Fitness and food nutrition are interrelated, because food supplies the material your body needs to reach or maintain particular levels of physical fitness. Food helps your body recover from fitness activities by replenishing your energy stores and helping provide the raw material and enzymes required for muscular growth. Your body relies on energy from food to drive processes that maintain and enhance your fitness. Calories provide a measure of the energy stored in particular foods.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are your body's primary source of energy. These nutrients supply the energy required to reach and maintain physical fitness. Each gram of dietary carbohydrates contains approximately 4 calories. The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports recommends that more than half of your daily calories come from carbohydrates. Foods such as bread, cereals, fruits, vegetables, pasta and milk provide concentrated sources of dietary carbohydrates. All natural sources of carbohydrates also provide dietary fiber that aids in digestion and reduces your risk of constipation.
Fat
Fat is another source of energy that your body uses. Moderate exercise helps you maintain a particular level of physical fitness. Around half of your energy expenditure during moderate exercise may come from fat stored in your body. Fitness activities that exceed one hour may derive 75 percent of your energy from fat. Your body may use fat more efficiently if you are a well-trained athlete. Fats contain approximately 9 calories per gram. Make sure dietary fat makes up at least 15 percent of your daily calories to reach or maintain particular levels of physical fitness.
Protein
Protein is a nutrient that contributes to fitness by building and maintaining body tissues. Exercise, particularly strenuous exercise, breaks down muscle proteins. Muscular growth occurs when you supply nutrients that repair and restore muscle proteins. Dietary protein helps your reach higher levels of physical fitness by supplying the raw material necessary for muscular growth. Athletes may need between 1.0 and 1.8 g of dietary protein for every 2 lbs. of body weight. The recommended protein intake for the general population is 0.8 g for every 2 lbs. of body weight.
Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamins and minerals are critical to nutrition and physical fitness. These micronutrients provide material that your body needs to recover from exercise, replenish energy stores and support proper muscular functioning of all the systems in your body. Micronutrient deficiencies can interfere with your physical performance and impair your physical fitness. Training for prolonged periods of time may also bring essential micronutrients below optimal levels. A daily multivitamin may help you avoid fitness pitfalls associated with micronutrient deficiencies, but your body may use micronutrients from food more effectively than from supplement or pill forms. Eat a wide variety of foods from every food group to make sure you get all the vitamins and minerals that your body needs to support your physical fitness.
Member Comments