Dietary and hydration principles before and after exercise and prevention of sports injuries
**Diet before and after exercise**
I often get asked, "I eat normally and exercise regularly, but why am I not losing weight?" After understanding her diet and exercise schedule, I found the crux of the problem-she ate normally after exercising and resting for a while, feeling too hungry and having a great appetite, sometimes even eating more than usual. At the end of exercise, the body's digestive and absorption functions are significantly enhanced; if you immediately replenish energy, the result is predictable.
Pre-workout nutrition is crucial; avoid exercising on an empty stomach in pursuit of weight loss. This often results in insufficient workout duration and intensity, and can lead to overeating afterward. Next, we'll teach you how to eat before exercise to maximize its effectiveness.
1. From the perspective of exercise time
Morning exercise: On an empty stomach or with a glass of honey water. Those with hypoglycemia should drink at least a glass of honey water, or supplement with 1-2 slices of whole-wheat toast.
Afternoon workout: If you choose to exercise between 5 pm and 7 pm, have a cup of yogurt, two slices of whole wheat toast and a piece of fruit around 4 pm.
Evening exercise: Exercise should be done after dinner, ideally around 8 PM, about three hours after a rest period. Dinner should be as light as possible; greasy food will burden the stomach and intestines, requiring more time to digest. Have a piece of fruit half an hour before dinner. Dinner should consist of a small bowl of rice or porridge and a serving of vegetables. Otherwise, it will affect sleep.
Avoid strenuous exercise one hour before or after meals: During exercise, blood concentrates in the muscles and skin of the limbs, causing ischemia in internal organs. If you eat immediately afterward, it can cause indigestion and may lead to damage from reactive oxygen species.
It's not good to sleep or rest immediately after eating. It's better to walk around a bit before resting or sleeping.
2. In terms of exercise intensity
30-60 minutes: If you choose low to moderate intensity exercise, such as brisk walking or jogging, you don't need to eat extra. Eat three meals a day as usual, and have a snack 1-2 hours before exercise, such as a piece of fruit and a small bowl of oatmeal, or two slices of whole-wheat toast. If it's strength training, have a cup of yogurt or a carton of milk before exercising to provide sufficient protein for muscle growth.
1-3 hours before exercise: Don't worry about lack of energy and eat a lot before exercising. The correct approach is to replenish with sugary sports drinks or fruit juice during exercise. Alternatively, you can eat a small amount of easily digestible food two hours before exercise. To enhance exercise results without affecting weight loss, you can also eat 1-2 whole-grain biscuits to help the sugar be absorbed quickly.
Exercise lasting more than 3 hours: Such intensive exercise is generally not recommended. Pre-workout meals should be easily digestible, primarily carbohydrates, supplemented with some fish, meat, and vegetables. During exercise, it's essential to have intermittent snacks prepared beforehand: soda crackers, whole-grain crackers, or fresh fruit.
Post-workout dietary choices are relatively simple; remember one key point-the "alkaline principle." Avoid heavy, meaty foods after exercise, as the metabolism of proteins and fats produces a large amount of acidic substances, causing the blood to become more acidic and hindering the recovery from fatigue. Alkaline foods like vegetables and fruits, rich in vitamins and trace elements, can prevent the blood from becoming acidic and aid in post-workout recovery. The acidity or alkalinity of food is not determined by its taste, but by the acidity or alkalinity of its metabolic end products. Generally, meat and eggs are acidic foods, while vegetables, fruits, and soybeans are alkaline foods.
Under normal circumstances, you need to consume about 1.5 liters of water per day. However, if you lose a lot of water through sweating during exercise, especially in hot summer weather, you will need to replenish fluids according to the actual situation of your exercise. Not drinking enough water will increase blood concentration and the burden on metabolic organs. Mild symptoms may include headaches or aches, while not drinking water during exercise can sometimes cause difficulty concentrating or exhaustion. In severe cases, it can lead to complications such as kidney disease and heart disease. Therefore, drinking water before, during, and after exercise is essential. Next, we will divide exercise into three stages to see how to replenish fluids.
1. Before exercise
Drink 150-200 ml of water half an hour before exercise, or 300 ml of water one hour before exercise.
2. During exercise
During low-to-moderate intensity exercise, replenish 150-200 ml of water every 20 minutes. The total amount per hour should be 500-600 ml; in hot weather, this can be increased to 1 liter per hour. For higher intensity exercise, it is recommended to choose low-sugar sports drinks or fruit juice. During strenuous exercise, choose lightly salted water or drinks containing salt to replenish the sodium lost through sweating and maintain electrolyte balance.
3. After exercise
After exercise, drink 150-200 ml of water. Wait half an hour before drinking large amounts of water to avoid poor absorption in the stomach.
In summary, the principle of hydration during exercise is "small amounts, frequently." It's also important to choose room temperature water whenever possible. Sports drinks should be consumed sparingly unless you're extremely tired, as they are high in potassium and sodium. Stimulating drinks like tea and coffee should be avoided before and after exercise. While distilled water tastes good, it lacks minerals. If you sweat excessively, you can add a little salt to the water. Avoid iced water to prevent overstimulating the stomach and intestines, causing severe vasoconstriction, and negatively impacting gastrointestinal health. Most importantly, don't wait until you're thirsty to drink water; that's too late.
(1) You should drink water in a balanced way 24 hours before the competition, and pay attention to replenishing water in the previous meal.
(2) Drink 500 ml of water 2 hours before the activity to replenish lost water and eliminate excess water.
(3) For intense exercise exceeding 1 hour, carbohydrates or electrolytes should be added to the water, but for exercise within 1 hour, plain water is sufficient. 30-60 grams of carbohydrates should be added every hour to maintain glucose oxidation and delay fatigue. Glucose or starch are both acceptable. For longer periods, fructose is also recommended because glucose increases jejunal potassium secretion, while fructose helps with potassium absorption. Additionally, fructose empties from the stomach faster than glucose, but a combination of both is generally recommended. For exercise exceeding 1 hour, 0.5-0.7 grams of sodium per liter can be added to the water to enhance flavor and help retain moisture.
(4) The water temperature should be between 15 and 22℃.
**Sports Injuries**
It's likely that exercise has gradually become a part of your life, and you might even feel unwell if you can't exercise on a certain day. Therefore, to ensure you can schedule exercise whenever you want every day, always remember to prioritize safety. Sports injuries can be prevented and avoided.
Always remember: Exercise, but avoid injury!
Whether you're an Olympic champion or a beginner, you're susceptible to sports injuries. However, the former are often injured by accident, while the latter are more likely to be injured due to a lack of theoretical guidance. To better avoid sports injuries, let's first look at the causes.
1. Venue
Don't overlook environmental factors during exercise; improper venue selection often leads to safety hazards. Hard, inelastic surfaces such as marble, tiles, and cement are unsuitable for exercise, as they absorb almost no vibration and are extremely prone to causing various chronic and acute sports injuries.
2. Equipment
Inappropriate clothing and footwear can also easily cause sports injuries. Clothing lacking elasticity can restrict movement, potentially leading to strains or accidental slips. Sports shoes are crucial for exercise; jumping rope barefoot or running in place barefoot will cause significant impact on the ankles and knees due to the lack of cushioning. Except for mat-based exercises like yoga and Pilates, and low-impact movements like belly dancing, other sports should not be practiced barefoot.
3. Warm-up Procedure
Don't skip the warm-up just because it doesn't burn many calories and jump straight into moderate-intensity exercise. Insufficient warm-up, especially in winter, can lead to chronic injuries from accumulated discomfort, or even serious strains or sprains during exercise.
4. Exercise Habits
Exercise should not be rushed, nor should one assume that improper technique or posture is acceptable; both can pose risks. For example, when under pressure, if the hip, knee, and ankle joints are not aligned in the same direction, it can easily lead to excessive knee twisting. Furthermore, improper stretching techniques, such as excessive force, often result in ligament strains.
5. Exercise posture
Sports injuries such as sprains, strains, contusions, abrasions, and fractures are mostly caused by impact forces combined with improper posture. Regardless of whether the injury is caused by external force or the individual, it needs to be treated and treated quickly to avoid delaying the recovery process. Acute sports injuries are more common.
6. Overuse
Most of the problems caused during exercise, such as muscle fatigue, blisters, tendonitis, calluses, and lower back pain, are chronic sports injuries caused by excessive load, overuse, or poor posture.
7. Insufficient sleep and excessive fatigue
When a person is sleep-deprived or fatigued, the ability of skeletal muscles to contract is relatively poor. Due to the accumulation of excessive lactic acid or waste products, people are prone to fatigue. This is exacerbated by poor oxygen and nutrient supply. Because muscles cannot move effectively and flexibly, and mental concentration and coordination are poor during exercise, if one exercises under these conditions, coupled with fatigue, and if the exercise is strenuous or excessive, sports injuries, headaches, sudden cardiovascular events, or hypoglycemia are more likely to occur.
In addition, the causes of common sports injuries in specific populations are summarized as follows:
1. Children
Children are primarily prone to accidental sports injuries, such as abrasions, sunburn, and cramps while swimming. Since children are still developing, excessive or prolonged exercise should be avoided.
2. Adolescents
Generally speaking, adolescents' ligaments are elastic and their growth retardation is not yet complete, making them prone to muscle and bone injuries. If injured, they should seek medical attention immediately to avoid long-term consequences. Adolescent sports are often popular, trendy, and intense. It's important to be aware of any pre-existing conditions, such as heart disease or epilepsy, and whether their muscle strength and endurance are adequate for the demands of intense exercise. Engaging in contact sports, such as soccer and basketball, increases the risk of sports injuries.
3.Female
Women should engage in gentle exercise. Popular exercises such as rhythmic gymnastics, aerobics, and yoga are suitable for younger women. More strenuous exercise can easily cause menstrual irregularities, anemia, osteoporosis-related fractures, or lower back pain.
4. Middle-aged and elderly people
Due to the degeneration of muscles, bones, and nerves, the most common sports injuries among middle-aged and elderly people are fractures, strains, and sprains. Recovery takes longer, and the injuries are more likely to be severe. Special attention should be paid to warming up and using protective gear. They should avoid heavy, strenuous, and high-difficulty exercises.