21/02/2018
GETTING FUELED FOR THE EVENT
Nutrition, in its multifaceted nature, is essential to all vital areas of life (health, family, financial, social, intellectual, professional and yes, spiritual). Of these, the bases for sport are intellectual and health. It is therefore essential that good nutrition must not fall down on your list of priorities as it has many benefits, including:
*Allowing optimum performance in chosen sport or activity
*Reducing the risk of injury and illness
*Ensuring recovery after exercise or training
>The Concerned Population
*Athletes
*Bodybuilders
*Those who simply exercise to improve their health; and,
*Those who usually prefer to take a brisk walk between lectures from FLT to KDL, from Anatomy to CBN etc.
>Your Fuel
—Carbohydrates
About 80% of all carbs in food break down into glucose, the primary fuel for metabolism. Carbohydrates in foods are majorly of 2 types: Sugars and Starch. It is healthier from a nutrition standpoint to go for unrefined, starchy carbohydrates as they contain vitamins and minerals which are lost in refined foods. However if situation demand, starchy food should not fall less than ⅓ of total carbohydrates intake while the sugars should be mostly from natural sources e.g. milk, fruits etc.
If you are working yourself while aiming for weight maintenance, your carbohydrates intake should be increased to 4-10 g/kg of body weight (for normal adult, depending on your workout). If you are looking to lose weight, you may not yield to increase body demand for calorie intake, however, you should monitor your activity in order not to disrupt protein metabolism.
—Protein
Protein is part of your diet that should increase whether you are conscious of weight maintenance or not. Protein requirement of endurance athletes fall in the range 1.2-1.7 g/kg body weight, twice that of a normal adult (0.75g)
It is advisable not to consume too much protein as it will strangle Carbohydrate intake, resulting in protein being used to generate metabolic fuel rather than its body-building functions.
—Fats
Though, astute it is that we monitor our fat intake, it should not be totally excluded from your diet as it provide energy, especially for people that undergo intense physical activity of more than an hour. It is healthy to go for unsaturated fats which are found in large amounts in linseed oil, oily fish etc.
—Supplements
*Creatinine: Can only improve performance in sports that use intense short bursts of energy and NOT in longer endurance sports such as long-distance running.
*Caffeine: Most widely used stimulant, found in beverages. A cup of brewed coffee taken before exercise can improve performance for a 70kg person.
*Whey Protein: Whey is the best form of protein, containing all essential amino acids and high in leucine. Whey isolates or concentrates are rapidly digested and absorbed by the body, making it a fuel of immediate impact.
—Hydration
Increase in body temperature during performance cause water and salts loss as sweat, making it very crucial to stay hydrated. If the activity is intense and exceed an hour, Sports drinks (which contain sugars and electrolytes) will be preferable.
>Before Donning your Sportswear
*Do not exercise on empty stomach, eat 1-4 hrs before the activity.
*Include Carbohydrate-rich and protein-rich foods in your meal/snack.
*Choose foods that are lower in fat and fibre as they are digested more slowly and can produce gas. Select foods you know you can tolerate.
>During Breaks
*Choose smaller meals or snacks that are easy to digest if you have little time before your next session e.g. Bananas, apple, skimmed milk etc.
*Choose a balanced meal that contains protein and Carbohydrates if you have more than an hour before the following session.
*Drink fluids to rehydrate. If you have a salty sweat, sports drinks are important.
>Refueling after Performance
Eating after exercise is less important for exercise of lower intensity, but for activity of high intensity:
*Have your recovery meal or snack within 30 minutes after your exercise.
*Include carbohydrates-rich in order to refill energy stores (glycogen in the muscles).
*Include protein-rich foods in order to repair the damaged muscles and build new ones. Consume about 15-25 g of protein after your exercise
*Drink enough fluid to replace what you lost during exercise, using thirst as your guide.
