a diet high in protein only can put serious strain on the kidneys and compromise bone density.
In summary, whether you are a professional or amateur athlete, a bodybuilder, or a dedicated daily gym regular, a well-balanced and adequate diet provides the fundamentals to improved performance. Carbohydrates should form the basis of any diet, and a diet too high in protein is not advisable. To increase energy levels, you can increase the amount of glycogen stored in the body through consuming more carbohydrates.
There seems little objective in putting all that effort into your routines, sweating severely and feeling drained after a workout, then not giving the body the decisive nutrition and rest it needs to repair and grow back bigger and stronger. This is where diet is crucial. Of course you are not going to get very far on diet solitary, but then does it not seem a misuse of energy and determination if all the hard work is put in whilst in the gym and none when in the kitchen. If you are training for muscle and do not eat plenty of calories or protein in your daily diet do you think you will get bigger. If you are training for fat loss and are getting through chocolate or cakes all day do you think you will slim down. What about if you are preparing for a marathon and overlook to feed the body sufficient carbohydrates, do you think your body will recover fast enough to improve on your time.
The most common diet when training should meet certain requirements. The most critical and sensible is to provide the body with sufficient energy and nutrients to appease the demands of the individual training regime followed. The greater part of nutrition should come from whole foods, including protein from lean meats, eggs and nuts, carbohydrates from wholegrain breads, oats, sweet potatoes, then fruits and vegetables followed by healthy fats from eggs, nuts, and various seeds. The diet should support quick and full recovery after exercise, and deliver plenty of fluids to ensure maximum hydration, especially whilst training.
The average macros when training should be akin to when not training if a healthy and balanced diets maintained. The advisable daily energy intake from calories is to eat 50% from carbohydrates, 30% from protein and 20% from fats split into 6 to 8 small meals per day. This to ensure the body's metabolism runs at its peak rate. Depending on your goals you may want to modify these percentages slightly, for example if losing weight was your objective you would more than likely decrease the carbohydrates to around 30 to 35% and up the fats. If you reduce your calorie ingestion by too much you will begin to feel tired and lack drive, which in turn will stall your training performance.
To calculate what you should be eating based on the above assumption you need to work out your daily macros from carbs, protein and fats based on your overall daily calorie intake. Every one gram of fat comprises of 9 calories, whereas every one gram of carbs and protein comprises of four calories. The average daily calorie consumption recommendation for men is 2500, whereas for women it is 2000. Taking the males recommendation, we can see that 50% of carbs equates to 1250 calories, 30% of protein comes to 750 calories and 20% of fat equates to 500 calories. Therefore, we now need to divide the 1250 calories from carbs by 4 (1 gram per 4 kcal) to get 312.5 grams of carbohydrates, divide 750 calories from protein (1 gram per 4 kcal) to get 187.5 grams of protein, and finally 500 calories from fat by 9 (1 gram per 9 kcal) to get 55.6 grams of fat. You can now begin to grasp that the average healthy balanced diet when training based on 2500 calories per day should consist of 312.5 grams of carbohydrates, 187.5 grams of protein and 55.6 grams of fat.
As previously stated, the foundation of the diet should come from carbohydrates, particularly unrefined carbs like wholegrain foods. When the body digests carbohydrates, they are turned into glucose, which is a simple sugar. Glucose creates the body's primary source of energy, which the bloodstream supplies to every cell in the body. Too much glucose converts into a substance called glycogen, which is stored in the liver and muscle tissue. Once these glycogen stores are full, glucose starts to convert into fat, this storage process however that requires a lot of energy. This glycogen is the key energy source for the body during extreme training. During training, the body uses the glucose held in the blood as its main energy source by converting the stored glycogen back into glucose. Therefore, to increase the body's stores of glycogen you simply need to consume more carbohydrates. This is vital for those who train intensely for 60 to 90 minutes on a daily basis.
A meal high in carbohydrates should be eaten up to an hour pre any training activity as studies show it can have a beneficial effect on performance. The precise timing depends on the individual as eating so soon before training can have a negative effect on some peoples glucose levels. Ingesting sugary foods with a high glycaemic index before exercise is not practical, it may give the body an quick boost of energy, however the chances are the body will become lethargic during exercise. Low GI carbohydrates (wholegrain, oats) are ideal as they generate a sustained release of energy. Foods with a high glycaemic index are ideal within an hour
post training to top up glycogen levels and compliment, followed later by foods high in carbohydrates with a low glycaemic index.
Protein is the second most crucial ingredient when it comes to training, especially if the goal is to increase muscle mass. It plays a vital role in recovery and repair. The daily recommendation of protein intake is 1 to 2 grams of protein per kg of body mass for those undertaking sporting activities. It can be quite challenging to get decent levels of protein into your daily diet, which is why protein supplements are so popular these days. An average protein shake can provide 20 to 30 grams of protein per serving. Too much protein however can be potentially hazardous to long-term health. Studies show that a diet high in protein only can put serious strain on the kidneys and compromise bone density.
In summary, whether you are a professional or amateur athlete, a bodybuilder, or a dedicated daily gym regular, a well-balanced and adequate diet provides the fundamentals to improved performance. Carbohydrates should form the basis of any diet, and a diet too high in protein is not advisable. To increase energy levels, you can increase the amount of glycogen stored in the body through consuming more carbohydrates.
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