1(i). Introduction
We are all becoming more aware of the physiological and
psychological rewards of being physically active. If you need to
lose weight or want to avoid becoming overweight, then the best way
is to increase your physical activity levels, and to reduce your
dietary fat intake, which can be achieved by increasing your intake
of starchy and sugary carbohydrates. Even if you didn't lose
weight, but became fitter, it would help you avoid the many health
complications of being overweight and so increase your life quality
and expectancy. Furthermore, taking part in regular physical
activity also helps reduce your risk of developing heart disease,
diabetes, osteoporosis and certain forms of cancer. And, not
forgetting the important role that physical activity plays in your
mental well-being.
So, the recommendation that everyone should accumulate 30
minutes or more of physical activity over the course of most days
of the week is thoroughly justified. But how do we go about
becoming more active? If you're pretty sedentary at the moment,
then what you need to do is to modify your lifestyle to build in
more physical activity. So start by becoming less sedentary, for
example decreasing the time you spend watching television, surfing
the Net or playing computer games. Next try to be more active, take
the stairs instead of the lift, park further away from the
supermarket, or get off the bus one stop earlier and walk the rest
of the way. Then gradually add some sustained exercise to your
daily routine, such as brisk walking, cycling or swimming. Yes, the
aim is to be doing at least 30 minutes of continuous exercise five
days per week, but gradual is the key, so try three lots of ten
minutes to start with, and take it from there. The next question is
- how do we fuel these bursts of energy?
1(ii). Dietary Considerations
The dietary considerations for fuelling a healthy active
lifestyle can be found in more detail in the following sections,
but here are the basics: As we know, a healthy balanced diet is
essential for good health. The key to making our diet healthy and
balanced is simply everything in moderation, plus extra
carbohydrates if you're exercising. But why the emphasis on
carbohydrates? Well, no matter what type of exercise you do, your
body will always use some glucose for energy. Glucose is formed
from the breakdown of carbohydrates - the sugars and starches in
your diet - and is stored as glycogen. However, the body can only
store a limited amount of glycogen, so the stores need to be kept
topped-up to avoid fatigue. If you don't eat enough carbohydrates,
but continue to exercise you will soon become sluggish and dizzy
and your exercise goals will go right out the window!
The more physical activity you do, the more glucose your body
uses, the more carbohydrates you need to consume to replenish your
stores. Therefore, physically active people need to consume a diet
where more than half of it comes from carbohydrate foods. The bulk
of your carbohydrate intake should come from the starchy sources
such as bread, rice, potatoes and pasta and the remaining from more
sugary sources such as sugar, fruit and juices. However, as most
carbohydrate foods, for example pasta or sugars, are eventually
broken down into glucose, one type is not necessarily better than
the other. But, if you're exercising regularly you need to eat a
lot of carbohydrates, and there is only so much bread and pasta you
can eat, so this is where sugary snacks and drinks have a useful
role to play, both in providing you with energy before you
exercise, and in helping you restock your glucose stores after
exercise ready for your next bout of physical activity.
Although you need to allow two to three hours after a large meal
before exercising, a high carbohydrate snack within 30 minutes of
training has several benefits. Eating 25-50 grams of rapidly
absorbed carbohydrate just before exercise will not only improve
performance, but will also help maintain your blood sugar levels
and so prevent you feeling light-headed. There are plenty of
portable high carbohydrate snacks to choose from - bagels, honey or
jam sandwiches, cereal bars, bananas, watermelon, dried fruit,
Jaffa cakes, jelly beans, Liquorice Allsorts, juice or a sports
drink - so find something you fancy.
