Sport and exercise

Nutrition plays a key role in exercise performance for both recreational and elite athletes. This fact sheet highlights general nutritional advice to optimise performance providing simple foundations of sport nutrition that will support training and competition, aid recovery and good health.

1. Mix it up – eat a varied, well-balanced diet.

2. Eat for energy – include plenty of carbohydrate foods. Based on the amount of sport and exercise you do, vary your intake to match the demands of your training and competition schedule.

3. Strive for more than five – eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Variety is key. These can easily be incorporated into recovery nutrition snacks and meals.

4. Refuel optimally – if quick recovery is required, start refuelling with carbohydrate-rich foods and fluids as soon as possible after exercise. This is important if you are performing repeated bouts of training or competition within short time periods.

5. Stay hydrated – ensure good hydration at all times. Drink throughout the day as well as before, during and after exercise, as appropriate.

What can I eat to fuel my body for exercise?

Carbohydrate is the main fuel source for exercising muscles. Requirements will depend on your training programme and overall dietary goals. Usually, higher amounts are needed to support harder and longer training sessions. If following a general fitness programme, your carbohydrate needs can be met by eating a normal healthy diet. If undertaking moderate or high-volume training (one intense session/multiple sessions per day) greater amounts are required. Not eating enough can lead to lack of energy, early fatigue during exercise, loss of concentration, increased injury risk and delayed recovery.

Muscles store carbohydrate as glycogen (a form of glucose that helps regulate your blood sugar levels.) Stores are limited and need to be topped up frequently, particularly if exercising daily or at high intensity. To keep stores topped up, aim for a regular eating pattern which includes a low fat, high carbohydrate snack or a light meal two to three hours before exercise. Then, after exercise, start replenishing glycogen stores immediately with a high carbohydrate snack or meal. If exercising hard for longer than an hour, carbohydrate intake during exercise can enhance performance.

Carbohydrate needs based on activity level and body weight

*Although general requirements can be provided, carbohydrate intakes should be fine-tuned with individual consideration of total energy needs, specific training and performance feedback.

Examples of carbohydrate-rich foods and fluids

*All contain approximately 50g of carbohydrate

What about protein?

Required for building and repairing muscle, protein plays a significant role in how the body responds to exercise. Athletes participating in strength and endurance sports have a higher requirement for protein (approximately 1.4-2.0 g/kg/day) than people that don’t exercise (0.75g/kg/day). However, in most cases, providing energy requirements are met, a healthy, balanced diet should provide enough protein to meet any increased requirements. Aim to evenly distribute your fat intake throughout the day. Where muscle gain is desired, a combination of resistance training and a diet containing adequate energy and carbohydrate as well as protein ( approximately 1.6-1.7g/kg/day) is required.

What foods are a good source of protein?

*All contain approximately 20g of protein

Focus on good fats

The total amount of fat you should be having depends on energy requirements and body composition goals. Aim to follow healthy eating guidelines which focus on consuming moderate amounts of mono-unsaturated and omega-3 fats and a reduction in saturated fats.

What vitamins and minerals are needed when exercising?

If sufficient energy is consumed then vitamin and mineral intakes should be adequate, but those engaged in regular training and competition should be aware of their needs for calcium, iron, and vitamin D.

Always maintain hydration

Good hydration is essential for performance. Dehydration can affect physical and mental performance – the effects becoming more noticeable as the body gets progressively more dehydrated. Aim to start exercise well-hydrated, take on-board appropriate fluids during, and restore hydration levels as soon as possible afterwards to replace water and salts lost in sweat. A simple, practical recommendation is to drink to ‘just stay ahead of thirst.’ This will help you avoid drinking too much or too little. Find out more in our Fluid and hydration food fact sheet.

What about supplements?

A varied, well-balanced diet should provide the nutrients and energy required for sport. Supplements will not compensate for poor food choices but may be helpful in certain situations. If considering supplementation consult a registered practitioner to ensure they are appropriate for you and you use them safely and effectively.

Top tips

1. Adjust intake based on training. Training varies from day-to-day and week-to-week, along with your competition schedule. Eat and fuel according to intensity. If you have a coach or trainer, talk to them to find out how hard or easy sessions will be.
2. Plan ahead. Fit your eating in around training. Have protein and carbohydrate-rich foods on your plate at all meals. If you are training for multiple hours or at a very high intensity, sports foods (drinks, bars, gels) can boost carbohydrate intake around training and competition.
3. Tap into experts. To get your nutrition right, you may find it useful to consult a registered sport dietitian or sport and exercise nutritionist. To find a registered practitioner visit the SENR area of our website.