Nutrition that provides energy VS Nutrition that regulates metabolism for those who exercise

Category: Sport Nutrition | September 10, 2019

Mr. Somboon Rungpornchai, M.D., Sport Nutrition Specialist

Before beginning, let’s get to know about the differences between macro nutrients and micro nutrients.

Macro nutrients are the main nutritional source for energy, counted in calorie units, such as fat, protein, carbohydrate, and water. As for water, it is considered as part-macro and part-micro nutrient, as it does not contain calories but is calculated in liters and has regulation on how many liters to consume per day.

Micro nutrients include vitamins, minerals, fiber, and microbiomes. Micro nutrients function as a lubricant or grease.
If the body lacks micro nutrients, it will not be able to convert calories from macro nutrients for use.

All foods have their functions. For instance, fiber has been discovered for a long time in medical circles to help alleviate constipation and improve digestion. Strong athletes must be able to digest and excrete properly. As for microbiomes, or microorganisms that are good for the body, we found that although many people do not eat diverse foods, their bodies can regulate well, as good bacteria helps to digest and complete the digestion process so that the body can absorb nutrients for use.

The is the reason why some people are not able to lose or gain weight sucessfully, as not many people consider about this matter or misinterpret it. For instance, a new research came out indicating that vitamin D deficiency leads to difficulty or the inability for weight loss. If we understand the principles of macro and micro nutrients, we can realize that the study does not mean that consuming vitamin D leads to weight loss, but rather that the body needs vitamin D for complete metabolism, which cannot be achieved if the body lacks vitamin D.

Eating before, during, and after exercise
Exercise is like training the body. It is causing the body to be injured. After finishing the exercise, the body will gradually recover back to 100 percent. This is what good exercise is. But if one exercises in excess of the body’s recovery, it will cause real injury. Hence, training must be followed by recovery period.

After the recovery period is the period known as Super Compensate, whereby the body repairs the muscles back to strength so as not to get injured. This is the time to eat and rest properly. For best efficiency, one must therefore be attentive to what one eats before, during, and after exercise.

Nevertheless, eating before and during exercise accounts for only 20-30 percent, but after exercise during the Super Compensate period, the body will build up muscles and if one does not pay attention to what one eats or consumes insufficient protein, 70 percent of the benefits obtained from exercise will be lost. Or if one does not eat anything after exercise, the heart rate will drop as the body believes that it lacks calorie which signifies that it has excessively deteriorated. However, overconsumption by thinking that it helps to repair the muscles will instead lead to resistance from the body in the long run and cause illness.

In principle, the exercise cycle should be 24-48 hours. So hard exercise should not be done on a daily basis. If one wants to exercise every day, different muscles should be worked on, like leg muscles one day, arms muscles the next day, so that the other muscles are able to recover. As mentioned above, eating properly is also important.

Light exercise of 35-45 minutes per day can be done daily without making any special schedule for food intake.

Hormones are also important
When starting to exercise, two important hormones, Growth Hormone and Testosterone Hormone, will be gradually induced to function, and reach the peak in around 35-45 minutes. If exercise is longer than that, the body will interpret it as attempt for survival, and stress will be induced, as if running away from a dinosaur, with the result being that the food consumed is misused by the body for a different purpose than was originally intended.

Different exercise requires different foods
In the case of people in general, exercising for 35-45 per day, every other day, there is no need to plan ahead about what to eat, as long as macro and micro nutrients are sufficiently consumed. However, some water should be taken if the exercise exceeds 35 minutes.

In the case of athletes, the type of athlete should be distinguished. Marathon runners and body builders consume different foods. Timing is also important. If the competition is in 2 weeks, large amounts of macro nutrients should be consumed, which take a toll on the digestive system, and therefore electrolytes should be taken, for instance (further details will be explained in the following chapters).

As for athletes, proper planning must be done for nutrition, exercise, and rest in order to achieve the targeted results.

Compiled by: Winna Rakkarn
Photo credit: Unsplash