By Madison Headen
Exercise is an essential part of maintaining overall health. Whether you engage in running, heavy lifting, or a relaxing walk, it is important to find some type of movement to be in your daily routine. Exercise is so beneficial because it reduces our risk for a plethora of diseases, improves our physical fitness, and enhances our mental health. However, another quality that exercise has is that it uses up the energy that we consume in a day and when excess energy is burned, it needs to be replaced. The energy needs also vary for every person, so it is important to understand what the general energy needs are so that you can refine them to meet your personal requirements to avoid illness during physical activity.
Before you engage in any type of exercise, it is important to know the nutritional requirements that your body needs for a period of physical activity. The main objective of the pre-workout diet is to maintain the fluid and carbohydrate levels while you are exercising. With that being said, carbohydrates are very important for exercise. Glucose is the body’s main source of energy, so it is important that we understand that we need carbohydrates throughout the day. While consuming excess fats is unnecessary and it can hinder performance, studies have shown that maintaining a moderate level of fats in the diets improves performance. Fats are the source of energy that the body uses once the carbohydrate stores have been depleted and we need to consume fats so that the fat-soluble vitamins can be absorbed. Another important nutrient to remember is antioxidants because these will reduce the free radicals that are produced as a byproduct of catabolic processes. Iron is also very important because it is needed for hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is especially important during exercise because the body needs more oxygen to produce energy in aerobic respiration. Sports anemia is the result of the lack of iron intake before exercising. Lastly, it is important to eat at least 30 minutes before engaging in physical activity so that all of the food has been fully digested and you won’t experience any abdominal distress.
Equally as important as the pre-workout diet is the post-workout diet. The main objective here is to replenish glycogen stores, amino acids, fluids, and electrolytes. Glycogen stores can be depleted during exercise, so it is important to replenish the body’s carbohydrate levels after a period of exercise. Electrolytes are a very important aspect of our physiology on the molecular level. Therefore, it is also essential that the electrolytes (sodium, potassium, etc.) are immediately replenished. Finally, amino acids must be replaced. Proteins should be in our diet throughout the day because they build everything in our bodies. With that being said, they are extra important before, during, and after exercise because the body needs them to repair proteins that have been broken down (specifically contractile proteins used during physical activity). Finally, drinking water throughout the day and especially during a workout is extremely important to maintain blood volume. The body needs a higher blood volume to transfer oxygen and other nutrients to the muscle cells, so hydration is a necessity
Overall, it is important to be conscientious of your energy needs. Exercise is extremely beneficial to overall health and fitness, but it can cause illness if you do not properly prepare your body for the work that it is about to do. Since everyone’s energy needs are different, it is important that we keep the general energy and nutrient requirements in mind, but additionally conduct research based on our individual body compositions.
Comments