Nutrition Tips for New Exercisers

How to Eat to Promote Fat Loss and Muscle Gain

Jan 5, 2009 Steven M. Cohen

Starting a new exercise program places new nutritional demands on the body. Here are some tips to help get the most out of the new program.

With the start of a new exercise program comes new stresses on the body. In order to help the novice exerciser thrive in a new program, proper nutrition is essential. Even if the goal is weight loss, it's important to consume enough calories to support the new demands on the body. Attention to meal timing is also important. Eating one, two, or even three larger meals a day won't deliver vital nutrients to the body as efficiently as eating smaller, more frequent meals.

Here is a checklist for the new athlete, to insure a healthy, injury free start to any exercise program:

Consume a Balanced Diet

The ideal training diet should include all of the basic macronutrients:

• Complex Carbohydrates – Complex/starchy carbohydrates provide fuel for prolonged exercise sessions. Foods in this group include fruits, vegetables, whole grain breads/pastas, and potatoes.
• Protein – Protein is the building block for muscle. In order to sustain increased muscle strength from exercise, adequate protein intake is essential. Sources of protein include beef (preferably lean cut), chicken, fish, eggs, nuts, tofu or quinoa.
• Healthy Fats – Although much has been written about low fat diets, a small amount of healthy, monosaturated fat should be consumed. Sources include flax seed oil, fish oil, avocado, olive oil, and canola oil.
• Simple Sugars – Simple sugars should be used sparingly, but are important for quick fuel in the later stages of a long exercise session, or to help in muscle recovery after an intense workout.

Make Sure to Drink Enough Water

• This is important for everyone, but is especially vital for runners. Depending on the weather, athletes can lose significantly more fluids by sweating during workouts. A good rule of thumb – consume 2 liters of fluid per day, evenly distributed throughout the day. Other fluids, such as coffee, tea and juices can be counted toward the total of 2 liters, but are not as healthful as plain water. These drinks contain either caffeine, which has a mildly dehydrating effect, or sugar, which adds unnecessary calories.

Vitamins and Minerals are Essential

• People who exercise regularly need extra vitamins and minerals, as well as extra calories. The majority of vitamin and mineral needs should be met by eating a healthy, balanced diet. Supplements are useful to insure that the body's needs are met. A complete multivitamin supplement tablet is a good starting point, if a new exerciser is considering vitamin/mineral supplementation.

Timing of Food Intake Matters

• Whether the goal is fat loss, muscle gain, or increased endurance, nutrition timing is an important factor to consider. Food should be divided into six small meals, consumed throughout the day, rather than three larger meals. This supplies the body with adequate nutrients throughout the day.
• A pre-workout meal, consisting of fast digesting carbohydrates (25 to 50 grams) and a small amount of protein (20 grams) consumed one hour prior to a workout will improve performance.
• A “recovery” drink, similar in composition to the pre-workout meal, will help repair/build muscle after an exercise session.
• For fat loss, consuming most of the days carbohydrates prior to 6 pm will help keep night time blood sugar levels and blood insulin levels low, promoting fat loss.

The copyright of the article Nutrition Tips for New Exercisers in Sports Medicine is owned by Steven M. Cohen. Permission to republish Nutrition Tips for New Exercisers in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Good Nutrition is Important for Athletes