MarkReganFitness.co.uk - Helping you to unlock your potential
MarkReganFitness.co.uk - Helping you to unlock your potential
The optimum nutritional recommendations to accompany an exercise regime will vary according to the physiological demands placed upon the body, and therefore must be relevant to specific training programmes.
Contents:
Aerobic training requires fuel. This fuel can be provided by fat, carbohydrate and protein. When we work at lower intensities, a greater percentage of fat will be utilised for energy. When exercise intensity begins to rise, a greater amount of carbohydrate will be utilised.
It has often been quoted that a pre-exercise meal is best chosen from low GI foods. This is because it is believed that a high GI carbohydrate meal taken before training will cause a rapid rise in blood glucose and the release of insulin.
Feared effects of high GI carbohydrate meal were:
A low GI pre-exercise meal will provide a supply of sustained energy during exercise. Researchers have also found that low GI meals produce higher blood sugar and fatty acid levels during the latter stages of exercise, which is an extreme advantage in endurance sports.
Carbohydrate taken during exercise or competition is acceptable if:
Consuming isotonic drinks during exercise has been shown to delay the onset of fatigue and to improve performance in endurance athletes. One study found that ingesting an isotonic drink during endurance training is as effective as a pre-training carbohydrate meal.
I would recommend that there is no need to consume cabohydrates during exercise if the training session is to be under an hour.
Muscles are more sensitive to the effects of insulin thus enabling more efficient replacement of lost glycogen. There is a two hour window of opportunity where the replacement of lost glycogen is at its most rapid.
A high GI carbohydrate meal post-exercise will aid in the refuel process. Benefits are:
The length of time to refuel depends on:
Water makes up a significant portion of our total body weight. Much of this water is held in the cells of the body and in the blood stream. Water is the medium through which all other nutrients, chemicals and other bodily processes travel and interact. It is essential that our water levels are maintained to allow for appropriate metabolic reactions to occur and to keep us operating at an optimal level.
Water loss occur in several different ways:
The Food Standards Agency advises that water intake will vary according to the environmental temperature. In the UK, guidelines state that we should drink about 1.2 litres of fluid every day to prevent dehydration. This guideline provides a one size fits all approach, however, when the subject of hydration is more closely examined it becomes clear that this approach is far too simplistic.
Food and its effect on hydration
Macronutrients (protein, carbohydrate and fat) are involved in the release of water during metabolism. 10g of protein releases 4g of water, 10g of carbohydrate releases 6g of water and 10g of fat releases 10g of water! It is common to find that anyone who eats a low fat diet will often drink a larger volume of water. Bodybuilders ingesting large amounts of protein and low levels of fat usually experience this insatiable thirst for water.
There is no single factor which can provide any conclusive guideline for water intake. Factors influencing an individual's water intake are:
Alcohol
Alcohol has the following negative effects on sports performance:
Studies have shown that red wine, in particular, may be especially good for the heart. Drinking up to two glasses a day can lower your risk of heart disease by 30-70%. Flavanoids in the grape skin contain antioxidants and protect your LDL cholesterol from free radical damage.
Sports Drinks
There are different types of sports drinks. First lets identify what they are:
| Type | Properties |
|---|---|
| Hypotonic Drink | low osmality - contains less particles (carbohydrate and electrolytes) per 100 ml than the body's own fluids. As it is more dilute, it is absorbed faster than plain water |
| Isotonic Drink | same osmality as the body's fluids - contains the same number of particles (carbohydrate and electrolytes) per 100 ml. It is absorbed as fast or faster than plain water |
| Hypertonic Drink | higher osmality than the body's fluids - contains more particles (carbohydrate and electrolytes) per 100 ml. Is more concentrated and is absorbed more slowly than plain water. |
Although sports drinks have been shown to be beneficial to improving exercise performance as well as refueling after exercise, it should be noted that many of the commercial sports drinks contain other additives which are less desirable. Some sports drinks contain sweeteners and colourings such as aspartame and acesulfame K which have undesirable side effects.
It is possible to make your own sports drink. The benefits of making your own sports drink is that it will be cheaper and you will know exactly what ingredients you are putting in.
| Hypotonic | Isotonic |
|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Protein shakes are very popular especially among bodybuilders. Their appeal is that they offer an easy to take supplement that will increase an individual's protein needs. There is a lot of advertising surrounding the use of protein shakes implying that protein shakes are "highly advanced" or contain a "precision engineered" muscle building formula.
Whey protein is found in milk, which averages 6.5% protein where a fifth of this is whey protein (1.3% overall). In its natural state it has the highest biological value to the body of any protein, due to its high concentration of essential and branched chain amino acids. This makes it extremely useful for the body for repair and growth of muscle tissues. If you were to buy a tub of whey powder, it will be vastly different from the original product. Consider the following points:
A lot of sports supplements, whether they are sports drinks or protein shakes etc, use clever advertising along with public ignorance in order to sell a product which they make out to be essential for optimum sports performance. I believe that there is no need to purchase overly priced products just because advertising tells us we should. Remember, those big companies are primarily looking to make a profit before anything, not to look after your health.
| Avoid | Advise |
|---|---|
| commercial isotonic sports drinks | make your own quality isotonic sports drink if needed during exercise |
| most commercial protein or meal replacement shakes | eat higher quality, full fat animal produce for protein needs |
| most cereal or health bars | eat raw nuts, fruit, cheese etc for healthy conveniant snacks |
| low quality refined carbohydrates | allow sufficient time to eat a proper meal rather than sacrificing for conveniance |
| the use of carbohydrates in isolation | drink quality water as body needs |
| dehydration |