HealthBeat This month’s feature topics are
Nutrition & Athletic Training
HealthBeat March: Nutrition & Athletic Training
HealthBeat is an excellent
opportunity for you to reach a health-conscious audience of readers. Next Month’s Topics: Acupuncture & Foot Health • World Health Day - April 7th
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The relationship between eating and exercise
D
iet and exercise are each vital components of a healthy lifestyle. While these components tend to be looked at separately, diet and exercise are actually interconnected.
According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), adequate food and fluid should be consumed before, during and after exercise. Following that advice can help men and women maintain their blood glucose concentration during exercise, which allows them to maximize their performance and improves their recovery time. Some people understandably may feel that eating before exercising seems counterintuitive, as food may contribute to feelings of sluggishness that would make it hard to maximize a workout. But what people eat, and drink, prior to working out is important, as the right foods can make a positive impact while the wrong foods can have the opposite effect.
The American Heart Association (AHA) and the ACSM recommend hydrating with water prior to working out. The ACSM recommends drinking between two and three cups of water two to three hours before exercising. Adults accustomed to working out in the early morning can try to wake up earlier so they can give their bodies time to hydrate before they begin exercising. It’s also important to continue hydrating during a workout, as the ACSM recommends drinking between 1⁄2 and one cup of water every 15 to 20 minutes during a workout (amounts can be adjusted based on variables such as the weather and individuals’ body sizes). After a workout, the ACSM recommends drinking two to three
Preventing injury when exercising Exercise is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle. The World Health Organization recommends that healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 64 perform at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week or do at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity each week. Many adults cite hectic schedules as their reason for not getting enough exercise, but even those who do find time to exercise could find themselves sidelined if they do not take certain preventive measures to reduce their risk for injury. • Recognize your limitations. Once you have established a regular exercise routine and your body has grown accustomed to daily exercise, it can be tempting to overdo it or even unknowingly push your body to points that put you at a greater risk of injury. But recognizing your limitations is an essential part of avoiding injury. As you exercise more, you may notice certain areas of your body respond better to exercise than others. For example, if your wrists ache after strength training sessions, reduce the amount of weight you are lifting or look for strength-building exercises that don’t require lifting weights. • Warm up before each session. No matter how accustomed your body is to regular exercise, warming up before each workout is still necessary to avoid injury. Warming up before each workout elevates your heart rate and increases circulation, loosening the joints
and increasing blood flow to the muscles you’re about to exercise. Between five and 10 minutes of low-intensity cardiovascular exercise can help loosen up your body and prepare it for the more grueling workout to come. • Switch your routines every so often. When exercise becomes a part of your daily routine, you may end up hitting a plateau. When that happens, your workouts may feel less effective. Switching up routines every so often can combat that problem while also reducing injury risk to overtaxed muscles forced to endure the same exercises day in and day out. Diversify your workout every so often by choosing new exercises and switching up the cardiovascular portion of your workout. • Give your body time to rest and recover. Exercise feels good, both physically and mentally. Daily exercise can help adults lose weight, and shedding those extra pounds can improve mobility and help adults live more active and fulfilling lives. Exercise also causes the release of hormones known as endorphins, which trigger positive feelings in the body. Those positive feelings can be somewhat addictive, but it’s important that adults give their bodies time to rest and recover between workouts. Lack of time to rest and recover makes bodies vulnerable to injury, so include time to recover in your weekly exercise regimen.
cups of water for every pound lost during the exercise session. Food also plays a vital role in maximizing a workout and improving recovery time. The AHA recommends fueling up on healthy carbohydrates, such as whole-grain cereals, whole-wheat toast or low-fat or fat-free yogurt, two hours before exercising. Doing so might pose a problem for early morning exercise enthusiasts, and in such instances the AHA advises eating a piece of fruit such as an apple or banana five to 10 minutes before beginning a workout. Avoid saturated fats and a lot of healthy protein prior to working out, as it takes longer for these fuels to digest in the stomach. Until foods are digested, muscles may not get
all of the oxygen and energy-delivering blood they need during a workout, so it’s best to stick with foods that the body can digest more quickly. The Mayo Clinic notes that it’s also important to make food a part of your post-workout routine. Eating a post-workout meal that contains both carbohydrates and protein can aid muscle recovery and replace glycogen stores that help increase energy levels after working out. The most effective way to exercise involves healthy foods, which can improve performance and lead to quicker post-workout recovery.