Get moving every day!
Whatever your age, exercise is an act of kindness to your body. No need to exhaust yourself - 45 minutes of moderately intense exercise every day will energise you, improve your sleep, fortify your bones, boost your morale and slow down the risks of developing age-related neuro-degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. There are only benefits. Nouria Alami, dietician and nutritionist specialising in sports nutrition, talks to us about the best practices and myths relating to physical activity. 👇
When a person does a lot of exercise, do they need to consume more calories? Can they lose weight eating less healthy food because it’s eliminated during sport?
Let me dispel a few misconceptions surrounding sportspeople’s diets. First of all, it’s better to lead a sedentary lifestyle if you eat unhealthily.
During an activity of moderate to higher intensity, your body will need different minerals such as calcium and magnesium for muscle contraction and decontraction, vitamins such as vitamin D, which is essential to maintain bone mass in particular, antioxidants to handle oxidative stress, omega 3 with anti-inflammatory virtues, etc.
In short, an imbalanced diet will not meet any needs and will cause deficiencies that will accentuate fatigue, the risk of fractures, injuries, etc.
Another misconception: calories. When doing an activity such as brisk walking, swimming, pilates or yoga for two to four one-hour sessions a week, there’s no need to increase your calorie intake. A normal, healthy diet will be sufficient and there's no need to increase your rations of carbohydrate or protein. This is not the case if you do sports such as marathon running where the intake will obviously be higher, because the effort lasts longer and is more intense.
When you do sport, you must always eat as revitalising, varied and colourful a diet as possible.
What diet should you choose in practice to meet all your needs?
The first tip is to eat three types of nutrient in the same meal. Plan a 150 g portion of protein (egg, meat, poultry, fish), a portion of around 200g of carbohydrates (rice, pasta, potatoes, quinoa, lentils) maximum, or a quarter of your plate, and a good 250g portion of the most colourful local and seasonal vegetables because they’re a real mine of antioxidants.
Second tip: lipids. These are essential. Their benefits and qualities vary according to the type of fat you use. Cook with olive oil, clarified butter, coconut oil or duck fat. On cooked food or in salads, use oils that are rich in omega 3 such as linseed (one teaspoon a day) or rapeseed oil.
Take care never to cook them and keep them in the fridge. Always choose first cold pressed oils and bottles with dark glass to preserve all their qualities.
Don’t avoid butter because, in small quantities, it’s very good for your health. 10g a day on some nutritious bread is a real guilt-free pleasure.
My third tip is about breakfast. Avoid breakfast cereals, jam and other sugary spreads. Choose quality proteins, a handful of oil seeds, a slice of wholemeal bread with a little bit of real butter or muesli with plain full fat yoghurt. Not eating sugar in the morning will avoid energy troughs (hypoglaecemia) and will already prepare you for reparative sleep.
Fourth tip: a snack at 4 p.m. should be a piece of fruit and a handful of walnuts or almonds, for example. If possible, soak them in the morning to enjoy all their benefits.
My fifth tip would be to choose a particular time to exercise. Avoid sport after eating because your digestion will be less efficient if you have full stomach.
What should you drink when exercising?
What you drink will depend on several factors: the intensity of the exercise, its duration and the weather. If you walk for an hour in a temperature of 35 degrees, you’ll need to drink more than if you walk for thirty minutes in the rain in 10 degrees.
I recommend that you drink water during the day, normally, when not exerting yourself, but it won’t be sufficient for endurance sports.
If you do sport for more than one hour and thirty minutes, you’ll need an “isotonic” drink, meaning that it contains 7% carbohydrate, to maintain a constant effort. This home-made drink will be excellent: One litre of water with the juice of one lime, one teaspoon of honey and the juice of one orange.
After more than two hours of exertion, you can drink a more sugary, hypertonic drink to replenish the sugar reserves in your muscles. A glass of freshly squeezed orange juice or a home-made ice tea sweetened with granulated sugar for example.
What sport would you recommend?
To stay in shape, depending on your mood of the day, choose a sport that creates balance. If you're tired, take a walk outdoors, at a sustained pace - it will be a good pick-me-up and give you some pep. If, on the other hand, you’re anxious, stressed or annoyed, do some yoga or pilates for example, to calm your mood.
Sport is above all pleasurable for your body and mind. It's making time for yourself, even if you share it with friends.
Thank you Nouria Alami for your great tips! 🙏 Did you like Nouria’s tips? Then share this article on your Facebook page!
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