nutrition articles and advice

Why Sports Nutrition?

Sports nutrition address the specific nutritional needs of exercise. Each Science in Sport product is split into a product group - Energize, Hydrate, Recover and Enhance.

Many people will look at sports nutrition and think it is not for them for one reason or another, however if you were to give yourself a specific target, from a January detox and gym schedule to becoming a professional athlete, they all need your body to be fuelled and looked after properly. Sports nutrition isn't just about a sugary, high carbohydrate drink. Motivating yourself to get up and exercise day after day can be difficult enough, but without the correct recovery, diet and nutrients the body will get run down and be more susceptible to illness and infection.

Energize

The predominant source of energy in the body is as stored glycogen. This comes from carbohydrates eaten and drunk in your everyday diet, but for high intensity and endurance exercise this source of carbohydrates isn't always enough to get you through.

• A healthy male can store 500g of glycogen - that's 2000 kcal of carbohydrates
• A healthy female can store 400g of glycogen - that's 1600kcal of carbohydrates
  
• The body can digest around 90g of carbohydrate per hour during exercise
  

Any exercise burns energy, 30 minutes can burn anything from around 100kcal to 500kcal depending on the intensity of the workout, any exercise has been done prior, and the number of muscle groups working. As a simple example, running for 30 minutes at the end of a triathlon burns calories quicker than running at the same pace for 30 minutes from a rested state. Energy drinks, bars and gels can be used as a quick energy source to replace the calories you're using during exercise.
Endurance Exercise
Endurance events such as Ironman triathlons require a specific nutritional plan to balance out the energy sources you will be burning during your exercise and the calories you can take on board. You can find sample nutritional strategies under the "MY RITUAL" section of our website.

Hydrate

One of the biggest misconceptions regarding hydration is that drinking water alone will keep you hydrated. In reality, as you sweat, your body loses electrlyte salts which are essential to control the transfer of water inside the body.

• A 2% loss in body mass through sweat can result in a 10% loss in performance
  

There are two major factors that affect how readily fluid will be absorbed. First is the rate at which the fluid drains from the stomach. Go Electrolyte is an isotonic drink, and mixed at 6%-8% carbohydrate solution is the quickest way to get fluids through the stomach. Second is the rate of absorption in the intestine which is controlled by electrolytes, especially sodium and potassium. Both Go Electrolyte and Superhydro are finely balanced to offer as high a rate of hydration as possible.

Recover

Arguably, the most important nutritional aspect to consider after any exercise is adequate recovery. Most people understand that a high protein diet after exercise can help repair muscles and reduce fatigue, but the majority of recreational sportsmen don't take the protein in an optimal time frame.

Ideally, a mix of carbohydrates and proteins should be taken within the first 30 to 45 minutes post exercise to provide optimal muscle regeneration. Our protein recovery products Rego and and Rego Rapid also contain a blend of vitamins, minerals, electrolytes and glutamine to help the body rehydrate, repair itself and to aid protection against infections and illness.
More information on Rego can be found here.

Enhance

The Science in Sport Enhance range covers a broad spectrum of advantages, from lactic acid buffering to weight loss and increased immune system function. Clicking through to the product detail pages on the Enhance section of the shop will give a broad breakdown of the advantages of each of the product lines.