ANSWER
Physical activity has numerous health benefits, whether you are a competitive athlete, participate in a recreational sport, or practice yoga. Nutrition and physical activity go hand in hand when maximizing your workouts or improving athletic performance.
What we eat before and after exercise, as well as regularly, can have a significant impact on how we feel and perform during physical activity. The proper macronutrient and micronutrient balance may differ depending on your fitness level and activity. Nonetheless, adequate nutrition is essential for maintaining health and optimizing performance.
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Is it true that nutrition is more important than exercise?
Nutrition and Athletic Performance
Proper nutrition is essential for peak athletic performance. Athletes may feel sluggish and tired during a workout if they do not consume enough carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Athletes may also need to concentrate on specific vitamins and minerals, such as iron, vitamin D, and zinc, to improve their fitness performance.
Physical activity nutrition is highly individualized. A sports dietitian can often review your needs and make specific recommendations for your body and activity level.
Evidence suggests that proper nutrition promotes physical activity.
While we frequently consider the health benefits of nutrition and physical activity separately, there is evidence that combining the two produces more significant benefits than focusing on one or the other.
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Furthermore, research shows that exercise influences food choices and that people who exercise tend to make healthier choices.
2 Nutrition can also help with muscle recovery by decreasing inflammation. According to one study, people who were more physically active and consumed more antioxidants had lower levels of systemic inflammation. 3 Nutrition and Weight Loss Fundamentals
The Importance of Macronutrient Balance and Timing
Consuming enough macronutrients—carbohydrates, protein, and fat—to fuel our bodies is critical for peak exercise performance.
Carbohydrates are the preferred fuel source for our bodies. They provide us with the energy we need to get through the day while maximizing our workouts and athletic performance.
Protein is necessary for muscle growth and the repair and recovery of bones, joints, and ligaments following a workout.
Fat keeps us full and satisfied, cushions our bones and joints, and boosts the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A, E, D, and K.
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Finding the right balance and optimal timing of macronutrients for your body is critical when it comes to fueling for exercise. Consuming carbohydrates and protein improves physical performance and recovery after exercise.
One study examined the effects of protein and carbohydrates given to athletes as a shake or meal on skeletal muscle regeneration. Thirty-five people ran 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) and then either drank a protein/carbohydrate shake, ate white bread and sour milk cheese, or did nothing. According to the findings, consuming carbohydrates and protein via shake or food was preferable because it reduced exercise-induced skeletal muscle damage and had anti-inflammatory effects. 5
Endurance Training Sports Nutrition
What Should You Eat for Peak Performance?
A “superfood” is a term commonly used by the food industry to market a specific food as having the highest nutritional value or being exceptionally nutrient-dense.
While some foods are more nutritious than others and may benefit health, it is essential to remember that no single food is responsible for optimal health or disease prevention.
If you want to increase the nutrient density of your diet, including some of the nutritious foods listed below is a great place to start. These foods, which include leafy greens, berries, eggs, sweet potato, and turmeric, are high in antioxidants, complex carbohydrates, and protein, making them ideal for athletic performance.
Dark Leafy Greens Salad Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman Everyday Superfoods to Keep in Your Kitchen
Folate, zinc, calcium, magnesium, iron, vitamin C, and fibre are all abundant in dark green leafy vegetables. Eating leafy greens like spinach, kale, collard greens, and swiss chard has improved muscle function in men and women who exercise. 6
Furthermore, the nitrates in leafy greens convert to nitric oxide, opening blood vessels and improving blood flow during exercise.
7 Make kale salads, sauté spinach into eggs for breakfast, or blend it into a smoothie to incorporate dark leafy green vegetables into your diet.
Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman Berries Cottage Cheese with Blueberries
Berries are known for their high antioxidant content, making them an essential part of an athlete’s diet. Exercise causes oxidative stress, which results in free radical production, muscle damage, and fatigue. Antioxidants in the diet may improve athletic performance by reducing muscle damage and inflammation. 8
To get an antioxidant boost, top a yogurt parfait with blueberries, blend strawberries into a smoothie, or toss raspberries or blackberries into a salad.
Antioxidant Benefits of Eggs Big Salad with Eggs Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman
Eggs, including the yolks, are high in B vitamins, choline, iron, antioxidants, and high-quality protein, all of which help with muscle recovery and repair. The protein in eggs is thought to have high bioavailability, which means it is easily digested and metabolized by the body.
Eggs also contain fatty acids that are beneficial to heart health and vitamins and minerals that aid in cell growth and tissue repair.
Nine eggs are a quick and easy breakfast option, whether scrambled with veggies or hardboiled for grab-and-go.
Verywell Sweet Potato Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman
Sweet potatoes are nutritious root vegetables with potassium, fibre, and vitamins A and C. They are an excellent source of complex carbohydrates, which athletes require for fuel. Getting enough potassium also helps with fatigue, muscle cramps, and general weakness. 10
Sweet potatoes can be added to your diet in a variety of ways. For breakfast, top a baked sweet potato with Greek yogurt and almond butter, roast wedges, add to a salad, or bake until crispy and serve as sweet potato fries with a burger.
Very well, Turmeric / Alexandra Shytsman
Turmeric is a bright yellow spice native to India for cooking and medicinal purposes. It’s best known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and it may help prevent chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. 11
Turmeric has also recently become the focus of post-exercise recovery research. Evidence suggests that people who use turmeric after a workout have less muscle pain and tenderness, less muscle damage, and lower inflammatory markers. 12
Turmeric can be added to your diet by sprinkling it on roasted vegetables, a curry, or golden milk. Turmeric supplements are also available.
How Free Radicals Affect the Body Hydration Is Important
Hydration is critical for overall health and exercise performance. We all lose water due to normal bodily functions like breathing, digestion, and sweating. Athletes must replenish additional water and electrolytes lost during exercise.
Dehydration can cause cardiovascular strain, metabolic dysfunction, and an increase in body temperature. Sweating causes people to lose sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. They were drinking before, during, and after exercise is critical to maintain adequate hydration levels and avoid dehydration. 13 Long-Term Nutritional Habits.
Start small and realistic nutrition and hydration goals, whether training for a one-mile run, your first 5K or a marathon. You are trying to overhaul your entire diet at once can be overwhelming and unsustainable. Smaller goals are more sustainable and thus beneficial in the long run.
If you’re feeling dehydrated, consider purchasing a fun water bottle. If you want to add flavour to your water, use fresh fruit or liquid beverage enhancers. Try drinking one more glass of water throughout the day.
Do you want to increase the number of antioxidants in your diet? Try including one fruit and one vegetable in each of your meals. Choose one new nutrient-dense food to include in your weekly meal plan. Add one each week, and you’ll have significantly increased the variety of vitamins and minerals in your diet in no time.
QUESTION
Nutrition
Exercise
Nutrition plays an essential role in supporting fitness and exercise. If you increase your level of physical activity, your need for nutrients and calories will also increase. In addition, the foods you eat before and after you exercise will have an impact on your performance during the physical activity and on your recovery afterward.
a 2-3 page in APA format using proper spelling/grammar, address the following:
Describe the importance of pre- and post-exercise nutrition choices. Provide examples of foods that are appropriate selections for each category.
Explain how foods and nutrients (including fluids and electrolytes) help improve a person’s performance during physical activity and their recovery afterward.
Consider your responses to items 1 and 2 above, and suggest an appropriate nutritional plan for a physically active person. Be sure to explain what the person should consume in an average day to support their caloric and nutritional needs.
Cite at least 2 credible references and present the resources in APA format on the References page.