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DIET |
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Energy
FOCUS ON YOUR CARBOHYDRATES, GET IN ENOUGH PROTEIN, AND WHAT'S LEFT
OVER CAN COME FROM FAT.
Carbohydrate
Carbohydrate is a term used to describe the main form of energy used
when exercising at moderate to high intensity. When you walk, you
will predominantly use fat as a source of fuel for your exercising
muscle, and this can last you many days without being topped up. As
your pace and heart rate increases, your body will rely more on stores
of carbohydrate (glycogen) and carbohydrate delivered from your bloodstream
(glucose) in order to keep up with the demands for fuel. Unfortunately,
most athletes can only store enough glycogen to last around 1.5 hrs
of high intensity work, so these stores need to be constantly topped
up. In addition, if exercising longer than 1.5 hours, athletes will
need to consume some easily digested carb’s on the way in order
to keep going. "Hitting the wall" or "bonking"
are two terms athletes commonly use to describe the feeling they get
when running short of carb’s during exercise?
Any form of carbohydrate in foods will eventually be converted to
glucose and either used immediately or stored as glycogen. Foods rich
in carbohydrates include grains (oats, rice, barley, wheat) and anything
made from them (bread, pasta, cereals); potato and corn; fruit in
all forms; and legumes (lentils, split peas, baked beans etc). In
addition these foods are rich in minerals, vitamins and fibre so confer
other nutritional benefits in addition to energy. Some dairy products
(flavoured yoghurts, milk) are also very useful sources of carb’s.
Sugars, honey, soft drinks, cordials and confectionery are also rich
in carbohydrates and can be included in an athlete's diet, but since
they don't contain much else they shouldn't be the predominant part
of any meal or snack. High5 Isotonic (fluid and electrolyte replacement
drink), EnergySource (high carbohydrate drink), High5 EnergyBars,
High5 SportsBars and High5 EnergyGels are an excellent source of carbohydrates
that can be used to keep levels topped up during and after exercise.
The advantage of High5 products is that they are specifically designed
for use in association with exercise and have characteristics such
as stability in the stomach, light flavours and the correct levels
of electrolytes.
In a nutshell: Carbohydrate is an essential fuel for high intensity
exercise but as stores don't last long they need constant topping
up throughout the day. Because our Western style of eating isn't always
rich in complex carbohydrates, athletes need to be disciplined to
ensure they form the basis of every meal and snack they eat. |
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