Nutrition Information

Eating before and after exercise is good for your performance, fitness and your health. The question now is what, when and how to eat after exercise that will fulfill all of your body’s requirements.

Begin by eating a balanced diet every day. This alone will help your body to maintain appropriate nutrition and to be ready for your workouts. What you eat after a workout will determine how your body recovers and replaces the glycogen stores needed for your next workout.

If you have 2-3 days between each workout then your body has the time to replace the fuel but if you workout each day you must thoughtfully consider your post workout meal.

Often athletes are not hungry directly after working out. Intense exercise pulls the blood away from the stomach and intestines to be used in the major muscles. This slows digestion and stomach motility. You just don’t feel hungry.

Studies have shown that 15-60 minutes after a workout is the best time to eat. Replacing your glycogen stores with carbohydrate drinks and food is more likely to be sent directly to the muscles in that window after working out. Protein will also help with muscle recovery and repair.

Enzymes and hormones active in the recovery process are available in the short 1 hour window after your workout. Blood flow is elevated and liver and muscles are more sensitive to insulin.

Carbohydrates are your body’s fuel system. Proteins are important in muscle repair and fats have minimal use after intense exercise. By refueling with carbohydrates after your workout you increase your potential to improve your performance and refuel the glycogen stores your body needs to work out at peak intensity the next time.

In a series of studies in the 1990′s it was discovered that the body is more sensitive to insulin in that 1 hour window directly after an intense workout. In fact eating within the first 20 minutes takes full advantage of the hormone and enzymatic activity. Eating carbohydrates will enable your body to replenish glycogen stores in the muscles and adding a bit of protein will also increase muscle repair.

In the final analysis, athletes who work out for greater than 45 minutes with high intensity and who work out with less than 2 days between workouts, should refuel with carbohydrates and protein within 20 minutes after a workout to take full advantage of the hormone and enzyme changes that happen with exercise. Feed your body right and it will take care of you!

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Tony & Molli Rathstone
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/what-to-eat-after-exercise-do-i-really-need-to-be-concerned-103475.html

Years ago, it was rare to see an obese adult and almost unheard of to see an obese young person. Don’t believe it? Just watch old movies or television shows. Even in crowd scenes, at sporting events, etc. Americans were almost uniformly of average weight. All that has changed. Americans seemed to be divided into two groups, the overly thin, bordering on eating disorder crowd, imitating their favorite actress, or the overweight, moving in the direction of obese.

It’s truly amazing when you think about it. In just the past 30 years, obesity amongst young people has more than doubled, and the percentage of those who are overweight has sometimes tripled! According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, Among young people, the prevalence of overweight increased from 5.0% to 13.9% for those aged 2-5 years, 6.5% to 18.8% for those aged 6-11 years, and 5.0% to 17.4% for those aged 12-19 years.

If the above trend continues, and it will continue unless something is changed, overweight and obesity rates will continue to rise. Concurrently, adult rates will rise as well, especially troubling when you consider the fact that heart disease is already the Number One Killer in America. In addition to Heart Disease, other dangers include:

Hypertension
Dyslipidemia (for example, high total cholesterol or high levels of triglycerides)
Type 2 diabetes
Coronary heart disease
Stroke
Gallbladder disease
Osteoarthritis
Sleep apnea and respiratory problems
Some cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon)

It is quite possible that all of the above to be exacerbated by poor diet. Fried foods, fast food, candy and other junk foods are taking Americans on a short road to an early grave.
You may think, “It’s impossible, look how readily available these types of junk food, fast food and candy are available. There’s no way our society and government would allow it. Well, for readers who are a bit older, just think back to cigarettes. They used to have athletes doing commercials saying Lucky Strikes helped them play better. Doctors used to prescribe cigarettes to women for nerves. So it’s possible our society is at that same crossroads where junk food, fast food and candy are concerned.

What can be done? Simply put, there needs to be a change in this country and it start with our nations schoolchildren. There needs to be more emphasis on exercise and nutrition. This means less junk food, less fast food, and more Healthy Solutions. One of the healthy objectives of the CDC is to reduce the prevalence of obesity amongst adults to less than 15%. The problem is the trend is not going in the right direction, as the situation is worsening. Only time will tell whether America can let go of junk food and fast food addiction and embrace Healthy Solutions.

Alec Moreland
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/youth-obesity-rages-out-of-control-110055.html

I am doing a school project for my anatomy and kinesiology class and i need to create a workout and diet/nutrition program for a specific athlete. My athlete is a trapezist. Does anyone know what a trapezist would use to workout and the muscles and locations of muscles are? I’m looking for like "Trapezists use a lot of upper body muscles: shoulders, traps, pecs…" stuff like that.

Full body workout non the less would be optimal. Lower body will help you release muscle building hormones. Doing squats alone and nothing else will put size onto your chest.

Just make sure you include a few functional trapezisst exercises in addition to awell rounded program

Fatigue is a condition wherein a person experiences exhaustion and lack of energy possibly due to sleep deficiency, infection or overexertion. Since this is a fairly normal and common condition, most adults have experienced fatigue at least once in their lifetime. However, a person who continues to suffer from severe fatigue for an extended period of time of at least six months maybe affected by a more serious condition known as chronic fatigue.

Most people who are afflicted with chronic fatigue usually suffer from a more serious condition, which includes fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue immunodeficiency syndrome, lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.

In order for us to know how to beat chronic fatigue, we first need to look into what causes this condition. Here are the most common reasons why people suffer from chronic fatigue:

Infections

Some viral and bacterial infection could cause chronic fatigue. Most athletes are more susceptible to such a condition when suffering from an infection as a result of heavy training and exertion. However, chronic fatigue usually disappears once the infection is fully cured or treated.

Over-training

People who put their minds and bodies to the extreme usually suffer from chronic fatigue. Since athletes endure rigorous training and practice, they are the ones who usually experience chronic fatigue due to over training and exertion.

Depression and anxiety

Some experts link chronic fatigue to psychological disorders. Thus, people who suffer from severe anxiety and depression are the ones who are also stricken by chronic fatigue.

Dehydration

Many people do not pay attention to their daily water intake because they are not aware that dehydration could have long-term side effects, such as chronic fatigue, on their bodies and even their performance.

Eating disorders

The likelihood for people who have eating disorders, such as bulimia and anorexia, of suffering from chronic fatigue in the future is very high. Lack of proper nutrition is one of the causes of chronic fatigue, and people with anorexia and bulimia surely have inadequate supply of vitamins and minerals in their bodies.

Now that you know the common causes of fatigue, we should now start discussing the ways in which we could beat chronic fatigue. Follow the tips enumerated below and you will surely be able to manage such debilitating and long-lasting fatigue symptoms:

Eat a balanced and healthy diet

Food that is high in sugar and fat usually makes us feel sluggish and lethargic. Hence, prolonged intake of food that is high in sugar and fat could eventually result in the development of chronic fatigue and other serious diseases.

If you want to stay healthy and energetic, you need to increase your intake of fruits and vegetables. To ensure that you have a steady supply of energy through the day, do not skip breakfast. Instead of eating three full meals, go for small but frequent eating.

Live a stress-free life

Figures from a research group in Sweden found that there is a close connection between stress and development of chronic fatigue later in life. Thus, if you don’t want to suffer from chronic fatigue in the future, you need to bring your stress levels down.

One of the ways to beat stress is to look for what is causing it. Marital or family problems could stress you out, so you need to find a way to remedy your problem with your mother, wife, husband or children.

For many people, work is their major stressor. Proper time management, ability to delegate tasks properly, and learning to deal with difficult colleagues are surefire ways to manage your stress from work. If you feel that you can no longer manage stress alone, you can solicit the help of your family, friends, or even a counselor.

Exercise regularly

Couch potatoes and people with sedentary lifestyles often develop chronic fatigue. Your body, particularly your heart, needs regular physical activities to make them perform at their peak. Moreover, exercise could help increase your energy levels naturally, because it aids in proper circulation.

Exercise does not only help in relieving tension, it also aids in releasing endorphins, a feel-good chemical, which generally reduces stress, increase pleasure and lessen pain.

Try alternative and natural remedies

You should not be afraid to try new things that could help you relax and make your body more energetic and stronger. Treat yourself to reflexology massage to help you relax and improve blood circulation.

If you are a little adventurous, you can try acupuncture. This is an ancient medical science practiced in China and the orient. Acupuncture helps in improving the flow of your chi and increase mental and physical strength.

Meditation and aromatherapy are good ways to bring your stress levels down. These methods could also give you inner peace and help you relax after a demanding day.

Lee Dobbins
http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/tips-on-overcoming-chronic-fatigue-symptoms-93440.html

I need this for my Food&Nutrition Coursework so i will need all the information you can give! Oh and please suggest any good websites i can go to for this question. Please help and thanks!

By not doing a low calorie diet which causes loss of lean tissues & by doing a high calorie, low carb way of eating. They have to eliminate starches, but there is rarely much nutritional value in sugar & starches, but there is considerable nutritional value in low carb foods.

from the article below -

Numerous current studies show that dieters who follow high-protein low-carb strategies–even plans with higher fat intake–lose more fat and maintain or gain more muscle mass than dieters who rely on higher carb diets.

Yes, you read that right–many dieters actually gained muscle mass without working out, simply by eating a high-protein diet. This is due to several factors. First, amino acids from protein drive muscle growth. When you consume a high-protein meal, amino acids from the protein travel to muscle cells and actually initiate the processes that cause muscle growth.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0KFY/is_4_23/ai_n13790123/?tag=content;col1

I highly recommend adding virgin coconut oil to your diet. All fats can be used for sustained energy, but coconut oil is the (only) fat that can be used for quick energy like a carb.

It takes awhile to convert the body from being fueled by glucose to being fueled by fat but it does convert. It can take several weeks for the body to be able to compete athletically while using fat for fuel. The body does not become fat adapted though it "carb cycling" techniques are employed. Low carb marathon runners don’t "hit the wall" with mid race fuel changeovers. It’s not being fueled by fat that slows them down, it’s the immediate fuel conversion period.

This study:

http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/1/1/2

seems to suggest that after one has become fat adapted, endurance exercise performance returns to normal, but sprint performance remains poor. The suggested reason is that this type of exercise can not be fueled by fat, it must be fueled by glucose.

If you eat protein without sufficient fuel calories from fats or carbs, then you convert dietary protein to fuel leaving no protein for cellular needs, forcing the body to catabolize it’s own lean tissues. Carbs may be optional, but fuel calories are not but they can come from fat or carbs, but not protein. There are not enough calories in fruits & vegs to fuel the body.

If you don’t keep your calories high enough, the body will strip it’s own lean tissue for nutrition. Although that may look great on a scale it will make it MUCH easier to accumulate fat in the future (since all that pesky lean tissue burning up calories will be gone).

Protein is a very inefficient fuel to use exclusively for long term & the byproducts of the conversion to fuel can be dangerous if they overwhelm the body faster than the body can clear out the nitrogen & ammonia..

Just for example – Someone asked "what if" about a diet of 500g of pure protein (2000 calories a day)

500g protein with no fat would be fatal. Fat is essential but protein without fat will cause diarrhea & then death. So this next bit is only hypothetically speaking.

500g of protein only would turn the protein into a fuel source and not be able to be used for tissue repairs & cellular regeneration. So although you would think 500g of protein would be sufficient for these needs, it would be converted to a very inefficient fuel source with a dangerous buildup of nitrogen & ammonia (byproducts of gluconeogenesis). The body can handle some of these byproducts but not large quantities for long term. So in essence, all this protein would be processed as fuel and the body would STILL have to catabolize it’s own lean tissues for a protein source. 100% of the protein would be needed to convert to 58% glucose – it would be equal to fueling the body with 1160 calories of carbs and NO protein (IF your only ingestion was 2000 calories (500g) in pure protein).

It’s confusing to eat SO much protein and have none bioavailable but your body requires FUEL calories (which can come from fat OR carbs or both) AND protein.

BUT if you ate more than sufficient protein with more than sufficient dietary fat calories AND controlled carbs to less than 9grams per hour (Maximum carbs would be 144grams day or 576 calories) the balance of fuel calories would HAVE to be from dietary fats – at 9 calories per gram.

As long as you have <9grams carbs per hour, you will maintain insulin control & shouldn’t gain weight, no matter the calories because insulin, the fat storage hormone is not activated. Controlling insulin levels will balance out other hormones & allow sex hormones (testosterone in males) & human growth hormone (HGH) to be produced naturally so lean tissue will be gained even without exercise.

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