Workout food: How to fuel your body for exercise
Sports Dietitian Jeni Pearce with nutritional help for those of us who are not world class athletes, but want to get the most from our workouts.
When you are a regular exerciser, you know on one hand you’re not an elite athlete, but on the other you’re also no armchair spectator. So how does the sports nutrition information you see apply to your workouts and daily life? Should the everyday athlete – the person who attends regular aerobics classes, or weekly games of touch rugby – eat and train as if they are attending the Olympics? Are sports drinks, bars and gels suitable for you, or just a waste of money?
Why bother with sports nutrition?
Nutrition can make a difference to how you perform at training, how you feel and the benefits you get from your workouts. Eating well also helps you enjoy activity and have energy left over for the rest of the day (and not drop off to sleep at the office desk).
Too often we fall into the trap of focusing on protein, vitamins and minerals while the more important
and essential energy and performance nutrients (carbohydrates and fluids) are ignored. Many people spend vast sums of money on sports supplements and bars without focusing on getting enough from their everyday diet and fluid intake. It’s a case of lots of icing without the cake.
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© Healthy Food Media Limited. Reproduced with permission from Healthy Food Guide magazine. www.healthyfood.co.nz
