Photo Credit: https://unsplash.com/@johnfo
March is Nourish U month at UBC and we have some food for thought! We all know that eating healthy is important, but food is complicated! Fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins—it’s endless! To make things more complicated: what should I eat when doing physical activity? Worry not, we are here to help. Here is some nutrition tips for your healthy participation in endurance, strength, or flexibility activities.
Endurance Activities
Endurance involves any aerobic exercises, like running, swimming, and biking. Since these activities are longer in duration, you will likely be burning a lot of calories! But beware—it is critical to refuel your body with the energy it needs! Here is our guidelines:
1. Water: Don’t forget a water bottle! If sounds simple, but drink when you feel thirsty!
2. Electrolytes: Avoid cramps and fatigue—sodium and potassium are what I am talking about! For exercise lasting longer than an hour, this is crucial to your bodies metabolic activity!
Our favourites: Nuun (0 calories, tablet), and Scratch (high carbs, powder).
3. Carbs: Time to fuel your working muscles! By providing you provide your body with adequate energy, you will decrease the risk of fatigue. Without it, you may burn out! They may be kind of gross since its a liquid carb, but it will help you avoid the dreaded ‘wall’ or ‘boinks’!
Our favourite: Honey Stingers and Hüma.
via Honey Stingers & Hüma
Strength Activities
The goal of strength activities are to built muscle and improve one’s ability to apply force. As such, our focus is protein and carbs. In contrast to endurance, nutrition is best to consider for before and after activity, since it may be hard to eat while you are making those gains! Here is our guidelines:
1. Water: Same as endurance, keep up your hydration! Always bring a water bottle to your activity. Also, try to avoid pre-workout! Evidence says it may be harmful, as it contains high caffeine contents, and may not even be required!
2. Protein: When you use your muscles, micro-tears will occur at the cellular level. When you rest, your body will repair these tears to be slightly stronger than before in preparation for another stress. As such, you got to give your body the resources to repair itself! Protein it is!
Our favourites: Vega and Muscle Milk.
via Vega & Muscle Milk
Flexibility Activities
Lastly, flexibility activities involves anything that promotes your range of motion. This includes activities like stretching, yoga, and pilates. Nutrition here is a bit more simple, since your body is not being pushed as hard as endurance and strength activities. However, we have one simple guideline:
1. DRINK. LOTS. OF. WATER! I mean have you ever done hot yoga! Flexibility is a lot harder than you think. Dehydration is very common, so drink up! Plus, it provides you with a break if you are struggling to hold onto that upward facing dog!
So there you have it, nutrition tips for physical activity! Additionally, it seems fair to say: if you are doing any movement, maybe drink water! For more nutrition tips and activities, make sure to check out the Nourish U page!
If you’re looking for more ways to get moving while at home, be sure to check out our Active At Home resource page for FREE resources from live movement breaks, live and recorded fitness classes and monthly challenges with chances to win some prizes.