What to eat when you play sports. Proper nutrition during physical exertion
Everyone who has ever played sports knows that intense physical activity quickly exhausts the body, and therefore requires a different approach to nutrition from the athlete. Therefore, proper nutrition with physical activity should include food that contains enough nutrients and contains carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, fiber, salts ...
Without this, no athlete will not withstand prolonged exertion, and therefore those who lead a sporting lifestyle or seriously engage in sports, in order to achieve high results, you need to choose the appropriate nutrition for these activities.
At present, methodological recommendations have already been developed, in which practical advice is given on the nutrition of athletes who have a different load when playing sports. Depending on energy costs, all major sports can be divided into five groups:
2) Where there is high-speed physical activity
3) Sports containing volumetric constant loads
4) Including prolonged physical activity
5) Where there is a place for prolonged physical activity in stressful situations (that is, in training or competition).
As you can already understand, the diet during exercise must be selected individually in each case. But there are several rules, compliance with which will benefit everyone. First you need to reduce the salt and complex carbohydrates in your diet, replace them with fructose and easily digestible carbohydrates. Then maximize the intake of food containing protein and balance the intake of minerals and vitamins.
Meal time. Remember that you can’t eat food immediately before and during physical activity, because at the same time it is poorly digested, worsens your well-being.
Eat should be at least an hour before training, or two hours after its completion.
Often, athletes with great physical exertion completely lose their appetite. If this happens, enter the diet foods containing a large amount of carbohydrates. By the way, simple carbohydrates (jam, juices, honey, fruits) quickly transfer their energy to the body, so they are best consumed before exercise.
After exercise, it is better to eat oatmeal cookies, pasta, oranges or grapes. If physical activity is intense, then six-time food is suitable for you, and vegetables and fruits in it should be at least 10%. Keep in mind that it is very important to follow the selected diet during exercise. To replenish vitamins and minerals, your diet should be as diverse as possible.
The body is constantly losing protein, in addition, it is needed for tissue renewal. Therefore, proper nutrition during physical exertion should ensure the receipt of the minimum, but necessary amount of protein. Fortunately, they are found in both plant and animal foods. Keep in mind that if you fully replenish lost energy, but do not consume protein food, then you risk achieving rapid wear of the body.
It is known that with a lack of protein in food, the body loses about 15 grams per day because of this. So if your lifestyle includes constant exercise, then you constantly need animal protein.
In addition to replenishing energy, you need to think about its accumulation in the body. To do this, a few days before intense exercise, you need to start to fully relax and eat foods high in carbohydrates. It is impossible to load yourself these days. Allowed only light walks, as well as taking multivitamins and plenty of fluids. After that, you will be fully prepared for significant physical stress.
For the correct course of processes in the body, it is important to drink a sufficient amount of liquid. You should know that if your body loses 1% of water - you feel thirsty, 3% - endurance decreases, 5% - a state of apathy appears. At a temperature of 27 degrees and an intense load, your body loses about two liters of water per hour.
Water is absorbed no faster than one liter per hour, so before serious physical exertion, you should drink half a liter of water ahead of time. Drinking sweet water is not recommended, as it causes even greater thirst. There are special carbohydrate-mineral drinks that will be effective if you plan to load yourself for more than 45 minutes. They contain lemon juice, honey, vitamins and minerals.
In conclusion, I will clarify that intense physical activity brings with it energy costs of 500-700 calories per hour and they should be compensated in time.
Recently, everyone is talking about the need for physical activity to maintain health and treat many chronic diseases. You can hear about it on TV, from a doctor, from magazines, newspapers, and just going out into the street in the morning or in the evening is not difficult to notice when you are walking or jogging.
Proper nutrition before and after physical exertion is no less important than the fact of physical exertion. Success in burning fat, improving metabolism, or building muscle during exercise largely depends on what and when you ate before and after training. And starving before or after training is not only not good, but also harmful.
Before training
If you are going to get up early and take a short workout, walk or jog before work, there is usually no time to learn a full, hearty breakfast, but you still need to eat. It is important to remember that whatever the goal of morning sports: weight loss, normalization of sugar in the blood for diabetics, muscle building, just a walk to cheer up, without breakfast, the body after 8-10 hours of fasting, simply can not extract the desired result. Skipping breakfast, your body will burn much less calories during training than you would if you had breakfast.
Breakfast can be light - fruit, dried fruit or a glass of yogurt no later than 20-30 minutes before training. When playing sports in the afternoon, it is recommended to have lunch about one and a half two hours before training. Lunch can consist of a salad and a sandwich with an egg, tuna, brisket or pastram. After a more hearty lunch, it is recommended to wait about 3 hours before doing physical activity.
Eating before exercise should include complex carbohydrates such as whole, grain or rye bread, various types of cereals, noodles or potatoes in combination with protein such as meat, fish, dairy products, eggs, and of course vegetables.
It is advisable to abandon the use of high-calorie foods with a high sugar content before training. Such food is quickly absorbed, but the glucose in it increases the blood sugar level too quickly and then the sugar level also drops quickly, leaving an acute feeling of hunger and fatigue.
Complex carbohydrates provide a slow stable flow of glucose into the blood, supporting long and productive work of muscles and heart.
During training
During training, it is recommended to drink water or unsweetened tea. You must drink. According to recent studies, a sufficient amount of water in the body stimulates a normal metabolism. Observing the correct diet, burning fat during exercise will be optimal.
After workout
Equally important is what you eat after your workout. Needless to say, that if on the way home from gym or an evening walk if you buy yourself a portion of ice cream or burekas containing a large amount of fat, then all your efforts almost immediately come to naught. Metabolism remains elevated after 1-2 hours after training, warm muscles just require fuel.
After training, the body opens the so-called training (anabolic) window for the consumption of proteins and carbohydrates (but not fats). Everything that will be eaten during this period will go to muscle recovery and muscle growth. By eating the right foods after exercise, you will help the body accumulate muscle mass instead of fat.
The first thing your body needs after physical exertion is amino acids, a protein building material for muscles, hormones, nerves, etc. Increased physical activity depletes the reserve of essential amino acids, and you must replenish it. This includes meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, or vegetable proteins (soy). The second thing your body needs is a few complex carbohydrates to make up for the glycogen deficiency in the liver, such as bread (wholemeal), cereals, cornflakes. Remember to drink enough water before and after exercise.
Remember that if your task is to get the maximum effect at the minimum cost, eat the right food before and after physical activity and the result will not be slow in coming!
It's hard to believe, but great physical activity is not a reason to abandon the good old fats and carbohydrates in favor of protein foods. On the contrary, this is the reason to seriously review your diet, diversifying it as much as possible. And add healthy and proper foods to it. Those that can not only give strength and energy, but also allow you to do more and, as a result, reach sporting heights faster.
How to plan a diet for high physical exertion
Proper nutrition allows an athlete to gain muscle mass and burn fat, while remaining physically healthy and sturdy (1). That is why his diet should be balanced and contain proteins, carbohydrates and fats in the right quantities. After all, each of these macronutrients performs a specific function, namely:
- 1 Proteins - they form the basis of all diets, including diets for athletes. Just because they are the building block for our body and, like water, are present in almost all of its tissues, including bone, muscle and connective, and even in the blood. However, their share in the daily diet should be no more than 15-20%, otherwise muscle hypertrophy (an increase in muscle mass due to an increase in the area and size of muscle fibers, and not their length) cannot be avoided. The best sources of protein are chicken breast, turkey, tuna, salmon, egg white, legumes, low-calorie cottage cheese.
- 2 Carbohydrates are substances from which the body draws energy. It is thanks to them that endurance and endurance appear. This happens as follows: as a result of complex biochemical reactions, carbohydrates are converted to glycogen. This is a kind of energy reserve that accumulates in the muscles in order to be released during the next training and intense muscular work, allowing a person to exercise more intensively. Interestingly, the more one trains, the more glycogen stores his muscles. In the athlete's diet, carbohydrates should make up 55-60% of the total mass of food. You can get them by using products of plant origin - cereals or cereals.
- 3 Fats - provide the body with additional energy and prevent the development of cardiovascular diseases. They are mainly found in vegetable oils - olive or sunflower, as well as fish oil, nuts and seeds (1).
Vitamins and minerals
In addition to macronutrients, athletes need vitamins and minerals. Moreover, according to the representative of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Kelly L. Pritchett, "during moderate and intense training, the loss of certain minerals increases mainly through sweat." Therefore, the body needs to accumulate them all the time. These are the following substances:
- Vitamins of group B. The first sign of their deficiency is a lack of strength at the last run. This is explained by the fact that it is with their help that our body converts protein and sugar into energy and synthesizes red blood cells. Data confirmed by research results. These substances are found in tuna, legumes and nuts.
- Calcium - together with vitamin D, potassium and protein, this microelement is responsible for the density of bone tissue, as well as the strength of the skeleton. It is found in dairy products, dark green leafy vegetables and legumes.
- Vitamin C - not many people know that it can not only increase immunity, but also prevent shortness of breath during and after training. This is confirmed by the results of studies conducted at the University of Helsinki in Finland. It is found in citrus fruits, rose hips, sweet peppers, strawberries and cabbage.
- Vitamin D - improves mood and adds strength. Moreover, these are not just words, but the results of studies conducted at British University of Newcastle under the leadership of Akash Signy. The mechanism of its effect is simple: vitamin D promotes the activation of mitochondria, which are in muscle fibers. As a result, muscle tone rises and the person feels more active. You can replenish this vitamin by basking in the sun or eating dairy products, fish and egg yolk.
- Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that enhances immunity and protects against many diseases. Contained in seeds, nuts and vegetable oils.
- Iron - without it, muscles cannot work at full strength. Just because they lack the oxygen that is carried by red blood cells, synthesized just with its help. In addition, iron deficiency leads to anemia and, as a result, increased fatigue and fatigue. This trace element is found in beef, spinach, eggs, cabbage and green apples.
- Magnesium - it increases the density of bone tissue, thereby protecting the athlete from fractures during intense training. In addition, according to Kelly Pritchett, "magnesium activates over 300 enzymes involved in energy metabolism." They are rich in dark green leafy vegetables, fish, nuts (2).
- Potassium is an essential trace element that provides the nervous and muscular systems and is contained in bananas. That is why athletes prefer the latter after long-distance races. Just to relieve muscle pain and cramps of the calf muscles.
Top 17 Heavy Duty Products
In order not to overload the body and be always in great shape, you need to eat fractionally, but often. Ideally, there should be 5-6 meals a day and a maximum of wholesome foods and drinks in the diet. There are 17 of them:
Water - it is necessary to drink it not only before or after, but also during training. Just because it improves performance and prevents injuries. The amount of water drunk depends on their duration and intensity. In some cases, it is good to drink sports drinks (1).
Eggs are a source of protein and vitamin D.
Orange juice - it contains not only vitamin C, but also potassium - one of the most important electrolytes responsible for water balance and contributing to the replenishment of a lack of fluid in the body after training.
Kefir is a source of beneficial bacteria and proteins that are necessary for muscle growth. Regular consumption of kefir helps cleanse the body and lose weight. You can improve its taste with oatmeal or fruit.
Bananas are a source of carbohydrates that help restore glycogen and potassium levels.
Salmon is a source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids with anti-inflammatory properties. The product allows not only to increase muscle mass, but also to improve the performance of training.
Nuts and dried fruits are an ideal snack with carbohydrates, proteins and healthy fats, as well as vitamins and minerals in their composition. It allows you to quickly restore strength and helps build muscle.
Blueberries are a source of antioxidants that can triple the speed of recovery after intense training.
Pineapple is a source of bromelain - a substance that has anti-inflammatory properties and contributes to the speedy treatment of dislocations, bruises and edema. In addition, it contains vitamin C, which is necessary for quick tissue repair.
Kiwi is a source of vitamin C, antioxidants and potassium, which help to effectively fight muscle pain after training (3).
Oatmeal is a storehouse of useful substances and complex carbohydrates that provide the optimal level of sugar in the blood and energize for new achievements.
Coffee is hard to believe, but it’s caffeine that can increase stamina and reduce muscle pain during and after intense training, as evidenced by the results of studies conducted in 2009 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The main thing is not to abuse it.
Oysters - they enrich the body with zinc and iron and, as a result, provide the energy necessary for intensive training.
Ginger - It contains unique substances that have anti-inflammatory properties and effectively relieve muscle pain.