Sports and Nutrition: Tips for a Healthy Life

Practicing physical activity regularly is a remarkably beneficial habit for the body, especially for the heart. The goal of sports at any age is to stimulate sensory perception, motor coordination, and rhythm. Above all, agility and flexibility of the body should be encouraged.

A personalized and adapted training program is the best option, and in general, a combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercises is the best alternative. Every movement, whether running, swimming, or cycling, requires muscle contraction strength, so it is advisable to combine cardiovascular training with muscle toning training. Sometimes we get fatigued not because of the exhaustion of the cardiorespiratory system but because of the exhaustion of the muscular system.

Aerobic exercise helps build endurance and lung capacity, but both aerobic and anaerobic exercises work the circulatory system and the heart. Anaerobic exercise forces the heart to pump blood quickly for a short period, which helps strengthen the circulatory system. Combining and alternating both exercises is very beneficial for the body.

In the long term, increasing muscle mass helps eliminate excess fat and control weight.

The key to nutrition

To practice any sport without excessively tiring the body, proper nutrition is necessary. In general, a balanced and healthy diet that includes proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals is adequate. Regarding the distribution of food, carbohydrates should provide 55-60% of the total caloric intake; the proportion of fats is 30% of the total daily energy intake; and protein needs should constitute 12-15%. At least 50% of the protein should be animal-based to ensure an adequate supply of essential amino acids.

Carbohydrates are essential to improving sports performance: they increase liver glycogen, which will provide glucose to the blood and, from there, to the muscles. They should be consumed before and during exercise, especially if it is prolonged. The main source should be complex carbohydrates (cereals, vegetables, potatoes), which support prolonged effort. 12-15% should be simple sugars (glucose, honey, fresh fruit and juice, dried fruit like raisins, prunes, dried figs), useful for intense efforts and should be taken during and immediately after exercise to increase blood glucose levels and recover muscle glycogen, which is essential if you want to maintain optimal performance in subsequent training sessions. Therefore, post-exercise food intake aims to recover reserves and losses.

Proteins can be obtained from fish, eggs, dairy, and meat. Necessary fats should come from vegetable oils like olive or sunflower oil. Saturated fats should be avoided, but the others are necessary for proper cellular functioning, as they are an important energy source along with glycogen for physical activity. There should be a higher consumption of monounsaturated fats, present in olive oil, and polyunsaturated fats from fish, compared to saturated fats found in foods like meats, cold cuts, snacks, pastries. In prolonged endurance sports, fat consumption should make up 20-25% of total calories. It's important to maintain adequate fat levels to prevent muscle tissue from being consumed for energy.

The contribution of vitamins and minerals is fundamental, as they play an important structural and functional role, especially at the metabolic level. An increase in micronutrients involved in protein, energy, and carbohydrate metabolism (B vitamins found in vegetables, fruits, meats, cereals, etc.) is required due to excessive loss through sweat.

On the other hand, fiber intake is essential as it helps with detoxification processes and, therefore, recovery.

And something we must never forget is proper hydration, which is the best ergogenic aid. Water is essential before, during, and after exercise. When sweating, water is lost, and the body can become dehydrated. It can be replenished simply with water or glucose serum, consumed in small and repeated amounts during training and competition. The best drink is water, as it contains no calories or sugars.