Nutrients to help you make the most of your exercise routine

What and when should you eat to make the most of your exercise routine? For the fastest possible results, your body needs nutrients to provide maximum energy during exercise and help to build up your muscles afterwards. Here’s how to make that happen.

Before your workout

Eat a big meal two to three hours before exercise, or a smaller one an hour before, to get the energy you need for your workout. This applies even if you are trying to lose weight. The more muscle mass you have, the more fat you burn, so it makes sense to give your body what it needs to build up those muscles as quickly as possible.

Your meal should be rich in carbohydrates because these are stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles and provide muscle cells with energy. The meal should also contain protein. If you eat shortly before your workout, try not to eat too much fat and fiber, to avoid stomach problems during the session.

After your workout

After exercising, drink water, a sports drink or milk, and eat something rich in carbohydrates and protein as quickly as possible. This is important to replace fluid and electrolyte loss and replenish glycogen stores. Carbohydrates are the most important nutrient for recovery and proteins stimulate protein synthesis as well as repair and build muscle tissue.

Important nutrients when exercising

If you want good results, consider your daily diet and not only what you eat in connection with your exercise. There are certain nutrients that are important components of the daily diet when activity increases. These are:

Vitamin D

Vitamin D contributes to the maintenance of normal muscle function. This vitamin can be difficult to get enough of in the winter, especially if you don`t eat much fish. And it’s in winter when you need it most, since vitamin D also contributes to maintaining the immune system and building bone. In the UK, sunlight doesn’t contain enough UVB radiation in winter (October to early March) for our skin to be able to make vitamin D. During these months, we rely on getting our vitamin D from food and supplements. Cod liver oil is a good source of vitamin D. A teaspoon of cod liver oil or a fish oil capsule each morning will give you a shot of the important omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA, which both contribute to the normal maintenance of cardiovascular function, vision and brain function.

Protein

Although the need for protein increases when you exercise, it’s not necessary to take protein supplements. A normal, varied diet is usually good enough. If you alternate between meat, fish, dairy products, legumes and eggs you get both adequate and good quality protein.

Antioxidants

High intensity workouts increase the development of free radicals, and these must be neutralised by antioxidants that you get in your diet. The strongest antioxidants are vitamin C and E. Good sources of vitamin C include oranges, kiwifruit, red peppers and turnips. While cod liver oil, vegetable oils and nuts are rich in vitamin E.

Iron

When you start an exercise routine, or increase the amount of exercise you do, your body will react by producing more blood to transport the increased level of oxygen. And since the body needs iron to produce blood, it is important that you get enough. Foods like poultry, beef, tripe, mussels, wholemeal bread and paté are good sources of iron.

Calcium

Calcium is important for maintaining bone health. Good sources of calcium are milk and dairy products, sardines, dried figs and almonds. Note that the body depends on vitamin D to absorb calcium from food.

Magnesium and zinc

When you sweat you lose zinc and magnesium and this loss must be replaced through your diet. Peas, beans, bananas and almonds have a high magnesium content, while the best sources of zinc are beef, cheese, peas, beans and lentils.

Did you know…

For most people, even those who exercise a lot, regular food and drink works just as well as sports products. Milk, for example, is proved to be as equally an effective regeneration beverage as a sports drink.

What is good health?

Body changes in later life call for changes in your diet

Do you have a good lifestyle?

Lifestyle simply means the way in which you live. Health and lifestyle go hand in hand. You might feel you have a good lifestyle if you are physically active, eat healthily and generally experience a sense of wellbeing. Conversely, if you want good health you should also have a good lifestyle.

Physical activity is the major contributor to a good lifestyle, but diet, drugs, stress, sleep and social conditions are also play an important role. Being able to use the body properly to avoid injury also affects lifestyle. Physical activity can also prevent depression and help you to recover more quickly from mental illness, both of which obviously affect your lifestyle.

How does the aging process affect your immune system?

Diet can be a difficult topic for many. Perhaps you eat too much or too little or maybe you find it hard to know what foods to combine to have a balanced diet. It’s also important to eat food that contains important vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre, omega-3 and antioxidants. On top of all this, you also need to get enough energy, protein and the correct fatty acids. The requirement for these nutrients changes throughout your life. When you are older you also have different requirements than children and younger adults. Women also have different requirements than men. Pregnant and breastfeeding mothers also have special requirements.

When you get older, you lose muscle mass and your body requires less energy and therefore less food. You may lead a less active life than you did before, which is why you require less food. However, your need for minerals, vitamins and other nutrients remains the same. Of course, there are plenty of healthy and active older people, but when you reach 70 to 80 years of age, it’s easier to become ill, especially during flu season.

Some steps you can take to improve your lifestyle and health are to:

eat a healthy and varied diet
stay active
watch your weight
avoid too much alcohol and don’t smoke
get enough sleep
think positive
practise good hygiene

What is good quality of life?

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines quality of life as a state where the individual can realise their potential, cope with normal stressful situations, work in a rewarding and positive way, and be able to contribute to others and society.

Quality of life is a wide and somewhat diffuse concept that includes joy in, and a desire for, life. These are values that are rather felt than measured, which in turn are based on personal environment and choices. Quality of life doesn’t necessarily depend on being healthy or sick. It’s the moments between worries, sorrows, problems and ailments that matter. For example, if you have a chronic illness, a feeling of mastery can be important when talking about quality of life.

To sum up, quality of life is a combination of health, lifestyle, networks and social support. It’s about experiencing joy, meaning in life, satisfaction, security and a sense of belonging, as well as being able to use your strengths. It’s also about feeling interest in life, coping with everyday situations and a being committed to something or someone. If you have good quality of life, you will be able to cope better with the inevitable stressful situations in life.