Are you Sabotaging your Training Efforts by Neglecting Basic
Nutrition?
by Barry
Boswell
zone3
If you regularly train using cardiovascular workouts and a weight
resistance routine while taking nutritional supplements but are not
paying attention to basic nutrition than you are essentially throwing
away a good portion of the benefits you are gaining from your
workouts.
Basic nutrition is absolutely essential to making the most of your
sports training. Food calories supply energy and nutrients to the body
during exercise. Without proper basic nutrition you loss energy more
quickly resulting in a less intense workout. While simple sugars are
used up almost immediately, complex sugars or complex carbohydrates
provide prolonged energy to the muscles during exercise. Protein is
composed of amino acids which support growing muscles. In fact, basic
nutritional deficits can cause you to lose hard earned muscle to
muscle tissue breakdown or catabolism.
According to Joel Marion,
prior Body for Life 2001 Grand Champion, not only are the foods you
eat important but proper timing in relation to workouts plays a vital
role in maximizing your performance, optimizing fat loss, and
minimizing muscle loss. The intensity of your workout is directly
related to the amount of calories and fat you burn. You can not be at
full intensity if you are suffering from lack of proper nutrition.
In addition, intense exercise can increase muscle loss in people
who are not meeting their caloric needs.(1)
There are six
nutrients needed on a daily basis. These include: water,
vitamins, minerals, fats, carbohydrates and proteins. There are three
types of calories including: carbohydrates, fats, and protein.
Carbohydrates are converted to sugars during exercise. Complex
carbohydrates are what your body needs to perform at optimum levels.
Fats also fuel the body for exercise. Saturated fat is what you should
strive to avoid while monounsaturated fat is the least detrimental to
the body. Protein helps build and maintain muscle mass.
Foods high
in protein include chicken, egg whites, lean beef, beans and skim milk.
It is recommended that your daily diet consists of 50%
carbohydrates, 30% fat, and 20% protein. If you exercise regularly you
may want to increase your carbohydrates and protein intake while
slightly decreasing your fats.
To improve your nutrition you
should try to consume five servings of fruits and vegetables per day,
drink eight glasses of water (more if you are consuming a lot of
proteins and complex carbohydrates), eliminate junk food and unnecessary
fat like in whole milk, and consume only lean meats. If you want to
maximize your work outs while eliminating unnecessary muscle
breakdown, it is recommended that you consume a nutritional supplement
before and after workouts to restore glycogen and creatine levels,
decrease muscle tissue catabolism, and encourage
muscle tissue growth.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Barry Boswell is a Independent Distributor for Xtend Life Natural
Products, the manufacturer of Total Balance, a daily supplement
designed to support your daily nutritional needs with 84 synergistic
ingredients. To discover how Total Balance can help you, go to ...
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