Strength Training And Nutrition Tips For Staying Healthy

It’s important to have the right amount of energy when beginning a fitness regime. The 50- plus nutrients the body needs are the same for sedentary and active people. No single food or supplement can provide everything. A variety of foods are needed every day. But, just as there is more than one way to achieve a goal, there is more than one way to follow a nutritious diet.

Competitive athletes, sedentary individuals and people who exercise for health and fitness all need the same nutrients. However, because of the intensity of their sport or training program, some people have higher calorie and fluid requirements. Eating a variety of foods to meet increased calorie needs helps to ensure that the athlete’s diet contains appropriate amounts of carbohydrate, protein, vitamins and minerals.

Health and nutrition professionals recommend that 55-60% of the calories in your diet come from carbohydrates, no more than 30% from fat and the remaining 10-15% from protein. The amount of calories you need depends on your age, body size, and fitness program. For example, a 250-pound weight lifter needs more calories than a 98-pound gymnast. Exercise or training may increase calorie needs by as much as 1,000 to 1,500 calories a day for themost active athletes while a desk jockey may just need a 150 extra calories when starting a fitness regime. The best way to determine if you’re getting too few or too many calories is to monitor your weight. Keeping within your ideal weight range means that you are getting the right amount of calories.

Most activities use a combination of fat and carbohydrate as energy sources. How hard and how long you work out, your level of fitness and your diet will affect the type of fuel your body uses. For short-term, high-intensity activities like sprinting, athletes rely mostly on carbohydrate for energy. During low-intensity exercises like walking, the body uses more fat for energy.

Carbohydrates are sugars and starches found in foods like breads, cereals, fruits, vegetables, pasta, milk, honey, syrups and table sugar. Carbohydrates are the preferred source of energy for your body. Regardless of origin, your body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose that your blood carries to cells to be used for energy. Carbohydrates provide 4 calories per gram, while fat provides 9 calories per gram. Your body cannot differentiate between glucose that comes from starches or sugars. Glucose from either source provides energy for working muscles.

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