Events & Lectures

Amy Roberts, PhD.

Physically Focused's Exercise Physiologist

Sports Nutrition Lecture

 

Infuse activity into your lifestyle.

Walk everywhere you can, even if that just means parking farther away from where you're going! Rather than focusing solely on diet or solely on exercise, you really need to focus on making an overall lifestyle change and shifting your focus to health as a whole.

 

Don't exercise on empty!

Eat before you exercise, especially in the morning. When you're really hungry or have just woken up from an overnight fast, your glycogen stores are almost empty. This will make you feel tired and worn out during your workout. If you replenish those glycogen stores before your workout, not only will you feel better during your workout, but you'll probably be able to boost the intensity of your workout, which will increase your metabolism more and burn more fat after your workout and throughout the rest of the day than you would have burned during that hour of tired exercise on an empty gas tank.

 

Eat right after your workout too!

The best time to replenish glycogen stores is right after exercise. Glycogen stores are an important fuel source for your body, so you want to make sure they don't get depleted or your next workout will be compromised. That's why it's so important to eat within 15-30 minutes of the end of your workout. Glycogen is stored carbohydrate, so this is the main nutrient you want to eat after a workout, and maybe a little protein. But 15-30 minutes after your workout is the critical time period to get your snack, because even if you eat twice as much an hour later, it will not come close to filling your glycogen stores and you won't get the same benefit.

 

Nutrition is not rocket science!

If you can catch it, grow it, or pick it, chances are it's pretty good for you. The closer a food is to its natural state, the better it is for you. The more processed it is, the worse. In terms of whole foods, there are no bad foods; the key is everything in moderation.

 

What you eat today matters for tomorrow!

I often work with athletes who are meticulous about what they eat the day of a race or a game, but don't track their diet much while training. I always ask them how they expect to get the most out of their training if they don't apply the same nutritional principles for optimal performance to their training. Just remember, what you eat today is your fuel for tomorrow.

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