Vigour – Health and Sports Nutrition

Isotonic drinks are designed to replace fluids lost by sweating and to replenish energy levels in the body through their carbohydrate content in the form of concentrated glucose.

Apart from assisting in the body’s rehydration and energy levels to compete optimally, Isotonic drinks contain electrolytes. Electrolytes are essentially salts which aid the osmosis of fluid absorbed into the working muscles. These essential salts are lost during sweating.

Isotonic drinks are useful sports supplements and are often used by athletes to allow them to train longer and more effectively than consuming water alone.

Fat provides the highest concentration of energy of all the essential nutrients the body requires and are found in three categories- Trans Fat, Saturated Fats and Unsaturated Fats.

There is an optimal level of body fat which needs to be carefully monitored but is an important source of fuel for those involved in endurance events. If this dietary fat level is exceeded, then adverse health effects are likely to occur.

Fat is also needed to help the body during high intensity exercise, where carbohydrates are predominately used as fuel, to access glycogen stores.  Fat also helps with the efficient distribution of vitamins A,D,E and K around the body.

Consuming Dietary fats alongside protein and carbohydrates all in the required ratios is an important part of sports nutrition with which it provides additional health and performance benefits.

ZMA or Zinc monomethionine aspartate and magnesium aspartate is a sports supplement often taken by body builders and athletes.

ZMA is a combination of the essential minerals Zinc and Magnesium which act as antioxidant and also stimulates the activity of many enzymes in the body.  Magnesium is required by the body for bone health and also metabolic and cardiovascular functions.  Zinc is an important mineral and assist the body in the synthesis of protein and muscle repair.

Studies have shown the users of ZMA have shown increases in strength, muscle mass and improved overall health.

HMB, or hydroxyl methylbutyrate, has shown to play an important role in the synthesising of protein in the body and subsequently increase muscle mass and decrease muscle breakdown.

HMB has been extensively used as an ergogenic aid; particularly bodybuilders or those training for increased strength/power, who use it to promote exercise performance and skeletal muscle hypertrophy.

A small HMB supplement per day would not only assist in building muscle and depressing protein degradation, but also help decreasing body fat in even those not partaking in regular exercise.

Along with protein and fats, adequate carbohydrate intake is essential for fueling the body for performance and growth.

Carbohydrates in our diet are categorised as either simple or complex carbohydrates.
Simple carbohydrates are absorbed quickly and easily by the body to be converted into a rapid source of energy. Foods such as fruit or those containing sugar will be examples of this.
Complex carbohydrates take far longer to breakdown to be absorbed in the body and therefore provide a slower release of energy. Staple foods such as bread, rice and pasta will provide this far more beneficial source of carbohydrate.

Starch is also recognised as an important energy source as it is broken down and stored as glycogen. Foods high in starch include whole grain breads, cereals, pasta, and grains.
Carbohydrate stored as glycogen is an easily accessible and most common source of energy for exercise. These glycogen stores will need to be replenished regularly especially if taking part in frequent exercise.
Complex carbohydrates can also be consumed easily as a sports supplement. These supplements can provide a simple solution to gaining sufficient carbohydrates.

Meal replacement bars offer a convenient source of nutrition to assist a balanced diet and to support strength, power, size and recovery goals.

Maximuscle Cyclone bars, for instance, contain all the benefits of their market leading cyclone shake in a simple bar ready for consumption before or after activity or as a snack between meals.

Their convenience provides the perfect source of necessary protein and carbohydrates when access to a regular meal is not readily available.  There are many products on the market with all being available in a variety of forms (i.e protein bars , all-in-one bars) and in a range of delicious flavours.

All athletes, regardless of sport, will require a balanced, nutritional and hydrated diet not only to maintain good health but to promote peak performance.

For runners, carbohydrates will play a key role in the body’s energy requirements and should make up approximately 60-65% of daily calorie intake. Protein consumption is often overlooked by runners and should make up approximately 15-20% of daily calorie intake. This ratio of protein and carbohydrates can be consumed through diet alone, however, the most efficient route is a combination of diet and sports supplements. Protein supplements such as Maximuscle Promax are among many of the readily available products on the market.

Runners will also benefit from vitamin and mineral supplements such as calcium, vitamin C, iron, sodium and other electrolytes.

For those involved in weight lifting or body building, a carefully monitored diet and the use of nutritional supplements are essential for gaining the desired results.

A typical diet will consist of smaller and frequent meal throughout the day with each containing 40% protein, 40% carbohydrates and 20% of good fats. Most body builders will consume approx 6-8 meals per day with most containing lean meat/chicken/fish, a portion of rice/potato and some vegetables.

It is also essential that at least 2 of these meals contain a protein supplement especially after exercise. Other essentials include creatine which can be taken separately or as an all-in-one supplement depending on individual goals.

Vitamins and fish oils will also play a key role and should also be consumed in the recommended amounts.

A balanced healthy diet and regular exercise is the ideal solution for those looking to lose weight and burn body fat. However, there are additional supplements that can aid this process.

Products containing sida cordifola, commonly known as bala, has a positive effect on the central nervous system and the heart. It is also regularly used for its fat burning properties.

Sida cordifolia contain small amounts of both ephedrine and pseudoephedrine with many nutritional companies including it as a weight loss product.
Research studies have shown that it possesses a significant blood-sugar lowering activity and therefore may help to reduce the storage of fat within fat cells.

Creatine is naturally produced in the human body from amino acids primarily in the kidney and liver with approximately 95% of the human body’s total creatine located in skeletal muscle.

Those who are involved in regular and vigourous exercise will be in need of a constant supply of creatine to ensure the body can supply the need for an increased energy output.
Creatine supplementation will allow the muscles to exercise longer and harder by creating the required abundance that is unavailable through food consumption. This abundance of creatine subsequently stored in the muscle promotes the synthesis of protein as well as deter the breakdown of protein required to build muscle mass.

There are a number of forms of creatine with the most common being creatine monohydrate (creatine complexed with a molecule of water) and Creatine ethyl ester (CEE).